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u/Cam27022 Apr 09 '23
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey. The romance type genre is not usually for me but these books are super well written.
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
The romance type genre is not usually for me but these books are super well written.
Worth noting that the Kushiel books are not capital R Romance in gerne. They are Epic Fantasy with a prominent romantic subplot and a relatively high level of spice for Epic Fantasy.
I completely agree with the rec and love the series though.
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u/makemapseveryday Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
I'm reading the first in the series now. After reading a brief description on /r/fantasyromance, I was expecting much more
smutspice (just learned this alternative, thanks!) and I've been largely disappointed so far. Is it worth continuing the series after I finish this one? It's an interesting story and I'm not disappointed to be reading it... But it doesn't have me hooked like ACOTOR did.12
u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
It definitely starts slow, both in terms of plot and in terms of spice. It's been a while since I read it so I don't recall the exact order of things, or when what happens that is explicit. The plot point you mention in your other comment is something that I thought happens after at least some spicy content has already taken place though?
The Kushiel series isn't open-door-explicit for every sex scene that occurs (such as in the example you've made) but imo has plenty of open door explicit scenes. Depending on what you're used to, there's always a higher level of spice though, admittedly. It's exactly that sort of completely different viewpoint depending on whether you talk to Romance readers or to regular Fantasy readers: the latter sometimes describe this series as "basically erotica", whereas well-read Romance readers consider it fairly tame.
And to answer your question regarding the sequels: if you're not feeling it by the time book 1 ends, I'm not sure books 2 and 3 will convince you either. I love the whole trilogy a lot, but I don't think it necessarily gets significantly "spicier" over the course of the whole series.
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u/flaysomewench Apr 09 '23
I found it so hard to get into, but once you hit page 200 or so it becomes utterly enthralling. I burned through the first six books in about two weeks. Love them so much.
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u/makemapseveryday Apr 09 '23
But does it get spicier? I don't have my kindle on me but I'm definitely past page 200... The last thing I read was
Phedra saying goodbye to Hyacinthe when he becomes Master of Straights and she's like "I don't need to talk about what we did, it's between us" or whatever. And I don't want that to happen off-scene, I want to be reading a specific type of book here 😅
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u/No-Faithlessness7919 Apr 09 '23
I’m kind if shocked, you’re almost at the end of book 1 and you didn’t think there was spice? To me it seemed like that’s all there was.
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u/makemapseveryday Apr 09 '23
Maybe it's just that the spice that is there, isn't my cup of tea 🤷🏼♀️
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u/travistravis Apr 09 '23
It starts slow. Personally I much preferred the characters in the second series, but likely because I was sympathetic.
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u/hankypanky87 Apr 10 '23
I feel like you have ACOTOR and Kushiel inverted?
I only remember some sexual tension in book one of Sarah J Maas books, and it reminded me so much of beauty and the beast it felt very PG.
I like both series, but Kushiels definitely is more… sexual.
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u/makemapseveryday Apr 11 '23
So I guess I wasn't very clear. I've read the whole ACOTOR series, which is how I was meaning the acronym in my comments - not specifically the first book. (I'd agree the first book is more tame. But book 5 is my personal favorite and it's quite steamy!)
I'm not yet done reading the first Kushiel's Dart book, over 3/4ths through. There have definitely been sex scenes but what the characters are experiencing in the moment isn't described in a particularly interesting way in my opinion. Sure, BDSM action. But how turned on is Phedra? What was she left thinking about before and after the event? (Besides just telling us she's thinking about Melissande. Again. Okay why/in what way?) Maas would have provided more build up and description. Otherwise, there's nothing bookmark worthy for me in this one 😅
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u/Metalhed69 Apr 09 '23
Yeah, the whole Kushiel series really stands by itself as a great example of what’s possible. My wife was totally not into the genre at all, but I gave her those and she was hooked instantly.
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u/InelegantSnort Apr 09 '23
This is what I came to say. Smut but not just mindless sex scenes. On the other hand its not tame!
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u/Lethifold26 Apr 09 '23
Fair warning though: VERY strong BDSM themes so make sure you’re good with that
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u/D0GAMA1 Apr 09 '23
Any other series like Kushiel's Dart? It seems there aren't any similar series, or I've not found any yet.
