#spicy romance

[mortish-writes]

Step into the tragic and fleeting existence of a Vestal of Dawn—a priestess bound by sacred vows of purity and an unwavering devotion to scripture. But when the sun goddess abandons you, your faith shatters. In your darkest moment, a tempting offer arises. A new covenant. A second chance at life... but at a cost.

You have until winter's end to seduce a dangerous immortal and bear his child—or risk losing everything.

Bride of Shadows is a mature interactive dark fantasy romance available for free on Itch.

Night IV Update

The Zealot route is now available for Night IV. It's fairly similar to the non-intimacy Heretic route, but there is no NSFW option and some different conversations. Give her time, she'll get there.

I've fixed the issue where your Weaver alignment wasn't correctly registering.

I've added popups to the codex as well as a new codex entry for a few of the Elodari gods/goddesses. There are a lot more to list and these are only the teachings the MC was brought up to believe. They may not align with beliefs in other regions or sects.

I've also updated the content warning for more clarity. I worry I've lured in readers who are expecting this to be a different type of story than it is and I hope this will dissuade readers from continuing if they're not comfortable with dark romances, dislike pregnancy romances, and dislike submissive MCs. If that's you, up ahead is a whole minefield of things you will not enjoy. Turn back!

Current Word Count: 101059!!! Average Playthrough: 41,000

We're working our way into novel-length territory for just the first four nights!

[[Play Bride of Shadows]] [[Ko-Fi]]

Stay tuned for updates and excerpts for Night V. -Mortish

[foldingfittedsheets]

So I went to Geek Girl Con this year and the best panel we attended was one where Librarians recommend your next spicy romance read and since they provided a list I figured I'd share the list because why the hell not? I don’t know how long they will leave the link up sorry All synopsis will be what I remembered from the panel without any research into the title so buckle up! I feel like it's pretty obvious which ones I was more interested in based on what I remember.

Triple Sec - Spice Level 2 Queer/Fiction

This is a poly plot wherein a cynical bartender gets swept up in a new romance with a lady in an open marriage and then sparks start between all three.

Band Sinister - Spice Level 4 Queer/Period

A period romance between two guys, the local playboy and our leading lad who meets the local playboy when his sister gets into an accident on the guy’s property. He finds a lovely community very different than the rake's reputation suggested and gets drawn into a romance against his better judgement.

Here We Go Again - Spice Level 2 Queer/Fiction

A wlw romance between two girls with a history who need to go on a roadtrip together and reconnect on the drive. Childhood friends I think?

Payback's a Witch - Spice Level 2 Queer/Fantasy

A wlw romance between Emmy and Talia (I'm cheating I've read this one before and liked it). Emmy left her hometown and magic behind after an embarrassing rejection from the most powerful magical family's scion. She comes back into town and finds her best friend and the stunning Talia have both now been wronged by the same guy. They convince Emmy to join a pact to get back at him together and Emmy and Talia grow closer through the power of revenge.

Act Your Age Eve Brown - Spice Level 2 Het/Fiction

A chaotic autistic female lead runs into a by the book boy after one of them gets hit by the others car and she ends up staying with him. They form a very sweet bond and the representation was lauded as being very precious.

Merry Inkmas - Spice Level 4 Het/Fiction

A cool alternative barista gets fired in front of her crush for giving a homeless man a free coffee and her crush hires her on the spot to work for him instead. They start up a relationship that he warns has an expiration date which suits her fine- or does it? Hijinks ensue.

D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding - Spice Level 4 Queer/Fiction

A wlw romance under false pretenses, they agree to get married for a reality TV show. There's an influencer and a shy one can’t remember who’s who, the shy one decided national television is a good way to come out to her family. As the competition continues real feelings start to rear their head between the two.

The Prospects - Spice Level 4 Queer/Fiction

Uhhhh baseball boys? The boys play baseball... mlm romance. Baseball.

Something Wild and Wonderful - Spice Level 3 Queer/Fiction

Two guys are both hiking a grueling trail from Mexico to Canada. After running into each other repeatedly they strike up a connection and eventually a relationship. One of the guys is still spiritual despite rejection from the church and it's healing for the other guy.

Prince and Assassin - Spice Level 4 Queer/Fantasy

An assassin is sent on a mission to take out a prince. While waiting for his orders to pull the dagger the two men grow closer and the assassin realizes he may not be able to kill off the prince as he learns more about him- but his sister's life is forfeit if he fails. Dramaaaaa

After Hours on Milagro Street - Spice Level 5 Het/Fiction

I cheated and had to refresh my memory as I fully forgot the plot. A bar is entrusted to new management in the form of a tattooed tough lady. A child of the family who's always run it takes issue with her management and sparks fly as they learn to compromise.

