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20 Steamy Erotic Novels You’ll Need A Cold Shower After Reading

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August 18th, 2017   |   Updated on June 29th, 2022

Erotic novels have garnered a bad reputation for being horribly cheesy. Blame it on bad cover art, blame it on a few poorly-written books, blame it on Fabio but most of us either avoid erotica because we’re embarrassed to be caught with it or read it in secret, hoping never to be found out.

Here are 20 steamy erotic novels you’ll need a cold shower after reading.

1. A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

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Customer Review : I ordered this book after seeing it listed as one of Esquire’s “100 books every guy should read” or some other such hyperbole, and the plot description on that listing made it sound intriguing. I’d never heard of James Salter, to be honest. So this was a shot-in-the-dark sort of purchase, and I’m glad I made it. Get it from Amazon for $6.99

 

2. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

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Customer Review :  In Written on the Body Jeanette Winterson takes on some fundamental questions: What is love? What is marriage? What do fidelity and responsibility really mean? It is often in examining the extremes that we can find answers. The narrator lives in the extreme – profound restless, intense eagerness, unequivocal passion, turbulent relationships. What can a soul want more than passion – the intense consuming passion that elevates love and life to the umpteenth degree? Passion is the fire of life. Get it from Amazon for $8.76

 

3. The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis

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Customer Review : I have been reading Martin Amis ever since a friend of mine from Random House introduced me to his American debut decades ago (!) We thought he was brilliant then, and disagreed with the initial (preemptive) buzz was that he “might not” be as good as his father Kingsley. Get it from Amazon for $11.77

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4. Lust by Susan Minot

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Customer Review :  i read evening 12 years ago and then i used it in a class to display what classy writing can be–the class was filled with literati–and then i read something else that wasn’t as clean as Evening and then i found LUST in the library and the first story is cool but the last story  is superb because Minot dances along the edge between art and reality  the irony a gut-twister because the sentences track in Minot’s universe but not in the reader’s little world because she writes from the gut, yes, about the cultural height of females versus males, and how women feel about it. Get it from Amazon for $4.87

 

5. Lick by Kylie Scott

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Customer Review :  Evelyn’s life has always gone according to plan, with her future clearly mapped in front of her and that path never questioned. With a practically non-existent love life and minimal experience in all matters of the heart, Ev has always put her studies first and everything else second. Waking up married to someone she does not even know goes entirely against her carefully tailored plan for the future. Mortified by her drunken antics and confused by what her mind is allowing her to remember from the night before, she agrees to an annulment. Get it from Amazon for $7.52

 

6. Night After Night by Lauren Blakely

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Customer Review :  In First Night, Clay Nichols travels to San Francisco for business. He was told for a fantastic drink, head over to Cubic Z and ask for Julia Bell. They have a wonderful weekend together filled with the best sex either of them ever had with knowing that it is just for the weekend. Something they are equally aware of and accept. Neither want anything more. But when the weekend was coming to an end, the connection they felt both in and out of the bedroom was more than they could handle. Not knowing where this was heading, Clay went back to New York with one thing on his mind, Julia Bell. Get it from Amazon for $12.97

 

7. Exit to Eden by Anne Rice

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Customer Review :  Just a lovely story, Although I must confess I don’t like it as much as I did when I first read it. But I give it five stars because I loved it that much the first time. Some pretty light erotica for Ms. Rice, considering her adventures in The Beauty series. Just do yourself a favor: Do NOT get the abridged audio version. It’s completely gutted and the choices of voice actors are a bit misguided at best. Get it from Amazon for $11.75

 

8. Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra Torre

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Customer Review :  I’m pretty sure I got duped into reading this. By myself. I despise triangles & refuse to read them. I saw Alessandra had a new book coming out so I added it to my read list, barely skimming the description. It’s Alessandra Torre, I’m going to buy it. No need to look too closely right? I loved Blindfolded Innocence & The Girl in 6E. I’ll just buy it & worry about the details later. Get it from Amazon for $11.99

 

9. The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean

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Customer Review :  The love scenes were just right, in my opinion, though some readers might think they’re too graphic. To those who prefer “clean reads”, I say this story is worth reading anyway-you can always skip a paragraph(or page) or two. The story itself is worth the risk. This is a love story with a little sex to spice it up, rather than a sex story masquerading as romance. Get it from Amazon for $5.98

 

10. Wolf Among Sheep by Sara Dobie Bauer

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Customer Review :  The author of Wolf Among Sheep, Sara Dobie Bauer truly amazes me. Ms. Bauer’s writing is exquisite. She thrusts the reader into her world and I could almost smell the tang of the whiskey and cigarette smoke. Wolf Among Sheep is a captivating tale of love, deception, lust, and pleasure rolled into this novella. Get it from Amazon for $1.07

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11. The Match of the Century by Cathy Maxwell

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Customer Review :  this story is so well written. so many dimensions to each character, am i am not just referring to the Ben and Elin and Gavin. The engaging characters include their parents, Ben’s brigand mates, their respective servants and valets…. The plot? Not just a page-turner, but you want to read each, individual encounter and punch and kick – basically immerse yourself in those scenes. And the best, heartwarming scenes are best described by Gavin himself, so much so that he made up his mind to find a wife that is… ahhh, i do go on. Read the book. Get it from Amazon for $7.99

 

12. The Surrender Gate by Christopher Rice

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Customer Review :  When I read that one of my favorite authors was going to test the waters in erotica I was puzzled. Christopher Rice writing erotica hmmm…! Well I am here to say after reading the second book in The Desire Exchange series I am hooked with new found respect that he is a genre-less author. I have always thought Christopher Rice could write the phone book and it would be a masterpiece. Get it from Amazon for $2.92

 

13. Enchanted by Nancy Madore

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Customer Review :  If you like fairytales retold in an adult form, this is a must read. The story lines are great and I am sure you will dream of what you read….Husbands and Boyfriends beware you will be attacked by your wife or girlfriends after they read this! Get it from Amazon for $6.11

 

14. Celebrity Sex Tape: In the Making by Farrah Abraham

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Customer Review :  I found it interesting. I enjoyed it because I follow the show to this day. It gives you some insight to what she was thinking and what she was going through. Get it from Amazon for $680

 

15. Natural Law by Joey W. Hill

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Customer Review :  Mac is sexy, built like no other, a homicide detective, and a sexual submissive? Not what I expected. Figures the only person that could tame someone like Mac is another cop, Violet. This story was well written and a great read. The only think I didn’t really understand is why there wasn’t a better connection to the first book in the series. That would have made this book awesome. The connection is made in the next book Ice Queen, but it would have been nice if it was more so in this story. Get it from Amazon

 

16. Willing Victim by Cara McKenna

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Customer Review :  The first I’ve read. Not my genre. But came across a compelling review of dark authors who highlighted quirky character development.  I read the 9 shorts with a keen reverence for her audacious writing, wondering all the way why I was being pulled along so obstinately to keep turning pages of stories with agitated urbane garden variety characters. So impressed with the mysterious pull of her stories, I returned to take a closer look. Get it from Amazon for $2.99

 

17. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill

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Customer Review :  Mary knows how to craft complex collisions of incompatible personalities agitated with tinges of morality, ethics and fleshy transgressions. The dialogue seems perfectly placed in simple imaginative narrative with impeccable timing, pace and discrimination. There is nothing wasted in the composition. Lots of information surgically implanted so no speed bumps. The range of character understanding is this collection is outstanding if not irrepressible. Get it from Amazon

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18. The Juliette Society by Sasha Grey

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Customer Review :  It’s hard to express with words how much I enjoyed this book. But considering I am here to write a review..Classy, sexy and provocative.. loved every second of it and would definitely recommend it to all of you! Get it from Amazon for $2.51

 

19. Colters’ Woman by Maya Banks

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Customer Review :  The Colters’ Legacy series is definitely recommended as a great set of re-reads! This series has well thought out story lines that so many other books in this genre just don’t have. You’ll find the romance, of course; fast-paced drama; even funny moments with family dynamics and what I call “great visuals”! This book takes you to the Rockies and its beautiful vistas! I was transported to one of my favorite parks. Get it from Amazon for $12.25

 

20. Simply Sexual by Kate Pearce

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Customer Review :  Right off the bat the energy is good in this book, and the chemistry between the two characters is apparent. It is a lot more believable than many romance books, the author doesn’t really use miscommunication as a plot device to separate the characters, and more complex emotions and issues are approached. The story doesn’t go at a breakneck pace and feel like a whirlwind, it has good pace and flows naturally. They don’t have to show you every scene that happens just the important ones. Get it from Amazon for $27.87