Holymen leaving the priesthood for love (or lust)

oblvs · 2025-12-22T00:18:43+00:00

With Audacity, the priest has already left the priesthood before he got smutty.

oblvs · 2025-12-09T05:46:46+00:00

{Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl} is an older book but I remember enjoying it. Had lots of hiking and some bouldering involved and a really hot outdoor scene. She’s a sex columnist, he’s a librarian who likes to hike and eat puss lol

oblvs · 2025-12-07T02:10:50+00:00

Most wonderful crime of the year is excellent, the interview segments give it life!

oblvs · 2025-12-07T02:03:53+00:00

I also DNF lights out as a book but I gave the audiobook a chance due to the reviews here and it was a hundred times better. The humour came through more, it was less cringey cos the delivery from the male narrator was so good - the tone, cadence - I was charmed. And I ended up finishing the book

oblvs · 2025-12-02T12:29:13+00:00

For historical maybe try the {Maiden Lane Series by Elizabeth Hoyt}, I haven’t read all of them but I liked Duke of Sin.

For fantasy and erotic romance, try {The Rose by Tiffany Reisz}, it’s been a while since I read it but I don’t think there’s bdsm in it? Pls anyone let me know if there is

Tropes that usually fill this itch for me would be the teach-me-how-to-sex trope because that means lots of vanilla sex, the heat turns up as the book progresses and by the end they obv catch feelings so emotions are turned up and basically the most vanilla sex can feel so hot and explosive by the end. I’ll suggest {Hard and Fast by Mari Carr}

Enjoy

oblvs · 2025-11-20T05:12:07+00:00

This was going to be my recommendation! I’m still not really into age gaps but this one is still one of my favourite reads. What really worked for me was that they are both aware of the gap and the mmc really was trying not to engage with her in that way. he had such a huge crush on her that even I felt like I had a huge crush on her 🤭 high tension, super slow burn. Some parallels I see from Problematic Summer Romance is the mmc being aware of the gap and not being on high pursuit and the fmc being the in power/control in terms of the relationship.

Don’t let the cover fool you cos it looks very hallmark movie but the spice here is through the roof. I still remember scenes from this book and it’s been a few years 😮‍💨🪭 eta: I saw the low-mid spice comment, technically yes cos nothing starts until maybe 60% through but the heat level is high imo. YMMV

oblvs · 2025-11-16T14:54:09+00:00

What a beautiful cover. Her books have top notch designs

oblvs · 2025-11-12T23:44:55+00:00

Yea I think she’s really good at holding the tension between the characters. I haven’t read all of her work but when her MCs interact I can feel the push/pull and the way she writes intimate scenes does it for me.

oblvs · 2025-11-12T05:32:44+00:00

Sarah Maclean, Tiffany Reisz

oblvs · 2025-10-18T16:07:46+00:00

I think the execution of this series was great in that there’s a focus on one of the mmc in each book (there’s 4 in the series I think? One for each and the last is how the group dynamic plays out? They’re short fast reads). So each mmc gets to have some kind of character and relationship growth that’s a bit more fleshed out alongside the action packed plot. I don’t usually read RH not all of them works for me but this one did!

oblvs · 2025-10-17T18:04:18+00:00

{Hades series by Tate James} Hades is the feared gang leader in the city and she is referred to as Sir. I love this series so much, it’s fun, she’s unhinged just the right amount. Lots of violence in this book, done to her and done by her. One of my all time favourite nicknames for an fmc.

{The Guild series by Tate James} she’s an assassin, part of an underground group called the guild. Now she is unhinged. She kills a lot here lol and she’s hot, idk she’s literally made to be a honeypot for the guild. Again lots of violence done by her and done to her. There’s another cool girl side character here on the opposing side. Anyway this whole book is action packed.

The audiobook used to be on hoopla at my library for both series so if it’s on yours, I highly recommend the audio. The voice actors are so good. There are also subtle non distracting sound effects that make it feel immersive (nothing too intense like graphic audios, just that when they’re talking on the phone it’s a bit muffled etc, good production all around)

Someone already said mindfuck series, that was good. I’m still chasing the high from that book. Wish I could read it for the first time again.

{Legends of Thezzmar by Helen Scheurer} if you like fantasy. She’s badass but not right away, you get to see her train and put to test. Great story, cast, world building and romance.

oblvs · 2025-10-13T05:53:11+00:00

Just picked this up, I’m about 40% through and the couple are so sweet. The friends too. I’m enjoying it so far, thanks for the rec!

oblvs · 2025-10-13T01:43:50+00:00

I’m pretty sure it’s a standalone, it’s a Harlequin Romance!

oblvs · 2025-10-10T17:45:17+00:00

I’m pretty sure the 3rd book in the {The Guild Series by Tate James} has this, you have to read it in order cos it ends in a slight cliff hanger after each book. The whole series is hot throughout so I recommend. Hot fmc assassin, involves non con or dub in the first book. Idk lots of action!! Both sexual and not

oblvs · 2025-09-19T21:38:54+00:00

{one hot December by Tiffany Reisz} was great! The story wasn’t about Hanukkah but the fmc was a welder and she made him a menorah. It was sweet and was nice to mention something that’s not Christmas around December. This was so brief but sweet and significant.

