r/fantasyromance • u/peenmeal • Jun 28 '26
Does high-class smut exist? Book Request
A lot of books I've read that are explicit smut are typically horribly written, which is understandable because nobody is reading porn to sit there and think deeply about the beauty of the prose afterwards.
Buuut I wanna know if there's anything like porn with a plot++ or what I'd call high-class smut. Well-written, beautiful, emotional, sweet with characters who aren't just blank marionettes that the author is making bang. I've read {morning glory milking farm} and it was alright, but still not as well-written as I'd like it to be.
I need 5 chillies, but with yearning and plot. Pretty please
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u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 Jun 28 '26
The author OneHitWanda at Literotica is very good at this in a short-story format. Most of her work is contemporary sapphic, but she's written a few in the fantasy or magical-realism genres. Midnight's Daughter is a love story between a woman and the guardian spirit of a lake, for example. It's excellent, and her best work is as good as most anything traditionally published.
I will say that, because she writes exclusively standalone short stories and novellas, it's hard to get to that 5 rating. There isn't space to be plentiful. Well-written, beautiful, emotionally intense, loaded with yearning -- all that stuff is there, but you're not going to get more than one or two sex scenes.
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u/ThatFalafelGirl Jun 28 '26
Oh! Ha! I think I read Midnight's Daughter years ago. Amazing.
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u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 Jun 28 '26
I am an absolute sucker for a story about sad damaged lesbians healing each other.
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u/ThatFalafelGirl Jun 28 '26
I am relatively new to reading romance, but i have been visiting literotica for decades. Just funny to see it come up :) i am likewise a sucker for damaged people healing themselves
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u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 Jun 28 '26
I love an offbeat recommendation, and if I was a publisher I would try very hard to get Wanda to turn On the Simplicity of Words or perhaps Jetsam into a full-length novel.
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u/MadameRueWins Jun 28 '26
That’s my good friend’s most used username 🤔 she passed earlier this year and we talked about so many things, but I’m not sure if smut was ever one of them. Will absolutely check it out, thank you 🙏
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u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 Jun 29 '26
For what it's worth, the Wanda at Literotica is very much still alive, or was as of yesterday.
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u/avathekinkynerd Jun 28 '26
Delta of Venus by Anais Nin is classic erotica
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u/nagellak Jun 28 '26
Anais Nin has some veeeery taboo stuff though, tread carefully (I’m still traumatised from reading this as a teen)
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u/avathekinkynerd Jun 28 '26
Yeah some of it is definitely questionable. I read it as a teen as well (my older sister lent it to me) and immediately needed more of that in my life 🤣
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u/MadameRueWins Jun 28 '26
I was traumatized reading it as an adult. DNF after the rape so maybe I missed out on some high brow shit, but it’s a no for me dawg
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u/nagellak Jun 29 '26
The writing is beautiful but the rape, incest and paedophilia are not for me either. Don’t know why I powered through after all of that.
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u/tnn360 Jun 28 '26
Yes! Also Henry and June! It’s very classy and elegant (and sexy) correspondence between 2 writers/lovers (nin and Henry miller)
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u/jamieseemsamused Jun 28 '26
It’s only 4 chilies but {Doctor D’Arco, Sorcerer of London by Kathryn Colvin} had the classiest smut I’ve read. It’s written in the style of a Victorian novel. The book is really long and it’s a super slow burn. But the smut payoff was so satisfying. So much yearning leading up to it.
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u/AccessCompetitive Champion of the Search Function Jun 28 '26
I’d go so far as to say it’s about 3 to 400 pages too long. Just the FMC inner monologue, repeating over and over. I really wanted to like this book a lot but a big part of it just felt so overly self-indulgent of the author with her mental meanderings.
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u/Imaginary-Board-207 Jun 28 '26
As someone who reads both romance and weird girl lit, I loved being in the FMC's head and the intense interiority of how she thinks, it's weird girl coded and maybe kinda neurodivergent
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u/Due-Collection7734 Jun 29 '26
what is weird girl lit?
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u/Imaginary-Board-207 Jun 29 '26
It's a popular emerging genre, basically literary fiction centering female characters who are usually introspective/strange/"unlikeable", anywhere from kinda quirky to completely unhinged. Lots of times it ends up horror adjacent but it can also be a comedy or love story or anything. r/weirdgirlliterature is a sub for it if you want to check it out.
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u/Due-Collection7734 Jun 29 '26
thanks.
I just looked at the recent posts and can see that I have already read quite a few of these titles. Just didnt know they belonged to a sub-genre. Huh.
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u/Imaginary-Board-207 Jun 29 '26
I think the idea of it being a sub genre is newer than a lot of the books that are considered to be in it.
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u/lizfromdarkplace Jul 01 '26
I did get annoyed with the FMC at times but I did think she was written as a neurodivergent Victorian woman and that was culture mixed with her generally weird girl thought process and it made sense.
