Review: It Takes Two

#ThrowbackThursdays

It Takes Two by Rachel Kramer Bussel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It pains me to rate this collection as just okay. There were three specific stories in this collection that stood out to me.  Two specifically I liked and one that was just plain depressing. I am a huge fan of anything Ms.Kramer Bussel writes or is an editor. This one didn't work for me and I wonder if the maybe the title was a little too appropriate for me.  There is another phrase that is more a curse - "It takes two to tango".  The implications of that phrase fits this collection better for me.  Somehow, this erotica collection took the fun out of sex.  Or it could be that my desires are no longer staying in trend to the latest "sexy" thing.

The majority of these stories neither enticed me nor did they arouse me.  I either didn't care for the characters or I didn't care about how they identified.  Both their sexual orientation and sex acts felt contrived and forced.  This is a libido killer for me.  

What depressed me was the one story where a menage goes completely wrong and it looks like it is all through a lack of communication and fears.  The self fulfilling prophesy is 100% evident in that story and I didn't like it.  The melancholy tone was definitely a downer for me.

The two I really liked were earlier on in the story.  Warning, both are depressing in some ways.  The first is an older couple in their late 40s/early 50s and it seems as if their sex life is completely kaput. Since I am in the same age bracket, I'm intrigued.  The wife makes a daring move and I love it.  She spices up her marriage again and opens the line of communication through an activity both her and her husband used to love.  I found this story too adorable and loved it.

The second story I thought was well written and definitely sexy starts in a depressing manner too. The two males are barely getting by.  Their life is an accurate depiction of many people in the States right now.  They are barely surviving in minimum wage jobs that will not sustain a livelihood. They are living in a crap motel week to week in hopes to make a better life.  God my heart cries for people who are trying so hard and still can barely keep their head above the water.  Their celebration together is beautiful as it strengthens their bond.

I figured out that these two I enjoyed the most because not only did they have sexy times, but they have a glimmer of hope and meaning.  This is why these two stories connected whilst the others were duds for me.

*provided by https://www.edelweiss.plus