Anonymous
Post 09/15/2023 12:21     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
LOL I see looking back some other old school people already mentioned both "Beauty" and "Delta of Venus". Rest assured you WILL get your money's worth with both books. Both are great but "Delta of Venus" might be even better for the literary types in that it also gives you a really talented author's vision of pre-war bohemian life in Paris which is the setting for the romance/sex.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2023 12:18     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anne Rice (writing as Anne Roquelaure), the "Beauty" books. They are basically hardcore BDSM erotica but REALLY well written. Lots of sex with all genders and the characterization is a lot deeper than normal for erotica.

Then of course there's the old classic Delta of Venus by Anais Nin. Almost a century old and still tremendous.
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2023 15:09     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote: Checked some of the recommendations and I can’t get passed the cheesy book covers


Do you mean old school clinch covers or do you mean the new illustrated covers? There's a lot of discussion in the bookish community about clinch vs illustrated vs discreate (no people) covers. Some say that women have always preferred discrete covers and men were the original buyers of books with clinch covers.


This is an interesting article...
https://bookriot.com/illustrated-romance-book-covers/
Romance is a genre written by women that, while not exclusively, offers a space where women are the heroines, where women are given power and autonomy, and where women find romantic and/or sexual satisfaction. Women have agency in romance.

But given the cute-factor of the covers and the ease with which those cute covers can push those books onto lists and recommendations as “YA,” women’s agency is seen as part of the cute-factor itself. Sure, romantic comedies are meant to be fun and lighthearted and there’s power in seeing such inclusive rom coms on book shelves. But, the illustrated covers lend themselves to easy miscategorization by readers, speaking to the ease at which the aspects of agency and empowerment are but costumes and performances by women, as opposed to part and parcel of who they are at heart.
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2023 06:08     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is super hot, and I'm a straight woman, although that one left me with questions


Lol, thanks for the trip back to my college experimentation days. I recall that Sarah Waters wrote some very hot f/f scenes!


More interseted in m/m scenes, anyone have any recs there?


KJ Charles! Also Jordan L Hawk and Cat Sebastian.
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 22:15     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Checked some of the recommendations and I can’t get passed the cheesy book covers
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 19:15     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is super hot, and I'm a straight woman, although that one left me with questions


Lol, thanks for the trip back to my college experimentation days. I recall that Sarah Waters wrote some very hot f/f scenes!


More interseted in m/m scenes, anyone have any recs there?
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 19:07     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ok so off topic but would anybody be interested in reading a book that spans a 15 year period where an American woman has steamy relationships with men from different countries?

Not just like a backpacker hookup kind of deal, but think of like a diplomat who moves around and keeps falling in love at each post with men that are local and very different from each other (think Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Tegucigalpa, etc.).

This was kinda my life from age 20-35 and I’d love to write about it but unsure if there would be an audience for such a thing or if I’d just come off like a slut (which I definitely am lol).


Yes!


Ooooo....yes!
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 17:58     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:Ok so off topic but would anybody be interested in reading a book that spans a 15 year period where an American woman has steamy relationships with men from different countries?

Not just like a backpacker hookup kind of deal, but think of like a diplomat who moves around and keeps falling in love at each post with men that are local and very different from each other (think Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Tegucigalpa, etc.).

This was kinda my life from age 20-35 and I’d love to write about it but unsure if there would be an audience for such a thing or if I’d just come off like a slut (which I definitely am lol).


Yes!
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 17:58     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:2nd the rec for The Kiss Quotient. I was not expecting it to be so steamy! Also a very good book.


I'm the middle of this now and really enjoying it. I am not super familiar with this steamy romance category because I have only been exposed to books that in a different time/place/world, which isn't for me, steam or not. Really love that this book occurs in a modern-day, plain-old setting. Any other recommendations like that?


Emily Henry isn't as steamy but she is contemporary and very good. I also like Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date (and many of her other books), Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically, and It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey.
Anonymous
Post 09/13/2023 17:45     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Making my list, thanks for all the suggestions!
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2023 14:44     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:2nd the rec for The Kiss Quotient. I was not expecting it to be so steamy! Also a very good book.


I'm the middle of this now and really enjoying it. I am not super familiar with this steamy romance category because I have only been exposed to books that in a different time/place/world, which isn't for me, steam or not. Really love that this book occurs in a modern-day, plain-old setting. Any other recommendations like that?
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2023 22:31     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read 4th wing? Is it steamy? Is it well written?
It’s pretty steamy. Well written is a tougher call. I liked the story a lot. Interesting system of magic and characters. I’ll definitely be reading the next one. But it has more contemporary dialogue, which some people really hated. It didn’t bother me at all.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2023 23:39     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It Ends With Us (read it in 1 day- yesterday)
Starting the sequel today.


So OP said “well written,” which is completely subjective but I’m thinking literary-ish fiction…? OP please clarify bc my recommendations will vary. When I was young I read a ton of Jackie Collins- very steamy! The writing was to the point, but certainly not winning any literary awards.


I do not think Colleen Hoover is a good writer at all (WTF was with the letters to Ellen in It Ends With Us?), but there is plenty of Romance that has excellent writing.


Agree I don't think it It Ends with Us is well written. The letters to Ellen were bizarrely better written than the rest of the book which I found weird given the narrator was a teen writing the letters and in her twenties in present.

HOWEVER, I LOVED Verity. Not amazing writing, but so good and fast. Any other people have this reaction?
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2023 21:01     Subject: Best sexually explicit, but well-written books?
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read 4th wing? Is it steamy? Is it well written?


Loved it. There is a lot of buildup. The anticipation was the highlight.