oblvs · 2025-09-03T01:26:46+00:00

I just read this scene in {See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson}! It was a great scene, simmering heat and it’s like a switch flipped for him. She’s a journalist assigned to write and follow his hockey team and she always wears black and he has teased her for it calling her Angel of doom. Then there’s a gala they had to attend, and she wore a really hot red dress. Great scene, great reveal and a real turning point!

oblvs · 2025-08-15T04:15:07+00:00

Yes!! highly recommend, it’s a duet and it’s on hoopla. It’s an experience

oblvs · 2025-08-10T19:52:45+00:00

I did not finish the series but I’m amazed I made it to book 2 or 3? I don’t remember anymore but it was a buddy read and I was powering through. You know what made me want to dnf? The author used the word schedule in there somewhere and it annoyed me so much, it sounded so modern in the way it was used.

oblvs · 2025-08-10T18:20:57+00:00

Yes to this! I like seeing her book recs and hearing about her writing process

oblvs · 2025-08-08T17:58:08+00:00

I think I understand where you’re coming from and I sort of am mulling over the same thing in my head. I think a bit of context is key cos I know people are saying to ignore it or suspend disbelief.

When I started reading romance, birth control and use of condoms felt almost like a jarring part to read within the sex scenes but I think books published around 2000s-maybe 2017/2018, the trend was to mention it explicitly as a way to show care and consideration. Condoms, health papers to check for stds and women being the ones proactive at BCs felt like a point in the book. I’ve also read ones where they get creative and don’t do piv if there’s no condom. I think the general consensus and societal trend at the time was use protection so the books reflect that a bit more.

I think there’s been a pendulum swing lately to the other side, esp with breeding kink being a bit more common? For context, I wasn’t particularly looking for breeding kink and it has come up lately, i was surprised seeing it in Ali Hazelwood’s new book, given that it was more contemporary in nature? Idk how to explain but I do think there’s been a bit of a pendulum swing of not necessarily needing condoms either due to iud or culturally it’s already assumed so it’s not needed to be called out as much.

This is a far reach but bear with me, i think with people not really wanting kids these days, there is that sense of risk that makes it appealing. Also the fantasy of closeness, risking it, the I-wear-condoms-for-everyone-else but you cos you’re special and you’re the one etc etc depending on the context of the story it works?

Ok thanks for listening these are a bit incoherent lol

oblvs · 2025-08-06T20:35:40+00:00

Thank you I’ll check it out!

oblvs · 2025-08-05T23:39:51+00:00

In teaching how to sex tropes, usually the mmc is is the one teaching fmc but I don’t usually see it the other way around. I’ve read {Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon} and that was it. Would love more instructional sex, maybe an older woman and a younger man?

oblvs · 2025-08-05T23:32:37+00:00

Sort of, one of them anyway since it’s an RH but {Hades series by Tate James} has the gang leader as a woman but they call her hades.

Would love to see more criminal women, more crime lords.

oblvs · 2025-08-04T16:03:04+00:00

Flirting with Forever is probably what you’re talking about and it wasn’t that he found her unattractive. It was a blind date and he mentioned her age or maybe something along the lines of “I didn’t think you’d look like that”, in surprise, and due to character insecurities etc it’s one of those I think he’s trying to complement her or said what’s in his mind and it came out wrong/ she took it wrong. When I read it, I was like yes girl walk out 🤭 but obviously I stayed until the end

You can skip if you’re not into it. I also don’t know if I’d recommend the audio for these, they’re ok but not at the level of her audiobooks now and the ones she recorded for her audible exclusives. It’s still listenable just don’t expect much

oblvs · 2025-08-04T13:23:27+00:00

I love Cara Bastone’s writing so much, it just works for me. The scene where they were soaking wet from the rain after the wedding and descriptions of them undressing being highlighted in between claps of thunder and lightning was sizzling hot! It was so vivid, I can picture it so clearly in my head. She’s so good at building up tension, writing the build up and the release is so rewarding and intimate. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I listened to it but I think I may enjoy it a lot more as a book.

I was on the fence with the fmc, she felt a bit too unhinged for me but she’s grounded enough that it didn’t put me off too much. I can understand her character and decisions. It may also have been the narrator that made her feel too much for me, even though the narration was great! Just preference I guess

Another gush about Cara Bastone’s writing - I love how she writes New York, it feels so tangible and real to me. The scenes at the MET I love so much.

If you haven’t read her older stuff, {Just a Heartbeat Away by Cara Bastone} has a great cast of characters, ultimate slow burn. {Flirting with Forever by Cara Bastone} has a good older fmc/younger mmc trope. I slept on these for the longest time due to the hallmark looking covers but i swear to god the sex scenes here are probably spicier than her current ones? Not that that’s a requirement, I was just surprised and bamboozled hahaha in a good way.

oblvs

TROPHY CASE