DeeCee wrote and asked me to help her find a book, but in doing so made me ponder the presence of piercings in romance novels:
I read an erotic book awhile back (1-3 years, I think) that featured a hero with a tongue piercing. I remember absolutely nothing about it, but that and that it was contemporary. On a side note, do you know of many romance books featuring tongue piercings? I can’t find many when I do an amazon or a google search.
Aside from the erotica novel DeeCee is looking for, with the dude who has a tongue piercing, there aren’t many novels that I can recall which specifically mention piercings. In Gleason’s Gardella series, the source of all the Venator’s power is a piercing ring with a cross made of silver which women wear in their navels and the dudes wear in their nipples (ow) and I remember thinking, “Whoa, that’s interestingly risky. Nipple rings in an historical novel? Dude.”
But contemporaries? I haven’t read any contemporary novels that mentioned piercings outright, erotica or otherwise. Tattoos are becoming more common in romance novels, but piercings aside from ears? That’s somewhat rare. I wonder why that is, because in my own experience, I know plenty of people who have tiny nose studs, lip rings, belly rings, and multiple ear piercings as well. Anyone got any books they’d recommend which feature piercings?
I’m pretty sure the term “tramp stamp” predates the current acceptance of tatoos. Hickeys (sp? I mean kissing marks) used to be called tramp stamps, so I’d guess the term represents a more old-fashioned distaste for tatoos, piercings, and anything referencing sex.
just for a younger opinion I asked my 17 yr old brother what he thought tramp stamp meant or why that term was used.. and to sum it up he said….
“because girls get tattoos on their lower backs purposely so when they bend over guys will look at their ass” He added, ” on some girls….they’re hot!” lol
(assumming they are wearing tiny, tight shirts and low-riding jeans)
He also mentioned that “cougars” get tramp stamps to try and be younger. I laughed at that one.
For those of you that dont know what a “cougar” is—its slang for a single, hot, over 35-ish woman, on the prowl so to speak.
Jaid Black has a book called “One Dark Night” which is a contemporary story about a surgeon being stalked by a serial killer. She has both nipples pierced and is secretly interested in the Dom/Sub lifestyle. I’m not usually a fan of JB, but this was a pretty good read.
Not to pimp myself at all, but in my book Torn (available through http://www.krysiaswebbooks.com LOL..,.), the female lead has 2 nose bones and a tatt. 😉
Dont know if it was mentioned yet, but Willa Okati’s In the Strangest Places has piercings and tats up the wazoo. Its m/m, and very, very good. Written very interestingly, too (present tense, IIRC).
Piercings and tattoos freak me out. I just can’t imagine liking one thing enough to have it on me forever. Plus I once had a nightmare I got the stupidest tat ever and I couldn’t scrub it off in the shower and I was mad. Erm, on topic:
the heroine of Gina Showalter’s To Catch a Mate has a belly ring. Fantastic book. Slightly kinky sex, which made the ring seem dangerous to me, but then, all these sexy piercings seem dangerous.
Not that I want to stop others from getting them, of course. Go do whatever you want- but they do freak me out.
Crossing Borders by ZA Maxfield. One of the heroes, Tristan, has a tongue piercing. Very cute m/m.
I’m going to check out these books –I love tattoos and piercing.
Can I give a medical perspective…? Beyond that of the pain and infection issues…
Although body piercings may be a fashionable form of self-expression; in medical, and especially psychiatric circles, body piercings are widely regarded to equate to sexual promiscuity (more risks, more partners, etc).
Personally, I’m not a fan. Professionally, I’ve had to extract quite a manky few…
I kind of disagree with the psychiatric circles –primarily because I am one with multiple piercing and tattoos lol –nose, ear, nipple, belly and hood ring; the “tramp stamp†on going around my lower back and belly –it covers stretch marks amazingly well, forearm tattoos as well as my wrist, ankle and foot, and back of my neck. I’ve gotten good at concealing them so I rarely get question about them lol.
Here’s another m/m one: Bad Case of Loving You. One of the protagonists has an apadravya, a piercing that passes through the glans of the penis (ouch!), and both nips done.
For the story itself, not terrible for this genre in writing and plot, though the characters aren’t very developed and it ends rather abruptly. Contains mild B/D/D/s. Heavy on medical terminology, almost to the point of distraction.