Sure, porn is great, but what if there was a way to get mentally and sexually stimulated at once? Erotic novels allow you to get wrapped up in a great story while getting some pretty intense details about the build-up, climax, and aftermath of steamy sex scenes.
But if you’re worried about too much cringe, fear not. There are plenty of *actually* good erotic novels and romance novels out there—and some of them are so good that they’ve also made their way to your screens. Hello, Bridgerton!
A(nother) nice perk to keep in mind? Erotic novels often look like “regular” books, so you can dive into one wherever you want without worrying about getting the side eye from someone in public.
So whether you’re someone who’s looking to give erotic romance novels a shot, or you’ve already got a collection of paperbacks proudly displayed and are looking for some new recommendations, we’re here to help. These erotic novels are seriously steamy-from bodice rippers to supernatural stories to horny, heartwarming tales.
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Gabe Hamilton is one of the richest and most powerful men in the country who can get anything he wants, and now he’s set his sights on his best friend’s little sister who, once he sees her walk into his hotel’s grand opening, he realises isn’t so little anymore.
Nate Hawkins is clearly not Anastasia Allen’s favourite person. But when an annoying incident means they have to share the ice rink, the figure skater and hokey captain’s frosty relationship slowly starts to defrost in more ways than one.
When champion mixed martial artist Reid Andrews gets badly injured, he goes to see Lucie, a physical therapist who’s desperate to get a certain doctor to notice her. So in exchange for helping him get back in fighting shape, Reid teaches Lucie the art of seduction.
In this sexy, Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com, glitzy socialite Piper Bellinger is shipped out to a rural small town to man her late father’s dive bar. She couldn’t have less in common with the locals—especially rugged fisherman Brendan. But even as they clash, they can’t seem to fight their attraction…
If steamy, heartfelt reads are what you’re after, look no further than Talia Hibbert. Although you can’t go wrong with any of Hibbert’s books, the Brown Sisters trilogy is the perfect entry to her work. In Get a Life, a hyper-organised, careful computer geek enlists her building’s sexy, mysterious handyman to help her learn to let loose, with extremely hot results.
Alisha Rai’s new series will mess with your heart. The Right Swipe is only the beginning but it’s a very good beginning: the voice, the setting, the circumstances, the characters-it all fills a very perfect spot in this story. The profound story follows a powerful woman of colour that will have you smiling and weeping to the very end.
The Kiss Quotient is the perfect blend of sweet and steamy. There’s a lot of graphic sex scenes, which Hoang builds up to really well; she knows how to tease us. It’s a book where sex is actually sexy. We’re here for that.
Kushiel’s Dart is an intoxicating fantasy of intrigue, betrayal and desire – perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout. It is a tougher read (it’s over 900 pages long) so you really have to stick through it, but if you are a fan of epic fantasy novels and can handle this type of sexual content (whips, punches, blades, humiliation), we would 100% recommend this book to you.
We will just leave this description here…”Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger, one that threatens to consume them both…”
Following the classic fake boyfriend troupe, Ph.D candidate Olive Smith begins a pretend romance with hotshot professor Adam Carlsen (and his 6-pack abs). This is one for all the science nerds!
In this modern-day reinterpretation, Ali Smith, with humour and typical linguistic versatility, explores issues of homophobia, corporate and social responsibility and the sheer vertiginous feeling of falling in love.
Funny and dark, vicious and tender, The Pisces is a sexy and moving portrait of a woman longing for connection and pleasure in our strange and alienating world. They might be some of the most real, relatable merman sex scenes you’ll read in any book.
Best known as the book that inspired The Shape of Water, this 1982 classic recounts the love story between a lonely housewife and the monster that’s just escaped the Institute for Oceanographic Research—and yep, it’s as wild and unexpectedly sexy as it sounds.
In this time travel romance, a former amateur detective named August who recently moved to New York City finds love with a rather interesting person: punk-rock lesbian Jane who’s from the 1970s and trapped on the subway, having been misplaced by time. Expect the unexpected with this one.
A beautiful young French woman, known only as ‘O’, is taken by her lover René to a splendid mansion near Paris. Here, she is initiated into an elite secret society, where she must learn to serve the sexual fantasies of René and his fellow members.
When a best-selling erotica writer and a reclusive award-winning novelist cross paths at a New York City literary event, their chemistry is instantaneous…and only partially because the two had a steamy, week-long affair 15 years earlier. Their reunion? Even hotter.
A novel so good, they had to adapt it into eight seasons of a television show. The first of the novels introduces us to nurse Claire Beauchamp who travels in time to 18th-century Scotland where she falls for Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. Swoon.
Lawrence’s frank portrayal of an extramarital affair and the explicit sexual explorations of its central characters caused this controversial book, now considered a masterpiece, to be banned as pornography until 1960.
A dark romantic reimagining of Bran Stoker’s Dracula, Blood Orange follows Dahlia Abernathy to a prestigious music academy in Venice where she’s hell bound on killing Professor Valtu Aminoff… until she falls for him.
Bear with us on this one. Following the enemies to lovers troupe, step siblings (yes, you read that right) Colton and Raylee’s relationship is anything but normal. This dark romance with a tonne of spice will get you hot under the collar.
Olivia and James only know each other’s first names and nothing else. After overcoming a tragic heartbreak, Olivia spends the summer in Paris where she meets enigmatic artist James and their passionate ensues. It’s spicy with emotional depth.
Sarah J. Maas is a global #1 bestselling author and for good reason. The first instalment in a series, A Court of Thorns and Roses revolves around 19-year-old huntress Feyre who finds herself captured by a beast…except, he’s not actually a beast, but instead an immortal faerie for whom she starts to develop feelings.
A fallen dark angel, a motorcycle club and a good girl… Wolf.E follows dangerous and rugged Gabriel Wolfe in this dark romance. It’s full of hot and spicy scenes with an intense and steamy romance.
And for our crowning jewel, we couldn’t look past the ever-popular Empyrean series. Following the same level of spice in the earlier novels, Onyx Storm doesn’t hold back on the heat. You’re brought right back to the universe of Violet Sorrengail and the dragon riders.
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