According to PowerSearch, thus far in 2023, we’ve reviewed 361 books. Of these, 291 were published this year. 120 were DIKs.
I broke these reviews into categories–and, remember, there’s lots of overlap.
| Category | Number of reviews | Number of DIKS |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Romance | 139 | 39 |
| Historical Romance | 72 | 29 |
| Male/Male/Queer Romance | 59 | 23 |
| Romances with POC leads | 46 | 17 |
| Romances by AOC | 41 | 14 |
| Fantasy/Fantasy Romance | 29 | 6 |
| Historical Fiction | 28 | 11 |
| Mystery/Suspense | 18 | 4 |
| Romantic Suspense | 18 | 12 |
| Fiction | 10 | 2 |
| Paranormal Romance | 7 | 4 |
I was surprised that we reviewed Contemporary Romance more than any other genre although I think that’s, in part, because a lot of the m/m we review is contemporary. PRN, which used to be a big thing at AAR, is currently not although it’s unclear to me how firm the line is between PRN and fantasy.
What do you think? Is this what you’d like to see us reviewing?
Clearly, there is a lot of overlap and therefore does not give a clear picture. A book can be contemporary with POC lead characters and written by an AOC. So, this one book/review could be checking three different boxes. AOC authors are most likely to have POC lead characters but it does not tell me whether LGBTQ books by AOC have been reviewed or whether any of these books include queer leads. I think, book type and tags are mixed together. Ideally, the tags such as m/m, LGBTQ, POC should be broken out as sub-categories under each book type.
You can do that within Power Search, for sure.
I can do that, of course. But i was thinking of gross numbers that you can show in a table like the above.
To be honest, that’s a lot more work for me. 😉
I think it’s fine to review the books you yourselves actually want to read.
I check out the reviews for romance (m/m, fantasy, and paranormal don’t appeal all that much to me, so that depends on the title/cover/author), but pretty much never the non-romance genres.
I do worry we review too much non-romance for our readers but I also feel our volunteer reviewers should, as you say, review books they wish to read.
And there’s also the issue of what we’ve been calling the “hybrids” – the books that are a bit romance and a bit women’s fiction (and which don’t always work for either audience!)
So much trad. published contemporary romance seems to be going that way right now, and much of the “pure” contemporary romance seems to be coming from self-published authors (if you think of the powerhouses like Lauren Blakely and Sarina Bowen, plus authors like Serena Bell, Julianna Keyes, Zoe York etc.) That comes with its own set of problems for a site like this in that very few of those books are offered at NetGalley, and can thus be difficult for us to get hold of for review.
I appreciate your hard work at AAR! However, I use different sources for feedback on non-romance reading.
I think there’s been a blurring of Fantasy and PNR in some areas. I generally go with “magic=fantasy” and “shifters=paranormal” – but then there’s Urban Fantasy which can have elements of both (Hailey Turner’s Soulbound series, for example) and the two Vanora Lawless books I reviewed recently are listed as PNR at Amazon, but feature magic, so I think I tagged them as both!
I find myself scratching my head about PNR or fantasy or magic, too. I generally put shifters in Urban Fantasy if it’s a contemporary setting, but sometimes as paranormal or even fantasy depending on the setting. I generally use fantasy for things with a high fantasy feel, but also for made-up universes even if they have a passing resemblance to Earth, like alt-universes (Farview by Kim Fielding). And, like you, sometimes I just shelve them as more than one of the catagories.
I read a lot of LGBTQ romances and I’m pretty happy with the coverage here, although I’d love to see more of those reviews. I’m not interested in women’s fiction or the vast majority of m/f contemporaries. I’m actually getting a bit tired of m/m contemporaries, too. I’m reading more m/m that’s RS, fantasy, sci-fi, etc, these days to get a little originality.
I’ve never been a huge historical romance fan, having read over 3X as many contemporary romances (which include romantic suspense or romantic mysteries), but I still enjoy a well-written historical romance from time to time.
I cut my reading teeth on mysteries and suspense, so even though read mainly romances now, I still gravitate to books with those elements.
I included a proposed paranormal taxonomy when I wrote about genre labels (http://www.ccrsdodona.org/markmuse/reading/genrelabels.html).
For me, relationships determine whether I call a book PNR or UF. If the Romance Quotient (% of text devoted to romance) is high, I call it PNR. If the RQ is low, I call it UF. I call most series with the same main characters UF because very few series maintain a high RQ through multiple books.
