Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

This upcoming anthology collects 25 stories of queer horror erotica featuring a diverse range of queer identities and horror genres, which was fun. From pirate fantasy horror over urban fantasy vampire horror to eldritch gloryhole horror there's definitely something here for everyone. However as is often the case with anthologies, this one was a mixed back for sure. Some of the stories I loved, some were actually terrifying, some were pretty hot, some were both (the best type tbh), some I hated and some I had no feelings about whatsoever. A few of them are even fuck and die, which is always a nice erotic horror trope to me personally. However, horror and erotica are both very personal topics and so your milage of enjoyment may vary. I also really, really enjoy that this anthology features most forms of LGBT representation and I absolutely adored that there's multiple trans characters of all identities in the stories! There's even multiple trans women and transfeminine people in this collection! (Small sidenote: There's no ace or aro rep (there is a cult that preaches abstaining from sex, erasing sexual desire and asexual reproduction which was fun, but that's not the same thing as asexual identity). I know some asexual fiction combining horror and erotica could have definitely added to my enjoyment and feels an obvious choice in retrospect.)
If there's not an even horror/erotica split in a story, they tend to verge more towards erotica (sometimes dark and kinky erotica, sometimes fantasy erotica) and so for some stories I found myself wondering what the horror aspect was supposed to be, which was a bit disappointing. In general - and this may have to do with my own forays into stories marketed as erogurowave, extreme horror and the darker side of queer indie publishing - I found myself wishing some of the stories had gone darker and treaded newer, more fucked up waters. However there were still more than enough stories in here that I liked. My favorites were Graphite by Amanda M. Blake, Write my Eulogy on the Gloryhole Bathroom Stall by Rae Knowles, Alphabet City Anactoria by Rain Corbyn, A Kiss With Thorns by K. M. Carmien and Motel Pozitive by j ambrose and they are definitely stories and authors I will be remembering!
I am also pushing my vote up from my individual ratings of 3.25 stars to a round 4 due to the interesting choice of anthology and the wide diversity of horror and queer identity and because of how much I enjoyed my favorites. It is definitely an anthology I can recommend, especially if you (like me) decide to enjoy it a story at a time (+ maybe a poem) instead of gulping it all down in one sitting, because I feel like taking my time greatly increased my enjoyment of many of the stories here. I will now be concluding my review with some short thoughts on each piece, including some trigger warnings when necessary.

A Gift so Sweet by Zach Rosenberg - quite hot, there's monster fucking, jewish mythology, dominance struggle and a nonbinary top! Also pirates and booty. I like a good fuck and die. TW: death, gore

Regina di Santana by Grace R. Reynolds - biblical, filled with death and gore and classical music, rather short and filled with metaphors, unfortunately not really my style, TW: gore

Caught in the Moment by Sapphire Lazuli - very lyrical, follows the creation of erotic art with a grisly ending, unfortunately not my style, TW: death, gore, body horror

Franklin & Jackson by JB Corso - an erotic encounter with the goal to summon the dead, interesting and dark but I wish character motivations had been explored more, it was definitely fun though, I love evil gays. TW: cheating, murder, slight boundary pushing

Graphite by Amanda M. Blake - a collection of erotic art that gains life in a dream soon turned nightmare, kinky, messy and fun! TW: dubcon. One of my favs!

where to draw the dotted lines by M. Lopes de Silva - short kinky poem, fun but unfortunately veeeery, very short

Write my Eulogy on the Gloryhole Bathroom Stall by Rae Knowles - An otherworldy encounter in the men's bathroom. Very, very fun. Who doesn't love a cosmic horror gloryhole? Gorey af and really hot. TW: gore, self harm, drugs, death. One of my favs!

I wander the Earth longing to taste your beating Heart by Minh-Anh Vo Dinh - A flesh eating serial killer attracts a vampire stalker, dark fantasy, which can be fun, but is generally not really my style and unfortunately did not really rouse my interest this time either, TW: murder, self sacrifice

This Living Hand by Aleksandra Ugelstad Elnaes - tfw somebody lends you a hand from beyond. Short, but a fun erotic encounter.

Mantis by Dori Lumpkin - A person cursed to kill anyone they kiss. But is it really a curse? Fun and depraved, I quite liked it, TW: animal cruelty, murder, suicide attempt, incestous kiss (for murder purposes)

Bite by Arthur DeHart- t4t rave sex, what if the stranger you picked up is not just trans like you, but also some kind of creature? Could have been scarier tbh, but I liked the atmosphere. TW: drug use

Alphabet City Anactoria by Rain Corbyn - Trans woman MC experiences a supernatural glory hole experience, very interesting world building, fun, hot and gorey. TW: body horror, death. One of my favs!