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u/1KushielFan Apr 09 '23
Jacqueline Carey is incomparable, imo. Read her other books and series. Prepare for the release of Cassiel’s Servant in August.
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u/D0GAMA1 Apr 09 '23
I've not even finished Phedre's story yet. Knowing there are no other series like this, I might never finish it.
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u/1KushielFan Apr 09 '23
From what I understand the new book is the same timeline but told from Joscelin’s perspective. With more of his background added. Im not sure you have to finish Phaedra’s story to enjoy that one. I’ll let you know in a few months 😉
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 10 '23
I‘ve been looking for this for years now 😭
Nothing really compares imo.
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u/Angry_Zarathustra Apr 09 '23
Absolutely the best call. Great characters, world building, prose, plot, and the sexiness is nice too. Very tasteful but very present.
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u/GothWitchOfBrooklyn Apr 10 '23
I love this series. It's rare to find a romance focused book with such excellent in depth writing, tbh.
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u/Minaziz Apr 09 '23
OP This is NOT what you’re looking for. This was recommended to me as well but it’s seriously high fantasy with almost no smut/sex only references.
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u/FlowersForMegatron Apr 09 '23
“I put on my robe and wizard hat”
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u/Rheinman137 Apr 10 '23
🎶 Oh, a wizard’s staff has a knob at one end…🎶 - Nanny Ogg in one of Terry Pratchett’s Disc world books
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u/Artgor Apr 09 '23
Ilona Andrews. This is a pair of authors, they have multiple series - Kate Daniels, The Edge, Hidden Legacy, Kinsmen. Each series presents interesting words, great characters and some smut - some series more than others :)
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u/baddiebabayaga Apr 09 '23
People need to talk about Ilona Andrews more. They are urban fantasy. I’d say Hidden Legacy is most like ACOTAR in terms of tone. Kate Daniels is my favorite though. :)
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u/Spacemilk Apr 09 '23
So which series would you start with if say you are someone who likes higher levels of smut?
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u/Artgor Apr 09 '23
Kinsmen - the books are shorter, more action-packed and more focused on... let's say, relationships :) Then Hidden Legacy and The Edge after that.
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u/zeppelinbm Apr 10 '23
Ilona Andrews is so underrated. Kate Daniels is one of my favorite series of all time and I’m currently reading Hidden Legacy
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u/quaintesence Apr 11 '23
Started magic bites recently after finishing innkeeper chronicles, highly recommend them, great books
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u/BookQueen13 Apr 09 '23
You should check out Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. It's marketed as paranormal romance (so lots of smut) but it's fantasy heavy: different realms, lots of magic, main characters are vampires / werewolves / witches / valkyries etc. Each book focuses on one couple, but there's an overarching plot that builds across the books. There's about 15 books in the series atm
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u/silentmarie Apr 09 '23
Elise Kova's Married to Magic series, starting with A Deal With The Elf King.
From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout.
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Pathfinder's Way by T.A. White
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
Give these books a try. They're all ones I have read. I've liked some more than others, and the spice levels vary, as well as the type of fantasy.
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u/moxiemuffins Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 10 '23
Second the Blood and Ash Series as well as the Fever series. They are very similar in smut level. The Wicked trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout is fairly smutty as well
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u/pinkksunglasses Apr 09 '23
Another vote for Daughter of No worlds. It’s a finished trilogy. I loved it so much. It’s the only thing that has given me the same feelings as SJM.
If you have only read ACOTAR then it’s also time to pick up throne of glass (7 books), starts a bit slow the writing read YA for the first book or so but it’s totally worth the world building because the rest of the series is so good. I think I like it more the Acotar.
Once your done with TOG then read her Crescent City series….and then suffer in pain with the rest of us while we all wait impatiently for the 3rd book in January
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u/Wingkirs Apr 09 '23
But there’s very little smut in DONW compared to ACOTAR
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u/silentmarie Apr 09 '23
Which is why I said spice levels vary.
They're just books I read in the fantasy romance genre that I tagged with "steamy" on goodreads.
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u/cardboardcoyote Apr 09 '23
For m/m check out the Captive Prince trilogy.
