Twilight kissAn unspeakably handsome man has all the power and money a person could possibly hope for, and yet he remains tortured. Tortured by the past that haunts his every move, and more importantly, tortured by his all-consuming lust for you. Even though you consider yourself a fairly average -- perhaps even awkward? -- young woman. My god, he can't even focus, his boner for you is so incredibly epic.

Sound familiar? It certainly should, since this is essentially the formula that sold millions upon (sweaty, bosom-heaving) millions of Fifty Shades of Grey copies.

If you're wondering why there's been such a swelling engorgement of romance in the pants of the publishing industry, it may be that there's one specific piece of literature to blame. Although women embracing erotica is nothing new, our newfound public appreciation for steamy, penetrating storylines may come courtesy of ... Twilight. In all its young-adult, implied-sex chasteness.

At least, that's the theory put forth by Sylvia Day, author of the wildly popular erotic romance Crossfire series. As she puts it,

I think a lot of (Twilight) readers are growing up and are looking for the next step in a romance story, a little bit more sex, a little bit more conflict, and they're migrating from that into contemporary erotic romance.

Dude, I believe it. The Twilight series was sort of one big long tease, wouldn't you say? Three books with no sex, and only a vague reference to the bed-destroying action that happens during their honeymoon in the fourth book. You could argue that there's all sorts of Mormon imagery in the books, and whether or not that's true, there are certainly plenty of metaphors for sexual desire and abstinence. (Edward: "I can barely control myself around you! My penis! I mean, my fangs!" Bella: "I feel the same way! I'm so overcome with horniness I just fell down a flight of stairs!")

So if you're a young reader whose hormones are all in a boil from the frustrating lack of genital-on-genital contact in Twilight, it makes perfect sense to move on to some books that offer the exact same formula -- only without the sparkles, and with the orgasms.

Day's books, Bared to You and Reflected in You -- the first two of her romance trilogy -- involve a familiar theme: powerfully rich insanely hot alpha male who's totally obsessed with our relatable heroine, who, like, doesn't even know how gorgeous she is. They also involve lots of hot sex. Let's just say the Crossfire hero, Gideon Cross, is remarkably gifted in that he never needs a rest ever (UNLIMITED AMMO MODE!) and his package is totally -- um, anyway, Day thinks that it's a natural fit for Twilight fans to transition into books like hers and Fifty Shades of Grey:

It's emotional resonance that they're looking for in a story. So when you read something like 'Twilight' with life-and-death stakes, they want to move forward into an adult read that has that same sort of conflict level, and they're finding that mostly in erotic romance.

Yep, emotional resonance, lots of drama and conflict, and most importantly, a happy ending. If you know what I mean. *waggles eyebrows, makes lewd in-and-out finger gesture*

Do you think it's true that Twilight is the reason there's been such an uptick in erotic romance?


Image via Summit