And how many actually read for the story? Or is it a combination.

For me, I like a really good story. It isn't all about the sex, but it is great when you get some good sex bits too.

I like a good combo of both.  I love great sex scenes, but if the story stinks, then it's going not to be a good one for me.  I can take a good story with no sex - but I can't take all sex with no story. lol...

What Amy said!

I need a good romance before anything else.  But that having been said, I still need to see them come together.  Even if it's only one scene in the last chapter of the book, I'm fine.  Basically, I read romance novels for what I can never have anymore.....flirting, a first kiss, the expectation.  Sex, I can have anytime I snap my fingers, lol.  So that's why I guess I'm not crazy about erotica either.

A good combo of both. Ditto to what Amy said.

boy oh boy is this thread getting personal..first wanting to know if I'm addicted to books and then wanting to know what all I have ordered and now this LOL! :-) (big smile!)

weelll...let's see...I usually prefer a good contemporary story with a good hunky alpha male and not-so-stupid female :-) with a great storyline and some hot scenes. That's the 'ideal' situation. However, there are times I guess with'hormone fluctuations' that I'll reach for 'just sex' or 'skim for the sex parts'. I have what I call my 'keeper keepers' where I'll read a 'erotica romance' or a h'hotter romance' and skip the sex(lke if I'm at work) I even have some ellora's cave that I read for the stories and have recommended on other threads here - Jory Strong's 'crime tells' and I think some of Lora Leigh's..also I've read Lisa Marie Rice's Midnight series (ellora's cave) and actually skimmed through the sex(extrememly short reads then!) and Lucy Monroe's Mercenery and goddard project and 'the real deal'..I enjoyed shannon butcher's 'no control' for the storyline and it had a few 'scenes' in it.

but definitely a great story and hot stuff make the very best because then you can skip one or the other depending on  your 'mood' or read the whole thing. I think the suffering storyline is what sortaa bugged me with Alison Kent's stories...'The Bane Affair' was a larger size booka nd had more of a storyline..the 3 after it that I read were shorter and I wanted more of a story with the sex..there was a story but mre like 'blaze length'..same with the blazes..either a great storyline, a continuing storyline, or humor make those more memorable for me...

I can't just read them for one or the other, both the sex and the romance have to be present - and well written, I might add.  My preference is for solid R ratings, but I have many much beloved keepers that are PG-13.  PG or less, I usually don't even bother with - even if they get rave reviews.  But just the same as romance without sex isn't of any interest to me, a book can't have lots of steamy, descriptive sex in it, and the romance be boring, the writing be blah, and still get a thumbs up from me.  I know some people can forgive many assorted weaknesses in a book, just because the sex is so hot or well written.  I'm not one of them.  Stephanie Laurens, for example, writes great love scenes, but her plotlines have a tendency toward weakness and predictability, IMO.  This is why I like some of her books, and don't bother with the rest..:P

I'm kind of like Kim I think.  I need the story to be there and be well written and I enjoy the coming together scenes as well, again well written.   I'm not a big big fan of erotica for that reason, at least the ones I've read.   Sometimes its just nice to recall those "firsts" in a relationship - first flirt, first kiss, first time in bed etc.   Us old married women can't get that anymore! LOL

Sherri

Story first always! Don't get me wrong- I love sex in stories and love erotica, but the story has to be decent. I'm just as happy reading Mary Stewart or Georgette Heyer, neither of which have anything explicit sexually, but the writing is excellent.

Story first here. I would also rather read a good story with no sex than a boring one with sex. (Old Edith Layton vs. recent Edith Layton comes to mind.) 

It just depends. Sometimes I read a book strictly for it's erotic content.  But usually I go for plot first.  I like it better when there's a good sex scene or two thrown in but it's not necessary for my enjoyment of the story.  I've enjoyed many books where there wasn't much sex. 

Whatver it is, I don't want to be bored - I'll put a book down in second if it bores me.  but I want a combo, and can get real annoyed if sex is passed over and it's just a so-so book! 

did that make sense??

Story first - definitely.  Don't get me wrong  - I like erotica, and have a pile of books in that genre for when I'm in the mood for that.  But when I read a book, I like for it to have a plot.  

I recently read a paranormal that I htought would have a decent plot, but in reality, it was about 3/4 sex scenes.  I mean, 20+ pages per scene.  And while I get the whole - "I think I'm frigid." and "Let me fix that frigidity problem, honey." - it really just gets boring when you're in the mood for something else. 

I mostly go for the story first. Romance is a must and the sex should be there too. However, I have times when I skim the sex scenes or don't mind if they don't have a lot of sex to them (like the series romance that are consideres "sweet"). Other times I like erotica. Tho a lot of the erotica I've tried to read (and I haven't tried but about 5 LOL) seem to lack story line driven sex. They are just sex to throw it in to make it erotica and I don't care for that.

I pretty much agree with what Sherri said.  I love all of the firsts, but now that times are changing, I am getting tired of so many women being virgins :-)  

I too don't really care for erotica, I read the story more for the romance.  I like a story that can make the heart race even before any sex is involved, the anticipation.

Sex scenes don't bother me or offend me. The storyline has to be good though. sometimes i'm in the mood for a sweet romance and sometimes i'm in the mood to read something more erotic.

I have to say, definitely the story first...I skim the sex scenes anymore, or skip them all together. Don't get me wrong, a good sex scene is great every now and then, but I don't need to read them all the time. I love it when the sex scenes are 'real' or even funny, they are the best! Like a lot of others said, I love the 'firsts' since I've been happily married for 13 years, I won't have a lot of those romantic firsts... :)

I too like a good combo of both.  Gotta be a good story to keep me interested but I do like a sex scene or two.

i do like the combo too... but if i had to choose i could read a story without the sex but not sex without a story.

For me, It has to be an even balance.  The sex has to make the story interesting to me. 

i do like the combo too... but if i had to choose i could read a story without the sex but not sex without a story.

that's a good way to put it for me, too.  i don't mind the sex scenes, and i've got a couple of books i'll sneak out and re-read just the 'good bits' occasionally, but as long as the story is there i don't mind if the author 'fades to black' when they head to the bedroom.