maybe once] and I think this is due to the fact that she made her characters so engaging their motivations became understandable. The bottom line: This collection is a keeper. The common thread, as suggested by the title, throughout all the stories is that lovely buckling in to Temptation. What people *give in to* are themselves: their most secret wants and lusts actually acted upon. The result is ... well, devastatingly erotic. I feel unsure how to do justice here to how impressed I was by The Things That Make Me Give In. That said, I would certainly like to do my best. This short story collection by Charlotte Stein seems to me the epitome of beautiful, literary writing that happens to encompass sex and sexuality (making it simply reflective of life/reality--not that all literary writing has to have sex in it, but an ardent attempt to avoid such subject matter because of externally postulated standards about "literary" writing to me seems less realistic and respectful of authentic artistic endeavor). There is really a story in each of these stories, a journey with a character or characters that leaves someone changed or shows a connection or demonstrates an internal exploration brought out or at least demonstrated by the sexual endeavor, connection, or behavior of a character or characters. It is simply a breathtaking work. There were some stories I loved especially for the heat/arousal factor, that turned me on the most, and there were some I loved for the connection