Just wanted to put up a quick post about my book reviews. This post will probably be linked in each review. If you have further questions or comments, please email me. All comments more than 7 days old on this post will be moderated.


Titles:
I choose my own titles. Unless I'm reviewing for another website or get a copy from a publisher, in which case, I'll always reveal it. But in general, assume that I'm just reading what I want to read and that I bought the books myself or got them from the library.

Heat Level:
I read all different kinds of books, from Inspirational (Vanilla) to Erotica (Dark Chocolate). The labels aren't intended to be derogatory to either end of the spectrum, just to help categorize where the heat level is.

Eye-Roll Factor:
How much does this book annoy me? I tend to keep track of how many times I roll my eyes during a novel. If it's few, the score will be high, indicating that it is mildly annoying. Reverse for if it's low. I do that because I "grade" each book out of 100 and the points have to add up. Sorry if it's confusing.

The Cosmo Factor:
All about the heroine. Do I like her? Is she true to her time period? Is she believable? Is she well-developed. In the end, I ask myself, "Self, would we want to sit at a bar with this chick and share a Cosmo at the end of the day?" If the answer is "Hellyah!" then she'll get a Cosmo score of closer to 25. If the answer is "Whoareyoukiddingjackass?" then she'll get a Cosmo score of closer to 0. And anywhere in between.

The Dining Room to Bedroom Factor:
Especially in the more spicy romances, it's easy to write a hero that pleases you emotionally (or pleases the heroine sexually). It's harder to write a hero that I would want to sit down and have a meal with, or do laundry with, or watch a basketball game with in addition to all the other stuff. If the hero would fit well anywhere between the dining room and the bedroom, then he'll get a higher score. If he's more one than the other, he'll get a lower score, and I'll tell you which one he's better for, in my opinion.

The Braveheart Factor:
When I was 21, I got a famous speeding ticket while in a debate about the historical inaccuracies of Braveheart and Evita and whether or not historical accuracy is important. I paid $500, 10 years ago, because I thought they were important. I still hold that to be true. If the history is sketchy, or the characters are out of place or annoying, I will give them a low score here. If the historicity is solid, they'll score high. And don't ask about the ticket... seriously.

The Nostalgia Re-Read Factor:
I realized, after re-reading a Heather Graham trilogy that I loved as a teenager, that the enjoyment of some books is situational. Situationally awesome books should never succumb to the nostalgic re-read. Some books are great to consume once (those will get a low score here), and some books are great to consume over and over (those will get a high score here). See my other blog for more thoughts on this.

The Skim Factor:
I am a quick reader. When a book isn't holding me, I skim until it does. If it never holds me again, I skim until the end. I've skimmed nearly entire books before, because I have an OCD problem with finishing things. I can't not know what happens in the end. Worst case scenario, I'll skip to the last chapter. But more likely, I'll skim in hopes that it will get better. It rarely does. Usually, once I start to skim more than once, it's over. Those books will score low on the skim factor. If I get re-caught in the story and start reading again, those books will get a medium score here. If I don't skim at all, or skim very little, those books will get a 9 or a 10. That is rare.

The Little People Factor:
So we talked about the hero and the heroine... what about the rest of them? Y'know, all those other characters that don't have sex in the book... how are they? Or that don't fall in love. They're still people, too. Right? Aren't they? Well, we shall see.

Overall Evaluation:
Includes the book's score out of 100, and who I would recommend the book to. The score is a combination of all the other factors. So I may love the hero but hate the historicity. That'll make the score lower. I've never written a 100/100 review, and I doubt I ever will. But that's not what I'm shooting for. Plenty of great books have major flaws. Don't think of it in terms of giving the book a grade. Because I don't. Otherwise, I'd never give out "A" grades. Think of it more as the sum of its parts. I read plenty of 75 books that I'm not sad I read. I've read some 50s that were not a complete waste of time. It depends on the elements. But chances are, if you're not somewhere above 50, it just wasn't for me at all, and can I please have my time and money back?