The Steamy Spectrum: Understanding Steaminess in Romance Novels

ie. What are “Heat Levels” and What Does It Mean to Be Steamy?

Reading romance books, you’re definitely going to come across a lot of terms that might not be clear to you at first (check our handy Romance Reader Dictionary for some common romance terms!) and arguably none are more important than “Heat Levels”. So, whether you’re looking for the best steamy romance books available, or something on the sweeter side, we’ll explain how to find it.

Simply put, in the context of romance novels, heat levels or how “steamy” a book is, refers to the intensity and explicitness of the sexual content of the story. 

Steaminess can range from sweet, tender moments of affection to highly…erm…explicit encounters.

There’s no right or wrong level of steaminess (or spiciness) in romance, just like there’s no right or wrong level of “mafianess” or “werewolfness” in a story.  It’s just an element of the story itself and your enjoyment of it is purely up to your own tastes.

Likewise, there’s no one single explanation for what is “High Heat” or what is “Low Steam”. Or even a single way to refer to these levels. Steam, Heat, Spice, all refer to the same thing. Ie. The amount of sexual content in the book. So you have to put a little bit of work in.

There are a handful of explainers out there for you though. Author Jenna Harte has a fun video (if that’s your preferred medium) with lots of great historical context, this explainer from 4 Horsemen Publications is pretty straightforward as well.

You’ll notice that most explainers have gone with a 5 Level System to break out the Heat Levels. In our opinion, there’s an awful lot of blur between what people consider Levels 2, 3 and 4 and typically this is where most of the confusion happens.

But you’re on bookspry for a reason, so let’s get into our explainer for romance book steam levels!

Levels of Steaminess

One thing that’s really difficult to make clear to readers is the level of steam in a particular story. What defines “explicit”? How does the author communicate that to the reader?

At bookspry we’re constantly refining the terms we use and how we communicate those to our readers and authors, but here’s a helpful explainer!

Clean/Sweet (No Steam)

At the sweetest end of the spectrum, romance novels focus on emotional connection and intimate, non-sexual interactions. These stories may include hand-holding, light kisses, and affectionate touches, but they steer clear of explicit content. The emphasis is on the emotional journey and the developing relationship between the characters.

For Example, in a story in this category, you’d expect the main characters to share meaningful glances, tender hugs, and a few chaste kisses, but nothing more. 

Check out bookspry’s Clean Romance section for some great examples!

Mild (Low Steam)

Mildly steamy romances (these would be the “two chili peppers” categories you see) include more detailed romantic interactions but still remain relatively tame. These novels might feature closed-door love scenes, where the action is implied rather than explicitly described. The focus is on building tension and showcasing the chemistry between the characters without delving into graphic detail.

A story in this category might have the couple share passionate kisses and embraces, with scenes fading to black before anything too explicit is shown.

Medium (Moderate Steam)

Medium steam novels typically try to strike a balance between emotional connection and physical intimacy. These stories include open-door love scenes with moderate explicitness, providing enough detail to get across the passion between the characters without becoming overly graphic. 

You might say Medium Level Steam is where things switch over from expressing Love to being able to express Lust.

You will have graphic scenes but often not many. This is where the levels really get tricky and the difference between 2.5, 3, and 4 become a little blurry.

Hot (High Steam)

High Steam romances leave little to the imagination. These stories feature detailed descriptions of the physical encounters between characters and often include multiple love scenes throughout the story. 

The steamy scenes should still be used to enhance the overall romance, but make no mistake, things are getting hotter!

Expect multiple encounters and lots of details.

Scorching (Erotic Romance)

These novels prioritize explicit, graphic sexual content as a central element of the story. 

The spicy scenes are numerous and detailed, and often explore various aspects of the characters sexuality and desire. 

Make no mistake though, while there is obviously a strong focus on the physical elements of the relationship, these are still romance novels. You should still expect the usual romantic elements and storyline, just with some characters who can’t keep their hands off each other. 

This is in contrast to Erotica (confusing right!?) but just remember, Erotic Romance still has Romance in the title, and that’s a very important differentiator between the two genres.

