SEX

[KMM Fan#1]

That wasn't just an attention-getter, I really do want to talk about sex, in books that is..!

OK so a lot of you mention "HOT HOT HOT" books and steamy sex scenes and the quantitiy of sexual encounters in books, and it got me thinking...

Does a romance novel have to have a lot of sex in it or be hot to spark your interest? Is it important to you that there's a lot of sex in a book? Would you read a romance novel with no sex in it? Are you disappointed if you read a well-recommended book and find that the sex in it wasn't up to your expectations?

I'm a minority in many of my likes/dislikes in everything, which naturally includes reading. When it comes to sex in books - I really don't care the how/how much/where of it, or if there are any sexual encounters in the book at all. This might come as a shock to some, but more often then not, I skip right over those pages. And after reading hundreds of books, it all becomes very repetitive and not so hot (at times I feel like some wierd voyeur or something... peeking into a bedroom I shouldn't). I think it might have been Nicole Jordan (one of my MOST fave authors), who once said "How many ways can you describe a missionary after all?"

The point is, I personally don't think a lot of sex makes a good book. If I wanted non-stop romping, I'd just pick up erotica... honestly! This was ONE OF THE REASONS I was sorely disappointed with Lisa Valdez's "Passion" last year.... the first two chapters of that book were just sex, and they didn't enhance or contribute to the overall plot in any way. I felt that if I'd just started reading that book at ch 3, I wouldn't have missed a thing...

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the intensity of pure animal attraction and lust as much as any other red-blooded female, but to me good writing makes that stuff jump out of the pages and affect the reader (yes even physically), whithout having to literally read "he got a hard-on..." The kind of writing I enjoy is very rare to find! All of that said, if someone tells me "oh, I read this really good book. It was totally hot!" doesn't really spark my interest. I want a good STORY after all, one with an intelligent/non-predictable plot, interesting characters, and a relationship you can see growing throughout the book (I can't stand it when all of a sudden she realizes she's madly in love with him and the h/h have hardly had time to develop any sort of a relationship...

Some examples that got "thumbs up" from me in the sex contents were KMM (Mac & V'Lane first meeting... no actual sex, but the effect was overwhelming for my scences/imagination), Susan Grant (there's hardly any sex in many of her books, and she DARES to touch the subject of POLITICS... can you believe that? Her writing is brilliant and I love her books), Janet Chapman, Deirdre Martin and Carly Phillips (all three have very little sex in their books, but what they do write is usually a home-run!)

Anyway, back to my original questions... What are your thoughts???

[Michelle*My*Belle]

Sex can be fun to read but sometimes it's just enough. Connie Mason is the author I can think of that, in her newer books, just wrote about sex every on other page.
One of my all time favorite books didn't have ANY sex at all. Just a brief spot of kissing that left my brain RUNNING. I won't mention the name of the book but those who have seen my other posts KNOW that Patrick is sexy as hell to me.

Anywho.

[Cheryle]

I absolutely agree the plot is what makes the book great and I do tend to gloss over the sex sometimes because the sex is not important it is how they got there.

[MelanieD]

For me it depends on my mood - I LOVE a good love story and for many years I read Fantasy novels which usually have very strong romantic relationships but it may take years and years (and many very long novels!) to get a HEA. I enjoy the development of the emotional relationship and these books rarely have much (and certainly not usually explicit sex) in them.

BUT I love sex and will read erotica but I find Romance more satisfying because I also get the emotional relationship which for me personally makes the sex more intense (and works the same way in my own life - not into the casual fling). I don't feel like a voyer as in books that really pull me in I'm putting myself in the place of the heroine and so I tend to like books where I can relate to most aspects of the heroine, otherwise I tend to switch off (in all ways LOL!)

On another thread someone said "Lora Leighs 'Breeds' are good but her contemps can be pretty dirty" - this actually got my interest! I went and got one of the contemps immediately afterwards and have since bought another -but I would not read this type of book every day and will find myself looking for a really sweet historical to read next (or as is the current case - a bit more Harry Potter!!!). I love rich cheesecake but I couldn't eat it every day either. Sometimes chicken soup is exactly what you want but I like having the choice!