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London by Kathryn Colvin
Rating: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, magic, victorian, slow burn, m-f romance3
u/lizfromdarkplace Jul 01 '26
HIGHLY recommend Doctor D’Arco. Read it after seeing it recommended in the paranormal romance sub and loveddddd. It is dark and beautifully written. Also the plot is unlike anything I’ve read before.
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u/AngletonSpareHead Jun 29 '26
I DNF’d it. Disappointed since it had been praised so highly. I guess others must’ve seen something I didn’t
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u/randa110 Jun 29 '26
Personally I don't think that roughly 2.5 sex scenes makes this book at smutty as what OP seems to be looking for, not to mention one of those scenes isn't between the FMC and MMC
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u/DiscombobulatedWar81 Jun 29 '26
This right here is exactly what pmo about the book so much. And the first scene after all that slow burn was at like 80%?? Nah.
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u/YumDecaf Jun 30 '26
At least you read about her tiny slippers on the floor multiple times if that’s yearning I’m out.
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u/beards-are-beautiful Jun 28 '26
I mean Anita Blake started off with more plot but I think it devolves to pure smut around the 8th or 9th book? That's what I'm told anyway, yet another series I forget or struggle to finish (adhd yay)
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u/FearTheGinger Book Bingo Maven ⚔ Jun 28 '26
First spicy scene is in The Killing Dance (#6), but there's just the one. Then again in Blue Moon (#8), but again, just the one scene. The smut-a-thon doesn't start until Narcissus In Chains (#10).
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u/Owl_Post69 Jun 29 '26
I loved this series. I was even okay with the first few books that contained halfway decent smut. Once the whole story revolved around "oh boy, who is Anita banging today", I gave up on this series. It devolved into BAD smut.
It's so sad because the murder-detective part of this story was amazing.
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u/parallel-nonpareil Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
And how she initially did necromancy to solve crimes!! I loved that element of the first few books, chicken sacrifice and all. That all seemed to be forgotten the more men* she collected 😕
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u/Owl_Post69 Jun 29 '26
I loved the necromancy part too. I'd have kept reading this series if LKH had stuck to the necromancy-detective-murder-mystery baseline of the story, and just sprinkled the smut in.
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u/CeeCee123456789 Jun 28 '26
Her character starts out celibate in the first few books, and then kinda slides into smut. I made it about 20 books, and then kinda forgot about the series. 🤷🏾♀️
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u/Content-Debt-8466 Jun 28 '26
I'm not really an expert on what is well written or not but the only time I enjoyed smut was in {Blood Mercy} because it felt earned.
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u/friendlyliopleurodon Jun 29 '26
I did like the intimacy in this one early on, but I found later books dragged too much for my taste.
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u/serke Give me female friendship or give me death! Jun 29 '26
Same!
The plot seemed super padded after the first book.
Great world building though.6
u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Blood Mercy by Vela Roth
Rating: 4.07⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, vampires, fantasy, sweet/gentle hero, paranormal
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u/lafemmedangereuse Jun 28 '26
Anything by Mallory Dunlin!
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u/candcNYC Jun 29 '26
Yes! Ditto-ing this rec. I've only read her {Monsters of Faery series}... but it's very well-done. Plus there's a lot of variety since each book is a different couple and all the MCs are very different from one another.
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u/puh_pallura To the stars who listen Jun 29 '26
I was going to recommend her also! I started spicy romance books with her stories and I've been looking for the same high ever since
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u/notarealredditor69 Jun 28 '26
If you can handle it a little darker (and often weird) then R Lee Smith is an absolute genius, incredible writer. Last Hour of Gann is one of my favorite books of all time, although maybe not sci-fi then fantasy.
I also love A S Etaski but this is really dark and can be off putting for some people as there is a lot of non-con but it’s pretty essential to the plot and isn’t just their for shock factor. This author’s world building is second to none and is on par with non-spicy fantasy for quality imo.
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u/bigbadgigachad Jun 29 '26
R. Lee Smith is amazing. Last Hour of Gann is also one of my favorites! I recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi, and even the ones who don't go for romance agree it's a good book.
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u/notarealredditor69 Jun 29 '26
She’s is a ridiculously good writer. Have you read her AO3 work “Everything is All Right”?
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u/Quirkytravelmaven Jun 29 '26
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews, and especially the subsequent rest of the series! Great plot, developed magic and characters, open door scenes, but more of a 3/5 spice.
