by Tessa Shapcott,
In my last post I was talking about Harlequin Presents and Sex.
It may surprise you to know that going beyond the bedroom door was one of the reasons why Presents came to be launched — we’ve been doing it since the 70s! But there was a firm value then: sex would always happen in the context of a developing, loving relationship. The connection between love and sex is still one of our guiding principles and though, these days, the sensuality may be more explicit sensual expression in a Presents is always passionate and intense.
When I am asked about where Presents is going I always reply that the future direction lies in the hands of its writers and readers. The series continues to attract new authors all the time — look out for Annie West, Abby Green, India Grey, Jennie Lucas, Susanne James and Christina Hollis in 2007 — and it’s their fresh voices that will help shape the line, while existing, well-loved authors go on pushing the boundaries by taking popular themes and giving them new life with innovative storytelling. But we also need to know from readers of line what they want to see — more of, less of and anything new? Let us know!
There are several key story elements you will always find in our series:
- Passionate relationships
- Revenge and redemption
- Emotional intensity
- Seduction
- Escapist, glamorous settings from around the world
- New stories every month
- The most handsome and successful heroes
- Scores of internationally best-selling writers
Okay, I’ve covered some of the history of Harlequin Presents. Now let’s get into even more fun topics — what would you like to hear about and who would like to hear from? What author(s) write(s) the best sex scenes? Post a comment and let’s talk!
Hi Tessa:
This month there are a couple of authors that write sex scenes that are passionate, but don’t cross the line. Michelle Reid writes great scenes that reflect a lot of passion. Kate Walker is good at conveying the sexual tension between her characters that leads to a passionate encounter. Sara Craven is also good. There are a few more that really heat the pages, but without my stash of past reads in front of me to remind me I cannot think of them.
Having read the line for so long, I think it is great that you are asking the opinion of the readers. Thanks for that.
Lynn
Kate Walker is brilliant at writing love scenes. Julia James does it pretty good too
I’ve been a fan and reader of Presents for around five years now. I originally began reading Jane Porter, Sandra Marton, Lucy Monroe and Kate Walker. I couldn’t get enough and then I branched out further and began reading Anne McAllister and Michelle Reid etc. The line is wonderful.
As for 2007 I’ve been so excited with the new addition of authors and two of my favorite are Annie West, Abby Green and in 2006 Trish Morey.
Abby’s Chosen as the Frenchman’s Bride, her debut book is wonderful.
Trish’s The Greek’s Virgin was excellent.
Annie West debut A Mistress for the Taking was sweet and excellent. However, wait until you read her new release The Greek’s Convenient Mistress. Talk about intense and passion, it will knock your socks off!
If I had enough hours in the day to indulge in my reading habit I would read every Presents author! Bravo to the line and the talented women who write and give such pleasure to their readers!
Tessa, great to see a site dedicated to Presents. I cut my romance reading teeth on these great books full of passion and emotion. I agree with everyone who said Annie West’s debut was fantastic. I’ve also just read her second book, The Greek’s Convenient Mistress and honestly, I think it was even better, and the bar was set so high the first time.
Karenska, I so agree with your comment on Annie’s second book. It was so intense and what a storyline! I absolutely could not put it down. Once I finished reading Sohpie’s and Costas story I could only imagine that this book must have beena difficult one to write.
I can’t wait for her next book The Sheikh’s Ransom Bride.
This is wonderfull blog and much needed for as presents fan, I have been reading hp for ten years now, I don’t think we need more sex because it might become a bit like the blaze series which is I think does not have much of a story. If I just comment on the way presents changed over the years, I think before the hero was too strong to the point he would take the heroine without her constant and I didn’t think it was romantic, now people like kate walker are great in which the hero is strong but still with human feeling for the person he loves which is more believable. I just also want to comment that we have had overload of the sheikh stories which I’m really sick of, I hope we don’t get more of them. I would really like to see more books like the tweleve month mistress by kate walker which picks up the story where the characters are actaully in relationship and see how that develops I think that would be interesting and also stories which makes the herione not so weak and more indepedent.
Hi Tessa!
I’ve been reading M&Bs since my teens too when I bought every Anne Mather I could get my hands on.
presentsfan, like you, I love reunion stories. Kate Walker does them brilliantly and so does Kim Lawrence.
For me, the authors who write the best sex scenes are:
Michelle Reid, Sharon Kendrick, Jane Porter, Sandra Marton and Penny Jordan.
