Have you ever read a book that is so smutty it feels illegal to be reading it in public? Now, I have a pretty good poker face, but there are some books where even I couldn’t keep a straight face while reading. These four books had me red as a tomato, looking around to make sure nobody was looking over my shoulder and pulling the book closer to my face so there was absolutely no chance someone could see it. With that, get ready to add them to your TBR list!
1. Hooked by Emily McIntire
I started this book on a beautiful afternoon, sitting at Black Dog Café with a group of older men playing chess right next to me, children running by my table every few minutes and couples on wholesome dates sitting all around me. By page five I felt like I had to personally apologize to all of them. This retelling of the classic Peter Pan fairytale is genuinely one of the smuttiest books I have ever read. The story follows James, better known as Hook, as he attempts to get revenge on the man who killed his family, Peter. When he meets Peter’s alluring daughter, Wendy, Hook sees it as the perfect opportunity for revenge. He will murder Wendy, just like Peter murdered his parents. I am not spoiling anything when I say that this book is dark and there will be no cute romance where the characters make one another better people. However, if you want an extremely dark romance that you need to lock yourself in your bedroom to read, definitely pick this book up at Barnes and Noble.
2. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
This book isn’t quite as dark as Hooked, but don’t worry, it will still have you blushing. I read this one while surrounded by a bunch of my sorority sisters, waiting for the next party to start during recruitment, and had many of them call me out because I was blushing so hard. This novel follows Piper, a Hollywood it girl who gets banished to a small fishing town by her father for a summer. While there, she meets grumpy, sexy local fisherman Brendan. This book is most definitely in the running for my favorite grumpy-sunshine novel. Unlike Hooked, you will fall in love with this couple and their redeeming character development while also feeling guilty for reading it in public.
3. The Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy
I couldn’t just pick one book from this five-book series. The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, The Goal and The Legacy follow four college hockey players and best friends living together in an off-campus house and each of their separate love stories. Every one of these books is so much fun to read and will have you falling in love with all four of these boys. I never had an interest in hockey until reading these books and suddenly after reading this series, I’m convinced I’m going to marry a hockey player one day. Each book employs different personalities and different tropes that everyone will love. Though cute, these books have a whole new level of spice that had me feeling the need to ban myself from Black Dog Café, as I once again made the mistake of choosing this spot to have a wholesome day of sipping coffee and reading. Definitely add this binge-worthy series to your list immediately as you definitely won’t regret it.
4. Ugly love by COlleen Hoover
Now, say what you want about Colleen Hoover, but she knows how to write a sexy book, even if her characters are questionable. Ugly Love is just one example of her writing expertise. This novel follows nurse, Tate Collins and airline pilot, Miles Archer. The two meet and though it most definitely is not love at first sight, it is an attraction at first sight. Their seamlessly simple arrangement of sex only turns ugly very quickly when the two realize they simply cannot follow the rules they lay out at the beginning of the novel. Though the characters may be frustrating and a little bit toxic, their love story is undeniably spicy, and in my personal opinion, they are able to redeem themselves by the end of the book.
I have read a lot of Booktok books, and these are just a few of my favorites when it comes to spice level. These novels will have you feeling the need to repent for your sins, whether or not you’re a religious person so grab your wallet and head down to your favorite bookstore right away to grab these must-reads!
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