You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard any of the buzz surrounding the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Based on the life of a college student and her entrepreneur lover (who happens to be into bondage and S&M;), the trilogy has been whipping the nation into a frenzy. But before you write it off as smut—or the whole romance and erotica genre, for that matter—we’re here to tell you it’s time to add some sexy books to your reading list.
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“Reading erotica can be a great way to get in the mood,” says Steph Auteri, co-author of 52 Weeks of Amazing Sex. It can also be a means of exploring the types of scenarios that turn you and your partner on, she says. In other words, if your sex life is slacking—whether due to a dipping libido or ho-hum intimacy routine—reading about sex can help you talk the talk in the bedroom, so to speak.
And if you think you’re too much of a feminist to go for some romance reading, it may be time to reconsider. “Romance novels are as much about a woman falling in love with herself—in addition to the adventures, true love, and fantastic sex,” says romance novelist Maya Rodale. “What’s not to love?”
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Check out these 8 picks to help you turn up the heat. Oh, and if you can’t see yourself opening up a book featuring a buxom gal being ravished by a Fabio look-a-like on the cover, that’s what e-books are for, ladies. Enjoy!
Fifty Shades Of Grey: Book One Of The Fifty Shades Trilogy, by E L James Even if S&M; isn’t your thing, who isn’t curious about it? This book answers all your questions—and ones you’ve never even thought of.
A Groom Of One’s Own, by Maya Rodale Why would an upstanding duke consider jilting his duchess bride for a newspaper writer? One word: Passion. A lot of it.
Lust In The Library, by Amelia Fayer “This novella is a great introduction to erotics,” says Rodale. Plus, the tagline is hilarious: “Some like it hot. Some like it in the reference section.”
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, by Anne Rice, writing as A. Roquelaure The first installment of the erotic trilogy of Sleeping Beauty, this fairy tale gives you way more than Disney ever could.
Aqua Erotica, by Mary Anne Mohanraj The first erotic novel Auteri ever read, this page-turner explores sexual satisfaction beneath the waves.
Seducing Sarah (The Madame X School of Sex), by Jinx Jamison For anyone who has wanted to break free from their boring day-to-day life (and who hasn’t?), here’s your chance to live vicariously through a paralegal who enrolls in sex school—trading mundane meetings for ménage seminars.
Lady Sophie’s Lover, by Lisa Kleypas “You cannot go wrong with a Lisa Kleypas novel. She has a gift for beautiful, passionate writing—especially the love scenes,” says Rodale.
The Dom of My Dreams: A BDSM Novel, by M.F. Sinclair They say never mix business with pleasure, but when a publicist takes on a hot new writer, all the rules go out the window.
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Stephanie is an SEO manager for Hearst Magazines, where she works closely with editors to help inform a unique content strategy for search. Previously, she was an editor for Time Inc’s news group, including Time, Fortune, and Money Magazine.
