My only encounter with a romance novel that I didn't know was a
romance novel (by some) was Clan of the Cave Bear. I was in 7th
grade. Human girl lost among more primitive humans. Got
scratched. Taken care of by tribe of proto-humans of some sort.
They had different sex ways but I was 12/13 yrs old and figured,
"Ok, that's probably how they did it back then" although I
laughed out loud at things like, "throbbing member" and stuff
like that. I was like, "Oh come on, REALLY!?!" Told one teacher
about the book. She was very interested that I knew about it and
liked it and we're talk about it. [all the not-cave-sex stuff of
course]. Another teacher I told got really mad at me. "What are
you reading that smut for? doesn't your mother know what you're
reading?" That's when I figured it out.