NB: I keep wanting there to be a bit of kissing or something! in Harry Potter, talk about frustration (or may be that's me?) - what is Ron and Hermione's problem? they're 17 now for crying out loud... (I am willing to conceed that the interspersed Lora Leigh may be distorting my veiw somewhat)

[MissAmy]

Sex in the relationship is goodm, but like you said Lina. After reading the samething in every book does become some what boring and it loses my interest.. I started to read one of Sabrina Jefferies books and the hero and the heroine were already at 3rd base in the second chapter. I mean what happened to the old fashion get to know you fights that might lead ot the S-E-X???
I think thats why I stopped reading romance for a couple of years is because the sex and the plots were beginning to blend together and it was all the same old thing..
I have to admit this is a great topic. Thanks Lina.

[Bella...]

I have to agree that I read by my moods too ... I have been on Paranormal more lately than ever in my reading history ... I truely love Historical Romance the {Bestest} but I do tend to jump around quite often... it keeps the READING from getting BORING... {For Me, it seems to work}
I think the SEX does become very repetive... I enjoy the sexual tension as the characters grow in their relationship too & not just have a "Bam-Slam-ThankYou-M'am" in the very begining of the story.

You know my favorite of all time book is KMM {Kiss of the Highlander} *Drustan*

This is a really good book too , from Way Back When ! LOL ...'The Thorn Birds' by Colleen McCullough ... 1977 ... it spands three generations of Clearys ... It is a wonderful romance novel that takes place in the Out Back of Australia ... Sex ? ... yes , some ... but a great love story too. That ... is what I want from our authors .. 'LOVE STORIES' ... 'ROMANCE' ... 'FANTASIES COME TRUE' ... :happy0158:

[Leiha]

Please lets not name authors or books we don't like. If you want to do that in private then please do but we like to keep as much positivity as possible here. An author you may not enjoy may be an author that someone else very much enjoys. You can state why you don't like things and what you don't like in books in general or even specific books as long as you don't name the book.

I LOVE book discussions but I think when we're online we need to be aware that we're in a public forum and we need to practice discretion.

As for Lina's question, yes I prefer sex in my books. I like them hot but that being said, I need a story that will hold my interest and characters I care about. I need more then just sex (unless I'm reading erotica ) and sometimes if I'm totally engrossed I will skim the sex to get back to the action, well the other action, LOL.

BUT I will read books that aren't hot. I enjoyed Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series and I love Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books and they're not very hot. So for me, first and formost, it's about the author, sex or no sex.

[Ranj]

I don't mind sex at all... I love it when the couple really has chemistry (Enough to make me wish I were the recipient of all those smoldering looks)!! I've read a few novels when I just didn't feel that spark between the two and the sex scenes weren’t all that necessary!
Regardless of sex though, the book has to have an intriguing storyline/characters to get me into it! Once I'm into it bring on the loving!! :D

[alba]

I guess I am the same Sex is not what is important the story the relationship where they are ect. I like to be transformed to a new place and time I guess I like the chase the emotion. whats that saying LESS IS MORE.
Leiha thankyou I totaly agree with your comment It can be very hurtful to a person who may adore one author or character that someone might dislike I would keep that to myself

[JOJO]

I love love. It is just that simple. Yes I adore Sex. It is my favorite sport and 5 times a day would not be enough but when I am reading a romance novel I want the charcaters to get to know each other first. I want some romance. I even like the books that have very little or no sex in them. I love Jane Austin and other older writers. I also like Janet Chapman and Lisa Kleypas they both tend to not have so much sex in them and when they do it is really well written. Now all that said I also like a good HOT scene. I love KMM books I have always thought that she does a really good job and I love the BDB although they are sometimes a little raw for romance novels. I like erotica and I have no problem with it I just like knowing what I am reading.
So yeah I will still read a book with no sex in it. But if it is supposed to be hot it better melt my panties. LOL