Well, here are some sexy book recommendations for you to fall in love with, judgment-free. If you’ve been missing that feeling you got from your favorite erotic series, here are some of the best books like “50 Shades of Grey.”
1. “After” by Anna Todd
Tessa has just started college and has her life well put together, with good grades and a good boyfriend, until a dark and brooding British bad boy appears in her life and changes everything. He’s so handsome, but also incredibly rude and mysterious. Regardless of all the complications he adds to her otherwise perfect life, she still feels incredibly drawn to him and the passion she’s never felt until now. Similar to the humble origins of “50 Shades of Grey,” “After” also began as a well-known piece of fanfiction before it was edited and published as an original fiction novel. Plus, it has the added bonus of the recent movies, so much like when “50 Shades of Grey” was adapted, after you read it, you can see all the steamy goodness for yourself! RELATED: 17 Dumbest, Most Disturbing Aspects Of ‘50 Shades Of Grey’
2. “Stark International Trilogy (The Steele Stories)” by J. Kenner
Jackson Steele pursues to be on top and in control in all aspects of his life, especially with his business pursuits and with women. So now, he is out for revenge, because of two people: Damien Stark, who stands in the way of his ambitions, and Sylvia Brooks, for running away five years ago, running from the strongest connection Jackson had ever felt with a woman. Known as “The Steele Stories” by J. Kenner and her fans, Stark International Trilogy has a strong, dominant lead that readers of both series won’t help but compare to Christian Grey. Jackson Steele might be one of few male leads to hold his own when compared to Christian Grey.
3. “Beautiful Bastard (The Beautiful Series)” by Christina Lauren
Chloe Mills is an ambitious young intern who thought she could handle anything — until she met her new boss, Bennett Ryan. Similarly, Bennett Ryan never thought he would be tempted by a workplace romance until Chloe walked in. Their attraction grows incessantly, and they must decide how much the other is truly worth to them. A workplace romance, an unbearable attraction that never goes away, and a powerful, handsome young businessman — all great features for an erotic fiction if you’re in need of a fix like “50 Shades.”
4. “Slow Surrender (Struck by Lightning Series)” by Cecilia Tan
When Karina meets James in a New York bar, she is captivated immediately. Dominant and bold, unbeknownst to her, he is a wealthy businessman as well. Together, they partake in an incessant game of pleasure that consumes them both, until Karina is almost sure it’s love. The intense sexual powerplay between the two characters is enough to wrap you up in a book for hours. Also, just maybe, the boldness of the two characters might mean that we can get right to the fun parts.
5. “Overruled (The Legal Briefs Series)” by Emma Chase
Stanton Shaw is a captivating lawyer who knows how to get what he wants, both from the jury and everyone else in his life. Everyone, that is, except his high school sweetheart, who is now marrying another man. And when he asks for the help of Sofia Santos, his friend with benefits, the feelings only get all the more complicated. With all the sexually charged business and legal elements in the “50 Shades of Grey” (like that wild contract) I can only imagine how a couple of real lawyers would do it, not to mention all the hot, snarky dialogue that’s sure to come out of this couple!
6. “The Siren (The Original Sinners Series)” by Tiffany Reisz
Nora Sutherlin is a well-known erotic fiction author who’s trying to do more with her latest book, making it more personal than ever. However, her editor, Zachary Easton, has a very specific plan for this new book, and he’ll make sure it comes out right one way or another, with night after night of arousing and exhausting training sessions. Can I just say, as a writer, I am flustered by the mere concept? On one hand, wildly inappropriate, on the other hand, that’s one of the best parts, isn’t it?
7. “Training Tessa (Hot Texas Bosses Series)” by Lyla Sinclair
Tessa Greer is desperately looking for a new job to pay the bills of her mother’s care, but when she finds a position, it’s much more than she had in mind. Not only do her handsome bosses routinely punish her for small mistakes, but the punishments grow more and more intense as the brothers try to one-up each other. Despite the rising stakes, Tessa is surprised to find herself aroused, especially with one of them. Not for the faint of heart (are any on this list?), this one features extra steamy BDSM — and it’s free if you have an Audible subscription! Personally, I think audiobooks are perfect for this kind of stuff; just listen while you’re doing something that you’ve been putting off, and it will surely become much more exciting. RELATED: The Best Erotic Sex Stories To Read Online (And Get You Really Turned On)
8. “Remission (Heartland Metro Hospital Series)” by Ofelia Martinez
Dr. Carolina Martinez has a promising career ahead of her when she discovers that her hero, Dr. Hector Medina, whom she had long idolized and drawn inspiration from, is becoming her new boss. Despite all the factors that say it’s best to stay away, they discover an intellectual — and physical — connection that she just can’t shake off. While the series sounds distinct enough from “50 Shades of Grey” to stand confidently on its own, there is something about the inappropriateness of a steamy hospital romance that can make you blush all the same.