In some books the love scenes can go on for pages and pages and be totally engrossing.
In others, they go on for pages and pages or there are loads of them one after another (particularly in the last third of the book) and I find myself skipping them or it feels as though they’re padding out the story, so I guess sex is all in the execution.
Sue
Asking which Presents author is best at anything is like asking me to pick which of my children I love most!
I know not everyone adores the line, but I think it is a secret passion for lots of shy readers.
For my money Presents are like wonderful chocolate truffles, they come in flavors yes, unfortunately for my shelf space, each more delicious than the last.
Please just keep editing lots of them!
Evanne
I wouldn’t say it’s so much the sex scenes that I love in Presents as it is the emotional intensity and sexual tension that builds up to them. I think these two define the true meaning of Presents for me. To my mind, it’s all about the emotional intensity and that in turn fuels the sexual tension. It’s not the act itself that makes me turn the pages – it’s the stuff that goes on before, after and ‘because of’ the love scenes that makes my heart race – if that makes any sense.
I can’t recall the exact title of the book but there was one by Lynne Graham where the story starts with the hero and heroine coming face to face after a long time – I think she was his wife – and they end up making love by the end of chapter 1 or in early chapter 2. The emotional intensity was so strong in that novel, I loved it. And it carried through out the story. I find I love most books by LG for that reason.
And there are fabulous books like GOLD RING OF BETRAYAL and THE BELLINI BRIDE by Michelle Reid, Jane Porter’s MARCO’S PRIDE and THE SPANIARD’S PASSION, Helen Bianchin’s THE MARRIAGE ARRANGMENT and THE HUSBAND TEST (but I’m biased, I have to admit, as I love most anything Helen B writes. Her books have a solid sophistication – which is another defining factor of the Presents line, imo – and the emotions are always under the surface where you may not necessarily see them but you certainly feel them!). Kate Walker’s CONSTANTINE’S REVENGE and THE TWELVE-MONTH MISTRESS, Susan Stephen’s THE GREEK’S SEVEN-DAY SEDUCTION, THE SICILIAN MARRIAGE by Sandra Marton…
I have to agree with Evanne that asking for one out of the many would be very difficult – I’ll want to list more than half the books on my bookshelf!
I just wanted to say that lee hyat while I agree on most the books you have mentioned are great
I used to love helen bianchin books but her books are all the same not similiar but almost
exactly the same story with different names,did anyone else notice this.
Wow, how cool, a blog dedicated to Presents!! I think Presents was the first series romance books I ever read – the passion, the intensity, the exotic locales, they had me hooked. I have so many favorite authors in the line. I’d love to hear more about its history.
I like the sex, but it’s not the main point about
Presents. The main thing about Presents is how it
stirs up your emotions, and that’s why I read them.
Someone who writes sex scenes brilliantly is Lynne
Graham – I just took down my very battered and read-to-
pieces copy of Prisoner of Passion, so I could vote
for Rico de Silva as a great Presents hero on that blog,
and the first sex scene is just amazing! But without
the conflict and sparks flying between the hero and heroine,
the sex alone would not cut it.
Presentsfan – yes, I think Helen Bianchin books are
very similar to each other, but when you know what
you are going to get, you can look forward to it. I mean,
how many times do we have to eat chocolate to get bored of it!
But if you don’t like chocolate at all then I guess that’s a
different question. She’s not my favourite author, but I’ll
read her now and then for a change.
I don’t like her nasty other woman/ex-
mistress making trouble for the heroine, when the hero doesn’t
seem to notice what’s going on. In recent books, though, the hero
has had the troublemaker prosecuted for stalking, which is
great!
By the way, is Lindsay Armstrong still writing? I love her books.
I don’t think I’ve seen any for a while.
Sally.
Sally,
There’s a Lindsay Armstrong The Australian Housekeeper Bride
out in the UK in May, and, I’m really looking forward to it
Sue
Sue, that’s great news, I’ll be looking out for it. I
love Australian books, especially those set in the outback.
I know Margeret Way is not a Presents author, but she
is just incredible at describing the outback.
I love New Zealand books as well, and getting back to sex,
NZ author Robyn Donald is another one that’s top of my
list for making sex incredible in her books.
So much of what makes sex great in Presents isn’t anything
to do with the what goes where aspect, but in the far more
powerful emotional aspects. It’s one of the reasons that Uncuts
leaves me cold – it’s all far too much in your face. More
can definitely be less when it comes to great sex in Presents.
Sally