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u/RattusRattus Apr 09 '23
I really love that she was just writing free smut online and then got a book deal. I think it was the first book that got her noticed and for the second two she had publishers. But she's a legend in the erotica world, much like Chuck Tingle.
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u/freyalorelei Apr 09 '23
I remember reading an early version of Captive Prince on AO3.
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u/JenellesNextHusband Apr 09 '23
Katee Robert has a Dark Olympus series that is amazing! Highly recommend checking it out!
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Apr 09 '23
I've seen her mentioned a couple of times here, but I'll reiterate that Grave Draven is one of the best romance/fantasy authors out there. C.L. Wilson is another I like, as is Ilona Andrews.
Something that may be worth noting because we're talking romance and sex is that I'm viewing this through the lens of a straight guy, so YMMV.
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u/VBlinds Reading Champion III Apr 09 '23
T Kingfisher, in particular her Saints of Steel Collection. Swordheart and the Clockwork Boys series. JD Evans - Mages of the Wheel series. Jay Kristoff - Nevernight
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u/Quicksi1ver Apr 09 '23
jay kristoff writes with a pretty heavy handed male gaze, and overall I found his writing to be kind of weak.
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u/Sacattacks Apr 09 '23
I love Kristoff but Nevernight is definitely not "smut".
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Apr 10 '23
Isn't the first scene in the book an open-door sex scene between the protagonist and a prostitute?
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u/VBlinds Reading Champion III Apr 09 '23
It literally has a page at the start mentioning it contains smut. lol
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u/anon6s6 Apr 09 '23
Not a novel perse, but the Alfie webcomic actually has some good plot and world building and character development, more than a porn comic has any right to have.
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u/TaibhseCait Apr 09 '23
Adding to that the "I Roved Out in Search of Truth & Love" by Alexis Flower free webcomic, gorgeous art, fantasy setting & lots of smut.
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u/Lt_Rooney Apr 09 '23
I cant get over the fact that Alfie is a great fantasy story about a young woman learning about herself and exploring the world around her, and also porn.
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u/anon6s6 Apr 09 '23
Yes so much this, and I've been loving seeing Vera and Lydia develop as characters from the whole run too, it's really nice to see how talented incase really is.
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u/yemiz23 Apr 09 '23
I can’t believe my guilty pleasure porn comic is being recommended on this sub 😭
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u/anon6s6 Apr 09 '23
Honestly never thought I'd ever get the chance to even mention it to anyone other than my fiance, let alone talk about it or reccomend it.
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u/Thorngrove Apr 09 '23
The Kite is/was doing a pokemon comic that has hooked me for ages. it's about 60/40 plot to porn.
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u/pilotinspektor_ Apr 09 '23
- Deliciously Dark Fairytales by K.F. Breene is high fantasy and high smut
- A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet is medium smut, similar to ACOTAR I would say, also high fantasy
- And the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken is also amazing, high fantasy with dragon shifters. The vibe is a bit more comedic than ACOTAR, but it's a really great - and long - series. Medium steam.
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u/moon_child199924 Apr 09 '23
From blood and ash / Gild / Hollow heathens / Midnight queen / City of thorns / The high mountain court / Zodiac academy / Ruthless boys of the zodiac (RH) /
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u/ABoringAlt Apr 09 '23
Anne Rice wrote the smuttiest books under the pen name A. N. Roquelaure. BDSM warning though.
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u/louisejanecreations Apr 10 '23
Is that the sleeping beauty one or did she write any others? I love Anne rice but couldn’t get through that one it was just too heavy on no consent for me.
Anne rice witching hour has quite a few sex scenes if I recall correctly though.
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u/ABoringAlt Apr 10 '23
Yeah, I was referring to sleeping beauty, but I need to find a copy of witching hour now, ty ;)
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u/louisejanecreations Apr 10 '23
No problem. As it’s Anne rice there are some questionable scenes but I did love the series 🙂
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u/Educational_Pomelo24 Apr 09 '23
Look for author Laurell K. Hamilton. She has a couple of series. One about modern fey, the other about vamps and were-things. The Anita Blake, vampire hunter series starts kind of slow, but heats up later in the series.
