Some of us watch porn. Some of us listen to sex podcasts. Others have a secret adult toy chest hidden away in the recesses of their bedrooms. With so many avenues for satisfying modern lust, the world of old-fashioned erotica can seem quite tame in comparison. Not so, as anyone who has explored the dark corners of Amazon’s erotica section can attest. The best erotica on Amazon includes everything from “50 Shades of Grey” style BDSM romps to erotic tales about dinosaurs, lusty pirates, bigfoot and amorous aliens.
Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. There’s something about reading a sexual fantasy that can really get the body going. Reading erotica seems to activate a different part of the brain than visual pornography does, and the genre contains some powerful works of erotic art. When you watch pornography, you are a passive participant. However, erotica forces the reader to participate by using their imagination to conjure the scene. Although people and sexual actions are all explained pretty explicitly, the reader has to imagine the details that make the scene come alive, like the faces of the characters and the intensity of the act.
When it comes to the best erotica, there are plenty of sub-genres to choose from, with some being a bit more niche than others. From Fantasy and Romance to Science Fiction (and even Prehistoric Creatures), they’re all there on Amazon waiting to be found. We’re not here to judge, so we’ve gathered here a mix of high-brow bestsellers to some of the more wildly unique erotica offerings that Amazon has to offer. Get ready to find your newest erotic go-to.
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Content Warning: Below, you’ll find some of the best erotica on Amazon. All of these stories feature explicit sexual content. In addition, many contain taboo themes that may be offensive to some, perhaps even most, readers. Proceed at your own caution!
1. “Her Mafia Daddy: A Dark Romance”
Steamy quote: “He has taken me captive, and I can’t stop fantasizing about him tying me to his bed.”
When a selfish man gets caught up in the wrong side of the mafia, he offers up his 18-year-old step-daughter, Jasmine, in exchange for his life. Once Jasmine’s mafia captor, a handsome and powerful man by the name of Kane Romano, takes her under his wing, she can’t help but fall in love with his sweeter side, which is only revealed behind closed doors. “Her Mafia Daddy” is the first novel in the Romano Mafia Brothers trilogy. Naturally, the daddy moves up in rank with each subsequent installment, elevating to “Her Mafia Boss,” and ultimately, “Her Mafia King.”
2. “12 Filthy Erotic Short Stories”
Steamy quote: “Her kiss was soft but passionate.”
The chart-ranking short story anthology written by sex expert Melinda Parker is perfect for anyone who is looking for a quickie (pardon the pun). The book contains (very) explicit short stories for nearly every holiday, with titles including “Vegas for New Years,” “Master’s Easter Present” and “Fourth of July Surprise.” This one appears to be the guiltiest pleasure on the low-brow totem pole. If you’re looking for the best erotica on Amazon, as opposed to campy tales of pirates and dinosaurs, this selection includes more sophisticated erotic tales than Amazon’s usual fare.
3. “Trifecta”
Steamy quote: “She didn’t know where to put her focus. Should she concentrate on how Russell’s mouth worked on hers, or did she try to keep track of Jason and how he unhooked her bra, kissing and nibbling each one of her breasts?”
Curious enough to delve into the world of three-person relationships? Look no further than American author Kim Carmichael’s Trifecta to get a taste of what love and sex is like with one more person thrown in the mix. The story follows an artist that’s suffering from a creative block but hopes to solve it by conquering one of his deepest fantasies: a three-way throuple with another man and a woman. He then forms a relationship with one of his best friends from elementary school and an aesthetic sales rep from Los Angeles. The three lovers try to figure out their lives in this new three-way relationship — with lots of sexual adventures along the way.
4. Your Dad Will Do (A Touch of Taboo Book 1)
Steamy quote:“I watch the dress inch up my legs with every pull of his hand, baring more and more of me. The sight makes me giddy. It’s the only excuse for what slips out in response. “Should I call you Daddy, then?”
“Your Dad Will Do” follows a young woman harboring a powerful designer for her fiance’s father. She knows it’s wrong, but she doesn’t care. After she catches her partner cheating, she resolves to get a little closer to her father-in-law. “After this weekend, my ex won’t be the only one who calls his father Daddy.” Like the best erotica for Kindle, “Your Dad Will Do” marries taboo fantasies with well-written smut.
5. “This Man”
Steamy quote: “I’m going to get lost in you.”
When a young interior designer, Ava O’Shea, takes a consultation, she has no idea that her potential client, an adventurous and handsome playboy who has a penchant for BDSM, is about to become her newest desire. The New York Times bestseller, penned by Jodi Ellen Malpas, spawned three sequels, “Beneath This Man,” “This Man Confessed” and “With This Man.” Basically, if you couldn’t get enough of “50 Shades of Grey,” then “This Man” is right up your alley.
6. “Alien Creep: An Alien Shifter Romance”
Steamy quote: “The bulge in his pants twitches uncontrollably whenever he looks at me. He has a freaking tail.”
“Alien Creep: An Alien Shifter Romance” hits all the marks of a classic love story. Guy sees girl, girl gets taken away at an alien auction, guy breaks into a spaceship to free girl, guy also happens to be an alien, guy frees the girl. You know, the usual. It’s also worth noting that the book hit the number one spot on Amazon’s Mystery Erotica chart upon its debut.
