As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been glomming Lorelei James’ Rough Riders contemporary erotic romance series. Seeing as the sex scenes in these books are more explicit than in the romances I usually read, it got me to thinking about sex scenes in general and how I usually skim them, even in books by authors I really like.

As far as I’m concerned, sex in romance novels is not essential. The sexual content should fit the story. I’m happy to read romances in which the bedroom door remains firmly closed, and those in which sex is an integral part of the hero/heroine’s story arc. However, I’ve noticed that I tend to skim the sex scenes in many so-called mainstream romances as they often read like directions in a sex manual.

I am of the firm opinion that the vast majority of romance novels shouldn’t contain more than one sex scene. Beyond the couple’s First Encounter, most of the extra sex scenes are tedious and take away too much time from the rest of the story. Note: I am generalising wildly here. There are authors of mainstream romance who can make sex scenes work, no matter how many they have in their books, for example Victoria Dahl and Jill Shalvis.

Erotic romance is not a subgenre to which I feel particularly drawn, yet I’ve read a couple of authors lately who’ve made me reassess this stance. Lauren Dane and Lorelei James both manage to write explicit (and frequent) sex scenes in their books without skimping on emotional development. It’s a skill, and one which I’m pretty sure I lack in my own writing. Lorelei James’ books are particularly impressive in this regard as her Rough Riders series is long (ten books plus two novellas so far) and has a large cast of characters. She succeeds in making each of her cowboy heroes unique and I care about them and their extended family.

Do you skim sex scenes in romance novels? Do you think more than one sex scene in a romance is too much? Have you tried erotic romance? If so, which authors would you recommend?

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Burning (Menage, BDSM)

Violence: One disturbing scene but most happens off page

My Grade: B+

Laid Bare by Lauren Dane is a beautiful book. It’s definitely not the sort of story I would have chosen to read had it not been for the glowing reviews. For a start, it’s an erotic romance. Unless you count a few Harlequin Blazes, I’d never read an erotic romance before, and had no real inclination to do so. The second aspect to Laid Bare which gave me pause is that it features a three-way relationship between a woman and two men. This definitely takes me beyond my comfort zone. Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough by the reviews that I decided to push my personal envelope and give it a try.

Erin Brown is a 24-year-old musician living in Seattle. She and her younger brother, Adrian, are trying to break into the Seattle music scene, playing in grotty clubs, and hoping to make it big. Todd Keenan is a straight-laced cop. He lives next door to the Brown siblings. Todd is attracted to Erin but dismisses her as potential girlfriend material.

When Erin instigates a sexual relationship, Todd is willing, and they have a passionate affair. This is Todd’s first experience of BDSM. A few months later, Todd ends their affair as he’s unwilling to admit to himself that the BDSM element of his sexual relationship with Erin is part of who he is. He can’t commit to someone he feels he has no future with, and Erin and her dreadlocks don’t match his vision of the perfect wife and mother.

Ten years later, Todd is back in Seattle following his divorce. He’s no longer a cop and has set up a private security firm with two friends. He realizes that he made a mistake thinking that he could settle down with a meek and mild wife, essentially denying who he truly is. He’s determined not to make the same mistake again. By chance, Todd walks into a coffee shop and discovers Erin working there. He’s thrilled to see her, but surprised, as he’d thought she’d moved to LA with her band and become successful.

Erin is shocked to see Todd after so many years. She came back to Seattle four years previously. Following the tragic death of her baby daughter, she quit the music business and moved back home to live with her older brother, Brody. She now runs the coffee shop which is attached to his tattoo parlour. Fragile and grieving, Erin is in no mood for a relationship. Yet the attraction to Todd is still strong. Erin and Todd gradually reignite the spark which they had so many years ago and discover that there’s a lot more between them than just good sex.

As the story progresses, Erin and Todd’s relationship extends to include Todd’s friend, Ben. Ben is bisexual and has been in a three-way relationship before. While the primary relationship is between Todd and Erin, in many ways Ben completes them. With Todd and Ben’s help, Erin works through her grief and starts to see that there might be some light in her future after all.

My description of the story doesn’t really do it justice. It’s very well done. Although a three-way relationship is not something which would normally interest me in a romance novel, Lauren Dane pulls it off. That said, my favourite elements in the book were Erin’s interaction with her two brothers and the thoughtful way in which her grieving process was handled. Despite the hot sex scenes, this book is a definite tear-jerker.

The one niggle I had with the book is Ben’s role in the relationship. I never felt he was an equal partner. And despite Erin’s position as a submissive, I thought she had the most power in the triad. This fear is voiced by Ben’s mother at one point in the story, and I found myself agreeing with her.

While the menage storyline is not necessarily one I’d seek out regularly in a romance, Laid Bare is proof that it’s sometimes worth reading outside your comfort zone. This book is a gem and I can highly recommend it.

Also in this series:

Coming Undone (January 2010) – Brody’s story

Inside Out (November 2010) – Cope’s story

Other Reviews of Laid Bare:

Leontine’s Book Realm – 4.5 stars

The Geeky Book Worm – 5 out of 5 cubes

The Good, The Bad, The Unread – C+

RT Book Reviews - 4.5 stars

Thrifty Reader – B+

Fiction Vixen – 4 out 5 hearts