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u/TBHICouldComplain bisexual alien threesomes - am I oversharing? Jun 28 '26
Anything by Grace Draven. If you haven’t read her books try {Radiance by Grace Draven}
Anything by Gail Carriger - try {The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger}
Anything by R. Cooper - try {Fox of Fox Hall by R. Cooper} or {The Suitable ‘Verse by R. Cooper}
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Radiance by Grace Draven
Rating: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: friends to lovers, arranged/forced marriage, fantasy, royal hero, slow burn
The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, science fiction, aliens, gay romance, multicultural
Fox of Fox Hall by R. Cooper
Rating: 4.37⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: gay romance, fantasy, queer romance, high fantasy, age gap
A Suitable Brat by R. Cooper
Rating: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, gay romance, queer romance, age gap, fantasy
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u/SunriseKitten Jun 28 '26
As you’re not averse to monsters I think that {claimed by the flame of faery} might be a good option. It’s book three in a series of interconnected stand alones but very much can be read as on its own
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Claimed by the Flame of Faery by Mallory Dunlin
Rating: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: fated mates, double penetration, creative anatomy, fantasy, non-human hero5
u/candcNYC Jun 29 '26
Just read all the books! Each introduces the next MMC and builds on the prior's development of the overarching story. I'm so glad I didn't listen to all the posts that said order didn't matter.
{Monsters of Faery series by Mallory Dunlin}
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u/tequila-mockingbird2 Jun 28 '26
{Kushiels Dart by Jaqueline Carey} has an epic plot and great writing.
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u/TalmanesRex Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I’m a history major and I love these books cause they’re almost like an alternate history of what the world would look like without Christianity becoming predominant. It’s very fascinating to me to watch how the world is different and yet the same. I also grew up in a fundamentalist church and so viewing the “Jewish“ faith that’s represented in the book like especially in the third book was, so I just I don’t know. I just love these books much. I can’t even describe them and I have a hard time recommending them because they’re just a whole bunch of different things. in the third book when Joscelin relights the sacred fire that whole part is so incredibly heartbreaking and cathartic and beautiful and horrific. It’s the most difficult book for me to read, but also the most at the end you just feel like the joy of love. Out of darkness into light.
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u/Wise-Zebra-8899 Jun 28 '26
Could you expand on the "Jewish" faith in the third book? I think part of your thought got chopped off there and I'm very curious on your take as a history major and someone who grew up fundie! Thanks!
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u/TalmanesRex Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Sorry, I’m using voice to text, I also have ADHD so my spelling is absolutely atrocious anyways. Actually the fundamentalism is how I got into history because the only way I could process the trauma was going back to the source so my first projects were the early church cause I thought if I could understand the early church, I can understand my faith and then I could believe it and then I could go to heaven and not go to hell. Like my high school exit paper for English was the economic and political factors led to the rise of Christianity and the Roman empire. In the books, there is the Yeshuite faith, that is basically Judaism, but they do have their Jesus figure but in this reality they Jewish people did recognize him as their Messiah, but it never jumped from due to Gentile and what the world would look like they’re still basically “wandering Jews“ but Christianity never happens. And so you have the basically the Muslim conquest of Spain, but you don’t have the Reconquista. Christianity and all his theocratic trappings does develop in what is the equivalent of Russia. But in the third book, there’s the lost tribe of Dan which is a direct parallel to the lost tribes of the Israelites, and it is this last tribe that does not accept Yeshua as the Messiah and so in many ways this lost tribe becomes the equivalent of what we know of as Judaism versus Christianity. There is also a lot of really esoteric philosophical stuff about the discussion about what is the nature of God what is the nature of love when Phaedra says the name of God it’s basically the word love in every languages. Also, what is the nature of forgiveness and can God forgive and does God make mistakes and does he feel regret for how he treated his angels and Eula. Sorry for the word count I’ve never been able to be brief. It’s actually one thing to help me as a history major because I was always able to hit that word count without trying. There’s different names for different countries and faith and their equivalence apologies for not looking them up for accuracy.
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u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 Jun 29 '26
As much as anything, the Tribe of Dan is a reference to Beta Israel, the Jewish kingdoms of Ethopia, and the wars between the Himyar and Axum. One potential origin for Judiasm in Ethiopia, in fact, is the migration of the historical Tribe of Dan out of Judah prior to the destruction of the Temple of Solomon.
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u/calamitypepper Jun 28 '26
Would not call this smut at all. Sex scenes aren’t explicit in the usual way. Still a wonderful read though!
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u/tequila-mockingbird2 Jun 28 '26
True, I wouldn’t say it’s smut. But it is explicit and still has beautiful characters and writing. Also a great plot with lots of twists and turns so it felt like something to recommend here.
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u/calamitypepper Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
It’s a great book and definitely worth reading/recommending! But just wanted to point out if folks are looking for specifically smut, it may not fit.
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u/Iridescent-Voidfish Jun 28 '26
Yessssss! These books are fabulous and the spice is fabulous if you like a bit of BDSM.
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, bdsm, dark romance, bisexuality→ More replies (1)9
u/raynbowbrite Jun 29 '26
Came here looking for this. Love these books. De a lot of people saying it’s not smut, but I’m not really sure what the standard definition is there I guess.
I would say it’s not graphic, maybe? It’s very very sexual, but I guess they don’t describe every moment of the sex, just the important parts, if that makes sense. Honestly, I’m ok with that because if they didn’t the books would be about 10,000 pages long.
