"Love" Scenes.

Discuss the August 2017 Book of the Month The Expansion by Christoph Martin.

View The Expansion on Bookshelves

View The Expansion on Amazon (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Post Reply
User avatar
Brandi Noelle
Posts: 253
Joined: 07 Apr 2017, 00:46
Currently Reading: The Invention of Murder
Bookshelf Size: 71
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-brandi-noelle.html
Latest Review: Marrying a Playboy Billionaire by H M Irwing

Re: "Love" Scenes.

Post by Brandi Noelle »

As many have said above, racy scenes are essential for the romance genre because that's what the readers want to see. However, I think a scene that shows a little of the details without dipping into the pool of erotica, is the best way to go. Some books share nothing but a door closing behind the couple as they retreat into the bedroom, and I think that's too little. It leaves the reader out of a pertinent moment in the characters' journey. Is he kind & gentle? Rough and demanding? Is she innocent and shy? Brazen and confident? A glimpse into the early stages of lovemaking can reveal a lot about the characters and their motivations elsewhere in the story.
User avatar
Brian6
Posts: 31
Joined: 05 Sep 2017, 02:03
Currently Reading: Going Gone
Bookshelf Size: 135
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-brian6.html
Latest Review: "My Trip To Adele" by R.I.Alyaseer and A. I Alyaseer

Post by Brian6 »

More description brings sentimental and that is romance's aim.
Latest Review: "My Trip To Adele" by R.I.Alyaseer and A. I Alyaseer
User avatar
MsAlpha
Posts: 20
Joined: 09 Oct 2017, 04:32
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 20752">The Last Wish</a>
Currently Reading: Raven's Peak
Bookshelf Size: 42

Post by MsAlpha »

I've read books where explicit love scenes are unnecessary and not even artfully written. It makes you feel that the author was hoping you'd keep turning the pages by giving you porn. But good books do come along where these love scenes are artfully done, and fit perfectly.
User avatar
Mercelle
Posts: 1348
Joined: 31 May 2017, 03:44
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 10262">The Wisdom and Peace of the Teachings of the Tao Te Ching</a>
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 204
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mercelle.html
Latest Review: The Future of Finance and Money by K. Braeden Anderson

Post by Mercelle »

If it's not a romance novel then I think some things should be left to the imagination.
"The minimum requirement for a dream is a safe place to lay your head."
~OluTimehin Adegbeye
User avatar
Kat Berg
Posts: 776
Joined: 05 Oct 2017, 22:29
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 5">Raven's Peak</a>
Currently Reading: James Baldwin
Bookshelf Size: 223
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kat-berg.html
Latest Review: Why Am I Here by Melvin Bell
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Kat Berg »

kandscreeley wrote:I don't think there is a need for those type of scenes. You can be sexy without overt details.
I lean on this side of the fence. I am always hesitant to recommend books if there is especially explicit sex scenes in it. But if there are sex scenes, there is a difference between describing in a beautiful or vulgar way. So often, the "steamy" romance books lean toward the vulgar, and I refuse to read those. I will read a book with the occasional tasteful scene (okay, or funny scene, as sometimes happens in chic lit), but will sometimes skip those if they are unnecessary for understanding the plot.
User avatar
gaporter
Posts: 244
Joined: 03 Oct 2015, 13:47
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 111
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gaporter.html
Latest Review: Lives of Museum Junkies by Marilynne Eichinger
Reading Device: B0051VVOB2

Post by gaporter »

I thought the type of "love" scenes in The Expansion was suitable for the story it was telling. Extra racy/gushy scenes would make the romance feel more forced, rushed, and more important than it really was. Downplaying the romance scenes allowed that aspect of the story to stay more in the background.
User avatar
CommMayo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1648
Joined: 22 Oct 2017, 14:19
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 80
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-commmayo.html
Latest Review: Changed by Vicki Stiefel
Reading Device: B00G2Y4WNY

Post by CommMayo »

I like when there is some detail in a novel, especially when you have followed the evolution of the relationship. I also agree that it can be very dependent on the genre.
Cheshire
Posts: 32
Joined: 18 Oct 2017, 08:35
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cheshire.html
Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole

Post by Cheshire »

It depends on the writer's writing style. In love, describing it with a few words can mean so much more than putting on in lengthy descriptions.

As long you get the emotions across, I think descriptive scenes like "racy scenes" could not be needed at all.

Writers are free on what they want to write. I think it is their privilege to decide on how and what they want to write.
Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
User avatar
inaramid
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1222
Joined: 04 Nov 2017, 11:22
Currently Reading: Siege and Storm
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-inaramid.html
Latest Review: The Fourth Kinetic by Brady Moore

Post by inaramid »

The execution plays a great role here. In the hands of a really good writer, anything can be integrated in a book and look like it fits there. I'd rather not have them in mystery novels but I'd read a few that did have those scenes which worked quite well.
User avatar
Mallory Whitaker
Posts: 560
Joined: 14 Jul 2015, 15:16
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 98
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mallory-whitaker.html
Latest Review: Color Me American by Silvia Sama-Lambiv

Post by Mallory Whitaker »

MsAlpha wrote: 12 Oct 2017, 10:35 I've read books where explicit love scenes are unnecessary and not even artfully written. It makes you feel that the author was hoping you'd keep turning the pages by giving you porn. But good books do come along where these love scenes are artfully done, and fit perfectly.
I agree with that. I think they can actually push the plot forward and be devices for the story but other times they're used to just add "intrigue" or because they think it will somehow make the story more interesting.
User avatar
alisuresuccess
Posts: 1
Joined: 15 Mar 2018, 08:39
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by alisuresuccess »

love scenes not always important but can create impression
User avatar
sammy sam
Posts: 1
Joined: 24 Mar 2018, 05:46
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by sammy sam »

wow those book are really sweet
User avatar
DesireeRose
Posts: 72
Joined: 03 Mar 2018, 08:44
Currently Reading: The Blood of Winter
Bookshelf Size: 23
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-desireerose.html
Latest Review: Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! by Len Foley

Post by DesireeRose »

I agree that racy scenes are cheesy and dumb. I do not like them at all. In fact, I believe that romances are much sweeter when those parts are completely left out.
jvez
Posts: 313
Joined: 08 Apr 2018, 00:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 36
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jvez.html
Latest Review: The Providence of Fortune by T. K. Love

Post by jvez »

I think it's okay so long as they are done in moderation. The racy scenes should help in the plot progression and in the development of the characters. But if it's just there just for the sake of having a sex scene, I'd rather not read it at all.
Elzaavdolli1
Posts: 33
Joined: 07 Apr 2018, 14:40
Favorite Book: Keini and Abeli
Currently Reading: Something About Ann
Bookshelf Size: 65
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Elzaavdolli1 »

Some times the love scenes are not necessary
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Expansion" by by Christoph Martin”