LBS 803 Week Eleven- Sexxxy Books!

This week in class we talked about Sexy Books, and the title of this unit is actually a super-clever
branding move on the part of our super-clever professor. Want to talk about romance but want to grab the attention of your teen (or adult) audience? Call it Sexy Books and suddenly everyone is all ears. I'm loving the aspect of this assignment that calls for physical touching of books- I've been making a point to browse in the actual bookstore, and it makes such a difference in the things that cross my path! As usual, the below are a mix of personal favorites and new releases that caught my eye.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
This book, the second in it's series, made the list for it's eye-popping sexual content. A multi-layered high fantasy YA series, this particular storyline from Maas includes sex as a plot point, a ruse to hide true intentions, and the pinnacle of deeply romantic relationships. While the first book in the this series made me roll my eyes quite a bit (some my the tropes were too tropey, even for my trope-loving heart), I got drawn into the interesting politics as the series progressed, and the second is where the shipping (the act of hoping two characters will get together) and the fiery content really upped the game! A note when recommending- I would stick with the upper end of YA and people who won't be offended by gratuitous love scenes- Maas does NOT cut away!

A Totally Awkward Love Story by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
This cover JUMPED out at me in the bookstore. I love the font and sweet colors and the blurb that promises me "raunchy hilarity." Reviews from some of my favorite Goodreads friends spoke of "sexual frankness" and "seriously awkward" situations and this really sells me. Starting the summer before college, Sam and Hannah spend a PERFECT five minutes together at a house party- then get separated without even getting each other's names. A cycle of will they/won't they missed connections makes up the rest of the plot. Definitely looking forward to checking this one out.






Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I have a huge blind spot when it comes to Rainbow Rowell- she's my...favorite. So when she was releasing a romantic ode to Harry Potter and fanfiction that was coming out on my actual 30th birthday, I was foaming to read it, and have read it a few times every year since. This book is FULL of forbidden romance, badass girls, stubble-chinned kisses, and obsession that seamlessly transforms from passionate hatred to breathless snogging in mere moments. The wizarding school/lead up to the final battle/destiny trope is flipped on its head when the protagonist falls in love with his number one enemy.

A Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen
Another book that called to me because of it's sweet cover. Goodreads and the blurb for this one promise a romance with the girl next door, a science-obsessed protagonist, and lots of really cool diagrams. Interesting points about this one include a time period that goes from age 13 to age 19 and the quest to prove whether love can be scientifically explained. Good luck, kids. This one is going on my TBR for at least a good flip through- the scientific drawings intrigue me!