Hm. See, I’d have to disagree with that definition, although I would agree that that RQ probably diminishes in series that are 10, 20 books long, if they feature the same couple. I think the “official” demarkations of the genre are to do with the setting and, in PNR, the inclusion of characters, creatures and ideas that are “outside the realm of scientific explanation”, so you’ll find the vampires, zombies, werewolves and ghosts. In my mind, you’ll find magic and magical creatures in Fantasy and UF, although in Fantasy, the story is likely to be set in an imaginary place whereas UF will be set somewhere more familiar in, as the label suggests, an “urban” environment.
I argued years ago that UF is a bad genre label because UF is not necessarily URBAN, but it was established and has stayed in use. My suggested label was NOW for Nearly Our World (contemporary +/- a few hundred years or within a short range laterally in alternate history or reality).
I don’t agree with magic as the genre cutoff. That would move all romances with witches or wizards to fantasy. I see series such as the fix-it witches by Ann Aguirre as firmly PNR, not UF. (That is just the most recent example that springs to mind. I’ve read quite a few witchcraft romances over the years.) True working magic is outside the scope of current science.
I wish you would only review DIK books that I personally would enjoy. That would make me really happy. Ok, I’m kidding!
Truthfully, I think AAR does a great job of reviewing a variety of books, and I really appreciate the time and thought that goes into the reviews. I love that reviewers get to choose their own books, that way I know that no one is forced to read something they would not choose for themselves. Thanks to all!
I echo everything you have said.
I’d never read any queer romance until I read a review of a KJ Charles book here. I gave it a try and it opened up so many new authors to me. My other favourites now include CS Poe and Cat Sebastian. This was all thanks to you lovelies at AAR. I love the variety of books you all review and as another poster said, the reviewers can choose their books.
That’s lovely to hear, thank you!
I wish you’d review more meaty historical romances, well-grounded in history with characters who think and behave like characters from that period, not time travelers. The kind of books Jo Beverley wrote, or Laura Kinsale. But they’d be hard to review since pretty much no one is writing them these days, except Stella Riley.
I think many Harlequin Historicals are coming close to that goal as well as indie authors like Erin Langston and Julia Bennet. But those kind of books do not appear to be prioritized by publishers these days which is a bummer.
Mimi Matthews and Mia Vincy are up there too arguably, I think. Bliss Bennet.
I can only echo what Dabney says – those books just aren’t being published in any quantity right now, and aren’t coming from traditional publishers. I’ve just read and written a review for a December release from an author I’ve given DIKs here, and it’s barely scraped a middling grade – and this is from an author who has a better grasp of history than most. But it’s not the historicity that’s the problem – it’s sunk by its poor characterisation, lack of chemistry and weak plot. As said on another thread recently, are authors who want to write those sorts of books put off doing so because they fear a backlash if their characters don’t espose modern mind-sets and values?
It’s truly depressing to think that a few noisy idiots can have that much power. (Is “idiots” something I’ not supposed to say?)
I think Courtney Milan is a good storyteller. I’m enjoying her new book, The Marquis Who Mustn’t.
Given the fire-hose quantity of material being published today, combined with authors/publishers that do not wish to provide review copies for whatever reason, I think AAR is doing a pretty darn good job. For books that are provided for review, I appreciate the “day of release” reviews. But FWIW, I have no problem reading a review whenever a reviewer has found time to write one – usually something that they like. A new book to me is still a new book.
As far as what is being reviewed, walk into any bookstore or library and look at their romance shelves and it is chock a block full of CR (see “fire-hose” reference above), my least favorite subgenre, generally speaking. I’ve never really been able to put my finger on why except perhaps that other subgenres offer something different from my lived experience that appeals when I’m reading a book summary? OTOH, there have been plenty of CRs recommended here that I’d probably not otherwise have tried: Sajni Patel, Adrianna Herrera, Kennedy Ryan, Penny Reid, Helen Hoang, Mhairi McFarlane, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Serena Bell, and others.
I’m repeating myself, but I think AAR is doing a pretty good job, all things considered.
I’ve never read a lot of m/f contemporary romance – the only reason for that I could ever come up with is that, as a Brit, my lived experience is so different to most of the characters in those books, I just couldn’t relate to it. I don’t have the same problem with m/m contemporary romance, although I tend to stick to a few tried-and-trusted authors. I belong to a group that provides review copies of m/m romance, and honestly, I’ve reached the stage where unless I recognise the author, I don’t even bother reading the synopsis because they’re all basically the same. I tend to go for stuff with an actual plot – what I call “romance AND” (suspense, mystery, fantasy etc.)
