Best erotic literature: Sexy novels you have to read

There was once a time when Lady Chatterley’s Lover was banned in the UK owing to its explicit and salacious sexual content.

A modern-day reader may find it hard to understand why these now rather tame passages caused such a stir in society as fast forward almost 100 years and erotic literature has its own genre entirely - and we can assure you, it’s far more saucy than what was published back in the 1930s.

Erotic literature is not all sauce and no substance. Despite the bad rep, there’s far more to this genre than meets the eye - sexy novels aren’t all 50 Shades of Grey cringe nor are they devoid of a genuine storyline.

Forget the overly hunky men who rescue innocent damsels in distress by showing them the sadistic world of BDSM, our book recommendations have great plots, depth of character and believable sex scenes that are sensual, emotional and provocative.

If you’re craving more than just sexy words, you’ll be pleased to know that many of these novels have been turned into award-winning films or TV series - think Bridgerton, Call Me By Your Name and Normal People to name a few.

For your next read that’s well-written and also packed with sexy and sultry moments, then add one of the books below to your virtual baskets. These novels cover everything from steamy historical fiction to modern-day love affairs.

You may want to save these cheeky reads for when you’re alone or for the beach rather than the morning commute.

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Contemporary Fiction

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

In a nutshell: four millennials put friendships and relationships to the test as they explore what it means to be a young adult in the world today.

From the author of Normal People and Conversation With Friends comes this Sunday Times bestseller, Beautiful World Where Are You. Following the lives of four Dubliners, Rooney’s latest novel candidly portrays complex romantic relationships and fraught friendships.

This isn’t your straight-forward love story - in and amongst the raw, emotional and steamy sex scenes, there are political musings and existential questions that every millennial can relate to in one way or another. A read as thought-provoking as it is sexy.

Buy now £6.99, Amazon

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

In a nutshell: an exploration of sexuality and intimacy in this coming-of-age novel.

Set against the backdrop of the 1980s Italian Riviera, a young 17-year-old boy sparks an unlikely relationship with a summer guest. The result? Intense desire, forbidden passion and an all-consuming obsession.

Call Me By Your Name is beautifully written; the emotional aspect of the relationship is just as touching and intense as the physical. When it comes to documenting first love, few authors do it as genuinely and heartwarmingly as Andre Aciman.

Buy now £4.98, Amazon

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

In a nutshell: the modern-day tale of star-crossed lovers who reunite in a flurry of passion after 15 years apart.

How can you trust someone who broke your heart 15 years ago? This is Eva Mercy, an award-winning erotica novelist and single mother’s dilemma when she meets her teenage love Shane Hall at a literary event. Across the next seven days, these two star-crossed lovers reconnect and the chemistry is as electric as you’d imagine.

This modern-day love story is as much about trust and complicated feelings as it is about physical connection and second chances. The hilariously sexy novel is an absolute page-turner with every chapter exuding more love, hope and desire as the last.

Buy now £3.99, Amazon

Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan

In a nutshell: a young heartbroken girl is seduced by the glamorous lives of a seemingly perfect couple only to discover there’s more than meets the eye.

Dissatisfied with her mundane life, twenty-something year old Violet craves something more, and her prayers seem to be answered when she meets married couple Lottie and Simon. Thrown into the centre of their sex-parties, sordid affairs and lustful weekends away, Violet’s sexual awakening has finally arrived.

The unashamed filth throughout is coupled with an exploration of something far deeper - female vulnerability and desire. It’s an honest and witty portrayal of a millennial woman navigating life and balancing career, love and aspiration.

Buy now £8.99, Waterstones

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

In a nutshell: a successful woman with aspergers hires a male escort to teach her to win over men, but this business transaction turns into so much more.

If you’ve come anywhere near #BookTok, Tik Tok’s most literary hashtag, you’ll no doubt have seen The Kiss Quotient being raved about. Wealthy and successful Stella Lane is in need of dating experience so hires strapped-for-cash but oh-so charming Michael to provide her with just that. As they get to know one another, both start to fall for each other, hard.

Sure, it’s a predictable read but it’s witty, well written and we love the feminist angle - the protagonist is intelligent, likeable and doesn’t define her success through a man. Delve into Helen Hoang’s steamy world further with similarly written and equally as heart racing novels such as The Bride Test and The Heart Principle.

Buy now £4.31, Amazon

Fantasy

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

In a nutshell: a ferociously passionate fantasy tale which follows an enemies-to-lovers trope taking place within the mythical lands of Prythian, where faeries and humans live in violent opposition.

Whether you’ve come across A Court of Thorns and Roses via social media platforms such as TikTok, or are simply in the market for a new erotic fantasy series to devour, you’re in the right place. The first of Sarah J Maas’ five-book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses follows the plight of a huntress named Feyre who kills a wolf in an act of survival to feed her family. However, the wolf that Feyre killed was not what it appeared, and her violent act has untold consequences for the young huntress and her people.

For her actions, Feyre is kidnapped and taken away from her family. While held captive by the masked Tamlin, Feyre’s feelings become complex – turning from hatred to lust, as the two lovers attempt to navigate the bloody consequences of their relationship and fight to break an ancient curse.

Buy now £7.00, Amazon

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

In a nutshell: a fantasy novel following the complex expectations and solitary existence of a kingdom’s next queen who, when she meets a guard assigned to protect and assure her ascension, is faced with an impossible choice.

After lovers of A Court of Thorns and Roses have devoured what is now affectionately referred to as the ‘Acotar’ series, die-hard fans of Sarah J Maas are often left floundering in search of another brilliant fantasy world to delve into. Thankfully, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash comes highly recommended from Maas herself who found herself “swooning” over the fantasy novel’s characters.