9. “A Million Dirty Secrets (Million Dollar Duet)” by C.L. Parker
Delaine Talbot was put in a desperate situation, and when her family is in grave danger, she chooses to sacrifice herself, selling her body to the highest bidder, which ends up being the very sexual and wealthy Noah Crawford. He introduces her to a world of pleasure and sexual fantasies, and they become engaged in a passionate and intense relationship that, against all odds, might result in real love. A word of caution, to those uninterested in the dubious morals evident from the description, this one might not be for you. Still, this one is compared endlessly with the “50 Shades of Grey” series, and their identical origins only add to it: Both books began their lives as “Twilight” fanfictions. Something about “Twilight” really does spark the steamiest works you can think of.
10. “Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful Series)” by Jamie McGuire
Abby Abernathy is careful to do everything right and be a good girl when she heads off to college so that she might fully escape her own dark past. Travis Maddox — campus charmer, bad boy, yet total mystery — does not fit into that plan. But he is only intrigued by her disinterest, and he ropes her into his life with a bet. This series, similarly to “50 Shade of Grey,” relishes in the chase of the romance. Because let’s be real, I’m not always sold on the love interest right away. That might be the best part of a doubtful protagonist: We get to be convinced and swept off our feet along with them.
11. “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
Feyre is a young woman who hunts to help her family survive in a fantasy world. However, when she kills a wolf that was actually one of the magical “fae” in disguise, she is captured and taken to their fae courts as punishment, where nothing is as it seems. She discovers that her captor is a gorgeous, powerful, and carnal male known as Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court. As she tries to uncover the mysteries of her new home, their passion — and maybe love — grow for each other rapidly. A sexy fantasy story that is loosely inspired by the “Beauty and the Beast” fairytale, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” has been a personal favorite of mine for years. It is a dramatic, satisfying story and the perfect mix of classic fantasy and sexual fantasy. If you’ve ever been interested in exploring the fantasy genre, and you loved “50 Shades of Grey,” here is where you should start. The series as a whole only gets steamier as you go, and it’s hard not to draw some comparisons between the dominant men in this novel and Christian Grey.
12. “The Duke and I (Bridgerton Family Book Series)” by Julia Quinn
Simon Basset — a handsome, young, and rebellious duke — refuses to settle down and get married. However, pretending to be engaged to Daphne Bridgerton could free him from the judgment of their marriage-focused high society. And Daphne could be showered with respectable suitors if the duke favored her. However, the situation becomes increasingly complicated as pretend affections become real. “The Duke and I” is another great piece of erotic fiction if you want to explore a new genre of spicy content — that being historical romance. After the success and sexiness of its inspired show, Bridgerton, you’ll definitely want to check out this one soon.
13. “Bared to You (Crossfire Series)” by Sylvia Day
Eva Tramell and young billionaire Gideon Cross both have deeply traumatic childhoods that they have struggled to carry with them all their lives. When Eva is powerfully drawn to Gideon, they must find a balance and learn how to help heal each other’s wounds and foster a healthy relationship. The similarities to “50 Shades of Grey” are glaringly obvious. You’ve got a powerful rich young love interest and all the steamy sex scenes you could hope for. But this story also explores some emotional elements of abuse and trauma that weren’t often the focus of “50 Shades of Grey.” So, if you want to explore some of those themes for a gritty story of love and pain, this one is probably for you.
14. “The Arrangement” by Robyn Harding
Natalie is a young art student who discovers an exciting new way to pay her bills: get a sugar daddy. Nat soon starts to fall for her handsome new sugar daddy, Gabe, but he isn’t interested in leaving behind his family and marriage for the smitten 21-year-old. She becomes angrier and more desperate, leading her to stalk, drink heavily and, possibly, do something much worse. This book is similar to “50 Shades of Grey” but darker. There are still plenty of sexy moments and an intriguing power dynamic, but what happens when she gets in too deep for her own good?
15. “The Professional (The Game Maker Series)” by Kresley Cole
Natalie Porter is just a grad student when an attractive young Siberian hitman, Aleksandr Sevastyan, whisks her away to Russia. He’s simply assigned to protect her, but as he showers the young woman with every fantasy she could dream of, from wealth to pleasure, their arrangement becomes more and more intriguing. This sexy novel features BDSM like “50 Shades,” and can I just say — mafia hitman BDSM? The possibilities. I’m sold on the concept alone! RELATED: 18 Most Disturbing, WTF Lines In The New ‘50 Shades Of Grey’ Book Amanda Hartmann is a writer and editorial intern at YourTango who writes about various topics such as entertainment and news.