I have been reading more contemporary romances in the past year. I’ve enjoyed some Serena Bell books and some Zoe York books but have yet to find any other authors I don’t think could use a good editor.
Of course, I don’t like every book that you review, and I don’t read all the books you review, and have a few “Nono”s like thrillers, serial killers, and certain other types of books that I mostly don’t read such as young adult or sports romances, where a little goes a long way for me.
Like others here, I have discovered authors and types of books that I would not have found without you, like others here a lot of it was MM romance, and additionally a lot of fantasy/paranormal books, or maybe urban fantasy. I don’t care about precise labels that much .
Through your reviews I got pointed at a few excellent books in genres that I don’t enjoy so much, reading a bit YA, some crime outside cozy, some sports. So overall, I would say that you are providing a great service and adding quality to my reading.
Another way to look at this would be:
What type of books am I reading that you don’t review?
Single authors: yes, I have a few autobuys you never reviewed, like Tanya Huff, Sherwood Smith, Dani Collins, Racheline Maltese, T. Kingfisher, R. Cooper, but am I missing a specific genre?
No, not really, as long as it broadly goes into romance, you are looking into it and providing reviews. So, with some thought and a lot of checking in your power search, I would say that you are doing very very well at helping me in my romance reading.
Thank you!
I don’t read every book that’s reviewed here but I enjoy reading every review that is posted here. M/M, fantasy, paranormal, sports romance are not my thing but I have sampled a few in these genre tempted by the superlative reviews of Caz Owens, Lisa Fernandez et al. I read a lot of crime/mystery/legal fiction and I am thrilled to see them reviewed here, more frequently in recent times (Maggie Boyd). It is also good to know that POC/AOC reviews are ticking up. I do enjoy reading occasional reviews of non-romance novels. They add flavors that tone down the cloying sweetness of romance novels.
I pick books to read from multiple sources, in particular NYT and the Guardian, but I have also found several new authors and new books from blog discussions here. What I get from here is plenty and I appreciate all the good work you do.
Thanks!
Thanks! So glad you are enjoying the mystery/suspense reviews!
I am actually surprised by the data. I thought the site was reviewing a larger percentage of non-romance books. I tend to read all of the contemporary or historical romance book reviews graded B or above that are either M/F or M/M. I occasionally read a romantic suspense, mystery, or YA review. I almost never read a fiction or women’s fiction review. I visit the site daily and my impression recently is that I can go a few days without reading a review. I now think this might just be because of my personal tastes.
However, I don’t mind the non-romance reviews. Like others have said, I am happy that the reviewers can choose their books. In a way, I think it gives more authenticity to the review. If the reviewer was interested in the book in the first place, they are predisposed to feel favorably towards it and if they give a low grade, it must really not have been good! Being able to choose their own books also gives me a better sense of the tastes/interests of the reviewer and whether they align with mine. For example, I like a lot of the same books that Caz likes so if she gives a high grade to a new author, I feel I can trust that I will like it too and am more willing to purchase it.
I don’t visit other romance review sites but I will look at Goodreads or Amazon reviews. However, the fact is that reviews are only a part of why I visit this site. What I like even more are the discussions between reviewers and readers, either about a particular book or in the blog posts. That sense of a reading community is what keeps me coming back. Thanks to you and all of the reviewers for working so hard on the site. I really appreciate you all!
Agree, Manjari!
With the difference that I like reading reviews, even when I am close to certain I will not read the book – I enjoy the high quality of analysis and the reasoning why something works, or does not, and sometimes the snarky comments are super funny.
The reviews I do not read are the grim stuff – I really do not like deranged killers, cruelty to children (as in suspense/crime), general super darkness, and so I give those a wide berth.
And when a review starts with how cute everybody is, I often stop there, which is why YA rarely works for me.
But everything else, I like to read the review. And AAR very rarely reviews books without relationship(s) as an important part, mostly there is some romance is in the book. Which is important to me. I want a book with some feelings 🙂
But I end up reading a review nearly every day, I think.
Reviews that give D or F are my favorites! I totally enjoy reading in how many ways they fail. One is always left wondering how do books this bad get published.
I admit that I will occasionally read a D or F review, especially if there are a lot of reader comments. I do like that there is always solid reasoning explaining the grade. Also, these reviews are often quite funny!
