I'm conducting some completely unscientific research into sex in Paranormal Romance (PNR) and Urban Fantasy (UF). I started reading romance back in the 70s. I've seen the number of sex scenes increase from zero to more than zero over the years. Sex might have been implied, but it was never set out in the books I read back then. Things have changed. I don't recall sex in fantasy either. Or maybe I just read fantasies that had no sex in them.
I'd really like to know what you think. All answers are anonymous of course and you can pick more than one answer. I've tried to keep the questions as neutral as possible.
The poll is open for 2 weeks, after which I will share the results and open a discussion.
I voted, but honestly, it depends on the book and the situation when it comes to sex and romance. Some books suffer from too much and others from too little. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for voting. I think there's a lot of grey area with this.
DeleteI have voted too and i think that those who have read some of my reviews will know how I voted. I think a perfect example of the changes in the romance and sex scenes in books is to have a look at Laurell K Hamilton's novels they went from no sex to the book being about sex. Good idea for a poll
ReplyDeleteCheers!
http://j9books.blogspot.ca/
I agree with Twimom227 - my answers totally depend on the book. Some PNR's have a limited number of sex scenes, while others are practically erotica. Uf seems to have less sex than PNR but maybe that's the UF I'm reading. I'm catching up on Laurell K Hamilton's books and haven't reached the sexaholic parts yet, so maybe my UF vision is a little skewed.
ReplyDeleteUF generally is not about a relationship so there is less or no sex. There is a hybrid out there that has been called either Romantic Urban Fantasy or Urban Fantasy Romance. If a book is labelled that way, you can count on sex scenes.
DeleteI'm a PNR author. Before I began writing paranormal romance, I was attracted to books that were mysterious and magical and had an element of romance within them, however if there was a sex scene in the book, honestly I skipped over it. They're uncomfortable, unrealistic, and rather cheesy no matter how they're worded. Now as an author, I am instructed/required to write sex scene after sex scene. It becomes increasingly difficult to make these unique or exciting, and all I can ever do any longer is roll my eyes as I struggle through them. I imagine most (if not all) romance authors feel this way to a certain extent. And I also wonder whether the sex scene is truly necessary or whether the agent/publisher/market requirement of said sex scene is there because it is simply expected - and not because it is enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insight. I am considering an anonymous poll for authors only asking about some of these issues. I skip most sex scenes except for the dialog unless it's just of the "ooooh, baby" variety. Just as I don't want to know about the sex life of a couple I might meet in RL, I'm not interested in a book couple's sex life either.
DeleteThese are very difficult questions to answer and the answers generally depend upon the story. I'm not averse to sex scenes - some I quite enjoy (though I do seem to feel that there are more sex scenes in romances these days, even the historicals). However, there are some stories that seem to be interrupted by sex scenes and others that seem to be an excuse for them.
ReplyDeleteBasically, for me, less is more. If there are more sex scenes than adventure scenes - you might prefer to scrap the PNR label and move right in to the Erotica label. Nothing wrong with that but PNR and UF are labeled with the Fantasy/Paranormal being the first portion of that label which means, to me at least, that the romance is secondary and takes a back seat to action/adventure. If in doubt, fade it out.
i voted.
ReplyDeleteyes it depends on the books i think, i'm not again sex scene but i was it to be useful for the story not the book to be the excuse for it. Also, it depends how it's written i prefer soft description oki it's not exactly the word i would like to use but i can't find a proper translation what i means it i dont like when it's more vulgar in the descrition ( you can have a hot scene with proper language and kind description)
Interesting to see the results. Some good points made in the comments as well.
ReplyDeleteIt really depends on the book. I do read sex scenes, unless they're ridiculously long (like in one book I read, it had 10 pages - I counted! - for just one sex act, WTH). I prefer to have some character's thoughts or emotions during the scene - it can't just be gratuitous; there should be *some* character growth.
ReplyDeleteHowever, considering that in my impressionable youth, I read Heinlein's FRIDAY in which the protag was gang-raped (thereby turning me against all Heinlein and hard scifi), I'm fine with the various levels of consensual sex in today's PNR. Also, my very first foray into erotica fiction had M/F/M and bondage in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, so I don't think of PNR as erotica either.
I wonder how the responses would split along the gender line, though I suspect very few men read what is actually classified as PNR.
ReplyDelete