Twenty tales of vampire erotica, in which "vampire" is defined as "anything the author says it is" and "sex" much the same way, and the more gore there is in the story, the better.

That said, there were a few really good stories that made the anthology worth picking up. My favorites were:

"Cafe Endless: Spring Rain" by Nancy Holder, which captures a certain Japenese-ness and sensuality.

"Cherry" by Christa Faust, the most erotic and vampiric of the stories while remaining unpredictable.

"The Alchemy of the Throat" by Brian Hodge, a longish story about a castrato in Italy. Very uncomfortable (read: ew), but very unique.

"A Slow Red Whisper of Sand" by Robert Devereaux, the final story and another long one. Lots of gore, but at heart a complex story about love, turning, and despair. ( )

This is an anthology of vampire erotica collected by Poppy Z. Brite by invitation, or by those she invited passing on invites to others.

The quality is quite variable. There are a few wonderful stories, there are some odd ones, there are some disturbing ones and one or two downright unpleasant ones. There are odd takes from familiar names, a few of them being blasts from the past a few names of authors I still read avidly.

If you like your vampire fiction all grown up and feisty you will probably find some stories in here you like and it's worth a read just for that, but you probably won't like them all. ( )

A group of stories based around the vampire idea, with the first part generally being a bit better. A variety of monsters to be found, though, however. The majority is not explicit erotica as such, if that is what you were thinking.

Around half of this is on the ordinary side, as far as stories go, so just your average anthology, really, with a 3.2ish average.

Love In Vein : Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu - Norman Partridge
Love In Vein : Geraldine - Ian McDowell
Love In Vein : In the Greenhouse - Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
Love In Vein : Cafe Endless: Spring Rain - Nancy Holder
Love In Vein : Empty Vessels - David B. Silva
Love In Vein : The Final Fête of Abba Adi - Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Love In Vein : Cherry - Christa Faust
Love In Vein : White Chapel - Douglas Clegg
Love In Vein : Delicious Antique Whore - Wilum H. Pugmire
Love In Vein : Triptych di Amore - Thomas F. Monteleone
Love In Vein : Queen of the Night - Gene Wolfe
Love In Vein : The Marriage - Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem
Love In Vein : In This Soul of a Woman - Charles de Lint
Love In Vein : The Alchemy of the Throat - Brian Hodge
Love In Vein : Love Me Forever - Mike Baker
Love In Vein : And the Horses Hiss at Midnight - A. R. Morlan
Love In Vein : Elixir - Elizabeth Engstrom
Love In Vein : The Gift of Neptune - Danielle Willis
Love In Vein : From Hunger - Wayne Allen Sallee
Love In Vein : A Slow Red Whisper of Sand - Robert Devereaux

Quincey not dead, Drac not dead, Lucy not dead. Blimey.

4 out of 5

Probably should get a human girlfriend and not kill your dad.

4 out of 5

Flower love.

2.5 out of 5

Japanese club sucker.

3 out of 5

Whore mum emotion sucker hunt story.

3.5 out of 5

Triple talent devouring ritual.

3.5 out of 5

Not a real girl gets rid of bloody real girl.

3.5 out of 5

Monkey God Night.

4 out of 5

Drain me.

2 out of 5

Frack me Amadeus.

3 out of 5

It's a ghoul, ghoul summer.

3 out of 5

Emotional renewal.

2 out of 5

Vampire stripper chat ending.

4 out of 5

Castrati immortal patron sacrifice.

3.5 out of 5

Violet eyed chameleon kill.

3.5 out of 5

Tattooed woman has snaky bit.

3.5 out of 5

Colour blind capture cure.

3 out of 5

Freak show vampire and mermaid.

3 out of 5

"I had to remain in the shape of a bat because my clothes would not rematerialize after I had shrunk so small. It's not like all us vampires are tight with some guy like Reed Richards of The Fantastic Four, and have Spandex outfits made of unstable molecules."

3 out of 5

Lovely suckers.

3 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/01... ( )

A fine collection of erotic, vampiric fiction edited by Poppy Z. Brite. Includes the following stories:

"Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu" by Norman Partridge
"Geraldine" by Ian McDowell
"In the Greenhouse" by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
"Cafe Endless: Spring Rain" by Nancy Holder
"Empty Vessels" by David B. Silva
"The Final Fete of Abba Adi" by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
"Cherry" by Christa Faust
"White Chapel" by Douglas Clegg
"Delicious Antique Whore" by Wilum H. Pugmire
"Triptych di Amore" by Thomas F. Monteleone
"Queen of the Night" by Gene Wolfe
"The Marriage" by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem
"In This Soul of a Woman" by Charles de Lint
"The Alchemy of the Throat" by Brian Hodge
"Love Me Forever" by Mike Baker
"-- and the Horses Hiss at Midnight" by A. R. Morlan
"Elixer" by Elizabeth Engstrom
"The Gift of Neptune" by Danielle Willis
"From Hunger" by Wayne Allen Sallee
"A Slow Whisper of Sand" by Robert Devereaux

Followed up by the imaginately titled second volume, Love in Vein II (also worth checking out). ( )