15 Steamy Romance Novels to Add to Your Bookshelf

Insert panting emoji. Anyone who’s ever found themselves blushing while reading a novel knows that sex in literature has a particular quality that sex on screen simply lacks. The best erotic novels do something that movies cannot—why else would so many people buy innocuous book jackets for their copies of Fifty Shades of Grey?

Maybe it’s the sudden thrill of finding sex in the least appropriate places–on your commute, during work, at the breakfast table! Or, perhaps it’s the suggestion of sex, the unfulfilled tension artfully written into the novel, that gets us going. Whatever gets you going, so to speak, sex in fiction offers a critical sensory distance where our imaginations can run wild.

Whatever the case may be, and whether or not your trilogy focusing on Christian Gray is a bit worse for wear, there’s much more to erotic fiction than Fifty Shades, and we’re here to help you find the right book to rev your engine. If you’re into historical fiction, you’ll love Outlander, trust us. The series transports the reader back in time to 1700s Scotland (and into the bed of one hot Scotsman). Or if you’re looking for a more modern-day love (and one that’s a bit more realistic to boot), try downloading a copy of The Wedding Date (or buy a version IRL).

If you’re looking for seduction, flirtation, a guilty pleasure, or an intellectual turn-on, here are the best steamy novels to get you in the mood.