Sugar & spice and ... erotica?(erotic literature)(Brief article)

From sweet, innocent love stories that end with chaste kisses and closed bedroom doors to steamy, supersexy romps that leave nothing to the imagination, the romance genre is nothing if not inclusive when it comes to sensuality. Over the past few years, romances in general have been getting sexier and more graphic. (Christian fiction and a few select lines and publishers [e.g., Avalon] are exceptions and are expanding the sweeter end of titles.)

With the launch of a number of imprints with an explicit erotic focus--Berkley's Heat (2005), Kensington's Aphrodisia (January 2006), Harlequin's Spice (May 2006), and Avon Red (June 2006)--the heat index has ratcheted up. …