I have to say, this post is written with great personal bias, so by all means, bear with me.
While surfing for new books the other day online, I managed to come across every kind of book from the sweet romance to the down-right-make-the-pages-sweat kind of writing and a thought occured to me.
Where did the sizzle in sex go?
Looking back over the books I've read the past few years and those I've written, I can't help but see a pattern developing. Sure, the H\h change, as does the setting, plot, and HEA, but one thing remained constant--in every book there was a build up, an anticipation to what I call the Big Event. Yes, in real life, there's often a sad lack of foreplay where sex is concerned and sometimes you just want to jump right in, but I think the approach to a good romance should be different. Romance, is after all, a world where fantasies can come alive, so why not build up to it?
Yes, I've read books where in the first ten pages, the characters are throat deep in each other, and while this no doubt serves a purpose, I just can't get into a story like that. Sex, I think, should be more than just sex. Afterall, how many people do you know who can really, honestly, completely leave the emotional side out of it? None, that I know of. Because something that, well, intimate, requires something of us, whether we'd like to admit it or not. And for the characters who truly stick with me, it requires a sacrifice of somekind. A man admitting he's stubborn, a woman letting her guard down after a long-held broken heart...something's gotta give before two people who (in most novels case) develop a long term relationship\ marriage end up in bed and in love.
Call me crazy, but I'll settle down with a book or a scene that takes five pages to describe how a kiss melts into a touch, hands discovering and lips tasting long before I'll pick up a quickie novel. It just seems that when the Big Event finally happens, you're practically cheering in your seat for the characters you've come to love and root for.
Like I said, lots of personal bias here, but come on ya'll, am I really alone in thinking like this? What does the other side or even those fence-riders have to say?
No, you are not alone!
No, you are not alone!
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Getting there is half the fun...
Okay, sometimes more than half.
Like you, KC, I really enjoy the build up toward sex, be it the banter, disrobing and foreplay in a love scene or the longer build up that gets the characters to that point. Of course, I'm like that with a lot of things -- I enjoy all the build up toward Christmas more than the day itself! 
Whether that sense of anticipation is being eroded in recent romance novels, I'm not sure, as I haven't read that widely in the genre lately. So far my favorite authors haven't let me down.
Deb
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Deb, I know what you mean
Deb,
I know what you mean about your favorite authors--I have my select few that I just adore and I always know where to go when I want a good story. There are times when I'm up for new suggestions and new authors, so if you guys know any, by all means, please suggest :)!
I enjoy both
I love a novel that has hot sex in it (obviously) but I also like a good read that won't have any sex. It very much depends on the book.
However, just because a book has hot sex -- even at the very start of the book -- doesn't mean it's just about sex.
For instance, in Blaze, sex is a part of the story, but it's not the whole enchilada. The fact is, there are a lot of paths to falling in love, and for some people, sex comes first. This can lead to really interesting characters and stories, and seeing them fall in love for the first time (or at least, for the last time *G*) is really fun. It's why I've always loved writing for Blaze, but I also think it's something a lot of people can relate to. OTOH, there are even Blaze books which don't have sex right up front -- some do -- but others, like my Untouched, don't have a love scene until almost halfway through the book. You have to do what's right for the story and the characters.
Another example that comes to mind are books that are beyond hot, like Megan Hart's Dirty, that is one of the most emotionally intense reads I've had in the last several years. The book is not about sex, though there is a lot of explicit sex in it.
I guess my pet peeve would be when anticipation builds and then only ends with a closed door. I don't care if there's no romance or sex in a book -- I read mysteries that don't have any romance or sex at all, and that's fine -- but if a book leads up to it, then they'd better not slam that door shut or I'll be slamming the book against the wall, too. LOL
Anyhow, it is about personal tastes, but a lot of sexy books are really not just about sex -- as a Blaze author, I thought I should speak up on that score. *G*
Sam
2008 RITA FINALIST: Untouched
NO RESERVATIONS, Blaze Anthology, July '08
Blog with Sam and friends at Love Is An Exploding Cigar
Guest Blog:May 15, Cynthia Eden
RE: LET'S PUT THE SIZZLE BACK IN SEX
I agree wholeheartedly! When I know it's GOING to happen (though not that moment/that day) it's fun and romantic and something to look forward to. Additionally, now that I'm 46, a glass of O.J., a donut, reading the comics, and the rest of the day playing in bed is a hell of a lot of fun! When I was 19, three-minutes sliding around on the back-seat leather of my car with the "week's under-25 bar cutie" was fun -- but it's not like that anymore. Think it not strange, but drinking hot Apple Cider, eating hot-buttered popcorn, and watching a movie while both of us are covered up with a blankie on the couch is as much fun as the "three-minute scr*w". And trust me, if the evening has been spent watching chick-flix one can hardly stand -- it does last more than three minutes when it happens!!
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