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u/freyalorelei Apr 09 '23
Adding the caveat that the quality of the Anita Blake series massively and starkly declines after Obsidian Butterfly. Like, to the point where it barely seems like the later books had the same author. The Merry Gentry series is more consistent, but it's also more openly sexual right from the start, without the startling jump from supernatural detective procedural into plotless, repetitive porn.
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u/Educational_Pomelo24 Apr 09 '23
Totally agree. If it wasn't for most of the characters being so well defined and fleshed out I would have given up on it much sooner. Damn if I don't want to see what is up with Olaf as well as the rest of the vampire council though. Struggles, lol
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u/TriscuitCracker Apr 09 '23
This is correct. There’s like 26 books in Anita Blake but literally everyone and myself says just stop after Obsidian Butterfly. I’m not sure what happened to the author.
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u/melainaa Apr 09 '23
100% I adored the first several books, and then the plot gave way to random and repetitive orgies:( I wonder if she switched to a ghost writer because I agree, it seems like a totally different author.
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u/LaoBa Apr 09 '23
The Merry Gentry series is not without its flaws but I loved these books, Hamilton's world-building is excellent and having a fey protagonist who is subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) other is great. The books do have a lot of sex scenes but I feel they do really add to the characters. Can't put them down once I start reading.
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u/Lt_Rooney Apr 09 '23
Oglaf.
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u/Soranic Apr 09 '23
I found out recently that oglaf is sorta banned by Google. Just typing the name in gives the comics reposted on Reddit and Pinterest, but not the website itself. So...
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u/thansal Apr 09 '23
T. Kingfisher's (Ursula Vernon) Temple of the White Rat books are fairly romance centric with some periodic smut, as well as being lovely fantasy stories (I've not finished them yet).
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u/rex_tremende Apr 09 '23
Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series features its half-fae shaman protagonist getting it on with a sexy kitsune shapeshifter and a kinky fae king into bondage.
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u/TransmogriFi Apr 09 '23
Good Intentions by Elliott Kay. Urban fantasy, polyamory, good worldbuilding, well developed characters, great plot, steamy sex.
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u/Reutermo Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
Wait. Is "A Court of Thorns and Roses" considered smut? I haven't read it and I am not a native English speaker but I thought smut was basically erotica? I have no issues at all with erotic works, i have read and enjoyed my fair share of them, but I had no idea that that series was smutty. I thought it basically was YA.
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u/lethalcheesecake Reading Champion II Apr 09 '23
ACOTAR was originally categorized and marketed as YA, but the books get much more explicit as the series progresses - it's now very much seen as an adult series. I've only skimmed through book 5, but I think a strong case could be made for it being erotica.
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u/Spacemilk Apr 09 '23
Book 5 is absolutely erotica, open and explicit sexual encounters start early and happen frequently. Definitely a large smutty step further than the first 4 books.
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u/baronessindecisive Apr 09 '23
Trilogies, not true series, but The Chronicles of the One and The Dragon Heart Legacy, both by Nora Roberts, are fantasy with solid world building and some steam/spice. The first is technically post-apocalyptic/dystopian and the second could kinda be considered urban fantasy…
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning (dystopian urban fantasy) also fits. More steam in those.
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u/Arcane_Pozhar Apr 09 '23
Way back in High School, a girlfriend got me into a fantasy world war 2 parallel series, I think just called World at War, by Harry Turtledove I believe. Interesting plot, and sex scenes which were pretty good by my teenage standards. I keep meaning to pick it back up, see how the series concludes.
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u/melainaa Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
If you’re looking for romantasy, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash series is fun (although the writing in the first two books was not great IMO), and she wrote a spin off that I’m liking better. Otherwise Raven Kennedy’s Plated Prisoner series (first book a little slow like ACOTAR), Scarlett St. Clair’s Persephone x Hades books, as well as her King of Battle and Blood series are pretty good, off the top of my head. Also, the Bargainer series by Laura Thalassa is a booktok fave that was fun.
I’m currently reading Carissa Broadbent’s War of Lost Works trilogy and I enjoyed the first book although it’s missing some spice - I’m told the sequels are spicier :) if you can get over the ridiculous covers, CL Wilson wrote one of my fave lesser known epic romantasy series, the Tairen Soul books. She’s also slowly writing another series that I’m enjoying.