The first of six books, From Blood and Ash follows the solitary life of Poppy, a young girl who has been chosen from birth to usher in a new era for her kingdom. In the months and years leading up to Poppy’s ascension to the throne, the repressed soon-to-be queen meets a golden-eyed guard who throws all of her duties and values into question.

Buy now £16.50, Amazon

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

In a nutshell: a slow-burn romance between a witch and a witch-hunter.

The Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin takes place across just three books – a surprisingly succinct account within the world of fantasy erotica. A slow-burn romance novel, Mahurin’s fantasy novel takes place in a world where witches are murdered by hunters. Spellcaster Lou is on the run from dark forces from her past threatening to destroy her, while simultaneously hiding from those who have made it their life’s mission to see her kind dead.

Yet when she meets a Chausser named Reid and is forced into a marriage with said witch hunter, both Lou and Reid are forced to confront some ugly truths in the wake of a strangely blossoming romance.

Buy now £8.99, Waterstones

Literary Classics

Emmanuelle by Emmanuelle Arsan

In a nutshell: the wife of a French architect travels to Bangkok where she is seduced by the sexually liberated men and women of the city.

A tastefully erotic read, the 1959 book Emmanuelle is packed full of some of the sauciest sex scenes ever written. Young Emmanuelle is no stranger to seduction, and as she journeys through Bangkok her exploits become more candid and liberated. Whilst the character is likeable, the storyline is somewhat thin - little time is dedicated to anything that isn’t sexual pleasure.

For its time, this novel is a ground-breaking exploration of bisexuality and erotic beauty as it artfully portrays a woman’s desire and lust for life.

Buy now £8.99, Amazon

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

In a nutshell: semi-autobiographical story of Miller’s life amongst the bohemians of Paris in the 1930s.

Once deemed as so immoral and debauched, it was banned in the UK and the US for over 30 years, today Tropic of Cancer is hailed as a novel that changed modern fiction. Miller’s hedonistic account documents his sexual exploits with prostitutes, pimps and artists as it questions everything we thought we knew about morality, sexuality and freedom.

Buy now £8.99, Amazon

Delta of Venus by Anais Nin

In a nutshell: a 15-story anthology written in the 1940s when sex and seduction were rife.

It doesn’t get much more explicit than this collection of erotic fiction written by Parisian author Anais Nin - each one of the 15 stories documents a sexual encounter in specific detail. Some of it may feel slightly outdated, but the seductiveness and steaminess of these stories are still thought-provoking.

Writing erotica originally for an anonymous client, Nin came to realise her work was a break from the traditional male recounting of sex. Instead, she used ‘women’s language, seeing sexual experience from a woman’s point of view’.

Buy now £9.99, Amazon

Venus in Furs

In a nutshell: the origins of Masochism

The story of a man who wishes to be utterly dominated and enslaved by a woman, the fictional account of European nobleman Severin von Kusiemski and his darkest obsessions was published in 1870, quickly gaining notoriety and eventual immortality in the derivation of the term ‘Masochism’ from the author’s name.

One of the very first texts detailing sexual submission and control, Von Sacher-Masoch’s novel offers brilliant insight into the origins of a sexual movement which exists to this today.

Buy now £7.99, Waterstones

A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

In a nutshell: poetic exploration of sexual obsession and lust between an American tourist and a young French girl.

Another erotic novel set in provincial France, but this time in the 1960s. An American Yale dropout embarks on a steamy affair with a young shop girl and their obsession with each other only intensifies as the book goes on.

There are endlessly erotic passages that are incredibly sexy and beautifully written - as reality and dreams converge you’ll be left with a hazy blur of infatuation and heart-wrenching desire.

Buy now £9.05, Amazon

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

In a nutshell: the wife of a wealthy upper-class baronet comes to terms with her rampant sexual desires after her husband returns from war paralysed from the waist down. Lady Chatterley embarks on a passionate affair with her estate’s gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors.

A novel still studied by Literature students across the globe, Lady Chatterley’s Lover is an incredibly important canonical text due to its being one of the very first to narrate the sexual liberation of a woman in such detail.

An unexpurgated edition was not openly published in the UK until as late as 1960, following a historical obscenity trial known as R v Penguin Books, which saw Lawrence’s novel be classed as “not obscene”. This was an incredibly significant moment in literary history and allowed for the liberalisation of publishing across the country.

Buy now £8.99, Waterstones

Historical Fiction

The White Queen: Cousins’ War 1 by Philippa Gregory

In a nutshell: salacious historical fiction surrounding the private and political lives of Tudor kings and queens.

Fans of historical fiction will know that sometimes it can get pretty steamy in and amongst the grand palaces, rival families and in the fight for power. Philippa Gregory’s collection of novels set in the Tudor era is the perfect mix of drama, history and plenty of sex.

Her other bestselling novels include The Other Boleyn Girl and The Red Queen, both of which have some titillating passages on Henry VIII’s exploits.

Buy now £6.29, Amazon

Bridgerton Books 1-9 Collection Set by Julia Quinn

In a nutshell: Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey as England’s upper echelons of society mingle, romance and defend their honour.

Hitting our TV screens at some point during the hazy blur of lockdowns, Bridgerton fulfilled a desire we didn’t know existed - salacious Regency-era drama. Fans of the show will be pleased to know that there are eight books in the series that follow each one of the Bridgerton family siblings.

Similar to the show, the book features saucy encounters, witty commentary and heart-warming love stories. If you thought the series was too X-rated, be wary of the book as there’s an abundance of detailed sex scenes that can traverse many pages.

Buy now £55.99, Books2Door