D or F reviews are the hardest to write, having written a few myself. It’s difficult to be honest, instructive and avoid slagging off a book. I always try to remember that an author probably poured heart and soul into a book and that somewhere, someone will love it even when I loathe it. Like you, Indira, I always read them here because of the care involved in writing them.
Yes!
That hits the nail on the head:
AAR manages (nearly always) to stay on the side of describing the problem, poking a bit of fun but avoiding being nasty about it, and giving a clear view of the book – I admire that.
D and F are such a labor to get right – I respect that and read them for this reason, very very often. Just to admire how they do criticism right.
And because they are genuinely fun, very often.
As a former faculty, I fully understand the challenge of grading a D or F paper. They are the hardest to give and take the longest time.
Writing requires a great deal of effort and it is a creative endeavor, all said and done. A writer driven by the creative impulse might end up writing a bad novel but it is the responsibility of the publisher not to foist such a book on the reading public. The F grade applies as much to the publisher as to the author.
I like historical romance [either FM or MM]. But I agree with others that SO MUCH is coming out, and so much is similar, so it’s hard to dig through the info to find what is truly worth reading. What I do love the answers to questions where a reviewer may suggest a book trope (theme or whatever), and people suggest others they loved that were similar.
Good to know! Thanks!
The breadth of categories reviewed at AAR has grown significantly over the years. It’s quite impressive actually. I’m grateful to AAR for introducing me to so many new authors too (i.e. Hailey Turner, K.J. Charles, etc., C.S. Poe, etc.).
Getting to the real question. I love scifi romance (first intro was the Lost Colony series by JAK). This category is the most challenging to find new/interesting reads and compelling authors. There is a good amount of smut out there (always fun to read too!) but I’m open to new authors and new ideas (i.e. Dark Space series by Lisa Henry, Chaos Station series by Jenn Burke & Kelly Jensen, Winter’s Orbit series by Everina Maxwell, Luna series by Laura Jo Phillips).
First, you are the romantic webpage that I respect most. I’ve been reading you for… decades. I have seen many places rise and fall and disappear. Others have lost their aim and tend to fly apart from romance novels and go different ways, reviewing films, or TV shows, self-help books or books for children, so I lost interest in them. Only you keep on being helpful and, at the same time, changing whatever is necessary. So, thank u.
Having said that, the answer to your question is, generally speaking, yes. What you review interests me.
As a reader, I used to read mainly historicals but now I find myself reading mainly contemporaries, MM and romantic suspense. I think I’m not the one one, seeing what passes as ‘good historicals’ nowadays. So it makes sense -to me- that you review more contemporaries than historical.
The only thing I miss is romantic suspense. In that respect, yes, perhaps your web page lacks a little. But that is something that happens to all romantic websites. I still haven’t found one in which they review romantic suspense in a consistent way.
What surprises me, anyway, is that a few of the authors I read these days do not appear in your webpage. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that you have only reviewed one book by Tal Bauer, which is a new favourite of mine. And just one of Louise Bay, another one that I’m reading a lot. And none of T. L Swan. You have not reviewed the new books by Crusie and Mayer. Is there anything everybody knows and I ignore…?
But I understand that you cannot read everything and have to choose.
We don’t hear from the authors you mention–they don’t release eARCs to the public in a way that we have access. If an author isn’t on Netgalley or Edelweiss or doesn’t contact us directly, we don’t review them. We’ve noticed that more authors are using publicists who have rules for reviews–we won’t review a book unless we have freedom to write what we think is accurate!
Thank you very much for explaining how you decide what to review. As I said before, I understand you cannot review everything and what you do is perfectly understandable.
The new series by Crusie and Mayer is terrific, btw! Can’t wait for book 3.
The Tal Bauer book I reviewed for the TBR Challenge was a book I owned. (I liked that one, but one of his I read recently was pretty bad, so I haven’t gone back to his stuff yet.) Speaking for myself – most m/m is self-published and rarely appears at NetGalley so I depend on either being on an author’s mailing list or in an FB group for new release info. There are several who send me review copies regularly or whose ARC groups I belong to, and I do reach out to other authors for review copies when I see something I’m interested in, but it’s hard to keep track. I do review quite a bit of m/m romantic suspense, but not m/f as I find they don’t do the romance as well as the suspense.
And as Dabney says, so many ARC offers these days come with conditions (you must post by this date, we don’t want you to post anything less than 4 stars etc.) we don’t feel fits our desire to be honest and fair.
Thank you very much for your explanation. It’s very enlightening.