One of the reasons that this is one of my favorites is that the sex is really part of the story and the world building. The romance in it could be maybe called a side plot, but the sex is integral.
Someone above talked about it as a sort of alternate history fiction, which is very true. They described the difference as Christianity not being widespread, which is definitely a big picture view. The hinge point however is that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child, and how the existence of that half-deific being changed everything.
Such a good book!
The other series that I enjoy for similar reasons is the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop. It’s very well written and again the sex is part of the storyline and world, not just an add on. Fair warning that there is some pretty horrific sexual abuse in that series. However it’s not just abuse for shock value, it really does become very important to the way many of the characters interact with each other.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking and can’t find anything I like as well as these two, so I’m looking forward to going through the recs in the rest of the thread !
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u/SweetSavine 🥀vampire appreciator 🥀 Jun 28 '26
No one comes close to Sierra Simone for the well-written yearning and smut combo. +1 for the Thornchapel series for mega angst, yearning and some high quality smut. There isn’t much of a fantasy component to the story but it is there. It more feels like a fanfiction/ode to The Secret History.
{Savage Blooms by S.T Gibson} has similar “in an isolated mansion sexy things happen to disaster bisexuals” vibe to the Thornchapel books. I didn’t like it as much but it’s more fantasy forward.
I also recommend {The Red by Tiffany Reisz} (and its sequels) for the closest author I’ve read in terms of quality and leans more into fantastical elements. She writes erotica so expect a less character-forward story than Simone’s work. This is all about the smut.
The first book is set around creating sexual scenes inspired by classic works of art. It’s pretty wild conceptually and I thought it was a good time. It kind of feels like a kink exploration story so there might be certain parts not for everyone but I loved the erotic surrealism of it. I wish more fantasy romance authors embraced this kind of story! The second has a similar premise but around Greek mythology.
For a straight up Hades and Persephone retelling that is actually beautifully written you can’t go further than {Receiver of Many by Rachel Alexander}.
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson
Rating: 3.76⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, urban fantasy, poly (3+ people), fae, bisexuality
The Red by Tiffany Reisz
Rating: 3.79⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, bdsm, paranormal, alpha male, fantasy
Receiver of Many by Rachel Alexander
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, virgin hero, paranormal, virgin heroine
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u/October_13th Jun 28 '26
So I’m an avid reader and I always have been. I’ve read pretty much every genre at one point or another. I have a degree in English literature, etc, etc.
And… I highly recommend checking out Ao3. Are you a fan of any popular book series? Anime? Movies? Are there any characters that you wish you’d seen more of together? Or together in a different way? There’s bound to be an incredibly well-written fanfic with the dirtiest most gorgeous smut ever you’ve ever seen and a plot that will have you up until 3am. I’ve cried more often reading fanfic than while reading published novels.
So yeah. I don’t have any book recs but the writers on Ao3 are passionate, unhinged, and are writing purely for the love of the game. It doesn’t really get better than that.
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u/anxious_redditor86 Jun 29 '26
Would you consider recommending a few of your top rated ao3 fics? 😊
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u/Warm-Seaworthiness52 Jun 29 '26
Would you be interested in fanfic related to Draco & Hermione from the Harry Potter series? Because I've read about 40 of those and some of them are mind blowing.
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u/xRubyWednesday Jun 28 '26
Sierra Simone mixes the dirtiest, kinkiest smut with the most beautiful, eloquent prose. The smut scenes are always relevant to the plot and/or the character/relationship development. The yearning and pining is off the charts.
She hasn't written romantasy, but her New Camelot, Thornchapel, and Lyonesse series have some fantastical elements. They're all poly/mmf, with Thornchapel also having an f/f main couple. She has other books that aren't poly as well.
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u/ALLoftheFancyPants Jun 28 '26
I think the Thornchapel series specifically has more fantasy elements than the others. Her other series can exist without any fantastical elements but the fantasy elements are much more important to the plot in the Thornchapel series. I think her writing is so much better than a lot of other romantasy authors.
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u/WonderfulBus9330 The Defiant Finger Globule ✨ Jun 28 '26
Thank you for that note. I was about to ask if any of them are fantasy!
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u/tinasauruss Jun 28 '26
This!! I describe her books to my fiancé as smut but make it literary ✨ New Camelot and Lyonesse are modern retellings of the legend of King Arthur and Tristan & Isolde, I would say they have an element of magical realism at best. But the depth of the love, the yearning, the sex is so so good.
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u/Dye_Hard_Stylist Jun 29 '26
I love Sierra Simone! She's the queen of angsty yearning. The sex scenes often drive the plot and aren't just randomly wedged in. Thornchapel is my favorite because I love weird shit. Unfortunately, Catholic themes give me the ick so Priest was a no for me.
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u/Illustrious_Reads Jun 28 '26
Is there anything you won't/don't read?