Finding Your Preferred Steam Level

Only you know what you want to read today. There’s no such thing as the correct amount of steam, only whatever you’re interested in reading that day. Some days I’m in the mood for Holiday Romance, some days I’m in the mood for Western Romance. The same goes for Heat Levels. 

Every reader has their own comfort zone and preferences when it comes to steaminess in romance novels. Some readers enjoy the sweet innocence of low-steam stories, while others crave the intense passion of high-steam or erotic romances. The key is to find the level of steaminess that resonates with you and enhances your reading experience.

It’s also good to remember that reading is supposed to be fun. Worrying too much about a book having some scenes in it you weren’t looking for isn’t the biggest deal in the world and skipping pages is OK (in this author’s opinion anyway). 

But to help you avoid books you don’t want to read, authors often signal the steam level of their novels through things like cover design, blurbs. Sometimes very explicitly (always check the bottoms of blurbs where authors often tuck away book themes and tropes). Reviews are incredibly helpful as well. Search for the common terms you’ve learned here (steam, spice, etc) and you’ll often turn up reviews that lay out exactly what to expect in the book. 

One thing is for sure, romance is a genre known for it’s abundance of amazing books, as well as a dizzying array or tropes, heat levels, and genres to choose from. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it. 

Have a look at what romance books are on sale today on bookspry, and use our handy little “Heat Level” search function on the left side of the screen.

Enjoy!

A classic! Not just in romance, but in fiction generally. Think cowboys with rough hands and beautiful western vistas.

Western Romance can be a bit broad, especially with regards to time. So your main concern will be deciding if you want contemporary or historical western romance. Either way, you’ll get a lot of 

Adventure, cowboys, heart, cowboys, and all the feels. Even if this isn’t your go to genre, are you telling me this isn’t a world you’d want to dip into from time to time? Come on. You’ll love it!

The Cowboy’s Best Friend’s Sister: A Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance

by Jessie Gussman

You want to start a book club?! Amazing!

I’ve been in quite a few book clubs in my day and am currently organising two different groups (one with my close friends, and one with a group of co-workers) and have learned a few things about how to start up a book club and how to make sure your reading group is successful early on (as well as what NOT to do when starting a book club).

What to expect?

In this article we’ll talk about how to start a book club that people will actually enjoy, including the things you need to keep in mind when starting any kind of reading group or book club, as well as some of the common pitfalls to avoid when organising.

How do you start a book club and how do you make sure your book club is successful?

First things first, while the rules and ideas below will give your book club a good chance at succeeding, no matter what the rules say (or what you read on other blogs) book clubs are foremost about reading and having fun. It’s about what the members want to do and what they enjoy. Don’t take it too seriously. 

Now, that being said, on to the tips!

Pick the friends

This is everything. You can’t have a book club by yourself. Well…you can, but people look at you funny when you get in arguments with yourself at the local library. 

The key here is to start with a core of people that are as reliable as possible. For the first couple of months it’s all about getting into a rhythm. People are busy, life gets in the way and everyone loves leaving things (like reading your book) to the last minute. You need at least one person who is going to read the book and show up to the meeting with you. Try to keep the group smallish at first (think 5-6 people MAX) and make sure there are a couple of people in there who you can trust to show up on book club day!

Pick the books

Now you’ve got your crew, you need something to read. For the first month, I suggest picking a book for the group yourself and just telling people that, that’s what you’ll be reading. If you can get everyone together to pick a book together, fine (or you can handle it through an email thread), but that often leads to delaying the first meeting. Pick your own book to start. People will follow. 

In subsequent meetings, I like to ask people to bring one book recommendation each and then we discuss each book at the end of the meeting and vote (if you do this, remember to leave time for it!). As the organiser, make sure you bring a couple of options yourself just in case some of the other members forget. Like I said, getting your book club going is all about rhythm. You don’t want to have to miss a week while people discuss what book they want.

Pick the location

Where’s the best place to host a book club? There are a lot of potential answers: cafes, libraries, your house, but we all know the real answer.  The bar.  Ideally a place where you can spend some time, is quiet enough that you can hear each other, but also noisy enough to drown out and arguments you might be having about the meaning of the Scrabble game in the Handmaid’s Tale. Bonus points for having your event on an off-night when the drinks are cheaper!

