Warning: These 9 steamy books will cause intense blushing
It’s all about happy endings (ahem, the other kind)
What do women want in bed? Sometimes, it’s being swept off their feet like a Bridgerton heroine, whisked away to O-town by a sexy, brooding partner. Other times, it’s the thrill of a kink— like being seduced by the mythical Big Foot or fantasising about an office doorknob. What ignites someone’s desires is deeply personal and erotic fiction writers seem to understand this more than anyone else.
Turn to the recently published Want, for instance. A collection of 174 anonymous sexual fantasies, curated by actor and star of the shows X-Files and Sex Education, star Gillian Anderson, it reveals the deepest most intimate desires of real women—that might often get labelled as inappropriate, forbidden or outright strange.
Sexual fantasies may have a scandalous reputation but truth be told, they’re liberating. One woman in the book Want opens up about fantasising about her brother-in-law — a social taboo, yet one she can certainly experience through fiction. Steamy books let us live out fantasies in safety, without fear of judgment or real-life upheaval, turning what-ifs into tantalising moments between the pages.
Sexologist Elaine George, in a conversation with The Australian Women’s Weekly, affirms this power of storytelling, especially for women. “Erotic fiction enables a woman to get carried away with her sense of imagination and imaginary play…women are much more turned on by what is said, what they read and what they hear.”
So, whether you crave the electric charge of forbidden romances or the sizzling slow burn of an enemies-to-lovers arc, this list of nine spicy reads, popular in the steamy-romance-reading community, is your door to toe-curling pleasure. Are you ready to turn up the heat?
9 steamy books that’ll get you hot and bothered
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
No one can make academia and forbidden love more romantic and erotic than Ali Hazelwood. Her latest offering Not in Love is meant to send electric currents not just through your brain but also down there. A dual POV novel, the story revolves around a biotech engineer Rue Siebert, whose stable life goes for a toss after the charming yet infuriating Eli Killgore takes over her company. Despite clashing interests, Rue and Eli are drawn to each other leading to a passionate and ‘can’t-keep-their-hands-to-themselves’ kind of affair that has the potential to give you a mini orgasm just reading about it. We suggest you don’t read this book in public, you may not be able to keep it together.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
If a fantasy novel is your idea of romantic escapism, then Feyre and Tamlin’s passionate human-fairy romance will whisk you away into a dreamy world. Feyre is a mortal huntress who unknowingly kills a disguised faerie while hunting. As punishment, she is taken to Prythian, the magical realm of the Fae, by Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court. Initially feeling like a captive, Feyre grows close to Tamlin and uncovers a deadly curse placed on him by the cruel faerie queen, Amarantha. When Tamlin is captured, Feyre embarks on a perilous mission to rescue him, facing three brutal trials to prove her worth. The novel explores love, identity, and resilience as Feyre adapts to her new life in the Fae world. Sarah J. Maas is known for her fantasy romance series that gets steamier and more dramatic with every successive book, so there are many more sequels to feed your addiction long after you’re done with A Court of Thorns and Roses.
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
If you’re looking to armchair travel through a book, Samantha Young novels will transport you to the scenic hills of Scotland. Twenty-two-year-old Jocelyn ‘Joss’ Butler moves to Scotland to escape her tragic past. Haunted by the loss of her family, Joss avoids deep connections, but her life shifts when she rents a room from university student Ellie Carmichael and meets Ellie’s brother, Braden, a wealthy businessman. To satisfy their mutual attraction and Braden’s desire to truly get to know Joss, he proposes a no-strings-attached relationship. As a passionate affair begins, Joss realises that the Scotsman wants a lot more than just a physical relationship, forcing her to confront her fear of intimacy and vulnerability. If a dominant male protagonist tugs at your smut-loving heartstrings, this book will hit the right spot.
