As you guys know WILD RIDE comes out this week, my sexy anthology about Wild Ride Resort, an all inclusive playground for adults that’s sort of a Club Med meets Coney Island. The three stories are all set on the island resort but since I’ve had readers ask me for a single title but my editor likes this format for me, I decided to combine the two and weave the novellas together so that it reads more like a single title and yet you have the fun of mulitple characters and story lines… so I *hope* it is like having the best of both worlds.
So anyway I’m thinking that WILD RIDE is some of my steamiest stuff yet…pushing the emvelope with some sexy situations that include waterfalls, elevators and yes a rollercoaster in motion…. and yet there was a review (I know we always get hung up on the ones that are a little snarky) that said that my stories are about good midwestern folks and are warm at best instead of smokin’ hot like the cover implies….. okaaaaay. Of course I started questioning if my love scenes were hot enough for the erotic romance billing when it hit me that IMO hot does not mean raw language or crazy wild sex, but more how intensely the characters feel about each other…. in other words the emition in the sex scenes, not the sex itself. Sure in erotic romance the bedroom door needs to be wide open but I don’t think I need to use words or situations that are there merely for shock factor… am I right? Or is WILD RIDE not wild enough?
I know since the book just came out it’s hard for you guys to know if it is merely warm or hot but just makes a book hot? The review is over at www.likesbooks.com in case you are curious as to what all the review said. All in all the review was actually pretty nice and well done… I just think the reviewer didn’t get the type of heat she was expecting but of all things to critique about the book I thought I had the heat factor nailed…..LOL
What do you all think?
Vamps and Scamps 
Hi LuAnn,
I am pretty curious about the book. I just got it today for reviewing. Can’t wait to start reading. LOL
Hi LuAnn, much depends on how the review site defines sensuality. There’ve been books that I felt were really hot because of the intensity of feelings but got a hot rather than sizzling rating simply because it’s an exclusive couple. On the other spectrum are books that use graphic language but which leave me bored because I couldn’t feel the emotions.
Consider also that what one person finds sizzling may only be hot to another person because of different preference, exposure and perception. It’s part of what makes each of us unique so there’s really no clear cut answer to it. I think what’s more important is you’ve written the story in the way it wants to be told.
Hi LuAnn…….I have to agree with Jenny on what she said. If you can feel the emotion between a couple, then you do not need the bad language, etc. to get the point across. What I would call a hot scene or sizzling scene, may not be what someone else finds as sizzling, so it would be the experience and preference of the individual reader.
I think you write what the characters need, although I have not read this book yet, any of your stories that I have read, have been greatand have been hot and sizzling for me. I am looking forward to reading this.
LuAnn, I think your stories are plenty hot, but they are also very sexy and sensual and there is the obvious connection between the hero and heroine. I wouldn’t worry about that review. I’ve read some books that were scorching hot but they left me cold – no emotion.
I for one am totally looking forward to reading this book – you haven’t disappointed me yet.
The thing that makes a book hot in my opinion is a strong emotional connection between the characters and the use of sensual details to set the mood of the scene. I don’t need every little explicit detail, in fact in some cases less is more in my opinion. I haven’t seen the book in our stores yet, but I’ll be on the hunt for it now. Can’t wait to read it. I’ve heard nothing but great things about it from everyone who read the ARCs.
I agree with everyone else. It’s not just the sex that makes a book hot. It’s the whole package of love, commitment, and the ever after.
LuAnn,
I am in the middle of the second story and I have to say that the book is really sensual and sexy. You have a wonderful way to show the emotions between the couples. The reader is nearly able to feel the tension that is sizzling between the characters.
LuAnn…I’ve gotten a comment similar to this on one of my Bravas and I really felt it was all about the fact I don’t use certain language and frankly have no intention of ever doing so. It doesn’t work with my voice. Period. I don’t mind reading it a bit, but I don’t write it. It’s just not me.
And, hon…I seriously cannot imagine a more edgy setting for sexy love than a rollercoaster and I know your stuff is sensual and steaming, so well…you need to ignore this one reviewer’s opinion.
There is a small segment of reviewrs and readers out there who feel that if the book doesn’t have the language of erotica, it’s not erotic and I say, “Baloney!” For me (and lots of other readers), the sexiness of the book is all about how intensely *I* feel the sexual emotion, or eroticism. Does it impact me – my emotions…my libido? What I’ve read of yours does. Beautifully.
Wow! A rollercoaster in motion? I can see why it’s called Wild Ride!
I just finished it last night and I thought it was smoking… Don’t change a thing LuAnn. It had the right blend of sensual language and actions. Kudos.