Things are about to get hot for viewers because these six spicy romance and romantasy books are going to be adapted for TV. While not everybody enjoys sex, there is truth in the saying “sex sells.” Some of the most popular romance books out there lean steamy or outright spicy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Luckily, spicy stories are starting to become more acceptable onscreen as well. Shows like Bridgerton, True Blood, and Heated Rivalry– all of which are based on novels – prove that audiences will show up to watch their favorite characters get it on. Heated Rivalry even got audiences hot and bothered after just two episodes.
The good news for spicy romance fans is that streamers are picking up books with genuinely good plots that also have excellent smut. These six top-notch spicy books are getting TV shows that we can’t wait to watch.
To distinguish steamy from spicy, I made the rule that a book must have at least 1 swoonworthy kissing scene and 1 open-door sex scene to be considered spicy. Additionally, the spice-level rankings are based on the number of sex scenes, the frequency, the graphic-ness, the incorporation of kink, and whether the sex contributes to the plot.
6
Enigma Variations
Spice Level: 3.5 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers
The romance book Enigma Variations by André Aciman was picked up in January 2025 for a Netflix miniseries, executive-produced by and starring Jeremy Allen White as the bisexual protagonist Paul. The story follows a man named Paul throughout different periods of life as he experiences romances and erotic fixations.
Enigma Variations is an interesting spicy book because almost all the open-door sex scenes happen within the narrator’s head, rather than existing in real life. A few sex scenes occur in real life, but only one of them is open-door, and it’s relatively tame.
Despite this, Enigma Variations has some extremely explicit details about what the narrator wants to happen, which will likely appear as fantasy sequences in the TV adaptation. If they took out his imagined scenes, there wouldn’t be enough story to fill a movie, let alone a TV miniseries.
5
Cleat Cute
Spice Level: 4.5 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is absolutely fantastic, and I’m really happy their book got picked up for a TV show. The story follows the enemies-to-friends-with-benefits-to-lovers soccer romance between the cynical soccer star Grace and bright rookie Phoebe Matthews.
The book Cleat Cute is on par with the hit book adaptation Heated Rivalry in many ways, including a strong rivals-to-lovers storyline and the explicit sex scenes, though the sex starts about a third of the way through the book in Cleat Cute. For that reason alone, people should start getting excited about Cleat Cute.
On top of that, the story is being produced and made by two lesbian women. This increases the likelihood that the show will include sex scenes that are made for Sapphics by Sapphics, rather than catering to straight men.
4
See You At The Finish Line
Spice Level: 2 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers
The least-spicy spicy book that’s getting an exciting adaptation is See You At The Finish Line by Zac Hammett. The story follows Lucas and George, two young men on the rowing team at Cambridge, who find themselves falling for each other despite being enemies.
The spicy sports romance includes open-door sex scenes, but they focus more on George and Lucas’s emotional connection during sex and less on the graphic details of what’s happening at all times. For this reason, it’s an excellent choice for people who enjoy a little bit of spice in their romance but not a ton.
Besides being a compelling spicy book adaptation, the See You At the Finish Line TV show is particularly exciting because it has stylistic and narrative similarities to the already popular adaptation Red, White & Royal Blue. Plus, author Zac Hammett, who has screenwriting experience, is closely involved in the adaptation, meaning it will probably stay pretty faithful.
3
Fourth Wing
Spice Level: 3.5 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers (Based On The Whole Empyrean Series)
Rebecca Yarros’ hit Empyrean series, which starts with the book Fourth Wing, is coming to the small screen on Prime Video, and it could rival Game of Thrones. To avoid spoilers, we’ll only give a brief teaser of the first book. The story follows a scribe named Violet who is forced to join the ruthless dragon-rider school, which could be a death sentence.
Although people label Fourth Wing “dragon smut,” there are surprisingly few sex scenes in the first book. Only two chapters qualify as open-door sex scenes, but they are pretty graphic when they do appear. Additionally, the sequels are significantly spicier than the first book, averaging about five spicy chapters per book.
As such, the Fourth Wing TV show is bound to be pretty spicy if they continue the story past the first book. What’s more, it will include graphically violent dragon-fighting scenes, if they follow the novels. This will make watching the show a bloody good time.
2
Forget Me Not
Spice Level: 2.5 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers
The debut novel, Forget Me Not by Julie Soto, is set to receive a TV adaptation from Universal International Studios (via Collider), and it has spicy scenes to thrill fans. The story follows a wedding planner named Ama and her ex-florist, Elliot, who must work together on a high-profile wedding despite their falling-out. Unbeknownst to them, the two brides are trying to set them up.
Julie Soto’s work includes four open-door sex scenes total, and they’re pretty well-written. However, they are relatively vanilla, which may or may not matter to you depending on your preferences. However, outside of the actual spice, there are also some scenes with good sexual tension.
Despite being erroneously included on Reylo fanfic book lists, Forget Me Not is an original work, not inspired by Kylo Ren and Rey. However, the author is a Dramione and Reylo fan fiction writer who writes under the name Lovesbitca8 on AO3, if you’re looking for Reylo stories.
Ultimately, anyone who loves a good sunshine and grumpy pairing or a second-chance rom-com with spicy scenes should look forward to the onscreen adaptation of Forget Me Not.
1
Twisted Love
Spice Level: 4.5 Out Of 5 Spicy Peppers
Twisted Love by Ana Huang is one of BookTok’s most recommended spicy books, and the entire series is getting adapted into a TV show with Netflix. The four books each follow a different couple, interconnected by the women being in the same friend group. The stories are spicy and walk the line between “romance with dark themes” and “dark romance.” They delve into themes like stalking, trauma, and violence. The only reason that the book series doesn’t get 5 out of 5 spicy peppers is that the first book is relatively tame.
Rather than adapt them one at a time, the Twisted Love TV show plans to focus on all four best friends and their brooding love interests at once. What’s more, the logline promises that it will be a “steamy new adult series,” meaning it will keep the spicy chapters from the books.
Luckily, this project hasn’t stalled. Huang is working collaboratively with the Netflix team, and she’s provided periodic updates. As recently as four weeks ago, she asked her fans, for research purposes, what scenes they absolutely needed to see in the TV show. Given how loved the books are, the bar is high on what Ana Huang’s Twisted Love TV show needs to get right, including the spicier scenes.
