Top Five Love Scenes

In the tradition of my blog entry about my top five sweetest moments in romance, I now present my top five love scenes. Here they are, in no particular order:

Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann

If you're a longtime reader of my blog, this scene will come as no surprise to you. It's easily one of the most memorable love scenes I've ever read. It starts when Alyssa goes to Sam's hotel room hours after she's just told him, "I don't even like you." Sam, however, has realized that he's in love with her. Most of the scene is told from Sam's perspective as he wrestles with his conflicting emotions: hurt and anger that Alyssa won't come to him unless she's had a few drinks first; overwhelming desire for her; fear of telling her how he feels; and love. All of Sam's feelings result in a scene that takes my breath away.

What I enjoy most about this scene is Brockmann's ability to get into a character's head and take readers with her. This quote illustrates what I mean. As Sam and Alyssa make love, he struggles to put aside all of his feelings and focus on "pure sex." Eventually, though, the emotions break through:

He couldn't stop himself from thinking anymore. She was what he'd been missing all those months. It wasn't just great sex that he'd been longing for, as much as he'd tried to tell himself otherwise. It was Alyssa. Her voice in his ear. Her smile lighting up his world. Her take no shit, take no prisoners attitude. Her ability to take what he dished out and give it back to him in large quantities. He didn't just want her, he loved her. And he didn't just love her, he liked her. The world was fifty-two thousand times a better, more interesting, more exciting place to be when he was with her. And that was when they weren't having sex.

The entire scene is simply wonderful--it's packed with emotion, and that's what makes it great.

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

This book is not a conventional romance. It's the story of Betsy Taylor, who is fired from her job one day, then killed the next. Then she wakes up to discover that she is a vampire. She's an unusual vampire, however; she's unaffected by crosses, holy water, and sunlight. This makes her interesting to two other vampires who are vying for power: Nostro and Eric Sinclair.

Undead and Unwed includes lots of humor, fun, and action. It also includes an amazing love scene between Betsy and Eric. Betsy has been resisting Eric all along, and she finally decides to stop resisting. She discovers that she can read Eric's mind, which adds emotion to the scene. A short excerpt doesn't do it justice, but here it is:

Can't stop can't stop can't can't Elizabeth oh Elizabeth you feel alive to me you feel like no one else to me Elizabeth . . .

I started to pull away--float away, actually--but he grabbed me back and held me for a long moment while we drifted toward the surface. I couldn't hear him in my head anymore, which made me sad. Love? I had no idea. But it had sure been something.

Betsy and Eric's story continues in Undead and Unemployed. The third book in the series, Undead and Unappreciated, will be out in July.

Her Secret Thrill by Donna Kauffman

Jake and Natalie meet at a party, and after spending a few hours talking, they decide to go to a hotel and have sex. They have so much chemistry that they end up agreeing to hook up when their travels allow it. At first, the relationship is simply physical, but it deepens as they get to know each other. One day, Natalie takes Jake to a museum to see an exhibit that made her think of him. It leads to another passionate encounter that changes them both.

He didn't even have to look down at her to know just how much trouble he was in. He'd never wanted anyone so desperately as he'd wanted Natalie today. It should scare him how badly he'd needed to make love to her. And it did. Just not enough to make him get up, get dressed and get the hell out of there before he did anything even more stupid. Like tell her he was beginning to get serious about her.

Her Secret Thrill is a Harlequin Blaze title that lives up to the name and avoids use of cliches and contrived situations. It's also hot enough to make smoke come out of my ears. The story is terrific.

Purity in Death by J.D. Robb

With at least 18 books in the In Death series, there's no way to select a favorite Eve and Roarke love scene. However, Purity in Death includes two love scenes that I'll use here to represent the series.

The first one is from chapter 13, after Roarke and Eve have worked on the unregistered computer for a while. Passions ignite. ;) Robb certainly knows her way around a love scene. The second one is a sweet one from chapter 22:

She sighed into him. He heard something wistful in the sound, and as she lay over him, he traced his hands up and down her back, that long, lean line, as much for comfort as seduction. His cop, he thought. So troubled. So torn. But here, they were safe and sure. Here, they were right.

He knew, she realized, and turned her face into his throat. He always knew. And the gift of having someone who did, who could, was overwhelming. "I love you. Roarke. I love you." He mouth met his again, hotter now, with the first taste of urgency. "I love you. For all the times I forget to say it."

There's something beautiful about tender love scenes like this one.

"The Nekkid Truth" by Nicole Camden

Camden writes hot love scenes--there's just no better word for them. The scene where Debbie decides to satisfy one of Marshall's fantasies is wonderful. She waits for him to enter the kitchen.

I hoped he didn't drop the chickens.

He did, but they mostly stayed on the baking sheet that he'd used to carry them. I heard the clatter as the pan hit the floor, and I took a quick peek over my shoulder. "Holy shit," he said, and I turned back to the sink, biting my tongue.

The rest you can read for yourself. :) All I can say is if all of Camden's stories are like this one, someone needs to get her a writing contract.

That's the rundown for now. Feel free to talk about these or your favorite love scenes in the comments.

Alyssa