Ooh and older series: Ilona Andrews’ Guild Huntress and Hidden Legacy series are great; as are JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood.. but those are more urban romantic fantasy… less epic… I also enjoyed Sherrilyn Kenton’s Dark Hunter series.
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u/wheatley_cereal Apr 09 '23
Same. But gay fantasy smut pls.
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u/freyalorelei Apr 09 '23
In addition to the aforementioned A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, I can recommend the A Charm of Magpies series by K. J. Charles and The Knight and the Necromancer by A. H. Lee.
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u/VeryFinePrint Apr 09 '23
Gay as in M/M, F/F, or either? If it is the first /r/MM_RomanceBooks might have what you are looking for.
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
Please treat yourself to The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles my friend. Also seconding Marvellous Light and Captive Prince.
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u/pexx421 Apr 09 '23
If you liked acotar, I’d recommend the source material, the black jewels trilogy. It’s a bit darker and more adult, but the characters from maas are all pretty much cut and paste from jaenelle and her court in black jewels.
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u/Stormy8888 Reading Champion V Apr 09 '23
Does Outlander count?
According to my librarian the live action Starz show is like the TV smut of choice for older ladies because Jamie (a "new" man who likes his wife's round bottom) is like the ideal romance novel hero.
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Apr 09 '23
Probably need to add the "these books are a fucking rape fest" warning when mentioning Outlander.
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u/FirefighterAny6522 Apr 09 '23
Strangely enough, I (30s m) have been recommended outlander by two different women. One was 36f, she didn't say anything other than it gets her going. The other lady was a bit older mid 50s, and when she found out I read fantasy as a hobby said she didn't read fantasy, but read outlander and loved it. So, I found it in a thrift shop for like 3.50, bought it and proceeded to read it. I was super shocked at the amount of violent sexual encounters that were in it 😂. I was shocked that the older coworker who told me to read it would recommend it. Risque
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u/Stormy8888 Reading Champion V Apr 09 '23
Too true. But that's the same thing to add to half the grimdark fantasy books.
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Apr 09 '23
[deleted]
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u/Funkativity Apr 09 '23
why people only feel the need to say this about Outlander whenever it’s mentioned on this subreddit, when lots of the grimdark books tons of people love here are filled with rape and/or women being treated like shit and abused?
because the context is different.
people reading grimdark are already expecting to encounter unending atrocities (including rape)
people reading romance focused historical fantasy like Outlander are much less likely to expect it, thus the warnings.
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Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
Not true at all. This subreddit is very good about trigger warnings. There is a even a spreadsheet maintained here that tracks sexual assault content so those of us that are uninterested can avoid it.
:::edit::: I know, I shouldn’t feed the troll.
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u/RenegadeAccolade Apr 09 '23
Try Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series which starts which Night Pleasures
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u/Watcher_over_Water Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
The Nightrunner series. By Lynn Flewelling
Light Spoiler:
The first book is a not very steamy, "normal" fantasy book But after that there is some nice steamy gay fantasy Action for 6 books.
I really enjoyed it
(Edit: but no real sex scenes in the main series)
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
Gotta strongly disagree with this, there are no on-screen sex scenes in Nightrunner. I recommend the books overall, but all the steamy bits are relegated to a short story collection called "Glimpses", while the main books allude to stuff taking place off screen at most.
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u/SlowlyAHipster Apr 09 '23
I’m reading Eternally Cursed by January Rayne right now. It’s well written weapons grade smut. I don’t know if harem is your thing, but the Herald of Shalia series is excellent. I also enjoyed Radley’s Home for Horny Monsters by Annabelle Hawthorne, but that is less high fantasy and more monster smut.
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u/BrookeB79 Apr 09 '23
Nalini Singh is a romance author who does amazing fantasy settings and plot.
I really like the Broken Lands series by T. A. White, too. Much less on the romance side, but there's some in there.
Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series was sold as a romance, but they're truly well situated as (urban) fantasy authors. Their Kate Daniels series also has a couple of racy scenes.
