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.