Partners in Passion: A Guide to Great Sex, Emotional Intimacy and Long-term Love

by Mark A. Michaels, Patricia Johnson

Most of us long for intimate relationships, and though texting and emailing may keep us superficially connected, it ultimately cannot create the kind of intimacy necessary to sustain a deep, fulfilling, and lasting partnership. With the divorce rate reaching a staggering 50 percent in 2013 and the breakup rate among unmarried long-term couples even higher, it appears that the more we tweet, the more disconnected we become. So many of us believe that new is better, hotter, and more intense, but love at first sight isn't really love, it's chemistry. Developing the connections and intimacy that everyone craves takes time and skill. In Partners in Passion, Michaels and Johnson provide readers with a fun, step-by-step guide to discovering true, loving, and romantically sexual relationships that will last for decades. Comprehensive and inclusive, Partners in Passion is original and provocative, drawing on a variety of sources: cutting-edge science, psychology, the authors' background in tantra, and personal experiences as teachers and as a couple. Partners in Passion invites couples to design their relationships and to choose consciously, and is replete with how-to suggestions and exercises, including interviews with couples from diverse backgrounds, relationship styles, and orientations who are enjoying erotically vibrant partnerships.

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Reviews

Winner of the Independent Publisher Award Gold Medal in Sexuality/Relationships
Winner of the International Book Award in Relationships
Winner of the Readers' Favorite Book Award in Relationships
Winner of the Living Now Book Award Gold Medal in Sexuality/Femininity
Winner of the USA Book News Best Book Award in Self-Help: Relationships

"Mark Michaels and Patricia Johnson ask whether 'designer' relationships that include more than two people could go mainstream in the future, offering people more options when it comes to romance and marriage."
—io9.com

"How to customize your very own delicious route to personal pleasure."
—Twanna A. Hines, Metro US

"Patricia johnson and Mark A. Michaels counsel couples on how to be in an open relationship."
—Fox News, My Fox DC

"With a thorough resource guide included, this book runs the gamut on sex education, and the authors’ sex-positivity, feminism, and rejection of gender stereotypes makes it a welcome addition to the genre."
—Publishers Weekly

"Those seeking to create conscious, loving partnerships will find a compendium of concrete tools and resources in this important book. I will be encouraging clients, students, and colleagues to share this work. Bravo!"
—Nan Wise, certified sex therapist, AASECT

"If you’re in a relationship, you need this book. If you’re single, you need this book. If you’re having sex or ever plan to have sex–good sex, hot sex, toe-curling sex–you need this book. Clear off your night stand. This is the only volume you need."
—Jenny Block, author of Open

"Patricia and Mark don't only write about being partners in passion; they are partners in passion […] Their book is an absolute must if you are in a relationship or hope to be."
—Jamye Waxman, sex educator and author Hot Sex: Over 200 Things to Try Tonight and Getting Off: A Woman's Guide to Masturbation

"It's not everyday that I learn something new about sex; the chapter on Tantra is amongst the best introductions to the topic I've ever come across"
—Ian Kerner, PhD, NY Times best-elling author of She Comes First

"Gifted teachers and writers, Mark Michaels and Patricia Johnson challenge conventional wisdom and offer bold, fresh strategies for real connection and intimacy in long-term relationships."
—Tristan Taormino, author, Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships

"At last! The new Holy Grail for how to sustain sexual fire and keep loving passion alive. The authors reveal the truths about ecstatic and joyful sexual expression--debunking common myths, providing understanding about sexual energy flow, while offering refreshing, sound and sensitive guidance for couples seeking to thrive over time. I love this book."
—Dr. Patti Britton, clinical sexologist & sex coach, author of The Art of Sex Coaching and Co-Founder of SexCoachU.com

"Patricia Johnson and Mark Michaels have done a fantastic job of offering compassionate advice and clear steps to building the kind of relationship that can support and contain the sex life you deserve."
—Dr. Charlie Glickman, author of The Ultimate Guide to Prostate Pleasure

