How do you know if a romance is sweet or steamy? Will it leave you fanning yourself?

Welcome to the Spice Scale.

Also called Steam Ratings and Heat Level, this is a way of rating how much sex a book contains on a scale of 1 to 5. Is the book you’re thinking of buying a 1? Ah, how sweet! Is it rated a 5? I’ll be in my bunk.

1 – Sweet. No sex. Handholding and maybe even a kiss. Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

2 – Mild spice. Closed doors. Also called Fade to Black. The couple has sex, but it happens off the page. Example: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

3 – Medium spice. Open door. The characters have sex and the reader gets to witness it, but it’s not detailed and body parts will be called by mild euphemisms. Example: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

4 – Spicy. At least two scenes of detailed intimacy with explicit terms. Example: Wolfsong by TJ Klune.

5 – Extra spicy! Lots of sex throughout, with explicit terms. Kink may be involved. Erotica goes in this category, but romance can, too. Example: A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne.