What are you looking for in your next spicy read? Is it all smut with no plot, or do you desire a beautifully curated storyline that heightens the buildup? From high-tension office romance to scandalous sexcapades in the Cotswolds, here is a list of the best erotic novels you need to get your hands on!
Keep reading though, because the books are going to get spicier the further down the list you go…
1. Call Me By Your Name – Andre Aciman
Set during a dreamy Italian summer, Call Me By Your Name captures the essence of yearning and longing perfectly. This one is truly a classic, following protagonists Elio and Oliver as they navigate an all-consuming romance charged by desire, hesitation, and heartbreak. There’s plenty of erotic tension, but the intimate, slow-burn attraction is really what gives this book its reputation.
2. Want – Gillian Anderson
This one is slightly different, focusing on real-life experience in this collection of non- fictional fantasies. This collection of stories can vary in sexual content and explores themes of desire, empowerment, and societal taboos. All these stories were submitted by women worldwide, so it is less about erotica enjoyment but definitely provokes erotic thoughts.
3. All Fours – Miranda July
This one is a little funny. It follows a semi-famous artist having a mid-life crisis. She decides to go on a cross-country road trip and stops at a motel 30 minutes from home. This motel becomes central to the protagonist’s sexual awakening as she becomes obsessed with a younger man staying there too. Readers either find it a bit awkward or completely brilliant.
4. The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
This is a completely different vibe. This is a beautiful queer story built on passion and desire. Set in the post-war Netherlands, their attraction feels forbidden, creating space for secret obsession. It favors tension over fleshy sex scenes.
5. Rivals/Riders – Jilly Cooper
These books are truly scandalous. It explores the highly sexualized lives of the upper-class residents of Rutshire in the Cotswolds. Affairs, secret sex, sex outdoors – it’s got it all. These books will have you on the edge of your seat, but will also have you blushing.
6. Deep End – Ali Hazelwood
Do you know what’s really popular at the moment? Athlete romances. This book follows competitive duos navigating pressure, attraction, and romance getting pretty steamy. Think intense yearning while trying not to ruin your athletic career. These sex scenes are confident and explicit, but Hazelwood tends to mix in a bit of humor in the intimate scenes.
7. Beautiful Bastard – Christina Lauren
This book follows the classic trope of a high-tension office romance. Intern Chloe Mills and her irritating boss Bennett Ryan’s constant arguing somehow spiral into a messy, obsessive, physical relationship. Their aggressive chemistry is a must-read.
8. Heated Rivalry – Rachel Reid
You knew this one was coming. Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s enemies-to-lovers story is everywhere, and not for no reason. Secret relationship, athletic pressure, intense yearning, and being obsessed with each other but refusing to admit it. This book has every trope you could possibly want. The intimate scenes are deeply chemistry-driven and full of tension. If you’re a fan of the show, you need to read the original.
