What’s the Preferred Heat Level in MM Romances?

It’s time for another poll-post… A while back, I asked the readers in my Facebook group this: how much sex should MM romances have? I was wondering if readers had a preferred or even required heat level in their gay romances, if they preferred lots of sex, some sexy scenes, or whether it didn’t even matter at all?

I didn’t give them pre-cooked answers, so they added some options of their own. 

Preferred Heat Level

Here’s what they came up with:

I prefer my MM romances steamy: 52%

There’s no such thing as too much sex in an MM romance: 20%

I like some nice sex scenes: 15%

I care more about the story than about how much sex there is or isn’t: 5%

I’ll take it all or none: 4%

Not too much sex: 4%

Now, I think we can safely say that the first and the second option are pretty close together, so combined that means 72% of my readers like their MM romances steamy. Then there’s a solid 15% that is in the middle when it comes to the heat level, and only 4% prefers books with not too much sex.

In all fairness, this is not at all indicative of what readers in general think of the heat level in MM romances. The fact that they’re in my group means they’ve probably read my books, or one of them at least, and since I tend to write steamy stuff it’s safe to say they appreciate that. I’m sure if you asked this question in a fan group of an author who writes sweet gay romance, you’d get a different answer. Still, it’s interesting to see that an overwhelming majority of my readers at least prefer their MM romances steamy.

My Preferred Heat Level

I will say that if I had to choose an answer, I’d probably have gone with “whatever fits the story”. To me, sex is not the goal, not when I read but also not when I write. It’s always about the story and where the characters lead it. Sex, like everything else in a story, has to flow naturally from what’s happening, from the choices characters are making…

Granted, my characters tend to choose to have lots of sex, haha, but I can see myself writing less steamy books as well, when the storyline demands it.

Anyway, another interesting poll from my reader group. Now, of course, I’d love to hear if you’re feeling the same way as my readers or if you have a different preferred heat level in your MM romances?

[Photo credit: Depositphoto, copyrighted photo, used with permission]