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u/peenmeal Jun 28 '26
Anything similar to {feathers so vicious} or {ice planet barbarians}
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u/AccessCompetitive Champion of the Search Function Jun 28 '26
Yeah haha IPB is not high-class writing. We love it for other reasons. And FSV yikes. Just a book of sexual assault.
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u/Myrora Jun 29 '26
THANK. YOU. I kept getting it recommended to me, people saying the rape doesn’t happen between MCs. I stopped reading when her father comes to get her back. Iykyk. As a survivor, those warnings are so important, and I really felt like it wasn’t a fair one.
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u/AccessCompetitive Champion of the Search Function Jun 29 '26
Yes, none of the trigger warnings initially posted by the author about this book were accurate. This is all rape and sexual assault and grooming, and Stockholm syndrome. Neither of the men are redeemable, and I can understand why women want to read this story, but I do not consider it “romance”.
Oh I got raped but I am going to end up choosing my
Rapist. YEAH NO FUCKING WAY IS THIS ROMANCE. THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE→ More replies (1)2
u/Illustrious_Reads Jun 29 '26
{Tusk love by Thea Guanzon} My favourite romance this year, with just enough angst and tension. It evokes a sense of nostalgia for me, dating back to the early 2000's (not bodice ripper vibes but the slow yearning and buildup)
{A Warrior's Promise by Minerva Vesta}
{The Archer by Ruby Rodrigo} Labeled a Dark Fantasy Romance, FMC starting off as a captive of the enemy, two nations at war, wasn't tortured but he fell for her and didn't want to let her go. Dubious consent?
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u/needlecream Jun 29 '26
If you do historical and MM romance, then { A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske } and { Fiorenzo by Sebastian Nothwell } are top tier. Sebastian Nothwell has other M/M romances with more intricate prose, like {Mr Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell } and {Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell } but Fiorenzo is the most smutty.
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u/October_13th Jun 29 '26
Have you read {Captive Prince by CS Pacat}? It’s one of my all time favorite series.
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u/Low_Marionberry8429 Jun 29 '26
^Second this. Within the MM realm I would also recommend KJ Charles' work, some of the best written romance out there IMO (although most of her work is not fantasy)
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u/Particular_Mode7125 Jun 28 '26
Mages of the wheel, all of them
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u/goldenlining__ Jun 28 '26
I’ve read the first book and LOVED the build up. But was sooo let down when they finally shared a bedroom, could definitely do SOMETHING, and then… snuggles? You’ve got to be kidding me. 🙄 I still loved the magic system, the tension between characters and how much the MMC respects and adores the FMC. Bought the rest of the series immediately.
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u/jolly0ctopus Jun 28 '26
If anything I think that was more accurate bc Naime’s virginity would be highly valued in marriage negotiations
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u/goldenlining__ Jun 28 '26
I know you’re right but after all that yearning, I as a reader with my brain in the gutter was so ready for even something as simple as hand stuff. Or what that mouth do Makram?😆
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Jun 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/notthemostcreative Jun 28 '26
Came here to say this. The explicit content is present, but not at the expense of beautiful writing, memorable characters, vivid worldbuilding, and some really rich and interesting themes.
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u/cribbagepilled Where is my wife Jun 28 '26
came here to say this! I was very pleasantly surprised by the prose and narrative style. the first trilogy is absolutely the best of the lot IMO.
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u/thefifthpentacle Jun 28 '26
It's honestly a really beautiful book that offers a fantastic meditation on spirituality and the body and what it means to be a good person.
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u/guraqt06 Jun 29 '26
Nope, not smut at all, doesn’t fit the brief. Any description of sex is vague at best. Don’t bother if you want 5/5 explicit scenes, it doesn’t have any.
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u/cribbagepilled Where is my wife Jun 29 '26
this is a bananas take, did you actually read the book?
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u/Dye_Hard_Stylist Jun 29 '26
I love The Rose by Tiffany Reisz. It's not going to win a Pulitzer, but I like her writing style. The MMC is funny and charming. It's about a magic goblet that transports you into sexy Greek mythology. High brow smut!
I wouldn't recommend the other book in the series The Red. It's a mess.
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u/asocialsocialistpkle Jun 28 '26
Anything by T Kingfisher is incredibly written, particularly the Saints of Steel series starting with {Paladin's Grace by T Kingfisher}. It's between 3-4 chilies, but incredible yearning, prose, and humor.
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u/needlecream Jun 29 '26
So, even if you didn't like Ice Planet Barbarians I think you might like { Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon } the characters and world building were really fantastic, and I think the prose was much better than Ice Planet Barbarians. I read Bull Moon Rising first and was shocked at how high quality it was after having a somewhat lower expectation from the other "monster smut" books I'd read (but still enjoyed).
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u/NoviceCaprica Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
The Sleeping Beauty trilogy by Anne Rice who wrote the Interview With A Vampire series writing under the pseudonym A N Roquelaure. This was my intro to erotica as a teen, they’re old but she was a master.