Pucking Around by Emily Rath
Dealing with romantic feelings for one person is hard enough, but when you throw two more handsome men into the picture, the feelings and the steam can get very hard to control. And that’s exactly what happens with Rachel Price, a physical therapist who unexpectedly finds herself working for the Jacksonville Rays, a new NHL (National Hockey League) team. A magical night with the Rays’ defenseman Jake Compton turns complicated when she discovers he’s going to be her new colleague. To add to the drama, Rachel finds herself developing feelings for Jake’s best friend Caleb, the equipment manager and Ilmari, the team’s stoic goalie. Which man will end up being the keeper of Rachel’s heart? You’ll have to read this steamy sports romance to figure it out.
The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
What do you suppose happens when you put two friends with chemistry and longtime suppressed feelings into forced proximity? They start a fire that can’t be contained. Rahul Khan has been secretly in love with his best friend Jasmine Allen for seven years. The dam of his hidden feelings threatens to burst when Jasmine moves in with him after a plumbing disaster at her house. As the sexual tension intensifies, Rahul and Jasmine are forced to confront their feelings, heal their past and decide whether crossing the line from friends to lovers is worth it or not. If you’re a friends-to-lovers romance trope loyalist, this is one book to snuggle into bed with. Talia Hibbert often writes stories with characters of various ethnicities, body types and sexual orientations making the narrative relatable to a wider audience.
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
From author Anita Kelly’s universe of brilliant queer romances comes Love & Other Disasters, a contemporary love story that may cause a deep longing to be touched. Dahlia Woodson, newly divorced and nearly bankrupt, enters a cooking reality show in hopes of a fresh start and money. Determined to win in spite of a rough start, her focus shifts when she meets London Parker, a talented competitor whose only goal is to prove themself after publicly announcing their pronouns. As sparks fly between the two and the steam moves from the kitchen to the bedroom, their respective issues fade into the background, making way for possible love to bloom. As the competition inches towards the finale, London and Dahlia must figure out if they have what it takes to bake a happily ever after. The sex in this book isn’t just raunchy; it’s about desire, connection and a deep exploration of the body and mind.
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Author Brynne Weaver is known for seamlessly blending humour with romance and page-turning suspense. So be warned, this dark romance is not for the faint-hearted. It’s twisted, explicit and fire-hot. Butcher and Blackbird is about a wild dalliance between serial killer-hunters Rowan and Sloan, who unite in an annual game of blood as they chase and murder serial killers. A chance encounter leads to a friendship between the two that gradually inches into romance territory as the book progresses. With tons of banter and flirting, the slow burn comes to a boil with scenes that’ll have you turning the AC up to full blast. But can these two dark souls outrun the ghosts of their past, or will the graves they dug finally catch up to them?
Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
Author Lucy Score’s official website describes her as someone “writing romances so steamy, her parents can’t look her in the eye”. And we have to agree. Ardent fans of the enemies-turned-lovers trope, you’ll be giggling and kicking your feet reading the arguments turn into foreplay in this steamy romance. Lucian Rollins, a business mogul, is consumed with building his empire so he can remain impervious to outside threats, until a fiery small-town librarian, Sloane Walton, disrupts his life. Bound by a dark family secret from their past, their heated bickering gives way to a passionate one-night stand, resulting in an unavoidable longing for each other. But Sloane wants a family and Lucian believes love is dangerous, crashing their budding romance before it can peak. How the couple navigates external dangers and their relationship dynamics forms the rest of the tantalising plot.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Helen Hoang is a master of stories that intertwine romance with intense subjects like neurodivergence and burnout. Be prepared to clutch this book to your chest and swoon at the romance, the sex and the heartfelt plot. Stella Lane is a 30-year-old econometrician with Asperger’s syndrome who hires a handsome escort, Michael Phan, to get more comfortable with physical intimacy. Their lesson plan is simple— teach Stella everything, from kissing to foreplay to more than missionary sex positions. What’s not part of the plan is falling in love. How Michael and Stella learn to communicate their needs with each other to end up together forms the rest of the plot. The book beautifully portrays Stella’s struggles with sensory overload and social cues and how she learns to navigate through them. And might we add, the intimacy lessons are anything but demure, so expect your imagination to be taken on a wild, wild run.
