Pushing The Envelope And Liking It!

Barbara from the Happily Forever After has finally read and posted her review of Pamela Clare’s Surrender. Surrender is my all time favorite book by Pamela, that is, until she writes about the dastardly Lord William. I left a comment on her post about how much I loved Surrender, and of one of my favorite scenes that involves some shaving between Ian and Annie.

For those who have read Surrender, you know what scene I am talking about. For those who haven’t read this book, let’s just say that while Ian is shaving his beard, he decides to give Annie a shave somewhere else, that eventually leads to some really hot sex between the two. I was so surprised how I really enjoyed this particular intimate act between this couple, because it comes out of the blue and is a bit shocking.

I also started to think about other shocking sex scenes I have read in romances that were scandalous, but weren’t disturbing or made me squirm uncomfortably. One such scene, that to this day is one of the most sensual and sexiest I have ever read, is from Lisa Kleypas’s Suddenly You. Jack and Amanda are the couple in this book whose marriage is not in a good place towards the end because Amanda has miscarried their baby. She wants to be left alone, and in her despair, she wants a divorce. Jack refuses and takes control of the situation by admitting his love for his wife as well as feeding her, since she has neglected eating. And when the time comes for dessert, he uses a bowl of raspberries in a very interesting way. Amanda becomes his desert as he eats the raspberries out of a certain part of Amanda’s anatomy. For some reason, I was not turned off in the least by this scene, and whenever someone mentions Suddenly You, that is the only scene that comes to my mind.

There are some other authors who are very skilled with pushing the sex envelope, and one such author is JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Almost every book I have read by Ward has some love scenes that enter the NC-17 territory. These male heroes she has created sure do love to use their mouths in creative ways. Not only are her love scenes some of the best written out there, but she is not afraid to push the trust these between these men and their women. In Lover Eternal, Rhage has to be careful how far he will go emotionally with Mary, his mate, because if he doesn’t have a level head, his curse, which is his dragon, may come out and hurt her. Mary decides to take things into her own hands and chains Rhage to the bed, so she can have her way with him. And even if the dragon decides to make an appearance, she is willing to accept it. Ward has taken bondage to a whole new level.

Sarah McCarthy is one of the best authors who can write some of the best anal sex scenes, and quite honestly, I have never been a fan of that act, but for some reason, McCarthy really makes it work; even if her characters tend to have some of this loving while riding on a horse.

I understand that we each have our own likes and dislikes, especially by how far an author will go to get our attention, especially when they must come up with more creative ways to hold our interest. While, I may not be a big fan of some erotica that has the male hero with two penises, or a ménage a trio with the hero’s shadow involved in the loving of the heroine, I have to give kudos to these authors who are trying to keep things fresh and exciting.

Why not celebrate those love scenes that have us reaching for an ice cube or a fan? What are some of your favorite love scenes that you still remember fondly? What authors push the envelope in their books in regards to sex, but not too far that you will stop reading in disgust?

Katiebabs (KB)