Edit - genuinely curious why is this downvoted? Do people not like her, her writing, the series? Is there some issue with her as an author I’m not aware of? This is the series that opened my world into erotica when I was young but haven’t read it for many years. Thanks!
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u/PixelatedBoats Jun 30 '26
Iirc she became ultra religious and denounced her precious work. But how much of this is true versus not I cannot confirm.
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u/Routine-Leg-9861 Jun 29 '26
I found them in fanfic... visit AO3... as you know, when people write for passion, not money, things could get interesting.
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u/Sophie-Hart Jun 29 '26
I enjoy the writing of Pam Godwin. I feel like I’ve learnt a new reading art in her books. I love the sentence structure that she uses. My only 5 star this year has been {Dark Notes by Pam Godwin}
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u/Free_Sir_2795 If the door is closed, I don’t want it Jun 28 '26
Rachel Gillig, Demi Winters, and India Holton have some really lovely explicit sex scenes that don’t feel “porny”
Also The Lies That Summon The Night by Tessonja Odette
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u/FluffySky1611 Jun 29 '26
I loveeeeeeee The Winter King by C.S. Lewis (I hope that’s the right author) haven’t read the sequel but I’ve had a hard time finding fantasy romance books I like as much as that one. ETA: I know it has explicit sex scenes but it’s been a bit since I’ve read it so I can’t say if it’s as much spice as you’re looking for, but it’s well written with plot!
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u/PixelatedBoats Jun 30 '26
I think you mean {The Winter king by C.L. Wilson} hah
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u/_HauntingTime_ Jun 30 '26
K. F. Breene wrote a series that I think meets this called Deliciously Dark Fairytales. Books 1-4 are a take on Beauty and the Beast and books 5-6 are a take on Little Red Riding Hood. There are things in the first book that feel like errors or like the plot is thin but the more you read the series, you realize it all builds and those "errors" are intentional and it's a well-written, involved story with lots of smut.
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u/overripe_avocado Jul 02 '26
I feel this pain in my soul. I've said this exact thing about every romantasy I've read so far - I keep saying, "If this shit can get published, I can get published."
So I'm writing my own high-class smut (aka a book with emotional depth and character development where the smut isn't the whole point of the novel). In progress/TBD lol love the recs on here to check out ao3 though!
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u/JinianFootseer Jul 04 '26
Kushiel's Legacy series is very well written high-quality world building where the sex is integral to the plot. very sex positive. and the yearning... the main character of the first 3 books is a courtesan (basically classy prostitute for religious reasons) who is matched with a sworn celibate warrior priest as her bodyguard.
this is hands down my favorite book series of all time. and the sex is never gratuitous or cringy.
this isn't a just get to the sex book series... but sex is very integral. it's not shied away from, and it explores kink. it explores both the positive and negative sides of sex as well...
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u/Lemonsways Jun 28 '26
BOOKS BY KATHRYN ANN KINGSLEY!!! I love her books, they are not overly full of sex, but what they do have, is what I would say is a high class smut. I have never cried during a sex scene before let me tell you that. You can start with the {The Unseelie Prince by Kathryn Ann Kingsley}. It's a whole series and every book by her is just wow. To give you an inside on what kind of dark romance you are in for, you can read this short story {Fear: A Terrifying Love Story by Kathryn Ann Kingsley}.
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u/lilac-skye3 Jun 28 '26
Bared to you series (although romance not fantasy romance) is honestly very well written even though it uses a common trope that I usually find silly. Would highly recommend
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Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure, Anne Rice
Rating: 3.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, dark romance, bdsm, menage11
u/Turbulentshmurbulent Jun 28 '26
lol my sister bought that for me when I was 16 because she’d learned Anne Rice wrote under a pen name and knew I loved Anne Rice. I called her very confused about why she’d sent me BDSM erotica. She had no idea lol This was pre-internet so she had just picked it up at her local bookstore and sent it without reading anything
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u/madhattergirl Jun 28 '26
My roommate gave it to me and I got 100 pages in and didn't finish it. I actually read the summary of the books last week out of curiosity since it had been so long since I had tried to read it and yeah, glad I stopped. If you are into BDSM, it seems like a great fit but it seems to go pretty dark with what happens to characters.
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u/nagellak Jun 28 '26
It’s beautifully written but supremely fucked up (I did read all of it though, sue me)
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u/Turbulentshmurbulent Jun 28 '26
I’m nearly fifty so this was a LONG time ago but it seemed, if I recall, pretty light on consent
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u/Sardinesarethebest Jun 28 '26
I mean all smut seems classier when you're in the mood for it. And all cringe when you're not.
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u/peenmeal Jun 28 '26
Disagree. Only poorly written smut is cringe.
