Back in 2017, we ran a set of columns asking our reviewers what love scenes in romance novels made them swoon. Reading over them now–you can find Part One here and Part two here–was a lot of fun. The one I picked, from one of my favorite historical romance novels by the great and very much missed Joanna Bourne, is still one of my favorites. In My Lord and Spymaster–and in just about every Bourne, Duran, and (early) Thomas I’ve ever read, the love scenes sizzle because the leads know each other and that knowledge is what drives the attraction. Now, I’ve also been known to enjoy love scenes where the initial passion comes from flat-out physical attraction, found, for example in reads like Extreme Danger, Sex, Straight Up, and Uncommon Passion. These scenes, though, are usually only sexy to me if they are in the beginning of the affair and I am sure that the sex creates an ineluctable intimacy between the leads–the desire is hot because it creates an emotional payoff for the lovers and the reader.
I have to say, as I was writing this, I couldn’t come up with any recent love scenes that had stayed with me. I’m not sure why that is–I’ve found several recent romances to be, overall, sexy. But single love scenes–or even first kisses–that live in my head, well, none occurred to me. I’m sure they’re out there–I’d hazard that I’ve read so many romances that scenes in the ones I read early on in my adult romance reading simply have more heft.
What love scenes have stayed with you? And what about them makes them so memorable?
The windowsill scene in Love Theoretically, by Ali Hazelwood is wonderful! There’s emotional connection, tenderness and some athleticism to hold them together. Jack challenges Elsie to tell him what she likes – swoon 🙂
The first time for Nick and Sewanee in Julia Whelan’s Thank You for Listening worked for me. I listened to it, and from memory, Sewanee asks Nick what he was thinking about when he watches her dance – delicious!
And finally Kate Clayborn’s very understated sex scenes are so memorable. There’s so many but I adored Best of Luck with Greer and Alex getting together after she photographs him. Sigh.
Great question!
The only scene that comes to mind is at the finale of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. There’s this moment that the Fairy King realizes a human girl has fulfilled the impossible tasks he laid out for anyone to be the Fairy Queen. They are both a mess from their battle with a fire demon. H has just pulled her out of a near-frozen river, and he bows before her and tells her that though she is mortal, she is a Queen indeed. It’s such an epic acknowledgment from a man who made her prove her worth. I loved it.
For romances, I’ve found that while I have several memorable scenes that I love, none of them are about the h/H doing something swoony. More often, it’s about the h/H doing something silly, such as in Alexa Martin’s Nextdoor Nemesis, where the hero kills an inflatable with a lawn flamingo. Or the moment in the refrigeration aisle where Nik suddenly realizes she loves Carlos in The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. The endless rounds of cake in Party of Two by Guillory. A lot of my romances from the past decade have been slow burn, which I think cuts into those big scenes. Instead, it’s a lot of little moments that make the romance.
I am absurdly sensual and normally sexual so it is the sensual scenes that, “GET” to me. The most notable of which is, of course, the legendary haircut scene in Mia Sheridan’s Archer’s Voice and the second most notable is the shaving scene in Lisa Kleypas’ Devil’s Daughter.
Love these! I need to re-read Devil’s Daughter
I can’t think of any swoony love scenes in anything I’ve read recently. The more romance I read, the more mundane the sex scenes seem to become (often something to be skimmed through) and even the first kisses are rarely memorable. Sometimes a character’s emotional depths will get to me more than their interactions with the other person.
For example, in Abby Jimenez’ Yours Truly when socially anxious Jacob paces on Brianna’s front porch for ages trying to summon the courage to ask her to go on a real date rather than their fake ones, my heart ached for him. (I ended up kind of hating Brianna, as I have all of Jimenez’ female leads I’ve encountered, but that’s another story…)
I don’t think I would say any love scenes make me swoon, but the love scenes in romances that I consider strongest and most memorable are not just sex scenes. They are scenes that advance the protagonists’ relationship, like the first (in the cave) sex scene in Amanda Quick’s Ravished. I can read erotica for sex scenes that don’t advance relationships. Also, love scenes don’t have to be sex scenes—I would count some of the conversations in Heyer’s Venetia as love scenes.
I don’t know about swooning, but the most memorable sex scene I’ve read is the one between Justine and Hawker in The Black Hawk, memorable because it’s so important to the characters.
But I also like the one in Lord Perfect with the drop of water.
I love both of those too!! I also love the scene bathhouse scene between Doyle and Maggie–Bourne’s love scenes are excellent at illuminating the relationship between the leads.
Yes, those are fabulous. Meredith Duran’s depiction of the love scene in A Lady’s Code of Misconduct is also wonderful, and probably my favorite of all time is in Connie Brockway’s As You Desire.
I’ll have to go back to As You Desire. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it!