I stepped in a hot steaming pile of controversy.
Remember, I'm now an official reviewer at LASR and my job is to not only review but to assist in answering questions from fellow reviewers about the reviews they do or the stories they'll read amongst the few tech questions that are inherent in any ARC position.
Did you know I have an inner prude?
I didn't.
Not really.
I figured, I'm cool. I read romantica and enjoy it and that means I'm open to different ideas.
Right?
You can laugh now.
I equated HOT with Romantica/Erotica heat levels. I was told, "WRONG!"
They are worlds different.
Romantica/Erotica can contain menages a trois, quatro and the like and BDSM and other off the beaten path pursuits. They can use blunt and/or street wise words to refer to body parts or acts, and so, is a no-no heat level for our site. Most, if not all Romantica includes a good story with an HEA but pure Erotica does not. Am I understanding that right? In any event, the path to a Romanctica HEA is unusually flexible in its idea of love's expressions and interpretations. 
I guess Hot books can have sex all over the place, even upside down in a tool shed or in a chocolate pudding puddle - as many times as they want as long as there is a HEA, as long as it's monogamous, as long as the kink is vanilla with sugar and as long as the profanity is used as cussing and not in describing a beautiful physical act that embraces the LOVE between the two main characters. NO matter how often it happens in the story.
I am obviously in need of some serious correction of perception.
WHAT really is HOT versus Romantica? What is the Genre line to cross that takes you from one to the other?
Can somone give me a list of authors or books that illustrates the difference?
Can anyone help educate me and get me out of this snafu?
And, if someone takes pity on me and I get to read a good HOT book, there's a good chance I'll write a review and put it up on the site.
Got to tame that inner prude, you know? Or at least get that steaming pile of controvery off the bottom of my shoes. LOL
4 comments:
Unfortunately, I can't help you with this. I don't like erotica. I prefer a HEA. Good luck with your pursuit of knowledge in this area!
Thanks, Brandy!
I'd like to help you in a definitive manner but I'm still going through the differences myself.
Erotica is it's own animal where sex is a journey and thus HEA is not only not a necessity but often purposely shied away from.
Romantica is classic romance with the bedroom door thrown open and the sex within the developing romance is on view for all to see. Sometimes the language is graphic and blunt but not always. There is a HEA or a Happily For Now ending there which makes it romance vs. erotica.
HOT, (I'm told) is contemporary romance with the bedroom door ajar. The language is milder but the sex is more frequent and takes up more pages than in sensual or regular romance.
By that definiton I write HOT. But I tend to write menages so that automatically makes it erotica, and I believe in the HEA so that makes it Romantica.
The best source on the shelves I can think of off hand would be the difference between Harlequin's Spice line and their Silhouette Desire line.
But that's a research opinion,not a personal reader opinion. I tend toward paranormals and urban fantasy and don't get to the Harlequin display before running out of money. :)
~X
Xakara!
This is an AWESOME response! Thank you!
I'm going to have to book mark it so I can refer to this in the future.
And...I think I'm going to have to check out your books...
:-)
Thanks so much for returning the favor and stopping by my blog. I'm SO glad you did.
^-^
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