"Confession: I just look for pretty book covers in the Libby app to read. I'm not trying to read anything particularly intellectual or have to use my brain in this stage of life; I'm just trying to escape. So when I saw the cover of Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer with a "guy-meets-girl" vibe on the front, I assumed it'd be a cheesy romance. But whoa, it got my juices flowing if you know what I mean. Let's just say my brain didn't benefit from reading this, but my libido sure did. As a tired mom of two littles, I'm not *always* in the mood, but it's hard not to feel something reading books like this."
""Spicy" books have been on the rise, with titles like by Rebecca Yarros and The Hating Gameby Sally Thorne hitting book clubs and BookTok everywhere. Some people call this genre "B.R.A.D.S" or "Beach Reads After Dark," a term coined by book influencer Beach Reads & Bubbly. There are romance novel specialty book stores and websites dedicated to just these spicy reads, so clearly I'm not alone in finding these books, uh, entertaining."
""Steamy romance novels have gone mainstream," explains Dr. Rebecca Eudy, AASECT-certified sex therapist and author of Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids. "What used to be a guilty pleasure is now a genre women proudly read and talk about, and it's a sign that women's desire, fantasy, and yes, even masturbation, are becoming less taboo.""
A reader chooses romance books by appealing covers to escape and found a Tessa Bailey title unexpectedly arousing, reporting increased libido despite parenting fatigue. Spicy romance novels are rising in popularity, with labels like "B.R.A.D.S" (Beach Reads After Dark), BookTok attention, and specialty stores and websites dedicated to erotic-leaning beach reads. Steamy romance has entered the mainstream, reducing stigma around women's desire, fantasy, and solo sexual expression. Sex therapists note that fantasy fuels desire, and connecting with erotica can translate into increased sexual interest and potentially better sex while also meriting thoughtful consideration of personal boundaries and relationship context.
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