What do you classify as romance?

Romance usualy focuses on developing a monogamous relationship with lots of conflict and a happy ending.
As far as erotica and romance, well
erotica~ lots of explict sex (doesn't always have to be monogamous, doesn't have to do with emotion)
romance~ the sex isn't so explicit or as often as in erotica, but has to have emotion and commitment.
Then there's erotic romance, which is all the explicit sex with emotions and monogamy, and sensual romance, which also has the steamy scenes and lots of them, but still focuses a lot on the relastionship and conflict. The lines are blurred a bit, so take your best guess.

Indeed. There is no reason is can't be both. Erotic romance is quickly becoming a top selling romance genre.

storygirl said:

Then there's erotic romance, which is all the explicit sex with emotions and monogamy, and sensual romance, which also has the steamy scenes and lots of them, but still focuses a lot on the relastionship and conflict. The lines are blurred a bit, so take your best guess.

Click to expand...

Harlequin's Blaze line comes to mind when I think of erotic romance. Lots of explicits, but still deals with love and all the crazy things leading up to it.

And there is quite a difference between erotica and erotic romance. Erotica focuses more on the act. Erotic romance is a romance novel, but the love scenes are much more explicit.

Sonarbabe said:

Harlequin's Blaze line comes to mind when I think of erotic romance. Lots of explicits, but still deals with love and all the crazy things leading up to it.

Click to expand...

LOL - I don't think of Blaze as erotic romance. I think they're pretty tame by comparison, actually. Yes, they're hot, hotter than most of the other category romances, but still...not quite erotic romance by my scale. <G> I think Kensington's Brava is a bit more toward erotic romance/erotica, and I know that both companies are launching new erotic lines. HQ's is called Spice. Not sure about Kensington's.

Susan G.

*sheepish grin* Blaze is the closest to erotic romance that I've read. I'm used to the sweeter romances. Though, I think I'll be looking into the Brava line, just to see what I'm missing. I'm also curious to see the new Spice line. I really like the books HQ puts out, so we'll have to see what they come up with.

Sonarbabe said:

*sheepish grin* Blaze is the closest to erotic romance that I've read. I'm used to the sweeter romances. Though, I think I'll be looking into the Brava line, just to see what I'm missing. I'm also curious to see the new Spice line. I really like the books HQ puts out, so we'll have to see what they come up with.

Click to expand...

Have you read any of Dara Joy's stuff? She's pretty dang hot, too. She wrote one...Ritual of Proof, I think it was called...that totally turned the gender roles upside down, and in this particular culture (I think it's a futuristic) it's the male who has to be sexual pure when given in marriage, and the male that experiences pain during his first "experience." LOL. I got a kick out of it just for that.

I don't want a steady diet of that sort of thing, but every once in a while...

Susan G.

Two words: Emma Holly. Her work makes me blush at times!

Susan Gable said:

in this particular culture (I think it's a futuristic) it's the male who has to be sexual pure when given in marriage, and the male that experiences pain during his first "experience." LOL. I got a kick out of it just for that.

Susan G.

Click to expand...

I would too! No, I haven't read any of her work, but I think I will just so I can see that.