When is enough... enough?

[Debbie]

There's no such thing as too much sex especially if it's supposed to be a romance. Doesn't matter if it's a paranormal or any other genre of romance!!!

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

I think a book can definitely have too much sex. Sex doesn't necessary increase the exploration of the love story between a couple after a certain point. I've read books where I thought, "I don't know anything about these people other than what they like in bed, or how well-endowed the hero is." That's not a good sign. Am I saying that sex doesn't add to a story or serve as a useful tool in some stories? No. But sometimes sex is just a crutch and a way to keep the story advancing. And I think a reader can usually tell the difference.

[[deleted user]]

Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "I think a book can definitely have too much sex. Sex doesn't necessary increase the exploration of the love story between a couple after a certain point. I've read books where I thought, "I don't ..."

I agree with, Lady Danielle! If the only details I can remember about a book was the sex scenes or sexual dialogue, then it's prob because there wasnt much story to it.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

The word is oversaturation.

I don't mind sex in romance/paranormal/erotica/etc. But it seems to me that some authors, especially those not comfortable with graphic depictions of sexuality, are being told to write steamy scenes because "that's what the public wants". And believe me, I can tell the difference between an author who really loves writing sexy and hot and one who's doing it for the paycheck.

No, what I as a reader want are characters who leap off the pages and into my heart. I want to know why these characters fell in love and I want a plot that isn't a total rehash of a thousand books before it. I want a story in which if there were no sex scenes would still stand up and be meaningful. Kink for the sake of kink is boring.

[[deleted user]]

TheFountainPenDiva,

Let the church say, Amen! ;-)

[TinaNoir]

As in all things I think it is situational. I think a lot of it has to do with expectations.

If I am reading something classified as erotica, even if it is paranormal I am going to expect lot of sex. Frankly I would be disappointed if there wasn't a lot of it.

If I am reading a straight PNR then, I don't mind open door, great sex scenes. But what I don't want is for the H/h to stop and bone every chapter. Especially when the placement of the sex scenes just seems utterly gratuitous. I get you have to suspend a lot of disbelief in a PNR anyway, but there is a line. If gunfire is raining down upon you and a bunch of shapeshifters are bursting through windows to get at you and kill you, then maybe now is not the right time to have a quickie against the wall.

[Melissa]

Hmm, tough question because you know when you know. Or, when you start glossing over the scene going yeah, yeah, wham-bam. I've done that with books that only have one sex scene. A sex scene is still a scene so it needs to have a purpose and it needs to be interesting.

[Elisabeth]

I write erotic romance. I like to write it hot, and I like to read it hot. But there *can* be too much sex.

For me, each sex scene has to have a purpose. Why are the characters having sex at that particular moment? Is it angry sex? Make-up sex? Missed you sex? Going away sex?

Sex for sex sake is boring.

While I do love writing sex scenes, my favorite part to write is actually the after-sex conversations. That's when the truths come out. Hearts open up and people are vulnerable. Each sex scene should move the plot forward emotionally.

[Sophia]

I agree. Sex has to have a purchase. Also when you notice that 80 percent of the book is sex. That's a complete turn of. A good book cannot be based solely on sex.

[Robin]

Yes, I agree with a lot of the other posters. A book can have way too much sex, at least for my tastes. I like it more when it makes sense, and it's not just randomly placed into the book. If that makes sense.

[Kim]

When I read a book, even if it's a sexy book, I want there to be a plot and character development--not dialogue that connects sex scenes. I really like getting lost in a character's life while I am reading and I can't really do that if there is just one sex scene after another. And really, after a while, the sex scenes begin to feel repetitive or just over the top to the point of being ridiculous, and then I just skip them.

Some months ago, I purchased a book that had so many sex scenes, I wasn't even sure what the book was supposed to be about. I had to keep going back to the back cover blurb--which said it was a sexy thriller--but the thriller part of it was neglected since there was too much focus on the sex.

At the end of the day, there has to be a balance. And lately I've got to the point where I feel like if I really want something that graphic, I can watch a porn film instead. :)