The LWcL smut starter pack: a beginner’s guide to romance reads
New to smut? Here's your starter pack: essential articles, books to start your obsession and the ultimate accessories.
Stumbled across some writing that gave you shivers in all the right places, darling? Welcome to the wonderful world of smut, spice, or, as it’s been known for more than two hundred years, romance.
Maybe you got here via the Heated Rivalry pipeline. Maybe you decided to try fantasy and found your imagination in the throes of a fae orgy. Maybe you just keep hearing about ‘shadow daddies’ and ‘grumpy-sunshine’ on TikTok with no context, but keep scrolling because the vibes are intriguing.
However you got here, you’re welcome. I’m your feral fairy smutmother and sister in literary debauchery, Peaches. And I’ve got your smut girlie starter pack right here. Get comfy. Get curious. And get your e-reader on charge - you’ll need it.
Your smut girlie pre-reading list
Want to step into spicy reads, but getting lost in the BookTok of it all? Start with these articles to ground yourself in the key terms, genres, scales and benefits of reading romance. No smut-shaming here. Smut is self-care.
Peaches’ guide to smut genres, terms and tropes
A beginner’s guide to exploring what you like
Peaches’ guide to a smut as self-care night in
The top 5 books series to try if you’re new to smut
Favourites aren’t mandatory, darling. If you live for instalust dark romance as much as you live for slow-burn romantasy, you’re my kind of greedy. I also know smut girlies who know exactly which sub-genre or trope does it for them, and they live there, no compromises. Love that energy.
For newbies, though, there’s a delicious opportunity to explore everything the genre has to offer. It’s also a fabulous way to join the smut discourse–you won’t have to look hard to find someone who will happily relive the spiciest moments and debate which MC makes the best boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/mate.
You may have even heard some of these titles before, but this is officially your sign to buy them or borrow them.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)
The blueprint. The moment. The series that launched a thousand ‘just one more chapter’ lies. The ACOTAR series starts as a deceptively soft fairytale retelling before spiralling into a full-blown romantasy obsession, complete with deadly courts, high drama and men who would absolutely ruin your life (respectfully). Come for the high fantasy vibes, stay for the delicious tension and be prepared to develop a sudden and specific interest in wingspans and ‘bat boys’.
Where to buy: Bookshop.org - Amazon - Kindle
Game Changers (including Heated Rivalry)
If you’ve heard whispers of ‘the hockey book’ on TikTok or seen Ilya and Shane memes from the TV series, this is it. The Game Changers series serves up stories about elite athletes with locker room tension, give-me-more sex scenes and feelings that hit harder than a body check. Heated Rivalry in particular is the ultimate enemies-to-something-much-more pipeline: messy, addictive and packed with the kind of long-term yearning that will have you blushing on the bus ride to work. This is where you go when you want unrivalled heat and voluntary emotional damage.
Where to buy: Bookshop.org - Amazon - Kindle
Into Darkness (including Lights Out)
For the girlies who try the books above and think, ‘this is good… but what if it was unhinged?’ the Into Darkness series delivers. These books live firmly on the darker side of the genre, where the vibes are intense, the characters are morally flexible at best and the tension feels like it might actually combust. Lights Out is your entry point into this shadowy little corner. Less soft and fluffy, more ‘I just read that chapter… and I’m not okay, in the best way.’
Where to buy: Bookshop.org - Amazon - Kindle (included in Kindle Unlimited)
Chestnut Springs (including Flawless)
Need a palate cleanser that still brings the heat? Enter Chestnut Springs, aka small-town romance but with hot cowboys and immaculate vibes. Flawless kicks things off with a grumpy-sunshine pairing that simmers off the pages, plus a setting so cosy you’ll want to move there immediately (questionable life choices encouraged). Think found family, soft moments, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.
Where to buy: Bookshop.org - Amazon - Kindle (included in Kindle Unlimited)
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean series)
Dragons, a brutal military academy and a heroine who refuses to be underestimated. Fourth Wing and its sequels, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, are the romantasy darlings that dominate your FYP for a reason. The story balances high-stakes action with a slow-building, tension-filled romance and multiple book boyfriends that will leave you weak. Perfect if you’re ready to dip a toe into fantasy without losing the romance (and spice) at the heart of it.
Where to buy: Bookshop.org - Amazon - Kindle
The ultimate smut girlie accessories
There’s no gatekeeping here, treasures. All you really need to be a smut girlie is a curious mind, an inclusive attitude and a slightly unhinged imagination. With that said, here are some optional (but highly recommended) things to enhance the experience:
Other smut girlies
I’m never short of smut recommendations, but I’m often too tied up (in the best ways) to write them up regularly. Lucky for your spicy TBR goals, there are plenty of dedicated smut girlies doing the work to get the good word out to fellow, feral readers.
I’ve linked some of my faves to get you started, but your algorithm will soon get you where you want to go in terms of sub-genres, tropes or themes:
A new sex toy (or three…)
Those battery-powered bullets we got gifted as a ‘joke’ or on a hen-do served us well in the early days of desire. But if you haven’t added anything new to your bedside collection in a few years, you are missing out, darling. New designs. Better materials. More speeds and patterns. And don’t get me started on suction technology…
A night in with your latest smut obsession and a fully-charged vibrator, under your control, creating a physical experience that connects with the delicious scene playing out on the page… need I say more, darling?
As if the idea couldn’t get more gorgeous, LWcL members get an exclusive 20% off Lovehoney orders using code LADIESWHOLIT at checkout.
Author-curated playlists
We’ve all got that playlist for those heated, entangled, head-spinning nights, darling. But what you might not have up your sleeve is an author-curated playlist that pairs perfectly with your favourite smut.
Some create an overall vibe. Others match songs to specific chapters or moments. They’re all absolutely exquisite for turning your average smut reading session into a fully immersive experience that will leave you light-headed and hungry for just one more page.
Not every author creates them for every book, but we’ve shared some of our favourites below. Keep an eye out for fan-created playlists too–smut girlies coming through with the creativity and generosity.
- Twisted Love by Ana Huang
- Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
- Mile High by Liz Tomforde
- Fight by Sloan St. James
Still got burning questions or juicy dilemmas I haven’t covered here, darling? Spill the tea to peaches@ladieswholit.co.uk and I’ll answer it (anonymously, of course) in a LWcL Members Area exclusive article. Read this intro to Ask Peaches if you’re curious.
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