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Spice Level Rating
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I really like this breakdown, it is simple and easy to follow. For me levels 1 and 2 are the sweet spot, since I read mostly for the story and the characters. I agree with you on level 5, it can feel like its own genre entirely, so maybe it belongs in a separate category. Still, this is a helpful guide, I will keep it in mind when picking up new romances.
Idk, like, give me some books you’d rather with each one (preferably like booktok ones, that most people know). Like where would 4th wing come?
based on this chart fourth wing would be between 3-4
I like the chart. Very easy to know just how much spice there is.
Blaze wrote: "I might have left out outright Erotica, which is arguably a different genre than Romance, pushing 3&4 up to create room for another grading level..."I think the split you are after is real but it is not a heat axis. One through four are all doing the same job, the bedroom is where the relationship gets tested. At five the scene is carrying the plot, and if you cut it the book stops making sense. So the question is not how graphic it is, it is whether you could skip the scene and still follow the story.
I'd love to hear what level you consider Two If By Sea by Richard McCann! It's spicy but I'd like you to be the judge! Love to hear the feedback! Oh, I think the rating system is spot on!
Sophia wrote: "based on this chart fourth wing would be between 3-4"Thnx. It’s a really good book though
• 🌶️ Level 1 (Closed Door): Any intimate bedroom moments fade to black before things get explicit.
• 🌶️🌶️ Level 2 (Warm / Low Open Door): One or two lightly descriptive intimate scenes focusing more on emotion, connection, and character development than anatomical mechanics.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Level 3 (Steamy / Open Door): Fully on-page, explicit intimacy with multiple detailed scenes, strong banter, and solid physical chemistry woven throughout the plot.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Level 4 (High Heat): Frequent, graphic, and intense intimacy with descriptive dirty talk, exploration of kinks, or prolonged encounters.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Level 5 (Scorching / Erotica): High-heat intimacy where explicit physical encounters and kinks form the central engine of the narrative.
What is your take on these definitions? Personally, I might have left out outright Erotica, which is arguably a different genre than Romance, pushing 3&4 up to create room for another grading level between 2 & 3.