The Pairing - Spice Level Queer/Fiction

A couple breaks up before taking an amazing food tour across Europe and neither goes. With their tickets to the tour about to expire both decide to say screw it and go anyway, presuming that they couldn't possibly run into each other. They do. They they proceed to try to out slut each other while eating delicious food to prove how over each other they are. They aren't.

Hunt the Stars - Spice Level 3 Het/Sci fi

Human/alien pairing I think? As a bounty hunting crew takes a dangerous job and in the midst of peril find undeniable chemistry despite some fraught history between the two species.

A Holly Jolly Ever After - Spice Level 5 Het/Fiction

A previous child actor has found herself in a loveless marriage. She finally breaks free of her husband and takes a huge hit to her public image. She takes a job on a Hallmark style Christmas movie with another previous child star boyband. He has always had a crush on her and while paired as romantic leads on the film she admits to him she's never had an orgasm. We can see where this is going.

Morning Glory Milking Farm - Spice Level 5 Het/Fantasy

Stay with me. Minotaur. Milking. Farms. But it's not milk, guys. So a down on her luck girl takes a great paying job on a farm which I think is like phone sex? and makes a connection with one of the beefy boys get it. Genuinely tactful conversations around consent despite the goofy premise. Monster fuckers will enjoy.

Hate to Want You - Spice Level 5 Het/Fiction

Romeo and Juliet style warring families who hate each other because of grocery stores, I think. A boy and girl get together once a year and hate fuck each other about it but things get hard when she moves back into town for real and they keep bumping into each other.

Consort of Fire - Spice Level 5 Queer/Fantasy

A princess and knight go to take down a dragon but wind up falling for him instead? I feel like that's enough said. Poly dynamic and dragons, that's all it took for me to put in a hold.

Dating Dr. Dil - Spice Level 3 Het/Fiction

Fake dating a hot doctor to get her family off her back. 'Nough said.

Satisfaction Guaranteed - Spice Level 2 Queer/Fiction

A lady inherits a sex toy shop and drops her job to try to save it. The store manager doesn't think much of her and they both have to work together to get the shop back on its feet.

Role Playing - Spice Level 3 Het/Fiction

A forties lady joins a message board for gaming and strikes up a conversation with someone she assumes is a teenager. The guy thinks he's talking to a grandma. They meet and realize they're in the same age bracket and have a lot in common.

[harlowesavageofficial]

Me when people try to tell me that reading smut doesn't count.

[uniqueearthquaketimetravel]

Dearest readers, prepare yourselves for a new chapter of scandal. Bridgerton Season 3 is coming...

📖 👑💜

[jessread-s]

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🐉✨Review:

A strong start to a romantasy series with endless potential!

“Fear the Flames” follows Elowen Atarah, an exiled princess, as she teams up with Cayden Veles, the feared Commander of Vareveth, to free her dragons and save her people. As forces beyond their control try to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes irresistible. 

The concept of this book immediately grasped my attention. It was the reluctant allies-to-lovers romance that drew me in further! Elowen and Cayden’s knife to the throat meet-cute put me in a chokehold and I was living for their banter. Their dynamic is truly incredible and the tension had my heart pounding.

Unfortunately, the pacing and aspects of the writing are what lost me. While Cayden fell first, he also fell very fast. Many readers might like this if they prefer instantaneous chemistry, but I tend to like books where the relationship development moves more slowly, so I did not enjoy how quick it felt. Much of their dialogue, aside from the banter, was also clunky and cringey at times. 

As far as the plot, the heist was the main focus, so I was a bit let down when it missed the mark. There was a lot of build-up surrounding it only for it to be done and over with so quickly. Nearly everything was executed perfectly without a hitch, so it just ended up being anticlimactic. 

Overall, I appreciate this book’s vision and really liked some of its elements despite its setbacks. I’m interested to see what direction Darling takes the next book now that the groundwork has been laid.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[rynxle]

Valentine's night.

Genre - raw s£x, fingering, deep kissing, and breasts squeezing.

It can also include cursing and other pet names that aren't supposed to say for minors.

Disclaimer - do not attempt anything that will show here, especially minors.

author's note - sorry if it's short this is a bit rushed sorry ><

“happy valentine's day love!!” you happily greeted him, “happy valentine's day to you too my angel.” he cuddled you.

