If you love romance books but constantly wonder “how spicy is this actually?”, this guide solves it. This is your quick-reference spice rating database.
Use it to:
- Compare spice levels instantly 🌶️
- Find your comfort zone
- Discover new authors based on heat level
Pick Author
🌶️ Spice Rating Scale Explained
- 🌶️ = Closed door / very mild romance
- 🌶️🌶️ = Light spice / fade-to-black scenes
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Moderate spice / a few explicit scenes
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = High spice / frequent explicit scenes
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Very high spice / dominant spice content
Mariana Zapata Spice Ratings – Romance Queen
Mariana Zapata is known for extreme slow-burn romance with low-to-moderate spice but very high emotional tension.
Mariana Zapata Books
- From Lukov with Love – 🌶️🌶️
- The Wall of Winnipeg and Me – 🌶️🌶️
- Kulti – 🌶️🌶️
- Wait for It – 🌶️🌶️
- Luna and the Lie – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Managed – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- All Rhodes Lead Here – 🌶️🌶️
What to expect
- Very slow emotional build
- Minimal but meaningful spice
- Heavy tension over explicit content
Read more: Books by Mariana Zapata
Christina Lauren Spice Ratings – Bingeable Romance
Christina Lauren books balance emotion, humor, and accessible spice levels. These are perfect “first spicy romance” reads.
Christina Lauren Books
- The Unhoneymooners – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating – 🌶️🌶️
- Roomies – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Dating You / Hating You – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Love and Other Words – 🌶️🌶️
- The Soulmate Equation – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The True Love Experiment – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Beautiful Bastard – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
What to expect
- Fast-paced romance
- Moderate spice (increasing in newer books)
- Strong emotional hooks
Read more: Books by Christina Lauren
Lauren Asher Spice Ratings – Billionaire Romance
Lauren Asher is known for grumpy billionaires, emotional tension, and consistent spicy scenes.
Lauren Asher Books
- The Fine Print – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Terms and Conditions – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Final Offer – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Love Redesigned – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Love Unwritten – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
What to expect
- Strong spice with emotional arcs
- Billionaire/workplace romance themes
- Forced proximity and contract tropes
Read more: Books by Lauren Asher
Elle Kennedy Spice Ratings – Sports Romance
Elle Kennedy is one of the most reliable high-spice sports romance authors, especially in hockey romance.
Elle Kennedy Books
- The Deal – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The Mistake – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The Score – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The Goal – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The Chase – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Good Girl Complex – 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- The Graham Effect – 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
What to expect
- High spice with humour
- Sports romance (mostly hockey)
- Fast emotional + physical chemistry
Read more: Books by Elle Kennedy
