How to rate spice and heat in romance books, so you know what you are picking up

Romance readers disagree about almost everything, but nearly all of them want to know before they start how explicit a book is. A closed-door cosy romance and a book with long, detailed scenes are different reading experiences, and the cover rarely says which one you are holding. A heat rating, usually called spice, solves that.

A simple scale

There is no official standard, but most readers use a version of this zero to five scale:

1. 10 — No romance on the page, or none of the physical kind.
2. 21 — Sweet. Kissing, nothing more, doors firmly closed.
3. 32 — Warm. Some sensual tension, scenes fade to black.
4. 43 — Steamy. Scenes are on the page but not graphic.
5. 54 — Spicy. Explicit and frequent, with detail.
6. 65 — Very explicit, long scenes, intense content.

Rate on how much and how explicit, not on whether you liked it. A spice rating is information for the next reader; whether the book was good is a different number.

Spice is not a content warning

Heat and content warnings answer different questions. A sweet romance can contain grief, violence or abuse; a very spicy one can be gentle throughout. Track them separately: spice for how explicit, and a short list of warnings for anything that might matter to you or your reader.

Why track it at all

• You can choose by mood. Some weeks you want slow burn and a closed door, some weeks you do not.
• You can see your own pattern across a year. Many readers discover they rate 3s higher than 5s, or the reverse.
• You can recommend accurately. "It is great, but it is a 4" saves a friend an awkward surprise.

Some readers track a second number the same way: tears. How hard a book made you cry is just as useful when you are choosing your next read, and just as hard to find in a blurb.