So nice to have you here, and I also hear that An Indecent Proposition is really doing well! Congrats. :) It's a gorgeous cover, and I have to admit, while I am not much of a historicals reader, I have read a Regency or two that I liked, and I love that tension between the manners and control of that world and all the passion simmering underneath that lets loose in private moments...

For myself, I seem to go all over the map on what degree of sexy I like, but it has to do with the genre, to some extent... when I read a romance, I expect a love scene, maybe more than one, and good sexual tension, and the more detail, the more beautifully written, the better. Sexual tension that goes unrewarded (no love scene, ie a closed door) will turn me off really fast.

OTOH, I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately, what people would even call "cozies" (though honestly, I think what used to be considered cozy is getting rather warmer these days), including romance subplots with a fair degree of romantic tension and sexually active characters, which is great. I am so glad we're getting away from the sterile female sleuths of the old days, who never used their bodies, just their minds, as if they hadn't a hormone, LOL. Maybe it has to do with the age issue -- female sleuths in the past were often older, or YA, but now they are in their 20s-40s, and so the writers and readers can't make them sexless. But these books don't show the actual love scenes most of the time, or not in a great degree of detail, but I find it satisfying all the same. Cleo Coyle does a particularly good job of this in her Coffee House Mysteries. I suppose because there, the romance is not the main point of the book, the mystery is.

I guess for me, a romance without a love scene or hot romantic tension is like reading a mystery that had no dead body or not finding out whodunit, but either way I need good character development, a story, and the payoff that the book promises.

Great to have you here, and looking forward to the discussion!

Sam

I am a mystery buff too! And I have noticed that there is usually a bit of romance, even in the mysteries written by men. John Sanford is a favorite of mine (I'm from Minnesota) and his Prey books are chock full of serial killers and violence, but he still gave Lucas Davenport a nice romance, and while the sex isn't on the page too much, there's a bit of it in there. I also love Stephen White and his Alan Gregory series and he definitely has played romantic connections into his books.
I definitely go for a nice thread of sexual tension in whatever I read. After all, if there are men and women involved, there's going to be sexual overtones to the relationship somwhere. It makes the world go around

Lovely post, Emma.
Although, I love those Alpha male heroes primarily, Beta heroes also have a place in my heart. :)
And I also agree that the emotional aspect is an important factor in what it takes to knock my socks off when I read romance novels.

If a book has lots of sexual tension throughout that is never relieved, if you'll pardon the pun, with at least one "on page" love scene, I'm usually fairly unhappy with that book. I feel cheated. :) I adore erotic romance for this reason. With an erotic book, I feel like I'll get the great story, the happily ever after along with fully detailed love scenes.

Keeping that in mind, my very favorite books to read are ones that have a great plot where I fall in love with the characters and I want them to have the happily ever after. I adore an author who can make me twist and worry over how the hero and heroine can ever be together given the conflicts they face.

I've read lots of Emma Wildes books.
You do a great job of balancing enough scorch, sizzle and steam along with awesome stories of love. :)
Lara S

Hi Emma,

I imagine the opinions on this subject are as varied as readers themselves. I agree that the most important factor for me is good writing, great characters, and believable, sustained tension (of all kinds). If those elements are there, I'm usually willing to go (or not go) where the author takes me.

My preference is to be allowed in the bedroom for at least one whole scene. I don't like a ton of physical description, though. What I do like is when the characters reveal themselves, their growing love, their conflicts, their insecurities, basically their relationship in the way they love and let themselves be loved.

I think the sex in romances should be secondary to the romance. I don't care if authors want to describe the sex (as long as they don't care if I skim...;-), but I want to feel the love, the tension, and the connection between two specific individuals.

One of my favorite things authors sometimes do in sex scenes is have one character give the other a gift. It could be revealing a vulnerability, it could be allowing a weakness in the other person--taking control away from the control freak, there are so many possibilities. I enjoy when the sex scenes take the romance to a new level in an emotional as well as physical way.

I'm a beta guy gal. Nothing makes me close a book faster than some alpha male getting all muscly and controlling in a sex scene. I like my men sexy but respectful. A beta guy can do anything an alpha can...but why would he want to when he has so many other options!

I myself like a good sexy book, but in some of the erotic books I think its over done. I am not one that likes sex on every page, but a few good romance scenes are great. I am big into the historicals, they are about my favorite read. I have never read one of your books though. Most of the time if a book is well written and has a good plot then I am game on reading it.

I read all different types of romances and I think what makes the story red hot is the chemistry between the hero and heroine. I think it must be hard for reviewers to determine what category to place different stories because what I think is red hot someone else thinks is warm.

Welcome to cigars!

I love a sexy book, but I hate certain words. Is that awful? But I can't help it. If a writer uses crude words, it doesn't matter to me how great the scene is--I can't read it. Of course, I could never write here which words are too much for me....I suppose it's a matter of taste.

Hi Emma,
Congrats on your upcoming release. I would definitely pick up a book rated as polite erotic fiction. A book can be sexy without being graphic, but when I read that a book is searing I do expect something a little more explicit. Alphas are definitely my favorite. They have a take charge attitude, but I do like betas, too. I agree that the emotion and connection between the characters is more important than just the physical aspects of their relationship.

Hi, Emma!

Ditto what Sam said about that being an eye-catching cover! Congrats!

As for sexy, I kind of like to mix it up a bit--I like to read hot, but at the same time, too many of those in a row, and I get a little burned (out), so I also like romances that leave more to the imagination. It depends somewhat on how the writer handles it, on whether the physical relationship is a key part of moving the couple's relationship forward, and on what's appropriate to the setting and story. I do think that many romances are more explicit than they used to be, which isn't good or bad in my book--just a resetting of expectations going in to a read.

And yes, I *really* want to feel the emotional experience and connection when reading--way more important for me than level of explicitness :)

How funny that there's such a range of opinions on the heat level of your books--guess that just reflects the range of readers out there!

I had a lot of fun gathering your opinions on hot (or not) romances...thank you everyone! It was lovely to be here.

Maureen is the winner of the free book. Please contact me at chris .smith 6@comcast.net (no spaces).

I'll be back to play again!