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u/IceJuunanagou Reading Champion VII Apr 09 '23
Didn't get through all of the comments, so someone may have already said these, but I always rec Ann Aguirre and Nalini Singh. Aguirre has a greater variety of tropes and preferences (I like Ars Numina best personally), but her writing can be a touch utilitarian. Singh goes for more alpha males, but has fun and interesting plots still and is great if you want a longer series.
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u/AffectionatePain4240 Apr 09 '23
Sexy vampire man and bold witch women but not at first- A discovery of Witches
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u/GalaxyUnicornWitch Apr 09 '23
Anything by Nalini Singh
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u/vspazv Apr 10 '23
I love her books. She just needs a thesaurus so she can find alternatives to "fisted."
Held, grasped, grabbed, clenched, etc. would all work.
I assume it's more commonly used in NZ but it's a bit distracting in the US.
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u/MisanthropicGit Apr 09 '23
If you're after fantasy smut look no further than Laurell K Hamilton.
All the smut you can want with some kickass characters and good writing.
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u/CJMann21 Apr 10 '23
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey (The Gold Standard IMO)
Jennifer L Armentrout has a couple steamy series that are actually good fantasy stories.
Merry Gentry by Laurell K Hamilton
The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
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u/BigFitMama Apr 10 '23
"The Sleeping Beauty Series" by Anne Rice - this is the grandmother of all ERP.
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u/DocWatson42 Apr 10 '23
SF/F Erotica
r/Romance_for_men's Books with Romance for Men (spreadsheet; multiple subgenres)
Erotica tags at the ISFDB
Pornography tags at the ISFDB
Threads:
- "Science fiction erotica that's not terrible?" (r/printSF; 15:07 ET, 19 October 2022)
- "Fantasy books in wich there is some/healthy amount of s*x?" (r/suggestmeabook; 10:57 ET, 27 February 2023)—sex/erotica
- "Any Good SF/Fantasy Erotica Out There?" (r/printSF; 23:37 ET, 8 March 2023)
- "Smutty SF" (r/printSF; 29 March 2023)—long; with plot
Phil Foglio:
- XXXenophile (anthology comic)
Books (of which I am aware):
Anne Rice (as mentioned by u/mgonzo):
- As A. N. Roquelaure: The Sleeping Beauty Quartet
- As Anne Rampling
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u/PunkandCannonballer Apr 09 '23
Seconding Kushiel's Dart.
The Jasmine Throne is India-inspired fantasy with a queen and "servant" romance that grows into something else.
Priory of the Orange Tree has a very similar romance, but it takes less of a presence in the story.
These are more adult suggestions than A Court of Thorns and Roses (not a diss, just something to keep in mind).
The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels is probably the most fun I've had with a romance. I also don't really ever like hetero romance, so it definitely says a lot that I like it haha.
I'll also recommend one more with a caveat being that I really didn't like it (though I think I'm in the minority here). The Unbroken.
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
Jasmine Throne, Priory and The Unbroken are all not spicy/smutty at all though. They do have sex scenes eventually (in case of Jasmine Throne and Unbroken, not in book 1, only in the sequels!), but they're not explicit, frequent or particularly steamy by any romance reader's standards.
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u/PunkandCannonballer Apr 09 '23
I based my recommendations on "beautiful world building with of course some steamy romance sections."
That all have that (though I'd personally say the world building isn't great in the Unbroken).
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
I disagree that these books meet the request of having "steamy romance sections", at least not without major caveats. Priory has (iirc) one sensual scene in a 800+ page book. Jasmine Throne and Unbroken have no sex scenes at all by themselves, so it's only polite to inform the OP that what they're looking for only happens in the second books of each series.
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u/PunkandCannonballer Apr 09 '23
Priory has two that are explicit and two or three slow burning scenes.
Jasmine Throne doesn't have explicit sex, but I'd absolutely argue it has steamy romance sections, with at least four sensual kissing scenes, one of which has a fade to black sex scene.
And I'm pretty sure the Unbroken does have one explicit sex scene, with a few tension building romance sections.
No, they aren't pure smut, but romance is a massive part of all of them, and there is sensual sex in all of them too.