"Written with emphasis on the kindness, trust, and presence that are required in any healthy relationship, Partners in Passion illustrates delightful depths of insight, providing practical solutions to the very real issues that kill the passion and love in so many partnerships. Every couple needs to read this book!"
—Mikaya Heart, author of The Ultimate Guide to Orgasm For Women

"Partners in Passion is a contemporary sexuality book for both the novice and sexually experienced. The authors' practical and casual manner makes it easy to follow and appreciate the many topics ranging from sexual adventuring, safer sex, designer relationships to sexual communication, desire discrepancy, and aging. Reading it is like talking to a big brother or sister about all aspects of sexuality!
—Sally Valentine, PhD, FAACS, LCSW, AASECT certified supervisor and sex therapist

"Partners in Passion is an outrageous, courageous and much NEEDED endeavor. Michaels and Johnson distill the collective erotic wisdom of the ages, rewrite it with their own unique wit and generosity, and offer it back to us as a true gift!"
—Jennifer Pritchett, founder and owner of The Smitten Kitten, MN

"Partners in Passion by Michaels and Johnson is the most comprehensive compendium on sexuality to date ... This is a book for the whole family."
—Dr. Winston Wilde, sexologist, sex therapist, marriage therapist, author of Legacies of Love

"Mark Michaels and Patricia Johnson are the authors of some of my favorite sexuality books, and in Partners in Passion they have taken their unique approach to intimacy to a whole new level ... I look forward to recommending Partners in Passion to my clients!
–Dr. Ruth Neustifter, Author of The Nice Girl's Guide to Talking Dirty

"These two passionate partners have done it again! Partners in Passion: A Guide to Great Sex, Emotional Intimacy, and Long-Term Love ought to be the graduate's gift, the newlywed's gift, your lover's holiday surprise and the birthday present for your best friend's 50th, too! […] This is a grand blend of neuroscience, the most advanced thinking on relationship and sexuality education and practices—every lover's library needs one!"
—Suzie Heumann, founder of Tantra.com

"Finally, a smart, sexy and practical sex and relationship book! Mark and Patricia meld their knowledge of tantra and alternative sexuality with accessible, practical techniques for building (or rebuilding) passion in long term relationships."
—Jacq Jones, sex educator & owner of Sugar The Shop in Baltimore, MD

"Partners in Passion is the smartest and most comprehensive book on partner sex and erotic relationships available today. Brava, Mark and Patricia! I love this book.
—Barbara Carrellas, author of Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex For The Twenty-First Century and Ecstasy is Necessary

"Partners in Passion is not only a sensible, compassionate, readable book; it is the best book I have ever read about the varieties of love and physical/emotional intimacy […] This book is must reading for all people, young and old, of whatever sexual persuasion and culture, who are on relationship adventures seeking fulfilling intimacy and passionate partnership. My clients will benefit hugely from reading it."
—Alice Kahn Ladas, Ed.D, co-author of The G Spot and Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality and Women and Bioenergetic Analysis

"Partners in Passion is the perfect title because Mark and Patricia are just that – passionate about each other and passionate in their commitment to explore human sexuality together."
—Betty A. Dodson, artist, author and sexologist

"Partners in Passion comes straight from the heart. Use this book as a gourmet guide to trust, touch, and ongoing adventures of discovery in the vast playing fields of loving relationship."
—Gina Ogden, PhD, LMFT, author of Expanding the Practice of Sex Therapy and The Return of Desire

"Other than our need and desire to eat, sex is what we crave the most. It’s what drives us. It needs to be fun and varied. Religion, politics, government intrusion, imposed morals, have all tried to suck the fun out of sex. Partners in Passion puts the fun back! It's a comprehensive and insightful guide for people who take their sex play seriously and are committed to leaving the bedroom with smiles on their faces. Even I can learn a few things from this fascinating book."
—Larry Flynt