“what's our plan today? It is our special day.” you asked him with cute eyes, “our plan? Hmm...stay in bed and kiss you non stop or we would make a mini version of us.” he suddenly stood up and took both of your clothes off leaving you in shock.

“are you ready here I come!” he suddenly jumped on you, and started kissing you from your lips to your clit “ahh~~ that tickles” you murmured, instead of listening to you he made things worse.

He connects his cock to yours. “haahh~” a loud moan suddenly came out of your mouth.

“faster!!” he made things even harder and faster. He came to your back and started massaging your body, from your back to your clit, “h-h-hah~”

“I'll fuck you even more darling.” he said, you rolled your head, feeling extra relaxed from what he was doing. You moaned very loudly and that made him more relaxed.

He came to your front area, and started to squeeze your cleavage “AH!~” you screamed in pain but that didn't let him stop, instead he kissed it and also your neck.

You both made a very big deep kiss with your tongues and saliva mixing together. Your moans are getting louder and louder, much louder than your voice.

He spreads your legs making you split, and he licks your clit, and sucks it, he makes all his desire thoughts with your body.

“shit that's so good~~” he groaned with a deep and heavy voice.

“let's sleep, I'm getting sleepy that's enough my love.” you said and got a blanket to cover yourself from the cold temperature of the room.

“fine, I'll be waiting if we make it right.” he smirked and cuddled you to sleep.

[mortish-writes]

[[Play Bride of Shadows]] [[Ko-Fi]] [[Patreon]]

The Heretic branch of Night IV is available now on Itch!

As previously mentioned, the Zealot route will need a couple more days to cook. Night IV has two completely different routes, one is shorter with a dramatic ending, the other is much longer and contains the first NSFW scene. It is accessible if you have blue thread with Valdricht and aren't playing on Sealed Mode. The branch is clearly marked with a ♥. Future nights with NSFW content will be similarly marked.

Both branches are fairly linear. I intend to go back and add a bit more variety to them next week, particularly adding more variety to the NSFW scene. I absolutely love it, but I recognize the MC might be too submissive for the tastes of some players. Both routes end in cliffhangers, but you won't have to wait long for a resolution. Night V will begin to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding your MC and The Weaver.

I'm going to hold off on officially launching the Patreon until March 1st. I'm not comfortable charging for half a month. Instead I'll be doing a soft launch for Ko-Fi supporters on February 24th. I'll be sending out free months and you guys can help me test the new Coy & Brazen tendencies, as well as participate in the first poll and get early access to Night V. I've structured the Patreon to be cheap, only $3/month to get full access to the Patreon edition. I want it to be financially accessible to anyone who wants it, while also working toward my goal of writing Bride of Shadows full-time. I'll be looking into a fair way to distribute it to people in countries that don't have Patreon. Let me know if you have suggestions.

The Itch version will continue as normal and the NSFW content will not be paywalled! The Patreon version will just have more of it, as well as different personality traits to play with.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the story. I'll do a more official launch post once the Zealot route is published.

One last thing, if you play the NSFW route, please avoid posting spoilers. You will be privy to a few things that other players won't learn for another night or two. Feel free make very vague comments that only people in know will understand.

-Mortish

[saintmachina]

AN EDUCATION IN MALICE, my queer dark academia Carmilla retelling, has a cover! Preorder your copy for: 

toxic poetry cohorts

horny religious imagery

plus size heroine

subby bisexual girl X domme lesbian

professors behaving badly

vampire house party exhibitionism

romantic necromancy

BARNES AND NOBLE AMAZON WATERSTONES

[stormyskies-writes]

I sat down yesterday to write a short one-shot to get back into writing but it ended up being an 18k word chapter and now I'm at a loss because that is the longest chapter I have ever written and I can't split it because it's all one scene lmao

[harlowesavageofficial]

[cryingwriter]

Romantic Tension

As a romance writer and reader, here are the four things I love that authors add to their work (and that I add to mine as well) to increase Romantic Tension!

••• Sensory Details •••

You should be putting sensory details into your writing already but this is ubber important when it comes to romance. So much of our understanding of how a character feels comes from how their body reacts and how they address things emotionally.

Use the senses when writing your characters together! Does one character notice the other’s cologne? Does one of them remember the feeling of the other’s sweater beneath their fingertips? Do they start to question everything they’ve thought about love and this person because of it? Does their face get hot when they hear the other characters voice? Keep in mind how your character is thinking and feeling about the potential love interest. Saying “she thought he was hot so she wanted to bang him” isn’t very interesting. Give your characters specificity. Maybe they rub their neck when they’re nervous and the other character notices! It shows they get flustered when the other person is around.