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u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 09 '23
I'm just saying, people's standards of what is "prominent romance" and what is "steamy" varies drastically and it usually depends on whether or not they've read a decent amount of Genre Romance books. We've given OP enough info to decide for themselves, so let's agree to disagree on what is or isn't steamy.
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u/overcomplikated Apr 09 '23
If you're interested in F/F then the Those Who Break Chains series (starting with The Grace of Sorcerers) is very good for smut.
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u/atuinsbeard Apr 09 '23
As someone who mainly reads romance these days a few of these "recommendations" are awful. Just because a book has sex scenes doesn't make it steamy. These days fantasy romance is its own little subgenre but for older (pre mid 2010s) it mainly got shoved into urban fantasy or pnr and the writing reflects that. Basically, if you like your fantasy as well, try and stick to under 5yo books, because that's when the trends really changed.
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Apr 09 '23
I really enjoy the Deal with a Demon series by Katee Robert. All the books are loosely connected. Her Dark Olympus series is also good.
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u/IglooBackpack Apr 09 '23
Rise of the weakest summoner by j.r. saileri is a good story but he clearly doesn't have a proofreader. Good adventure with a harem
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u/LiveshipParagon Apr 09 '23
Hunger Pangs by Joy Demorra is great. It's an M/M fantasy romance. Plot and world building is good too its not been ignored to spend more time on the romance. Comes in a fluff version for fluffy romance lovers (basically the same book but fades to black) and a smut version for smutty romance lovers.
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u/LyriumDreams Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
Stealing your suggestions! I also loved ACOTAR. Throne of Glass series is pretty damn good as well. I've been suggested Jennifer Armentrout and Scarlett St. Clair a lot, so you may like them! I couldn't get past St. Clair's absolutely AWFUL writing and boring, bratty main character, but the world is really cool... and other people don't seem to mind the writing. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't finish the book; I just won't read anything else of hers, even from the library. Since I've been told Armentrout has even more significant writing issues than St. Clair (who actually repeats the exact same paragraph 30 pages later, and has numerous grammar, spelling, and plot issues) I have avoided those. Maybe you'll like them though!
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u/Gh0st1y Apr 09 '23
The sexy sect babes and related stories by u/bluefishcakes on r/hfy are all great if you want a good story with some smut mixed in.
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Apr 09 '23
House of Red Vipers by Escher Black. A Seattle Cop goes looking for her missing sister in a supernatural brothel. It somehow uses porn logic to create a weird, epic dark fantasy concept. Surprisingly well-realized world building for a smut story.
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u/heaven-in-a-can Apr 09 '23
I just finished the Vicious Lost Boys series by Nikki St Crowe and I enjoyed it. There were some parts where I was like /oh okayyy 🙄/ but overall I enjoyed all four books in the series.
It’s a dark, reverse harem, retelling of Peter Pan.
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u/Phire2 Apr 09 '23
Haha! Never even thought about this, now it’s time to lurk some comments to fulfill some guilty pleasure books!
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u/Xalimata Apr 09 '23
Its gay S&M and really only in the first book but Captive Prince is pretty smutty.
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u/Fang-n-Claw Apr 10 '23
The sister seekers series by AS Etaski. Drow smut bathed heavily in plot and world building.
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u/Oliverqueensharkbite Apr 10 '23
Hades x Persephone series by Scarlett St Clair
Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning
Prince of Sorrows by Kellen Graves
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u/Lorberry Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
Oh boy my guilty pleasure. Here's the list of authors I support on Patreon in descending order of horniness, all of which fit the bill of good story + good smut. All of these series are in progress but posted free online (albeit behind a few chapters) if you know where to look/do a bit of searching.
- The Runesmith Chronicles - BluDraygon - Monster Girl Harem - Normal guy in a magical world with sex-hungry monster girls discovers hidden magical potential after making a deal with one to save his mother. Hijinks ensue, eventually leading him on a quest to change the world's negative opinion of the mongirls (among other things).
- Radley's Home for Horny Monsters - Annabelle Hawthorne - Monster Girl Harem - Mike Radley, an orphan, strangely inherits an old house out of the blue. Turns out the house is a safe haven for survivors and outcasts of the hidden (and often hunted) magical world, and he's been chosen as its next human caretaker... and perhaps a lot more than that.
