How to Rate Spice in Books
When reviewing romance books, how you rate the spicy scenes is a crucial element that helps other readers determine if they will enjoy the story or not. Here’s how I set my spicy scale for the reviews that appear on this site.
While I’ve always enjoyed romance, over the last few years I’ve gravitated more and more to this genre of books.
I love a good story that makes my heart swell and I don’t mind a good spicy scene or two in the mix but I know that other readers have different preferences.
I want the reviews on my site to be as helpful to you as possible so I’ve outlined how I rate spicy books so that you know what to expect when you’re selecting your next read.
Since ratings can be subjective and my Level 3 may be your Level 10, I’ve tried to be as clear as I can about how the authors portray these intimate moments between characters.
I have a very modest scale and there are definitely romance books that would be off the chart. These are not books I plan to review on this site, so my scale is meant to be applied to the book reviews I share here.
🚫 0. Spice Free
Books that fall into a level 0 spice do not reference any romantic moments that wouldn’t happen on the front porch of your parents’ house.
🌶️ 1: Fade to Black
In a Level 1 “closed door” romance, the author will use a cutaway technique to avoid having to describe specific romantic moments.
The characters kiss and suddenly it is the next day, for example. The reader is left to fill in the blanks with their own imagination about what may have happened between the characters.
🌶️🌶️ 2. Closed Door or Open Door with No Lights
Level 2 on my spice scale, the author still uses a fade to black technique but the door doesn’t close quite as early as it does with a 1. There may be some extra warming up and lingering before the lights go dark.
Alternatively, the door might be open and we know what’s happening but the words are vague enough that no specific acts are really described.
Level 2 books let us know that the characters are connecting on a physical level but the emotions matter more than the act.
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3. Gentle Open Door
With a Level 3 spicy book, the author leaves the door open and we know how the characters are connecting on a very personal level. The descriptive language is specific but tasteful.
The intimate moments support the romance and are an opportunity to show natural progression for the story.
There are perhaps 1 – 3 scenes in total and the plot still moves between these moments.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4. Open Door and Bright Lights
A Level 4 spicy book has open door scenes that detail the intimacy between romantic partners with vivid descriptions that last across several pages if not whole chapters.
The relationships are safe, consensual, and support the romance but are not exactly the entire point of the book.
If you don’t enjoy spicy scenes, a Level 4 book will be more than you can handle because they make up a good portion of the motivation for the characters.
In a romance book, these moments are the end goal and purpose to the rest of the story. In a fantasy or action-packed book, the remaining plot may be violent or dark with crashing moments where the characters turn towards one another for comfort.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 5. No Door, ALL The Lights
To achieve the spiciest Level 5 rating, the author has made the romantic intimacy scenes the main plot driver of the entire story. All spice a lot of the time. Not only is that door wide open but there may not even be a door at all.
The language is graphic, detailed, and purposely electrifying. Content warnings may be involved and sensitive readers should proceed with caution.
Now You!
How does my scale compare to yours? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below.
Let me know if your scale has something I haven’t considered.
Which zone on the rating scale do you prefer? Go ahead and chime in!
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