••• Mini Moments •••

One of the most well loved and memorable scenes in Pride and Prejudice is the Hand Flex Scene. If you’ve seen the 2005 version with Keira Knightley, you know!

Why is this scene so well known and liked? Because of what happens before it. Mr. Darcy had just helped Elizabeth Bennett into her carriage. He touched her in a way that felt significant and we see that when he flexes his hand.

We want to do this in our writing! Having moments where the characters fingers brush together or one character puts their hand on the small of the other characters back is key to building anticipation in a romance story. It doesn’t always have to be touching, this can also mean a character sharing a secret with another character that they haven’t with anyone else, this could mean a character remembers the other characters favorite drink order. Show us that they’ve noticed each other, that they think “hey, this person is …making me feel something!”

••• Interruption •••

When things start to heat up, interruption is the perfect way to build tension. You characters begin to kiss but someone walks in, one of your character is about to confess some feelings but the phone rings. It can be that simple. Maybe your characters were about to go on a date but then one doesn’t show (this could happen for various reasons). Find moments where you can prolong a big event (meaning a love confession, a kiss, a proposal, a sex scene) from happening!

Side note: be sparing with where you use this, some readers can find it repetitive and annoying if you interrupt a big scene too many times.

••• Obstacles •••

The easiest way to find your romantic obstacles is to look at your tropes. If it’s an enemies to lovers story the characters may be from different kingdoms, different gangs, different walks of life. This is going to make it hard for your characters to be together. This can also be a character flaw like not believing they’re worthy of love so they push the other character away. You can also use multiple relationship obstacles to keep the tension going. If there’s nothing stopping your characters from being together, you have no tension.

•••

All readers really want when reading a romance is to experience the build-up! The butterflies, the expectations, the tension. 🖤 these four things keep me and many other readers turning pages and staying up way past our bed times to know what happens next!

HAPPY WRITING!!

[jtargaryen18]

2025 is here—so is your next book obsession. 🔥 Start the year off right with Hero, the first book in Jamie Targaet's Hounds of Hell MC series. Alpha bikers. Dark romance. Endless heat. Grab it now!

[fated-mates]

More relics from our travels back to the time of Harlequin Blaze.

[nalit-source]

The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots Series) by Tessa Bailey

“The day we met, you could have asked me to bring you the moon on a platter and I’d have done it. Ask me for galaxies now. You get anything you want, gorgeous.”

[motziedapul]

An absolutely wonderful recommendation from christinac_reads on IG about The Pinoy Monster Lover Anthology: After Dark comic!

Please do check out and support our Kickstarter so we can make more art and pay Filipino artists fairly for their work (something that literally the entire world seems hellbent on not doing).

💜You can pledge to our Spicy Monster Lover Comic here💜

[peaches-and-cherries]

Michael exhaled a chuckle, the sound low and knowing. “You and your baking obsessions,” he murmured, stepping closer. The space between them dissolved, the air growing thicker and more charged. His hand slid to her waist, fingers pressing just enough to make her breath hitch. “Can’t you rest for one night?”

She shivered, not from the chill outside but from the slow, deliberate way he pulled her against him. Her pulse thrummed in her throat as she tilted her chin up, her blue eyes meeting his in challenge.

“I’ll try.”

His grip tightened, just for a second. Approval. Control. A reminder. “Good,” he said, his voice edged with something darker. “Because tomorrow is a big day.”

Emily swallowed, heat curling in her belly—not just from the ovens. She knew what he meant. The bakery opening, yes. But also… them. Their rules. The way she kept breaking them.

A sharp beep cut through the tension, the oven’s timer demanding attention. She jumped, pulse hammering, but Michael didn’t let her go. His breath was warm against her ear as he murmured, “Looks like that’s your cue.”

She barely had time to respond before he lifted her effortlessly, her world tilting as he carried her toward the bedroom.

Emily gasped, then giggled—soft, breathless, teasing. “What about my croissants?”

Michael smirked against her skin. “They’ll be fine.”

But her? Oh, she wouldn’t be getting any rest tonight.

Michael laid her down gently, his hands still holding her close. She could feel the heat radiating off him. They kissed passionately, their lips meeting like two magnets drawn together by an unseen force. His tongue slipped between her parted lips, exploring her soft tongue, each movement deliberate, teasing. His fingers traced down her sides, sending shivers across her skin, before making their way down towards her already wet and needy pussy, his touch both possessive and restrained. Emily arched into him, her own hands seeking him out, desperate to close the space between them.

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💦🥵💦🥵