About Pour Some Sugar On It

With stories by Lee Benoit, Heidi Champa, Misa Izanaki, Kiernan Kelly, Sean Michael, Emily Moreton, G.R. Richards, Rob Rosen, Julia Talbot, Gabriel West and Cari Z.
180 pages / 50000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-144-9
Ebook zipped file contains - html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub

What's our recipe for something sweet? Just take a group of Torquere authors, add hot men, throw on the sugar, and shake. Pour Some Sugar On It does just that, bringing you sweet tales of lust and love, all with a dash of sugar. From werewolves with sweet tooths to candymakers and their confectionary assistants, we've got chocolate lovers and honey abusers, berry farmers and ice cream aficionados, and they've all got one thing in common -- they're hot and they're sweet.

We've brought together all the best ingredients for one sweet anthology: a cup of high fantasy from Gabriel West and pound of urban fantasy from Misa Izanaki and G.R. Richards. We have a touch of paranormal from Julia Talbot, a dash of BDSM from Sean Michael. Throw in the freshest contemporaries from Lee Benoit, Heidi Champa, Cari Z, Rob Rosen, Emily Moreton, and Kiernan Kelly and we have the hottest, sweetest recipe going. So take a dive into these sticky, gooey, and yes, sweet stories. You won't even need to brush your teeth when you're done.

Stories include:
Sweet Tooth by Julia Talbot
Going to Eleven by Lee Benoit
One Foxy Man by Misa Izanaki
A Prince Among Princes by G.R. Richards
Drink Deep From the Cup of Victory by Gabriel West
Best Birthday Ever by Heidi Champa
Favorite Dish by Cari Z
The Candyman Can by Rob Rosen
Banana Ice Cream by Emily Moreton
Chocolate Dreams by Kiernan Kelly
Brownies: A Hammer Story by Sean Michael

Review

Jane Davitt, author of Hourglass, writes: When I was asked to review the 'Pour Some Sugar On It' anthology, edited by M. Rode, I knew that I was in for a treat. There's something about adding a sprinkle of sugar to a hot man that just makes him even more irresistible than usual and the stories in this collection were all perfectly sweet without ever being cloying, deliciously tempting treats that left me feeling satisfied and just a little naughty.

The book begins with 'Sweet Tooth' by Julia Talbot in which two werewolves, one a doctor, celebrate their anniversary. The world here is deftly sketched in a few words and finding out what happens to the treats purchased by Shiloh's lover is enough to make anyone feel like hunting down some chocolate-covered cherries of their own.

'Going to Eleven' by Lee Benoit comes next and the sweetness here comes in the form of the appealingly shy berry farmer, Bartholomew and Chip, searching for a boyfriend and kissing a lot of frogs before he finds a prince. I loved the whimsical tone of this story and the acerbic interjections from Bartholomew's sister added a wonderfully tart jolt.

Next up is 'One Foxy Man' by Misa Izanaki, a more wistful take on the theme, with an elven stripper and a kitsune, a Japanese fox-shifter, meeting one night and changing their lives in the process. This story left me feeling intrigued by the setting -- I'd love to read more stories set in the Body Shop club -- and the pairing. Aoi was so very vulnerable and Itsuki is so very appealing.

'A Prince Among Princes' by G. R. Richards made me smile from the start. I loved the idea of a club for gay princes and even if Prince Julian wasn't keen on ordering a Princes' Ransom from the bar tender, I wouldn't mind trying one. This frothy, light-hearted story had an interesting reveal at the end that gave it an additional layer I appreciated.

One of the longest stories in the book is 'Drinking Deep From the Cup of Victory' by Gabriel West. This was a richly imagined story set within a tent on a battlefield, in a fantasy world, and the background of the two men, Prince Leandros and his bodyguard and lover Aeton, is revealed slowly, as slowly as the hours pass before dawn. Honey, clear and golden, drips over skin and the reader is left beguiled and captivated.

The book returns to our own world for the next story, Heidi Champa's 'Best Birthday Ever' and if I go out and buy a chocolate cake after this, I know who to blame for breaking my diet. This story is one of instant attraction between the birthday boy, Marcus, and the caterer for his party, Davis, who sure knows his way around a mixing bowl. These two were so cute and will someone give me the recipe for 'Better Than Sex' cake, please?

