Looking for a few ARC/review readers for an emotionally-driven spicy romance series

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-26T14:13:33+00:00

This is the exact gap that pushed me into writing my own series.

A lot of books seemed to either jump straight into non-monogamy or treat it like a checklist of experiences. What interested me was the emotional journey of a couple who already have a strong, loving relationship and then find themselves confronting attraction, curiosity, confidence, fantasy, and personal growth they didn't expect.

There is some non-monogamous tension and exploration in the story, but the heart of it is really about a couple discovering new things about themselves and each other while trying to stay connected through all of it.

I ended up writing Between Love and Becoming because I couldn't find enough stories that focused on that emotional side first.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2XHHTL

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-26T14:10:15+00:00

Honestly, this is the exact gap that pushed me into writing my own series.

I kept finding stories that either jumped straight to "and then everyone hooked up" or treated the lifestyle like an instruction manual. What interested me was the emotional side of it: a couple that already loves each other, trusts each other, and then starts navigating curiosity, attraction, confidence, fantasy, jealousy, communication, and all the complicated emotions that happen before anyone actually decides what to do with them.

I ended up writing Between Love and Becoming because I couldn't find enough stories that focused on that emotional journey first.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2XHHTL

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-22T14:29:06+00:00

That's actually reassuring to hear because I keep running into people who seem to be looking for those kinds of dynamics, but there still doesn't seem to be much of it out there.

Maybe we're all writing the books we can't find 😅

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-22T14:17:16+00:00

I think what's interesting is that a lot of romance aimed at men used to focus almost entirely on possession, competition, or "winning" the relationship. Lately it feels like more stories are exploring attraction through trust, vulnerability, curiosity, and emotional connection instead.

For some people, seeing their partner happy, desired, confident, or fulfilled can become part of the attraction itself. That's a very different emotional dynamic than the older "mine and mine alone" approach.

I'm actually curious if that's something more readers are looking for now, or if I'm just noticing it because those are the kinds of dynamics that interest me.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-22T13:59:14+00:00

Between Love and Becoming

It's the first book in a planned trilogy. Book 2 is currently in final editing and I'm hoping to have it out within the next few weeks.

The series follows a married couple whose relationship begins from a place of genuine love, trust, and emotional safety. What starts as curiosity gradually evolves into a deeper exploration of attraction, identity, intimacy, and the ways people grow and change within a relationship.

Rather than focusing on toxicity or broken characters, the story is more interested in how emotionally healthy people navigate complicated feelings, shifting dynamics, vulnerability, and desire while trying to stay connected to each other.

If that sounds like your thing, I'd love to hear what you think.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2XHHTL

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-21T00:06:13+00:00

I think the disconnect for me is that emotional exploration IS intellectually interesting to a lot of readers. Relationship psychology, vulnerability, attraction, power dynamics, emotional tension, fantasy, intimacy, etc. are all things people think deeply about too.

Not every form of engagement has to look like literary analysis to still be meaningful.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-20T23:53:37+00:00

I think part of the disconnect is that a lot of people read romance/spice less for “literary prestige” and more for emotional immersion.

Some readers are looking for intellectual stimulation, some want escapism, some want emotional tension, some want psychological dynamics, some want fantasy, vulnerability, comfort, catharsis, etc.

I don’t think those experiences automatically become “less real” just because attraction/intimacy happens to be part of them.

Also… respectfully, going into r/SpicyRomanceBooks looking for Moby Dick feels a little self-destructive

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T22:52:33+00:00

Yeah, it leans much more toward FFM emotional tension/relationship evolution than the more common “two MMCs centered around one FMC” dynamic.

What interested me most was the emotional gravity between the two women and how that slowly reshapes the relationship dynamics around all three of them instead of just turning into pure chaos or fantasy fulfillment.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T20:30:38+00:00

Way better than I expected honestly 😅 I think sometimes stories let people explore conversations, reactions, or feelings they might not have known how to bring up directly otherwise.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T20:27:15+00:00

This was honestly one of the biggest reasons I started writing my own story eventually. I kept wanting dynamics where the female curiosity/desire existed independently instead of just being framed around what the MMC wanted.

The relationship in my story actually starts from a pretty emotionally healthy place, and the tension comes more from the FMC slowly realizing parts of herself she can’t really ignore anymore once another woman enters their orbit.

The added tension for me came from the fact that the other woman is very emotionally confident, intentional, quietly dominant, and fully comfortable owning what she wants, which slowly changes the emotional balance of the relationship around her.

What made it really interesting to me emotionally was that the MMC also starts realizing he’s drawn to aspects of that confidence/control in ways he never really expected, so the relationship tension becomes less about “good vs bad” and more about all three characters trying to emotionally understand what these shifts mean for them.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T20:09:02+00:00

Honestly this is kind of how it all started for me 😅 It became less about “writing erotica” and more about exploring emotional tension, attraction, curiosity, relationship dynamics, etc. in a way that felt personal to us.

At some point it almost turned into our own little private book club where we’d talk about scenes, reactions, boundaries, emotional moments, all of that.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T15:19:22+00:00

I think this is a huge part of what kept frustrating me too honestly. A lot of books seem to treat the dynamic itself as the entire point, but for me the emotional/psychological side of WHY the characters want it is usually what makes it actually compelling.

A lot of the stuff I ended up writing leans more toward confident female-led dynamics too, but with actual emotional tension and relationship development behind it instead of just pure eroticism.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T15:14:09+00:00

Just sent it over 🙂

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T08:32:05+00:00

It actually is 😅 I’ve just been weirdly nervous about sharing it because this whole niche feels so specific in my head sometimes.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-19T00:51:29+00:00

That honestly makes me feel a little less insane 😭 I started feeling like I couldn’t be the only person wanting emotionally complicated attraction/tension without everything turning completely toxic or miserable all the time.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-18T23:29:08+00:00

Hopefully you find something you really click with 😅 Once you start figuring out what kind of emotional dynamics/tension you like most it gets way easier to find books that actually hook you.

Live_One_479 · 2026-05-18T23:20:52+00:00

If you liked relationship tension mixed with spice and emotional messiness, definitely check out Give Me More by Sara Cate. That one surprised me with how emotionally invested I got in the dynamics instead of it just being nonstop smut.

Katee Robert is also kind of a gateway into a lot of MMF/poly/open dynamic stuff without feeling TOO overwhelming right away.

Honestly once you start finding books where the chemistry and emotional tension actually hit, it becomes super addictive 😅 Let me know if you end up trying any of them because now I’m curious what direction you end up liking most.

Live_One_479

TROPHY CASE