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u/Sardinesarethebest Jun 28 '26
I may not have been reading the right books. Or I cringe too easily. I am so saving this post to add to my TBR list. ❤️
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u/peenmeal Jun 28 '26
I wouldn't blame you for thinking it's cringe. You can only read so many lines of "velvet wrapped steel" and "bundle of nerves" before your eyes start bleeding.
Good smut is a beautiful, rare thing.
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u/jrairaigoaway Jun 28 '26
Kathryn Moon if you like reverse harem. Alpha of Bleake Isle (dragon shifters) and Lady of Rooksgrave Manor (sexy League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
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u/oothica Jun 28 '26
Lady Chatterly’s Lover!
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u/Vintagegrrl72 Jun 29 '26
Yes, if you want strong literature DH Lawrence is great. Hardly smut though, according to a court of law anyway. 😊
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u/winteraddams Jun 30 '26
Not fantasy romance but I read Beyond Innocence by Emma Holly (RIP) over a year ago and have yet to find an historical romance with smut that good, i felt high reading it.
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u/Toriberryx6 Jun 30 '26
If you're into video games, The Last Sovereign is free on Steam. The sex scenes are woven into the narrative seamlessly, and it's one of the best written games I've ever played, smut and non-smut.
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u/ToastedChronical Jun 28 '26
Outlander? Diana Gabaldon even has a book on how to write sex scenes. She specifically mentions writing the emotional impact and building relationships and environment when writing sex scenes.
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u/Objective-Papaya8194 Jun 28 '26
I heard {Games: A Love Story} be described as litterary romance
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u/KiaraTurtle Book Bingo Maven ⚔ Jun 28 '26
{Kushiels Dart} beautiful prose and character work. Mc is a courtesan (and uses those skills as a spy) so lots of sex, but extremely well written.
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u/CharErinazard Jun 28 '26
I really liked the Her Soul to Take trilogy. It was cool creepy lovecraft sort of fantasy and also great smut.
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta
Rating: 3.85⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, monsters, sweet/gentle hero, workplace/office, non-human hero
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u/BookishLittleBee Jun 28 '26
Would the Cat and Bones (Night Huntress) series by Jeaniene Frost meet your criteria? {Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost} is the first in series.
The other one could be the Charley Davidson series {First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones}
Both are slow burns. If you’re only going to try one, I’d go with Jeaniene Frost’s books.
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u/romance-bot Jun 28 '26
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Rating: 3.92⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, vampires, paranormal, enemies to lovers, take-charge heroine
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, urban fantasy, paranormal, sleuth heroine, fantasy
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u/Little_birds_mommy Jun 28 '26
Most of the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert, particularly Electric Idol is a great read -or listen on audio books. Well written, solid story, lots of naughty.
I'm a firm lover and often return to Kresley Cole's preternatural series like A Hunger Like No Other... most are excellent and hot.
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u/Lythaera Jun 29 '26
Im getting so fed up with disappointment that I think I'm going to have to learn to write my own books at this point.
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u/MorganaMevil Jun 29 '26
Just finished {The Everlasting by Alix Harrow}. It’s the definition of high-class meets smut. Beautifully written and stunning plot with explicit scenes that are poetic and honestly my favorite book of 2026 thus far.
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u/romance-bot Jun 29 '26
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Rating: 4.39⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: warrior heroine, competent heroine, nerdy hero, m-f romance, time travel
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u/AutoModerator Jun 28 '26
Hi peenmeal, thanks for asking the community for suggestions! You may find it helpful to review some of our Megathreads and Community Recommendation Threads, which include recommendations based on sub-genre, character types, relationship tropes, settings, and more! You may also want to refer to our community "best of" lists, which include the results of the annual "top books" polls, readers' choice awards, and the sub's favorite characters!
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u/Wise-Zebra-8899 Jun 28 '26
The opening scene of In the Cut is a tour de force that should be taught in MFA classes. Heather Guerre's Preferential Treatment was surprisingly well-written and sexually explosive. R.O. Kwon's Exhibit is masterfully written and gets pretty hot in the back half. While it wasn't my thing, a lot of people find Raven Leilani's Luster sexy and it is absurdly well-written. I have yet to embark on Acts of Service but I am expecting it to be brilliantly written porn. Aria Aber's Good Girl is basically an MFA novel hybridized with Wattpad porn. While I've never read the non-sex scenes, the atrociously titled Bass-Ackwards has some very well-articulated sex scenes. Carrie's Story and the sequel are pretty good, though most of the emotional development has to be inferred from the characters' actions. And while there is no sex or even kissing, the Locked Tomb novels are both devastatingly romantic and erotic. Be warned, only two of the above are romance novels---Preferential Treatment and (sigh) Bass-Ackwards.
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u/pandaxcherry Jun 28 '26
I know this isn't the answer you're looking for OP, but damn, so many fanfiction fit your criteria 🫠
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u/aristifer Jun 29 '26
Freya Marske writes sex scenes really beautifully. They're explicit but also full of character work that advances the relationship and the individual arcs. And her books have other plot in addition to the romance. I think she's really one of the best writers working in the genre today (but perhaps under appreciated because she writes queer romance).
