Exactly how steamy is this story?
R
There's a scene in Shiver where Grace's mom asks Sam to choose between two paintings. What she doesn't tell him, until after he chooses, is that they're called Love and Lust. Sam might have chosen love, but he and Grace also choose lust for a good bit of the novel.
Shivering isn't the only involuntary reflex going on in this book. There's also constant arousal as a result of teen hormones. It helps that Grace and Sam are both ridiculously attracted to one another. They're always pawing at each other, even when Sam is human and doesn't actually have paws anymore. Their kissing gets hot and steamy, and transitions into a scene where Grace and Sam lose their virginity to one another: “As we pressed our bodies against each other, I shrugged off my skin with a growl, giving in, neither wolf nor man, just Sam” (44.78). The act is a blend of human romance and primal animal attraction. We're not sure if there was any howling during it.
Aside from a brief mention that they used protection (at least Sam won't have to be neutered), the aftermath is pretty much: we did it, big deal. Of course, Sam shifts into a werewolf shortly thereafter. Grace isn't willing to go there.