7. “The Breathless Trilogy: Rush”
Steamy quote: “His heat, his touch, that sinful mouth. It was everything she could have possibly dreamed and more. Her fantasies, her imagination… they had nothing on the real thing.”
“Rush,” from The New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks, follows Gabe Hamilton, a wealthy and confident billionaire who has long desired Mia Crestwell. As his fantasies become a reality and the two fall into a deeply passionate affair, lust evolves into betrayal as something comes along that threatens to ruin their relationship.
8. Brown Sugar: A Collection of Erotic Black Fiction
Steamy quote: “I stretched out in the tub and urged hot water from the tap with my foot. It burned good. I refused to kick the cold tap, refused to feel anything but the pleasurable tingle between my legs, that and the heat from the steaming water. I was determined not to use my hands. Not yet.”
We find that the majority of erotica is incomprehensibly whitewashed, which isn’t at all cute. “Brown Sugar: A Collection of Erotic Black Fiction,” edited by Carol Taylor, is a compilation of stories using Black protagonists in the forefront. This collection brings together some of the most proclaimed voices in the Black literary world to provide intense sexual fantasies and fictional occurrences. This is great for people both coupled and single as an awesome way to get your favorite erotica from a Black narrative.
9. “Sea of Ruin”
Steamy quote: “He was the sea. Rough. Dangerous. Dependable.”
Who said erotica can’t be historical? Set in the 1700s, the bestseller from Pam Godwin brings erotic romance to the high seas, as two captains become entangled in a romantic triangle with a woman who they are both trying to protect. But their passionate fire soon creates dangerous tensions in the pirate-laden tale of love and lust.
10. Bathhouse Confessions: Gay Romance Bundle
Steamy quote: “He was an ox of a man with a salt and pepper beard, and a dense crown of ebony hair that faded into tightly tapered and buzzes sides. His eyes were shut, his head rested against the tiled wall. I admired his body, thick but solid. “F*ck me,” I murmered.”
The best erotica on Amazon includes something for everyone, and there’s no shortage of steamy stories about men seeking men. Whether you’re a dude who solely goes for other dudes or a guy who just has some curiosities, “Bathhouse Confessions: Gay Romance Bundle,” is a wild ride where your deepest fantasies come to life in a hidden realm of seclusion. Leave all of your insecurities in the lockerroom as you disrobe and dive into this sexy, man-filled book of wonders. Featuring three different top-rated gay erotica books, each story tells a steamy tale. What happens in the bathhouse stays in the bathhouse.
11. “Taboo”
Steamy quote: “Don’t shower or bathe. I want you still smelling like me when I come for you in the morning.”
The only thing that’ll get the blood flowing more than these erotic selections is the fact that this boxset is priced at a three-for-one special. The “Taboo” collection, written by Stasia Black, features three full-length novels filled with forbidden romance, twisted storylines, and plenty of explicit BDSM fantasy. If you’ve spent any time on adult websites in recent years, you must have noticed the proliferation of “taboo” stories featuring “step-brothers,” and this genre is popular in the erotica world as well. This collection is a #1 bestseller in Amazon’s “erotic thrillers” section, and it’s worth a closer look if you’re curious about erotica with taboo themes.
12. “Taken by the Alpha”
Steamy quote: “Lucy came to assassinate me, now I must punish her.”
Book one of six in the Knotted Omega saga introduces Zeus, a rugged, tattooed alpha with a strong personality. His authority is never questioned; that is, until he meets Lucy, a headstrong woman who proves to be the perfect challenge for the dominant figure. The New York Times bestselling author Laxmi Hariharan pens the kinky and passionate tale in the Omegaverse saga, which takes the term “alpha male” very seriously indeed.
13. “A Billionaire Dinosaur Forced Me Gay”
Steamy quote: “His deep voice was turning me on so much as he leaned closer to me. I had never been with a man before, let alone a male dinosaur!”
Set in an alternate universe where dinosaurs have taken control of the world economy, John, a recent NYU grad, is hired to be an assistant to the CEO of a leading Wall Street trading firm. Oh, and the CEO happens to be an extremely wealthy dinosaur (naturally), who takes a keen interest in his attractive new hire. The campy book is part one of a three-part series that *spoiler alert* eventually leads to John seeking revenge against the CEO turned billionaire dinosaur president.
14. “Grey”
Steamy quote: “As she tells me she likes her tea weak and black, for a moment I think she’s describing what she likes in a man. Get a grip, Grey. She’s talking about tea.”
You didn’t honestly think that we’d do an erotica countdown without uttering the words “Fifty Shades of Grey,” did you? The fourth book in the insanely popular “Fifty Shades” series, written by E L James, flips the switch by allowing readers to enter the dark mind of suave billionaire Christian Grey. It’s the same love saga presented in the original “Shades” trilogy, only this time it’s coming from a new narrator, Grey himself, providing fans a fresh angle on his steamy, BDSM-filled love affair with Anastasia Steele.
15. “Bared to You”
Steamy quote: “It’s probably best for me to work off some energy before I get you naked. I’m sure you’d like to be able to walk tomorrow.”
Those looking for a companion to “Fifty Shades” can find it in “Bared to You,” an erotic romance that hits many of the same beats–a young woman falls in love with a wealthy control freak–but the story ultimately veers in a different direction. This #1 bestseller by Sylvia Day is the first novel in the five-part “Crossfire” series. If you’re looking for a serious erotica series to become absolutely obsessed with, “Bared to You” is a great option.