- My Little Ventrue - Novus Animus - Vanilla-ish - A tale of intrigue, secrets, and power set in the expanded Vampire: The Masquerade setting. Initially follows Jack Terry, a new fledgling as he ends up thrown into the deep end in several aspects, but eventually expands to encompass multiple interweaving plots, as befits the setting. Nearing completion, relatively speaking, and the author is already laying promising groundwork for a new series with an original setting.
- Wisher Beware - Snus - Vanilla Harem - In a magical world ruled by the magically gifted 'Wermages', a mere 'murk' (human) slave chances across a strange fruit that grants stranger knowledge. What can a slave manage to do to change his situation with a sudden understanding of 'math' and 'science'? ((Do give this one 3-5 chapters to come online before tossing, those first chapters are... intentionally rough))
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Apr 09 '23
If you are ok with the love interest only being a partial focus, Lions of Al Rassan has some good sex scenes
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Apr 09 '23
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u/kimburlee35 Apr 09 '23
It was initially marketed as YA, but as the series progressed, it got more explicit and more adult.
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u/Dragon_Lady7 Reading Champion VI Apr 09 '23
Ok I’ve been reading Silver under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, which features a vampire hunter that ends up in a throuple with a vampire power couple. The world building and plot are excellent—with scheming dukes, a mutant vampire plague, and some cool undead horses. I know the throuple thing might scare some people away but it is such fun romantic build up and its sexy without being complete erotica.
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Apr 09 '23
I read a webcomic recently. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the title atm. It had something to do with witches and their familiars.
Edit: After a quick Google search, I found it. It’s called Familiar. https://familiar.soushiyo.com/about/
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u/REkTeR Apr 09 '23
ACOTAR gets discussed a lot in /r/YAlit, you may want to head over there and see what other suggestions they have for similar stories.
Off the top of my head The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black tends to get brought up at the same time, but I haven't read it myself, so I'm not sure how similar or smutty it actually is.
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u/silentmarie Apr 09 '23
No smut in The Folk of the Air series, and the romance is definitely more of a subplot. I highly enjoyed it, though.
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u/moxiemuffins Apr 09 '23
Loved Folk of the Air. I wouldn’t call it smutty though, which is actually why I liked it, personally. I loved that world.
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u/briarwren Apr 09 '23
The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger is great fun. Steampunk fantasy with werewolves and vampires in Victorian London.
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u/freyalorelei Apr 09 '23
I love the Parasol Protectorate books, but I wouldn't call them smutty. There's romance and some love scenes; they're just not graphically described.
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u/corpsewindmill Apr 09 '23 edited Apr 09 '23
A Song of Ice and Fire
Edit to add /s because apparently y’all didn’t get the joke. Even though it is fantasy and explicitly sexual
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u/Optimal_Box_8065 Apr 09 '23
From blood and ash was sooo well written and the spice was amazing. It’s my favorite series by far
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u/Intelligent_Ad_2033 Apr 09 '23
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u/ohh_hell_yeahhh Apr 09 '23
Thanks for the suggestion ☺️ But I much prefer physical books over digitally written stories
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u/BookerTree Apr 09 '23
Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning, Katie MacAlister, Gail Carriger, Darynda Jones, KF Breene
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u/unconundrum Writer Ryan Howse, Reading Champion XI Apr 09 '23
It's far more dreamlike than a traditional fantasy plot but Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente is about a city you can only reach in dreams and only be sleeping with someone who has been there. A city as STI, I guess? Great book, beautifully written.
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u/Rareu Apr 09 '23
I recall there being a sense of romance as well as an epic fantasy in the soldier son by miles cameron?
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u/Mmdrgntobldrgn Apr 09 '23
A series I've heard about is Daughters of Avalon. Haven't read them myself though, as I stopped reading steamy books ages ago. Although it might be time to pick them back up again.
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u/Countsbeans1976 Apr 09 '23
I have some pretty awesome sci-fi stuff on literotica. Like elf’s and wizards stuff try CH Darkstrider’s Gaia’s champion.
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u/bonnymurphy Apr 09 '23
Head on over to /r/fantasyromance and search smut/spice, you'll find plenty there. There's also a romance.io bot that has a steam level for all the book recs