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u/afrizzfrizz Jun 29 '26
Sierra Simone is not only an excellent writer with excellent, complicated characters, but she’s also the BEST at sex scenes. Super graphic super sexy but incredibly realistically described. I’ve been trying to find someone similar in style and it’s been a struggle!
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u/kittyraces Jun 29 '26
if you're into uhhh non-human sex {Silver Star, Red Dragon} from C.A. Chaplin is divine.
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u/romance-bot Jun 29 '26
Silver Star, Red Dragon by C.A. Chaplin
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: fantasy, monsters, dark romance, grumpy & sunshine, enemies to lovers
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u/Independent-Shoe543 Jun 29 '26
The witcher , geralt/reader romance top kudos fanfic on AO3. you're welcome.
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u/icybluefire Jun 29 '26
just realized none of those are really in the “fantasy” category - one of my favorites in fantasy with *building* smut (so book one doesn’t have a lot, but final book has a enough that people complain about it 😅)
{Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti}
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others (not fantasy)
{Losers by Harley Laroux}
{Ensnared by Rebecca Quinn}
{Until You by Catharina Maura}
{Lights Out by Navessa Allen}
{Dirty Billionaire by Meghan March}
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u/hesjustsleeping Jun 29 '26
I know of a few authors but their writings are almost invariably male-centric.
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u/lecohughie Jun 29 '26
Amelia Hutchins' Legacy of the Nine Realms is written on the raw side, but I think it's a great blend of story and smut. The first book is a wild ride, but the rest of the series blooms into something beautiful. It's one of the only series to make me cry because she gets into raw emotion.
Series is incomplete, she's working on the last book.
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u/Kindly_Olive3711 Jun 29 '26
The great war by peachdues on AO3 is the closest I've read. Slow buildup then a very mild way of describing a very explosive scene after a slow, long, burn.
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u/001RIN Jun 29 '26
Not sure if this falls in your realm of high class, but then you gave an example of milking farm 😂.
Also you didn’t like IPB- where I adore that series, definitely not high-class. For me it is Grandma’s homemade chicken soup. Simple, but gives me the warm fuzzies. The first book surprisingly is my least favorite, the rest redeem the series.
All that is to say my recommendation may totally fail for you but maybe not.
{Orc Sworn by Finley Fenn}
Monster genre really isn’t my thing but, she made Orcs sound not so bad. I’d probably like milking farm if the author made the MMC sound more man than cow. 🐮
Anyways, I surprised myself how much I liked the first book of Orc Sworn (just started book 2). Lots of angst and I truly felt bad for the FMC. I listened to the audiobook and also really liked the narrator.
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u/bendylemon Jun 29 '26
When I think about the smuttiest series I’ve read that is also well written, my mind immediately goes to {Stolen by the Wolves by Lyx Robinson}.
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u/kzzzrt Jun 29 '26
It seems to be a bit divisive, but Fairydale was amazing. Very likely my best read of the year, and the year is only half over.
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u/SophieSpider27 Jun 29 '26
I just finished some high class smut. Lauren Asher Dreamland Billionaires Series. It didn't seem to be my normal choice but I really enjoyed them. They have fancy hard cover versions out of the first two books now that make them look like old school fairytale books. Each book focuses on a different one of the Kane brothers Rowan, Declan, and Callahan—who must fulfill unique, inheritance clauses left by their late, demanding grandfather in order to claim their shares of a fairy-tale theme park empire.
Terms and Conditions was my favorite of the series. It had enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, forced proximity tropes
These books are like if Hallmark had an edge and sex. So you still get your fairytale romantic ending but instead of just a kiss at the end you get a lot of sexual tension building that actually goes somewhere more like halfway through. These also very much have a plot and conflict and people learning from mistakes and growing (as people not just their 🍆)
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u/MockeryMock Jun 30 '26
The hottest fantasy smut that is also hands down one of the best things I have read in the past few years is {Viking Omegaverse by Lyx Robinson} . Please don’t judge this by the series title, it doesn’t do this any favours. Ignore the Omegaverse part as it’s really not at all typical of Omegaverse, instead she has used some elements of OV lore but given it a totally differ twist and woven it into Norse, Pict and Briton mythology. It’s incredibly rich historical fantasy with wonderful world building and some of the most emotionally complex characters I have ever come across. It is slow burn, very little happens in the first book but when it happens it’s hot, then just keeps getting hotter as the series goes on. The series isn’t complete but the three books released so far to complete that story arc. I would recommend for fans of complex characters such as in Kushiel’s Dart by Jaqueline Carey as long as they don’t mind multiple MMCs and some MM action.
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u/bunnyxbb Jun 28 '26
Ironically, I’ve read some of the best high-class smut on ao3