I used to read erotica (that's such a bleh word, but I didn't just read porn) on a regular basis. I don't as much now, not because I don't enjoy it, but because I don't have as much reading time, and I prefer non-fiction (I love to learn.) Also, sadly, I have a hard time finding the good stuff. Part of the difficulty is the same sort of difficulty readers face when they're looking for a good read in any category. But there's an extra complication with erotica, one that's along the same lines as horror, mystery, and other genres.
Mystery solved the problem of connecting readers with the kind of read that they want by categorizing and sub-categorizing the genre. Calling mystery short stories and books cozies, whodunits, etc. are all about helping the reader find the sort of mystery they like best. You can even choose your venue with fine detail. Martial arts mysteries set in ancient China, anyone?
Horror has done this with (IMHO) less success. The horror categories (sometimes) cover the sort of story you may or may not get, but to someone like me who is more interested in character and intelligence in the face of extreme terror and adversity than how scary the story will be, the categories are often useless. I would have never picked up Tremors based on category preferences. I'm glad I didn't give it a pass. It's one of my favorites. Still, horror categories do help connect readers and movie goers to what they want with some success.
Erotica has heat systems set up, but this is a much weaker system than the already-weak horror system. How explicit the sex is and how often it happens isn't as important to me as how intense the story is. And in erotica categories, it seems to be all about the sex and who or what does it with who or what and how many. Which you'd think would make sense. It does keep people from seeing more on screen than they want to. It doesn't, however, address the story itself, just the sex. I have read some hot, intense stuff that had no on screen sex at all, and I've read some porn so boring I stopped reading to do chores.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but you know, it's not just about the sex. If it was, there'd be no such thing as bad porn. If it was just about the gore, there'd be no such thing as a stupid horror flick that unintentionally makes people laugh and roll their eyes. And at least in my case, who does it with who or what has even less to do with the intensity of the story than the number of times the characters have sex and how explicit the sex is.
I write fantasy. I want to be immersed in another world. If paranormal romances had more breadth, I'd probably read a lot more of them, but I have a hard time finding any that don't have modern urban settings with normal horror movie 'monsters' like werewolves, vampires, ghosts, etc as love interests. To be honest, I don't look very hard, but still. It doesn't have to be secondary world. An emotional world will work just fine. A sexy emotional world. But please, don't ever mistake angst for emotion. And I want a good story, no a great story.
Any recommendations? No links, please. I won't click on them. I practice safe cyber.
By the way, Steve Barnes' Lion's Blood is fun, good stuff. Not what I'd call erotica, but the story is whole. His characters have sex and fight and manipulate and betray and show loyalty and honor and do all the adult things you'd expect adults to do. So many books seem to either be echoes of movies and movie characters or feature so-called adults that act like little kids. It was nice to read a book about grownups for once. Especially sexy grownups.