Top 5 most recent books with a "Warning! Sexually Explicit Content" sticker to cross my desk

Steamy books. I read 'em. On purpose, even. So steamy some of them even come with a big sticker slapped across the front that reads: "Warning! Sexually Explicit Content." It always gives me a bit of a giggle because, really, one has only to look at the cover to know that it's an erotic romance. What other kind of explanation could there be for a fantastic (if somewhat overposed) pair of abs (minus head, of course, because the 'headless hero' could be any man - except, perhaps, any man I know) with a pair of handcuffs draped across his chest? I'm not sure about anybody else, but this is a good enough clue that lets me know that Thomas the Tank Engine this is not. And so I give you the 5 most recent steamy romance books I've got on my desk. (And that reminds me, when I was in Toronto I saw many women reading erotic romances on subways and buses - quite uncaring. What's even better is that nobody else on public transport cared at all or raised an eyebrow. I adored Toronto just for that alone).

Hot in handcuffs / Shayla Black, Sylvia Day, Shiloh Walker
Three stories from three of the hottest authors! Meet the FBI agent determined to save a virginal professor's life--and claim her... a sexy female fire inspector with a desire that burns like a blast furnace... and a Texas cop with a psychic gift that tells her exactly what some men want. Three never-before-published novellas that'll teach readers the futility of resisting arrest.

Tosca's comment: Yikes. The term 'V-card' was used in the first story. In fact, it's the heroine's sister discussing her with the hero, and the sentence goes a little something like this, "She's still a full-fledged V-card member..." Say WHAT? If my sisters and I had ever discussed each other like that there would have been a showdown of the worst kind. Bad form.

One night rodeo / Lorelei James
Barrel racer Celia Lawson knows better than to tangle with bull rider Kyle Gilchrist. The sexy cowboy’s love ‘em and leave ‘em ways have earned him a reputation on the rodeo circuit, and he’s always seen her as his best friend’s kid sister. But after one wild, tequila-fueled night, Celia wakes up to find out she’s gotten herself hitched—to a man she never should have married! When Celia insists on an annulment, Kyle has no good reason to say no—except he isn’t ready to let go of his new bride. But then Kyle inherits a sprawling Wyoming ranch, and seizes the opportunity to enlist Celia’s help. She agrees to lend a hand—with two conditions: He has to get up to speed as a rancher within six months; then they’ll get a divorce. And their marriage will be in name only. Kyle gives in to Celia’s demand, yet he's ready to prove to her he has what it takes to turn their one night rodeo into a lifetime of love...

Tosca's comment: I'll be honest - I requested this book on purpose because 1) I have a thing for cowboys in romance novels and 2) I have always wanted to say, "This is not my first rodeo." I haven't ever done a rodeo in my life. Which means, right, that the very next rodeo I attend WILL be my first rodeo. And how much funnier was it that when the book came in, the sticker placement? Was right across his hips. I laughed so hard I scared people a couple of cubicles over. True story.

The care and feeding of an alpha male / Jessica Clare
Beth Ann Williamson has finally had it with her on-again, off-again fiance of nine years. The problem? No one in town seems to believe her when she says it's really over. Now Beth Ann is determined to show the small town of Bluebonnet, Texas, that she can take care of herself. That means opening her own salon and not taking the help that her ex-fiance seems determined to offer. But the best-laid plans go awry when she's stranded in the woods in the middle of a downpour. Some independent woman she is. She can't even find her way out of the wilderness without the help of a handsome but scowling marine. A die-hard survivalist, Colt Waggoner is none too pleased when he's sent to find the town's pamperred princess. He's even more annoyed when Beth Ann isn't grateful for the rescure. Fine, then. He'll just have to teach the sexy blonde a lesson - a weekend of roughing it out in the wild. Just the two of them, alone, in muddy, wet clothing that needs to come off...

Tosca's comment: Almost didn't request this because, sheesh, survivalism/mud? Yeah, nah. My idea of roughing it is having no pillow in a hotel room. However, I soon got over myself and grabbed it, anyway.

Sevin / Elizabeth Amber
Lord Sevin Satyr indulges freely in the delights of the flesh within his infamous Salone di Passione, the talk of 1880s Rome. Surely the Humans who would deny his kind their pleasures can be persuaded to share them in a new Salone he plans just for them - above all, the beautiful Alexa Patrizzi. Fiery and spirited, she is made for sin...Sevin's younger brother Lucien possesses powers he cannot control. Held in the Roman catacombs as a sex slave until he was eighteen, he finds refuge in the ElseWorld - and sexual healing in the arms of Natalia, a maenad, who thinks Luc too beautiful, too young for her. But when his mirrored eyes heat to molten silver at her touch, she can only love him more...

Tosca's comment: Held in the Roman catacombs as a sex slave. Let me say that again: Held in the Roman catacombs as a sex slave. WHAT EVEN IS THAT? And so I requested it. Because OF COURSE, right?

The siren / Tiffany Reisz
Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica. Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle Nora's latest book book on one condition, he wants complete control. She must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standard, in just six weeks. Can Nora handle the writing and arousal with her former lover?