Silicone Toys by Violet Mourningstarr - What if your sex toy had feelings and felt betrayed when you bring a new partner home? Also what if it was poetry? I liked the story (even if it is a biiiit cliche), but unfortunately did not enjoy the poetry. TW: Murder

By a Thread by Caitlin Marceau - A lesbian relationship faces a lot of strain because of one partner's need for rougher sex and cheating when her wife doesn't provide it, until the wife decides to deliver her gruesome revenge, gorey, kinky and sooo messy (like emotionally), but sooooo good. TW: manipulation, cheating, sexual boundary pushing, unsafe bdsm, murder, blood and gore

Hunger, the Sea by Charibdys - A cook renowed for his seafood cuisine and the mermaid that visits him at night to feast, veeery gory, very hot. TW: gore

The Roses of Heliogabalus by Sofia Ajram- A poet renowed for his sexual prowess, an emporer with unusual tastes, a bacchanal they plan together. Also many, many roses and lovely gore. Unfortunately too lyrical for my enjoyment and the end did not work for me. TW: murder, gore, mentions of child sexual abuse

The Leatherman by Darren Black - A short and interesting poem about bdsm, stylistically fun but I wish it had been longer.

Little Saddleslut Grows Up by Avra Margariti- dark Fairytale, after eating her sisters a woman craves her girlfriend's flesh but dares not touch her for fear of hurting her, kinky and quite sweet but I wish it had been a biiit scarier. TW: cannibalism, cheating

White & Wolf by Marisca Pichette - Another dark Fairytale, this time Snow White & Red Riding Hood inspired, features a dual POV which due to the short lenght of the story did not really work for me, it is still interesting and lyrical and it was fun. TW: murder, attempted sexual assault (implied)

A Kiss with Thorns by K. M. Carmien - Another rose horror, epic dark fantasy inspired this time, very fun, I loved the rot, the body horror sex, the weird, sexy, scary dreams and that we got a nonbinary MC with a cock, it was horrifying and gross and fun and sexy, or as I liked to call it hornyfying. TW: gore, murder, body horror. One of my favs!

What They Don't Tell You About The Mummy's Curse by Anton Cancre - A man that gets his rocks off with rocks sometimes (he likes ancient things) discovers a new obsession when a Mummy rises from his sarcophagus, quite gorey, fun, I enjoyed the character's voice, the sex made me cringe in pain (there's mummy nails involved), but it's part of the pleasure. TW: gore, unsave sex, unsanitarity, consensual necrophilia (in a way?)

MOTEL POZITIVE by j ambrose - This short story has it all: biohazard symbol tattood above the cock, mushroom spores, glittering sperm, an incredibly powerful aphrodisiac that kind of turns you into these ants that just keep climbing! Fun, sexy, there's a spooky motel and soft body horror (literally quite mushy), this one's a fuck and don't die but instead become part of the mycelium network and live forever - TW: death, suicidality, bad mental health. One of my favs!

The Taste of Ash & Blackberry by Clar Hart- an interesting story where growing fruit from your chest is normal, sweet and somewhat spicy but otherwise not my style, one of the least scary stories in here unfortunately

We're All Family Here by Shelley Lavigne - A fitness cult that preaches perfection and asexual reproduction. I think the horror could have been darker, but the body horror was quite fun. Eroticism through it's denial makes for good horrorotica as well, TW: mindcontrol, cults

Invitation by Jessica Swanson - A very short country horror poem. It was fine, but very short and I wish the horror of it had been explored in deeper detail. One of the stories where I failed to find any real eroticism.

Disappointing Experience with "The Pleasure in Pain"

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Review:

As an avid reader, I strive to explore diverse genres and perspectives. When I stumbled upon "The Pleasure in Pain," I was intrigued by the promise of a unique narrative approach and the wealth of inclusion of LGBTQIA+ representation. However, my experience with the book left me uneasy and ultimately led to my decision not to finish it.

The collection's premise hinted at delving into the complexities of human emotions and experiences, particularly those surrounding pain and pleasure. While I appreciate the author's intent to explore such themes, I found the execution unsettling rather than thought-provoking. While I understand that literature often challenges readers' comfort zones, the discomfort I felt while reading "The Pleasure in Pain" did not stem from a thought-provoking narrative or compelling characters. Instead, it felt gratuitous and lacking in depth.

While technically proficient, the writing style needed to immerse me in the stories or connect me with the characters. Instead, it felt detached, further exacerbating my sense of unease. The lack of a clear narrative thread made it difficult for me to engage with the stories meaningfully.

Despite my disappointment, every reader's experience is subjective, and what didn't resonate with me may appeal to others. Therefore, I encourage readers intrigued by the premise to approach "The Pleasure in Pain" with an open mind and judge it for themselves.

In conclusion, while "The Pleasure in Pain" may appeal to some readers seeking boundary-pushing literature, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. I commend the author of the first short story for their bold exploration of challenging themes but found the execution more discomfort than enlightening.

The Pleasure in Pain is a collection of short stories dealing with queerness, romance and love, leaning into more intense and darker portrayals and explorations. As with most anthologies, there is a range of stories that are engaging and work well while others don't quite meet the mark whether they were being edgy simply for shock value or not being able to get their story out in this shorter form. Definitely not the strongest anthology but still worth the read for those that stood out: I WANDER THE EARTH LONGING TO TASTE YOUR BEATING HEART, Mantis & Invitation.