Pick the time

Book ahead. Some people will always bail at the last minute, but you want to give them enough notice so that they don’t have a good excuse. 

If some people can’t make it, it’s up to you if you want to reschedule or not, but be aware, if you reschedule every time one person can’t make it, you’ll never have your book club. Set the date far enough in the future that people don’t have an excuse, then have your event, rain or shine.

Pick the next book

As mentioned before. I’m a big fan of democracy (when it comes to picking new books for my book club). This means fewer complaints (usually) and lets people get a bit more engaged with the new book and maybe get a bit of background before they start reading it.

So set the rules for how the next book will be picked ahead of the meeting and make sure everyone knows what the rules are. I like to “force” people to bring at least one book recommendation and then vote, but I always have a couple of extra book ideas in my back pocket in case people don’t bring anything.

Note: I recommend leaning towards shorter books at first. For the same reasons I keep mentioning, you want to give you book club every chance at success. Shorter books let people make sure they have time to read it and let you get off on the right foot. Build on the momentum of two or three successful meetings and work up to longer books.

Conclusion

There! Now you know how to organize and host a book club! Next in the series, I’ll give you some tips on how to guide conversation during the actual meeting, in case it stalls out (hint: it will).

Remember, at the end of the day, book clubs are pretty low risk. Worst case scenario you read a book. That’s what we call a win-win.

Until next time! 

If you have any questions about this article or want to chat about it, send us an email at admin@bookspry.com

Halloween Lockdown or Not – What to Read this Spooky Season

Hallowe’en is going to look a little different this year, and I know what you’re asking yourself “Why is he spelling halloween like that!??!”. Well, first of all, that’s how you spell Hallowe’en, but more importantly, let’s focus on the important thing here: Spooky Tales!!!

Hopefully you’re allowed to have a somewhat normal Hallowe’en, but if you aren’t, why not spend some of that extra time getting spooked!  We had a timeless (and I’m sur highly celebrated) Hallowe’en reading list a couple of years ago that still stands up, but we’re here to add to that venerable tradition. 

So…here is bookspry’s Hallowe’en Books to Read (and not).

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Don’t read this book. It’s not spooky or scary or (if we’re being honest) scary at all. I hate to say this about a fellow Canadian, but man, that’s not how they talk in PEI!!! 

I’ll try Nick Cutter again because I like to see a Canadian boy do good, but this is a miss. 

0 out of 5 Booooooksrpys.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Ever been to a Scholastic book fair? I f**king loved this book. I saved up and brought my little pencil and order form to my parents and was like “guys, this book is too spooky, I probably can’t handle it, but I need to know.”. My parents called my bluff. 

Bonus points for getting the original cover with the weird-skull-head-man-smoking-a-pipe-for-some-reason.

4 out of 5 Booooooksrpys.

The Shining by Stephen King

Have some extra time these days? The Shining doesn’t compare to the The Stand’s 800+ pages, but it’s a solid 400 pages of classic spookiness! I can’t possible make a Hallowe’en list without mentioning Stephen King at least once. 

4 out of 5 Booooooksrpys.

Lovecraft Collection

by H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft is not without his controversy, but he’s also not without his incredibly spooky stories. The Colour out of Space is not only on Netflix these days, but is also great because it spells “colour” correctly (and is also a really fun story). 

H.P. Lovecraft is a legit treasure trove of crazy, spooky, fun seasonal stories. Try to go for a cheap book of short stories if you’re just looking to get a taste. Otherwise, feel free to just buy the Cadillac of Lovecraft and call it a day. 

4 out of 5 Booooooksrpys (depending on which one you get)

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This may or may not have made a previous bookspry.com Hallowe’en Reading List. You’ll have to search to find out if that’s true. But regardless, it deserves to be here. 

Especially now that it has a follow up on Netflix filled with hidden ghosts and bad accents. Get into the spirit and lean into the fact that Hallowe’en can be both incredibly meaningful and incredibly goofy all at once. 

Looking for something fresh to read?

Check out our reading lists here.