I think I’d have a problem with the hero being the one to force the heroine to have sex with someone she didn’t want to. I’ve seen it used where the ‘bad’ alpha tried to force the heroine to have sex and the hero saved her but nothing where the ‘good’ guys forced the heroine.

Thanks for the response. I think you are correct, it’s not that rape can’t be written, it’s more about how it’s written. What bothered me most wasn’t that a rape was shown (I have a manuscript where a rape is shown), but two very specific things: First, the rape was blamed on them being shifters, when canines/cats do not “penetrate” as a show of dominance. Secondly, in both cases, the other member of the pair was present, and managed to “get off” on what happened in one form or another.

In addition, as a side note, the typical emotions regarding rape were not addressed. There was none of the feeling of being violated mentioned at any point. I wouldn’t imagine a man’s feelings would be any less than a woman’s even if they show it differently.

I guess all in all, it seemed more like a book saying “it’s okay to rape, see? My Hero/Heroine didn’t have any problem with it” as opposed to what most authors write, which deals with the deeper emotions.

It should be made clear upfront to the buyer/reader of the book what they are in for. Any potentially offensive or disturbing content should come with a warning, and readers should get to choose for themselves whether or not they want to read the story.