r/RomanceBooks • u/UddanKhatola • 2d ago

Book Request Books with forced proximity+ intense, squirm worthy sexual tension+ predator- prey vibes

Someone posted the ballroom scene from Van Helsing and I'm looking for recs that have similar, palpable crazy chemistry the leads had in that bit. I'm talking fmc/mmc dynamic and interactions that made you squirm.

  • forced proximity, fmc and mmc have sizzling tension so there's some motive pulling them together

  • predator- prey vibes, either straight up or undertones (enemies to lovers). Another example in addition to the Van Helsing scene is leads from {Soul of a Witch by Harley Laroux}. Scared but lowkey aroused(?) type of stuff. Think of the breathless / heaving heroine trope.

"You make my skin crawl.

This is not all I could do with your skin"

  • scenes with palpable chemistry, desire and yearning. Fmc is reluctant/hesitant at first but the chemistry is there from the jump= chase

  • type of scenes I'm specially looking for: the linked ballroom scene, when MMC comes across FMC for the 1st time in the Soul of the Witch and when MMC corners FMC in {The Highlander by Kerrigan Byrne} before they kiss.

Bonus points if:

  • gothic atmosphere chef's kiss
  • if they REALLY hate each other's ass at the start too
  • genres in addition to HR (already posted in that sub)

There are a few books I've read with such brilliantly written chemistry that gives you butterflies. 2 great mentioned examples are The Highlander and the Soul of the Witch.

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4

u/LeaveNo1 1d ago

If you’re okay with a femdom version of this then I recommend Temptress by H. L. Temple

1

u/UddanKhatola 1d ago

Noted. ✍️📜

4

u/green_eyes99 1d ago

I'm not sure it hits all of your notes right in the center, but I'll throw {Vampire so Virtuous by Margot Arden} in the mix here. One of my top-5 for this year, and an indie author. It's deffo predator/prey (vampire, right?), slowburn with loads of tension, brimming with chemistry, and a I-won't-spoil-it real motive pulling them together. One note is that it's not 'just a romance' - there's plenty of story around it, so if you want sexual tension all the way through, it might not be your thing.

1

u/UddanKhatola 1d ago

Sounds interesting. ✍️

3

u/ironflavoredlust Monsters love brave women 🦑🐉👽 1d ago

{Guarded by the Snake by Layla Fae} has this dynamic if you're alright with a monster MMC/human FMC pairing. There's even a (sort of) ballroom scene on a club dance floor. FMC is naturally fidgety and it triggers MMC's prey drive. He thinks he's feeling annoyance at first, but then realizes it's attraction. She finds him striking, but is also trying not to compromise their working relationship.

2

u/patio-garden 1d ago

I feel like {Hot Blooded by Heather Guerre} might fit what you're looking for. The FMC gets (consentually) hunted by the MMC who's a vampire.