Product Description

Halloween Night, San Francisco…

…and it’s a party like no other in the world. Welcome to the streets of the Castro, where the women aren’t shy about what they want and how they’ll get it. Crowds, costumes and parties – the apartment building at 18th & Castro is in the thick of it all.

First-time couplings and couples who know how to mix lust and love make 18th & Castro the hottest address in the city by the bay.

Take an erotic journey with Karin Kallmaker in this follow-up to the smash bestseller, All the Wrong Places. The award-winning Undisputed Mistress of Lesbian Romance demonstrates once again why "Mistress" is fitting as she invites, seduces and delights lesbians worldwide with her signature-brand of romantic erotica.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #805167 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Review
"Hot, steamy, erotic and engaging book for us romantics at heart!" -- Lambda Book Report, Volume 14 #2

2006 Lammy Finalist for Lesbian Erotica! -- Lambda Literary Foundation, March 1, 2007

Kallmaker...writes true-to-form, wet-and-wild, wham-bam lesbian erotica and tells a great story, which is an art-form all on its own. -- Bay Area Reporter, 10/5/2006

Winner! 2006 Goldie award for Excellence in Erotic Writing! -- Golden Crown Literary Society, June 10 2007

From the Inside Flap
"What pirate wouldn't want to ravage you, looking like that?" Jane hooked her thumbs in her wide leather sash with a possessive leer.

Renee took the one step necessary to lift her lover's hands from the belt. Smiling, she surveyed Jane's costume. "You look marvelous in breeches. And that shirt, all that muslin."

"Arrr!" Jane wiggled her hips. "It's not me breeches you'll be wantin', lass, but what's under 'em!"

"Oh, no hokey accents."

"Avast! What yonder wench stiffens me resolve?"

"I've never heard it called a resolve before," Renee quipped. Torn between laughter and wanting to wrap her hand around what she knew Jane had on under the breeches, she turned back to the mirror, uncharacteristically flustered.

Jane was behind her again, with another of those soft, loving kisses on the nape of her neck. "Are you sure, sweetheart? We don't have to go through with it."

Meeting Jane's gaze in the mirror, Renee said firmly, "I am absolutely sure. I've always wanted to do this."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"It doesn't fit anymore." Nancy studied her silhouette in the mirror and said a bad word under her breath.

From the depths of the closet, Brenda announced, "The last time you wore it was two kids ago."

"Like I don't know that," Nancy said to her reflection. Could her underwear be any more utilitarian? Whitey and definitely not tighty. "I can't go out like this. Look at my boobs!"

The peasant blouse clung so snugly that all the pulling in the world didn't cover more than half her breast. She couldn't even bring herself to try on the broadcloth skirt.

Brenda finally came out of the closet, still in her robe, a velvet cape in one hand. "Oh my."

"See what I mean?"

"Why, yes, I certainly do." She draped the cape on the chair as she paused behind Nancy at the dressing table. "You look delicious." She kissed the back of Nancy's neck.

"I don't mind if you think so, but I don't want half the Castro taking a long look."

Brenda didn't seem to be listening. Her kisses continued across Nancy's shoulder and then around to her chest. "Simply delicious."

"What are we going to do about my costume?" She giggled as Brenda tripped on the vanity stool. "Enough of that."

"No way. Your parents have the kids, and I don't care if we're late to the party."

"Brenda..." Nancy couldn't help a shiver as Brenda pulled on the elasticized neckline of the blouse.

Additional samples are available at kallmaker.com

Customer Reviews

Emotions and Steam Abound
From the seductive tales of myth to the fantastic legends of true life romances, Ms. Karin Kallmaker allows us to peek into the happenings of 18th & Castro on Halloween. Ms. Kallmaker spins the colorful thread of each unique character's fabric of fate to weave a magical tapestry of lust and love. With sensuously skillful caresses of erotic imagery, Ms. Kallmaker reminds us that each of us leaves an impression on those around us, knowingly or not. Once again, Ms. Kallmaker craftily passes on the passionate conviction that all women are sexy, even those covered in maggots. It's Halloween on 18th & Castro. Laugh, shed tears, and be seduced. You won't be disappointed.

Fresh, Witty, Sexy
After penning more than 20 novels, award-winning author Karin Kallmaker has once again given the reader a fresh look at romance. 18th & Castro is a witty and sexy collection of short stories with a unique, creative, and fun approach.

18th & Castro is a compilation of stories that occur in one apartment building in San Francisco's Castro District on the biggest night of the year, Halloween. They include accounts of couples, singles, women looking for love and those just wanting a one night stand. The individual vignettes embrace threesomes, strangers, friends and lovers. Some are erotic and steamy. Others are loving, sweet and full of yearning. But all of the tales are short, concise and to the point.

Kallmaker has capitalized on her trademark in this book, her versatility as a storyteller and her inclusiveness of her varied audience. While every story is a little different, some overlap with the same apartment dwellers, lending continuity to the collection so it acts like a novel more than an anthology. Kallmaker writes each to fit the individual situations. There is not one size fits all for her. Her characters, their setting and the erotica all match the story told. This author knows the language of love and sex and is not stuck on one style when sharing with her readers.

Kallmaker's strength as an enduring well-liked author has been her understanding that we, the reader, want and need fantasy. She delivers on this every time whether in a short story, anthology or novel. Within this fantasy, she has learned to reach out to the reader with a bit of realism mixed in that does not overwhelm us. Her story "Tick, Tock" does that well in 18th & Castro. It is a pause in the middle of the book that is sobering and heartfelt, but it fits perfectly with the overall theme and advances the book naturally.

This clever and exceptional collection is a must for anyone who enjoys a little diversity in their erotica. You will look at Halloween with new appreciation after reading 18th & Castro.

First Rate
This book takes place, with two exceptions, in an apartment building at 18th Street and Castro in San Francisco on Halloween. There are 16 stories held together by the location. Most of the stories are explicit.

It is apparent that each reader will choose which of the stories speaks loudest to her. Two of the stories that are outstanding are the one that deals with the loss of the woman's lover to death and the one that deals with love after a ravaging disease attacks one of the partners.

The concept of the book is creative. The writing is exceptional. The language vivid. And the stories are intense. In short, this is a remarkable book on so many levels.

Kallmaker has also captured the craziness of Halloween in the Castro, which has to be experienced to truly appreciate.