Lovehoney and Romancing the Novel launch spicy romance book club
Sexy romance novels once dismissed as a guilty pleasure are stepping into a positive new spotlight, with a novel book club pairing tomes with toys designed to celebrate female sexuality.
Wentworth Courier
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Sexy romance novels once dismissed as a guilty pleasure are stepping into a positive new spotlight, with a novel book club pairing tomes with toys designed to celebrate female sexuality.
Sexual wellbeing retailer Lovehoney is launching a Smut Book Club with suburban Sydney’s first ever romance-only bookstore, Romancing the Novel, in response to a recent leap in interest in sexy books.
Each month, attendees will receive a curated book to read for the club and a complementary Lovehoney pleasure product – with a third of Australian romance readers revealing they have bought a sex toy after reading a spicy book.
New research from Lovehoney reveals almost 45 per cent of Australians have read a spicy novel in the past year, with millennials and zoomers making up the bulk of fans.
Romancing the Novel founder and romance author Scarlett Hopper said romance novels and physical books had exploded anew in recent years, with a sexy story habit no longer regarded as a secret to hide.
“Spicy romance is having such a moment because women specifically are reclaiming control of what they want, what they want to do with their bodies,” Ms Hopper said.
“It’s empowering – it’s feminist.”
Romantasy – a genre blending elements of romance and fantasy, including current global smash hit series Fourth Wing – was the most popular subgenre, while small town romance was preferred by baby boomers.
More than a quarter of readers said reading spicy romances have improved their sex lives, while a third of Australian romance readers revealed they had bought a sex toy after reading a spicy book.
The statistics also revealed 42 per cent of Australian men have read a spicy novel.
Ms Hopper said the occasional tendency of men to denigrate romance books had become a tired trope.
“They’ll say it’s porn, it’s not real literature, they’ll kind of scoff at it – it’s super misogynistic,” Ms Hopper said.
“Most romance authors are women and they are the breadwinners for their families – it’s the top selling genre of fiction, I think that says everything.”
As to the suggestion that spicy romance books sell unrealistic standards for love and life, Ms Hopper said it demonstrated how women are instead taking control of what they truly desire.
“I think romance novels are completely aspirational – forever women have just taken what they get, we’re just told to be silent and submissive,” Ms Hopper said.
“We’re taking control of what we want, what we deserve, and how men should treat us.
“We want it this way, we’re going to write it this way, if we’re not getting it in real life, we’re going to read it on the pages.”
Lovehoney’s sexologist Christine Rafe said erotic fiction was a gateway to exploring fantasies, booting confidence, and deepening intimacy.
“We’re inviting readers to embrace their desires, connect with like-minded book lovers, and enhance their pleasure both on and off the page,” Ms Rafe said.
The first Between The Sheets Book Club event is on June 4 at Romancing The Novel in Paddington.
Got a news story? Email eliza.barr@news.com.au
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