Romance
Personal Essays
On the 10th Anniversary of Our DIY Wedding

Ten years ago today, Joey and I were married — untraditionally, feministically, fantastically. By the spring of 2006, we knew we were going to be together, but we weren’t sure we were going to exchange vows. As a little girl, I had never dreamed of my big day with a big white dress and a […]

How To
5 Sensual Massage No-No’s

Denis and Emma Merkas are the founding couple of Melt: Massage for Couples. As a massage therapist since 2000, Denis has taught more than 15,000 couples the art of a great back rub: 1. Don’t Heat the oil in a microwave. I’ve heard stories of people warming up their massage oil in the microwave. *facepalm* Don’t ever be one of […]

How To
Sexless VS. Loveless Marriages: There Are 9 Crucial Differences Between Them!

by Ossiana Tepfenhart for YourTango   It’s hard to imagine a happy relationship between romantic partners without sex involved. If you look at just about romantic comedy out there, there’s going to be a certain level of sexual tension involved. There’s that beautiful spark that seems to ignite between both characters in these kinds of movies, and […]

How To
5 Ways to Get More “Us Time”

Emma Merkas is the co-founder of Melt: Massage for Couples along with her husband Denis, a massage therapist who’s taught more than 15,000 couples over the past 15 years the art of a great back rub: “US TIME” often falls by the wayside in long term relationships. It’s very easy to let all our other […]

Your Call
What Are the Best Songs for a Sex Playlist?

We get a lot of advice questions coming in at EMandLO.com, but sadly, we just can’t answer them all. Which is why, once a week, we turn to you to decide how best to advise a reader. Make your call on the letter below by leaving your advice in the comments section.  I need some new ideas: What are some […]

How To
8 Signs You’re Ready for REAL Love Instead of Fantasy Fairytales

by Gemma Hartley for YourTango Once upon a time, I was really into Nicholas Sparks novels and romantic movies, and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t happy in relationships. Or rather, I knew exactly why I was unhappy: no one was living up to the fairytale I had fashioned for myself in my head. I […]

How To
10 Easy Ways to Be More Romantic

Romance is contagious. So the best way to get your partner to be more romantic is to be more romantic with them first. Here are 10 not-too-arduous ways to do just that. 1. Wax nostalgic. Ninety-eight percent of romance is remembering not to take each other for granted. So tap into long-lost crush feelings by […]

Pop Culture
The 15 Most Romantic Movies Streaming on Netflix This Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s time to get in the mood for love. These 15 films currently streaming on Netflix can help. Ten are gimmes when it comes to cinematic romances, five are a bit more unexpected (and might appeal to those who break out in hives when they hear the term “rom-com”).  […]

Sex Poetry
Sex Poetry: Chaucer’s Most Romantic Lines in “The Canterbury Tales”

It’s the bawdiness of some of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales that stays with you from high school lit class (literal ass-kissing? come on!). But it’s the first tale in this collection of stories told by pilgrims lodging at an inn — The Knight’s Tale – that’s quite the opposite of bawdy: a traditional romance of courtly love […]

Pop Culture
10 Emo Love Songs for Your Inner Angsty Teen

by Caithlin Pena for YourTango The 90s to the mid-2000’s was an era of pop/punk/alternative rock music. Punk rock bands spoke to the youth through songs about not fitting in, anger and angst, taboo areas like depression and suicide, and of course, romance and heartbreak. So when Buzzfeed released this list last year, the teenager in me cried from the nostalgia. Even though I […]

Pop Culture
20 Sexy Poem Quotes to Tattoo On Your Body

Forget angels and butterflies — the latest trend in tattoos is words. Check out Flavorwire’s roundup for the best literary quotes ever tattooed, for some awesome examples. We also love their feature on celebrities with literary tattoos — did you know that both Lena Dunham and Elliott Smith inked Ferdinand the Bull on their arms? […]

Movies
30th Anniversary of One of the Most Romantic Movies Ever Made

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Merchant-Ivory production, A Room with a View, which won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 1985 (along with best art direction and costume design) and introduced many of us to the possibility that mainstream movies could, in fact, have full frontal male nudity. Based on the […]

How To
10 Easy Ways to Be More Romantic

photo via Flickr Romance is contagious. So the best way to get your guy or gal to be more romantic is to be more romantic with them first. Here are 10 not-too-arduous ways to do just that. 1. Wax nostalgic. Ninety-eight percent of romance is remembering not to take each other for granted. So tap into long-lost […]

Special Issues
The Valentine’s Day Issue

The Best Valentine’s Day Present Ever! The top 10 reasons why our new book 150 Shades of Play makes the best Valentine’s Day present ever!   10 Easy Ways to Be More Romantic Romance is contagious. So the best way to get your partner to be more romantic is to be more romantic with them first. […]

How To
10 Ways Blizzards Are Good for Your Love Life

photo via Flickr It’s Snowmegeddon! Batten down the hatches! Get the gas for the generators! Scratch the eyes out of the mom at the grocery store grabbing the last of the organic milk! And then take a deep breath, relax, and look at the beautiful snow from another perspective: namely, from a place of love. […]