BONKBUSTER queen Jilly Cooper may no longer be with us, but her legacy lives on as we enjoy more erotic fiction than ever.
Sales have hit record highs, with £69million spent on “Romance And Sagas” titles last year, up from £62million in 2023, data from 7,000 booksellers shows.
In fact, nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial women read more steamy novels than five years ago.
But it’s not just Fifty Shades Of Grey-type tales.
Now we have “fairy porn”, about saucy supernaturals.
Women are more than twice as likely as men to dive into a raunchy story, according to a study commissioned by Perspectus Global.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence was recently voted the No1 saucy book of all time.
Jilly’s Riders and Rivals were both in the Top Ten.
Here, we peek at some favourites, old and new.
SEX-RATED
MR ONE-NIGHT STAND, by Rachael Stewart (Mills & Boon Dare series)
JENNIFER sets her sights on a gorgeous stranger for a one-night stand, only to find he’s Marcus Wright, her new business partner.
Suddenly, it’s not all work and no play . . .
BIRTHDAY GIRL, by Penelope Douglas
THIS page-turner is a forbidden romance that wouldn’t be out of place on Dear Deidre’s problem page.
In it, a young woman falls for her boyfriend’s father – sparking wild passion and taboo desire.
The AFTER series, by Anna Todd
A SPICY story that follows good girl Tessa and bad boy Hardin, whose turbulent and intense relationship at university is full of passion, hormones and heartbreak.
SEXY MODERN
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, by Sarah J. Maas
THIS seris follows Feyre and her love interest, High Lord Tamlin, but even more irresistible is Rhysand – the dark, alluring Lord of the Night Court, dripping with sex appeal.
Fairy porn.
WANTED: A FIANCE, by Pippa Roscoe & Clare Connelly
ERIN CARTER can reclaim her family firm only if she marries the owner’s grandson.
But persuading playboy Enzo won’t be easy.
Can their fiery chemistry change his mind?
NORMAL PEOPLE, by Sally Rooney
THIS modern love story adapted into a TV smash follows Connell and Marianne, two very different people, exploring their complex relationship and emotional growth from school to adulthood.
SEXY CLASSICS
LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER, by D.H.Lawrence
THIS risque 1928 tale, once banned for obscenity, follows unhappily married Constance Chatterley’s forbidden affair with her husband’s working-class gamekeeper.
A RIOTOUS romp through the champagne-fuelled, scandalous show-jumping set, full of lust, rivalry and upper-class drama as years of tension between brooding hero Jake Lovell and bed-hopping Rupert Campbell-Black erupts.
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, by E.L. James
SHY college student Anastasia Steele becomes entangled with Christian Grey, a wealthy, mysterious businessman with a taste for sexual dominance – a form of BDSM – in this racy blockbuster series later made into three films.
