Welcome to the Dirty Santa Blog Hop where we talk all things romance!
So, the topic of this hop is Dirty Santa. Talk of dirty anything brings to mind a debate between romance readers about the level of heat they want in their books. I know people who will only read "clean" romances. While they enjoy sexual tension and the push/pull of two people falling in love, they don't necessarily want to read about the consummation of the relationship. Others want the full package, and they want it hot, hot, hot. They want to read about, and vicariously experience, the act of sex between two characters they're rooting for. And they want plenty of love scenes.
I'm somewhere in the middle. I enjoy a romance novel with some spice, but I want a good story, too. I've written stories where the love scenes happen behind closed doors, like my humorous contemporary romance RESCUE ME. Chelsea meets Matt when he rescues her from a creep on a city bus. To read the blurb and an excerpt, check out my website.
Most of the books and novellas I write have at least one fully described love scene. Sex is a big part of a relationship, so I want to bring that to life. But it has to be integral to the story. In my contemporary romance A LONG WAY FROM EDEN, Meg is attracted to Zane but because of the abuse in her previous marriage, she's afraid of intimacy and sex. When they do make love, it marks the beginning of a loving, trusting relationship between them. Read an excerpt and a blurb at my website.
Where do you fall on this debate? Do you like to read sex scenes, or do you prefer that the couple have sex behind closed doors? Let me know in the comments on Rafflecopter. If you prefer to comment directly below, make sure to leave your email address in the comments. I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and 5 e-copies of my sweet contemporary romance RESCUE ME and I can't reach you unless I have an email!
And don't forget to keep hopping! Check out the list below.
I guess I'd say medium heat in romance novels. Too little is boring to me, and too much is hard to handle if I'm reading in a waiting room in public, haha. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! I know what you mean. I read audiobooks at the gym, and sometimes when the book gets spicy, I look around to make sure no one can hear what I'm listening to!
DeleteDepending on my mood, I read everything from sweet to extreme heat.
ReplyDeleteI like a lot of different heat levels. I'm not really into the kinky stuff, but there a few authors whose erotic writing I like, Jeffe Kennedy being one of them. Thanks for stopping by and entering the contest!
DeleteI agree, it depends upon my mood.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. Sometimes you want something on the sexier side, and sometimes you don't.
DeleteI enjoy a medium amount of heat, but I do not read the hotter or kinky heat!!
ReplyDeleteAn in-between amount of heat sounds about right. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteMedium amount,nothing too explicit.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is so different. It's a good thing romance is a genre that has something for every taste.
DeleteI like mine white hot.
ReplyDeleteSome like it hot! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI like all levels of heat in your romance novels. Depends on my mood, I guess. Just can't read an Amish romance and erotic romance back to back :-) Thanks for the chance to win! Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I have to admit, I've yet to read an Amish romance. Who knows? I might really like them!
DeleteI've read every level of heat. I think the author should write what they are comfortable with and as long as the scenes are a natural expression of the character's feelings, I'm fine.
ReplyDeleteI know authors who aren't comfortable writing love scenes, but are terrific at writing sexual tension between the characters. I agree, the love scene must grow naturally from the characters' feelings. Gratuitous sex is not romantic, IMHO.
DeleteI like medium to low heat. I just think its more romantic.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly can be. But then I've read some really sexy books that were very romantic, too. It's all in the story-telling! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI don't have a real preference, if the sex is well written. I am happy to read books where the most that is done is a heated kiss, a la Betty Neels, or a fade to black or a scene that is as hot as can be. I dislike a lot of "heat" when it feels either pro forma or the author put in a bit of a plot, only to forget it in light of writing sex scene after sex scene. Also poorly written scenes annoy me.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Rhi. Thanks for commenting.
Deletedepends
ReplyDeleteAlso true! Thanks for stopping by.
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