Okay, I picked up this book by Lisa Valdez called Passion.  Had no clue what it was about but it's got a lot of people waiting for it on WL.  Anyway,  it looks like an historical romance and is billed as such, but it's really erotica in formal wear.  So, I gave it a shot anyway because I hate to return books once I've started them.  Here's my problem thus far..............why does erotica have to get so graphic in their sex scenes.  It's almost painful to read.   If he bangs on the door of her cervix one more time, I'm going to start hemorraghing.  Her womb is put through so much abuse, it's sad.  My cervix is personal between me and my gynecologist.  My husband doesn't even know I have a cervix. 

Does this bother anyone else, or is it just me?

I hear ya, I keep wondering how she's gonna manage not to miscary, after all her poor cervix has been through.

I really hated that book.....and I like erotica.  It just seemed so harsh to me.  Yuck!

well, that's what erotica is....graphic.

I do agree with the whole cervix thing, but I have seen that outside of erotica as well. All I can think of is ouch.

My husband doesn't even know I have a cervix.

lol classic!

yes i do agree.  the sex scenes/phrases were quite repetitive.

Actually, I understand some women find it very stimulating to have their cervix rubbed against (much like a g-spot).  Why does erotica have to be so graphic?  Because it's erotica and sexual titliiation is the whole point.  The reason you don't hear the cervix mentioned much is that a man has to be really really big to even reach it.   

All joking aside, although this was IMHO an excellent book, I feel it was misrepresented by the publisher as generic historical romance.  It's VERY EROTIC historical romance along the lines of Robin Schone, Susan Johnson, Sylvia Day and Emma Holly.  If it's not your cup of tea, then it just isn't and move on to something else.  The book has a huge WL so you'll soon be rid of it.

If you decide to continue, aside from the sex (which diminishes after the first few chapters), it is very well written and a very good love story.  Very erotic and emotional (if you like that and I do).  It was a definite keeper for me, but rather shocking due to some of the language and the fact that it jumped into sex by the 10th page.  I don't mind being shocked, however.  I like something that takes me a little out of my comfort zone.  It's nowhere near as shocking as some of Robin Schone's books, another favorite of mine.

 I'm anxiously awaiting her next book, Patience (delayed over a year). 

I don't mind erotica if the story is good.  I've enjoyed Robin Schone and Emma Holly because the stories they write are romance mixed with heavy sexual content......which is not such a bad thing.  It's just not my first preference.  In all fairness, I'm hoping the story gets good.  I can't really say it's bad,  but I'm only on chapter 2 and already I'm sexed out....:p    My peeve today was really just the same sexual description over and over and over again.  And the description being just a little too medical for my sake. 

"The reason you don't hear the cervix mentioned much is that a man has to be really really big to even reach it."

That's an eye opening lesson!

I'll admit it does sound medical but I don't think there's another term for it.

Given some of the euphemisms mentioned in the other thread, I shutter to think what else writers would call it.

I am NOT a fan of erotica, I haven't been able to get into any erotica authors, but I loved Passion. 

Aside from the sex scenes, I think this book ended up having a really good romance story.  I do usually prefer sex scenes to be a little less explicit. 

I agree that it does have a good romance, though of course I'm a sucker for that particular plot.  I have pretty mixed feelings about it though. What got to me even more than the graphicness was the weird mix of flowery and crude language.  Passion would say something really purple and romantic and he would grunt "F*uck!" in response.

Typical guy, eh?  :-)

Monica, sounds like you were unlucky enough to get one that wasn't your cup of tea..I've been unfortunate too LOL! I got hold of some that just turned my stomach with the content and used words that bothered me but luckily I found plenty more that turned my stomach the right way and used words that I liked!

Overall the silly purple prose is worse to me than graphic language.  But specifically I like language that fits the characters and the situation and isn't just used for shock value.  What bugs me is the "Rubrik's Cube sex".  Take an assortment of men and women and sex toys and see how many combinations you can stage before you reach your page count.  Or the ones where they are so demeaning and degrading to the woman but the guy/guys magnificent pecs and magic p - - - s convince her that she's really happy being treated like their version of a vibrator.  No language really needed.

Actually, that's true.  That was another thing that bugged me.  The f word and the c word and pus*y word.  Not that I'm against them in a contemporary novel, but in an historical one?  Aren't those modern day slang?  Correct me if I'm wrong.  That just takes me out of the context of the era.  When used in some really explicit scenes in a contemporary romance they work great.  But when the woman is wearing gloves and he's wearing a hat in the middle of the day......sorry, it just doesn't cut it.

I agree about the sex in Passion and I'm a prolific erotica reader. Enough already about how huge he is! We get it, we get it! lol

Aren't those modern day slang?

Actually, no.

The etymology of c*nt dates to the 1200's, and cu*ny, an alternate form was especially widely used in England. F*ck is harder to trace the origins, but it was absolutly around by at least the 1600's. Pu*sy was used as a term of endearment for a female as early as 1500's, and was used as slang for genitialia by at least the 1700's.

Can you tell I have a dirty mind??? LOL

Hey Sam!!!

I love mostly all kinds of erotica...there are authors who I know to read if I want hot sexy and a great romance, and there are those who I know to read if I want just hot sex. Sometimes I want to read a story with sex for the sake of sex, maybe I am just easy lol

You're right about the origin of the 4-letter words.  In fact I researched them myself when I ran across them in another historical and they struck me as anachronistic.  In fact, these are very very old words.  Since the 14th century, however, the f word was regarded as so vulgar that it could only be printed in "code" like "f word" etc.  I wonder sometimes if they are thrown in for "shock value?"

Wow, that's amazing.  I didn't know they were that old.  I stand corrected.  I guess it's hard for me to appreciate them when used in an historical novel because they are still used today whereas so much of the speech from that era, no longer is.  They just feel too contemporary for me. 

I agree.

Hey backatya, Ashley!!! Us dirty minded girls always end up in the conversations about sex, lol

Anyway, word origins fasinate me. It's weird to think that none of those words were new amongst our great-grandparents.

Hre is a blurb from the eytmoligical dictionary...

"F*ck was outlawed in print in England (by the Obscene Publications Act, 1857) and the U.S. (by the Comstock Act, 1873). The word may have been shunned in print, but it continued in conversation, especially among soldiers during WWI.

"It became so common that an effective way for the soldier to express this emotion was to omit this word. Thus if a sergeant said, 'Get your ----ing rifles!' it was understood as a matter of routine. But if he said 'Get your rifles!' there was an immediate implication of urgency and danger." [John Brophy, "Songs and Slang of the British Soldier: 1914-1918,"

LOL.  Good one.