'Favorite Dish' by Cari Z was a delightful slice of longing, with chef Alex missing his partner James and baking like crazy to while away the time until James returns from his business trip. The author really captured the way that time can drag for the one left behind and the reunion was realistic, hot, and deeply romantic all at once. The descriptions of the food were erotic in their own right.

'The Candyman Can' by Rob Rosen was an overload of indulgence and fudge-flavored naughtiness and I reveled in every word without a shred of guilt. I like chance encounters leading to hot sex and a hope for more and this story delivered on all counts. Bonus points for the inventive use of the candy in the shop during the sex.

The focus changes to an established couple in Emily Moreton's 'Banana Ice Cream' with Mal sweeping his partner Owen away for such much needed relaxation. I enjoyed the caring and closeness of this couple very much and the gentle sweetness of their time away.

The book draws to a close with a flourish of a spatula as Kiernan Kelly's 'Chocolate Dreams' tells us the story of Alexander, a tempestuous genius with chocolate who can't seem to keep his apprentice chefs or his temper. So maybe he should hire a mechanic like Thomas for a change? There's a delicious extra to this story -- a sprinkling of cinnamon maybe? -- in the form of a spanking and as always, the author sweeps the story along with a deft hand. I enjoyed the dynamics between these two and their strength of will.

The final story, the cherry on top of the sundae, is by Sean Michael, 'Brownies: A Hammer Story'. People on sugar highs are adorable and seeing the way two Doms dealt with their high on brownies subs made for a wonderfully entertaining story. Jim's nerves being soothed by an understanding Master followed by an intense and romantic scene were nicely framed by the off-screen action in the bathroom, making for a double scoop of yumminess.

Definitely a collection with something for everyone and definitely an indulgence we all deserve on our shelves.

Sample

From: Sweet Tooth By Julia Talbot

Shiloh has a sweet tooth.

I don't mean a little one, either. My wolf has a serious jones for sweet stuff. He loves chocolate, especially with caramel and nuts and all. He's not fond of most of the fruit desserts; says that wolves don't love that kind of thing. Cherries. Those and grapes are about it, and man was he disappointed to know that grapes are kinda poisonous to him.

Well, to us, because the first damned thing he did when we started getting serious was bite me and make me a werewolf, too. Good thing I like pecans instead of almonds, huh? No poisoning for me. Almonds are as bad for us as grapes.

Is it any wonder that I take great pleasure sometimes in being the doctor, and thus the voice of doom? I mean, talk about a change in my schedule. Now I have to plan around the full moon and shit, and run my clinic, too. I like to be flexible, but sometimes it gets me a little frazzled.

Thank God for Tony, my assistant, who not only bought the werewolf thing hook, line and sinker, but who moved to the new clinic with me. Tony's my right hand man, my best bud, and while I know he's queer, he's a guy's guy, so he's way more useful when I need to talk about Shiloh than the girls are.

"So what do you think I should do, man?" I asked Tony when I was planning on the big anniversary date I wanted to take Shiloh on. The full moon had just passed, so I could plan something really nice and not worry about someone sprouting whiskers or something. No one had to worry about hopping in the hot tub and coming out smelling like a wet dog.

"Hell if I know, dude. I mean, Shiloh is the manliest queer guy I've ever met, aside from maybe you. Frou-frou restaurants are probably out."

"Yeah. Yeah, I imagine so." I chewed a thumbnail, which always made Tony frown at me. These days at least I could tell him I had far less bacteria in my mouth than the average human. "Maybe I should just skip to dessert."

"Hey, not a bad idea. He loves those chocolate covered cherries."

"He does." That was one of the few fruits he'd eat as long as they were in cream and chocolate. So, chocolate covered cherries, some whipped cream. I could get him hyped up on sugar and take advantage of him all night long. "Maybe I'll get a honeymoon suite in some crazy hotel."

"There you go. Hot tub, heart-shaped bed." Tony wrinkled his nose. "Not like you can get diseases anymore."

"Oh. Ew." Yeah, but germs were still kinda gross. No one wanted to think about some grandma sitting in a public hot tub and using her bathing suit like a teabag. Maybe we'd just stay home. We had a whirlpool tub and a king-sized bed. That would be good, especially if I got some plastic lined sheets or something. Chocolate all over the bed would make Shiloh crazy eventually. He'd roll around licking things and sniffing.

Tony just grinned at me. Asshole. He knew that my doctor-y instincts would eventually overrun the whole pleasure principle. He knows me too damned well.

"Go on and set things up, boss. I got the night shift."