Reader expectations are crucial! As an author of romance, I have a contract with my readers to present both a solid story focused on the romantic relationship between the main characters and an emotionally satisfying ending (HEA/HFN). But I also think we’ve reached the point where spice rating systems also need to be available to give readers a solid idea of what they can expect when it comes to intimate scenes.

Romance runs the gamut with intimacy/sex scenes. There’s something for everyone depending on their comfort levels. It’s important to make sure we give readers a way to judge whether a book is too spicy, not spicy enough, or just the right amount of spice.

Rating spice in romance can be a contentious thing, and most spice rating systems are ambiguous with nebulous chili peppers floating around–much like star ratings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen influencers post that a book has two chili peppers, but they give no details as to what that rating actually means. How do we fix this?

Well, I’ve created my own Chili Pepper rating system called Spice Made Simple. I use it to describe my own books and as a tool to rate the books I read and review.

The first thing you notice is that I do not consider any book with closed-door or only kissing scenes to be spicy. Those are Bell Pepper Books. These are great for Young Adults and Adults who prefer to keep the bedroom door closed, but they don’t exist in my collection. I prefer a few Chili Peppers to turn up the heat. 😘

MOST of my books fall between 2 to 3 Chili Peppers.

Let me know if you want me to give some concrete examples of very popular books and their spice ratings according to my Spice Made Simple Rating System. 💖