AAR

[NoirFemme]

While blog-hopping, I came across yet another comment from a reader complaining about the heightened and heightened sexual content in romance novels. The commenter wondered why the threshold continued to be pushed when all she wanted was a great, emotionally-true relationship? I have also heard readers time and time again, say they usually skip over sex scenes in romances--I admit that I do as well, unless the author really makes me care about the characters.

However, if we're skipping sex scenes in most of the romances we need, does every single romance published need sex scenes to satisfy a reader? If sex doesn't equal romance, why does the genre push sex at as for a selling point, and we buy it? Why do clinch covers sell better than generic covers? Why do titles have the same words in them, all pointing to the sexual nature of the book? Why, if a reviewer label a book "Kisses", would we dismiss it, unless it received some buzz (or was written by a familiar author)?

[HeatherB]

Interesting post...I had rather read a romance with sex in it than not. However, I'm not one that really appreciates sex just for the sake of pushing the envelope or raising the ante. I would much rather read a story with incredible sexual tension and relationship building instead of graphic sex (I'm not a prude! I promise.). That tension and just the act of falling in love are the reasons I read romance and when the scenes get gratuitous, I start skipping.
I hate the cliche covers - hate them. I know that I've passed up many a good book because of the cover. I'd much rather have pretty, tasteful, or even bland cover. Are the cliche covers the big sellers? I honestly don't know, but I do think that authors that are big sellers, with exceptions of course, seem to have more tasteful covers.
HeatherB
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[ladynaava]

I don't tend to read sex scenes, not because I'm a prude, but because they bore me.

I like to care about a character before they hop into bed, and frankly, I'd like characters to show a tad more restaint. Too often the characters leap into bed the moment they meet and that's as hot as ice tea.

No, romances don't need sex, but I don't want the author to vanilla the book in other ways so I'm leary of avoiding the topic altogether.

I think perhaps I'd like a few paragrahps like you might read in a typical sci-f book. Descriptive, interesting, then lets move on. I don't really need the play by play description.

[Skrabs]

It depends on the author for me whether I read or skim the sex scenes. For example Stephanie Laurens makes my eyes glaze over with page after page after page... etc. Whilst other authors just seem to suck me in. It also depends upon how into the leading couple I am or what kind of mood I'm in. Sometimes I'm up for erotica, sometimes not. Sometimes an author can do in a simple kiss what others do in pages of descriptive thrusting and pounding.

I have to admit though that I steer clear of books with simple 'kisses' ratings. I need at least one love scene to justify the payout and I hate it when authors leave me at the door! All of that for nothing!

I wonder if authors are being pushed to include more love scenes - after all sex apparently sells and with the erotica market seeming hot at the moment, maybe its encouraged? I'm noticing more and more lengthy sex scenes with little plot in between.

[Elaine S]

[Linda in sw va]

I could happily do without the overly detailed sex scenes in romance novels, I almost always skip over them. I don't need to know exactly how they bring each other to orgasm..over and over again to believe in the love story. In fact, more often I think they detract from the story rather than add to it.

Linda
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner

[Schola]

+IHS+

[cheri]

I find myself skipping love scenes all the time. Especially if they are pages long . I don't need a book to have these scenes in order for it to be a good book. I love a lot of Balogh books that are warm and still considered a great read. There are times however, depending on how emotional of a read or how much I'm invested into characters that I like to read about them and wish there was a little more action, two authors that come to mind are Pamela Morsi and Cheryl St. John. cheri

[Tee]

[MMcA]

[xina]

I think that sex sells and more sex sells...more. Personally, I think that is reason there is more and more heat in romance novels lately. When I first started reading romance...not that long ago, I was fascinated by the love scenes. As the years have gone by I've become more discerning and still like a love scene, but it has to meld the characters in some way other than just a scene thrown in for the sake of sex. I usually don't skip them, but if the scene is really ho-hum, I will skim it. I don't think a book has to have loads of love scenes to be romantic, or even any at all. It all comes down to the story and how the author writes the relationship. I've read quite a few very lovely love stories that don't have a lot of sex scenes and some have the bedroom door firmly closed with just kisses. (If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend, The Grace Valley series by Robyn Carr...very few love scenes, still very romantic, just to name a few.)
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"As you wish"
~The Princess Bride

[dick]

"Love's mysteries in souls do grow,
But yet the body is his book." John Donne, "The Ecstasy"

[Retrograde]

I often skip sex scenes, but not out of disinterest. I just find that a lot of authors write in cliches when trying to describe passion, and it's difficult to give something your attention when you've heard it before. If there's a good amount of dialogue throughout, however, I will read the whole thing. I need to be learning something about the characters at that moment in time, not just going through the motions in order to magically take the relationship to the next level.

[maggie b.]

[Cora]

I don't really need sex scenes, I vastly prefer doing it to reading about it. Nor do I really need a blow by blow account of who did what to whom, my imagination works just fine and is less likely to yank me out of the moment with a description of something I personally find a turn-off (e.g. the description of a circumcised penis in a recent Linda Howard book). And sexual tension is more fun than sex anyway.

However, a well written sex scene that furthers the plot or gives us new insight into the characters certainly enhances a romance novel. If a sex scene fulfils those requirements, I most certainly won't skim it. However, all too many sex scenes seem just generic cut and pastes from "Sex scene writing 101". And I can do without those, because frankly I've read them before and they don't get any more interesting if you change the names.

A novel should contain as much or as little sex as it requires. Plus, sex scene should arise organically from the characters and the plot, they shouldn't just be there, because the author felt the need to insert a sex scene. Finally, sex scenes should be as individual as the people having sex.

I don't mind "kisses only" romances at all, just as I don't mind "hot" or "borderline erotic" books as long as the heat level matches the requirements of the book. In fact, I have read some very fine "kisses only" romances of late, such as Shanna Swendson's "Enchanted Inc." series, "Just Listen" by Sarah Dessen or "When Lightning Strikes" by Meg Cabot (the last two are YA). All of these books had some sizzling sexual tension, lovely relationships and great heroes and managed to be very romantic, even if there was no sex.