What's sexier?

I've been reading a good bit of erotica/romantica lately that's leaving me somewhat unsatisfied. They're steamy enough and have plenty of inventive/unusual/kinky sex, but when the story's done, I have a great desire to go read a non-erotica romance because it just feels like something's missing. Oddly enough, when I finish reading an inspirational romance, I have the same response, and I finally figured it out: there's no sexual tension in either of these books. (I'm speaking only about the books I'm reading -- not all erotica/romantica/inspirationals in general.)

I don't care much about the love scenes in romances. Don't care a whole lot about writing them, and don't want to waste much time reading them. In my never-humble opinion, the sex is just an afterthought -- the sexual tension's the payoff. I want to see characters getting turned on -- want to see that spark and crackle and electricity. I want to wonder when they'll do it, and how, and how it will change them and their growing relationship. I want to feel every jolt, every touch, and anticipate the culmination.

In erotica, sheesh, there's no real mystery about when they're going to do it -- generally within the first few pages -- and every few pages after that. I've read a few where the book opens in the middle of a sex scene. Sometimes they don't even know each other's names, and they rarely spend any significant time with each other without stripping naked (or not) and going at it. It just gets to feel so humdrum after the first umpteen times. (I have to admit, books where the guy's too horny to take off his jeans before doing the deed always make me giggle. Is there anything that looks goofier than a man pumping away with his pants danging around his butt?)

And in the inspirationals, they never do it -- and, worse, never show any interest in doing it. Where are all the little Christians supposed to come from??? They hold hands. They exchange an occasional chaste kiss, but they never think about jumping each other's bones or getting hot and sweaty together. As someone else said, every romance has to eventually lead to hot monkey sex, or there's a problem.

The sexiest books I've ever read devote few pages to the actual sex, but the sexual tension between the characters damn near hums. I'm surprised sometimes that steam doesn't curl from the pages. I finish them and realize with surprise that there were only one or two actual sex scenes in the book, because everything about the hero and heroine was so HOT.

How funny that what are supposed to be the hottest books out there are leaving me cold, and the "tame" ones are making me hot.

(Another disclaimer: I'm talking ONLY about the books I've been reading lately, and no, I'm not nameing names. I'm sure there are eroticas out there that manage both wild and kinky sex AND sexual tension, and I'm also sure there are some inspirationals in which the hero and heroine do actually have a sexual thought or yearning from time to time. They just don't happen to be on my shelf at this time.) Rachel10:57 AM