Not everyone is spending Valentine’s Day with their significant other, playing into the romantic consumerist fantasy that is modern Valentine’s Day. Many are, instead, just having sex. Or reading about sex. Or even maybe just thinking about sex. After all, quarantine left a lot of people (can I say this?) horny AF. And if any of this applies to you, then the following books, featuring lots of great sex and terrible relationships, may make for perfect Valentine’s Weekend reading.
Couples Wanted by Briana Cole
Let’s start things off with last year’s sexiest romantic thriller. Briana Cole has crafted a sultry masterpiece informed by her own career as a sex educator (she’s also an actress and a motivational speaker, in addition to writing a number of books). In Couples Wanted, two newlyweds looking to keep things spicy hook up with a more seasoned set of swingers, and embark on a relationship that grows more twisted and complex by the hour.
Temper by Layne Fargo
In this sultry drama thriller, an actress gets her first big break, but the tempestuous production and its harsh director threaten to destroy everyone involved. This one has the best use of “friends with benefits” on the list. Also, there are sexy scenes aplenty.
The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran
Sara Gran’s latest novel involves…you guessed it…sex magic! Her antiquarian protagonist, still reeling from her husband’s death, goes off in search of a rare volume containing powerful rituals and ancient magicks.
The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton
Halley Sutton’s debut novel is pure noir. Jo works as a cunning blackmailer, taking down powerful men via their own peccadillos, but when a job goes south, Jo finds herself framed and on the run. Along the way, she has lots of excellent sex.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
This book is college the way you wish you remembered it. In the mysterious, elite academy of the novel’s setting, Bright Young Things spend their time hooking up and getting wasted in what feels like The Magicians if written by Curtis Sittenfeld. Lips are described often as bruises, and no matter how haggard the main characters get, they’re still ready to have hot, hot…you know.
Miami Purity by Vicki Hendricks
I once tried to read this book in public, and had to stop because it got too sexy. That’s right, if you open this book up in public, you will get flustered. In this literally steamy tale (it takes place in a dry cleaner’s), a femme fatale gets together with the owner’s no good son, and they hatch a plot to get rid of his critical mother together. I feel like the French cover design for this book really captures the message of this novel.
Hello Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey
The sexiness in Hello, Transcriber doesn’t show up for a while—first, the main character has a lot of truly terrible sex with her awful husband (trigger warning). But if you stick with it, things get way better for Morrissey’s heroine, whose new job as a police transcriber proves the way out of a loveless marriage. There is also a murder.
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
The relationship in These Violent Delights is so hot, y’all, which makes it hilarious that sometimes this book gets flack for not being sexy enough just because some readers can’t tell how explicit the imagery gets. Anyhoo, in this perfect example of dark academia, two college freshman meet in a class that encourages them to consider the many failures of 20th century morality, after which they get together, have a lot of great sex, and decide to kill someone.
Queenpin by Megan Abbott
This is definitely Megan Abbott’s sexiest mystery. A young prodigy to an aging crime queen becomes the agent of her own destruction when she falls for a good-looking bad boy. Lots of mentions of gams!
X by Davey Davis
In Davey Davis’ dystopian erotic thriller, the sadistic protagonist searches through underground raves, sex dungeons, and queer nightlife for a mysterious figure named X, in between having a ton of very kinky sex with a bunch of other characters. This one comes out in June, so you’ve got something to look forward to.
