Spice Up Your Life: 15 New Erotic Books
I’m relatively new to the game of erotic books and other spicy romance, and I am absolutely hooked. BookTok enlightened me — I’ve started sprinting to my Goodreads to save the books that get hyped up the most — but since the feed moves so quickly, I’ve dug in deep and done some research to come up with this list of the best new erotic romance books from the last three years. This is different from the abundance of weird erotica on TikTok, though there is a slight overlap. There are no non-human characters/romantic interests/sexual partners here.
What makes a book erotic, you may ask? The amount of sex on the page, mostly. It’s usually a lot. Sometimes the books are romantic, other times it’s just about the sex and, as Ana Steele of Fifty Shades of Grey calls it, “kinky fuckery.” Sometimes the plot is real and thorough, other times it’s just background noise.
No matter your specific taste, we’ve got you covered with these new erotic books, whether you dig your sex to be heterosexual, queer, menage, or reverse harem. The romance trope list is well accounted for, too: forced proximity, forbidden love, friends-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience. Many of these are novellas or the first in a series, so buckle up for a marathon.
New Erotic Books
Being Hospitable by Meka James
Charley has a plan. With her new internship requiring a change of address, she moves in with her brother’s best friend Kiki. They’ve known each other for years, and Kiki has to keep reminding herself that Charley is off limits. But there seems to be something behind Charley’s innuendos as their three-month arrangement carries on. Being Hospitable has it all: Black sapphic hotness in forced proximity.
Caulky by K.M. Neuhold
Ren is desperate for a rebound fling after his latest relationship went down the drain, and the contractor he just hired looks to be perfect for the job. He’s not looking for a relationship — just a hookup. So, Ren and Cole have their weekly hookups, while also unknowingly chatting anonymously with each other on a dating app. Will they figure out their online identities and turn into a relationship?
Games We Play by Dana Isaly
When Quin heads out to interview the mask-wearing gamer who uses his sexy voice to bring others’ sexual fantasies to life, she is not expecting Jack. They connect instantly and much kink ensues. Bonus: Quin is a curvy gal.
Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert
James knows you don’t fall for your friend’s sister. But you know how that goes. Nina is a political campaigner set on changing the world and she wants a serious, equal relationship — not to be coddled by James. Can they let go of the roles they’ve played since knowing each other to make this work? Talia Hibbert does erotic books like no one else and Guarding Temptation is an utter delight.
The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert
Gideon and Paul have lived next-door to each other for years, and Gideon has been waiting ever so patiently for the grumpy silver fox to need a cup of sugar. His mission: Get Paul to join the neighborhood in setting up Christmas lights on his house. Paul relents and the two…tumble into bed while hanging up lights. You know how it is. The Geek Who Saved Christmas is the perfect grumpy/sunshine romance.
Go Deep by Rilzy Adams
After finding her now ex-boyfriend’s side-chick’s pregnancy test on her bathroom counter (yikes), erotica writer Navaya spends a year celibate, which makes her career suffer. She needs to be reminded of what sex is like, so she calls up her best friend Xander for some collaboration. But of course, it gets complicated when their physical relationship is more powerful than they anticipated. Go Deep is a sweet and steamy friends-to-lovers romance.
Hate by Tate James
Madison Kate Danvers was framed with organizing a night of violence at a local abandoned park when she was 17. Her dad shipped her off to live with her aunt for 11 months to shape up, and when she gets back, the boys who framed her have moved into her parents’ house. Archer, Kodiak, and Max are the reason for her derailment, and she’s going to get her revenge. Hate is a steamy reverse harem bully novel. Whew.
The Heir by Sophie Lark
Kingmakers is the college where mafia heirs are trained to do what they do: control, dominate, kill. Leo followed Anna there because they’re best friends, and Dean is more than happy to get in between them as they realize their feelings for one another. The Heir is an angsty, thrilling friends-to-lovers romance.
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
In order to end a years-long war, Isolde is set to marry Adrain, the vampire king. She plans to kill him after the nuptials, but is thwarted. She constantly fights him, but their chemistry cannot be ignored…
Full disclosure: I work for the publisher of this book.
Quarantine and Chill by Kenya Wright
Jade’s dog-sitting in New York City while her bestie Zora is on her honeymoon when the coronavirus hits and turns plans indefinite. To add to the chaos, Zora’s brother Kamal shows up ready to move in — even though he has his own place. The one-bedroom apartment is not big enough for the two of them, until they figure out sex is a great way to pass the time. Quarantine and Chill is a delightful forced proximity romance.
Scream For Us by Molly Doyle
This Halloween party is supposed to go down in history. But Quinn does not expect three masked men to entice her into an evening of pain and pleasure, and, um, murder? Scream for Us is all about suspense and BDSM.
Tangled Vows by Anna Stone
Yvonne is a powerful woman who’s been sitting on an inheritance she can’t access until she gets married. Luckily her escort, Ruby, is game for a marriage of convenience — she’ll play the role of Yvonne’s wife for a year and in return get to live a life of luxury only the sickeningly rich can enjoy. Soon, their hearts get tangled up in each other and they realize there’s more than the inheritance at stake if their relationship goes south.
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Alex keeps his heart locked up because of the past that continues to haunt him. Normally, that works for him. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, his cold heart begins to melt. Ava is a free spirit always looking for the beauty in the world — including the beauty deep within the forbidden Alex. When they get together, deep secrets are revealed that could destroy everything they know. Twisted Love is a suspenseful, dark, opposites attract romance.
Whipped by Jenika Snow
Max is an alpha male with his eyes always on the prize. When he catches sight of the gorgeously curvy Zara reading in the corner of his bakery, he can’t resist where his mind wanders. Now, if only he could get up the courage to talk to her and make those daydreams a reality.
Your Dad Will Do by Katee Robert
Lily caught her fiancé cheating on her, and the best revenge is to seduce his father. Naturally. She’s fantasized about him for years, and it seems like he might be into her, too. Welcome to a weekend of smokin’ hot scenes and lots of daddy talk in this taboo romance.
Whew! Need even more spice? Cozy up with these 20 steamy romance novels or these 50 must-read erotic novels and anthologies. Just remember to keep the fan on.
