Yes, though Blue Rose Romance isn’t an official book review site, I do post book reviews occasionally. I’m a blog tour host for more than one tour company, and sometimes that means reviewing a book. I also choose to review other books; almost exclusively historical romances set before 1900.
Unfortunately, I don’t take review requests, though I do accept requests to be featured on my blog. Just go to the contact tab above if you want to be featured, and if I have room in the coming months, I’ll try to schedule you. That doesn’t mean I won’t review your book, but I won’t make a promise to review it. If you don’t hear back from me, I decided your book wasn’t a good fit. Please don’t be offended. I only have so many spots available, and this is a a blog dedicated to historical and Regency romance. Oh, and I won’t feature horror, erotica, occult, or sometimes paranormal books, so please don’t ask.
So, here’s how my reviews work. If I can’t give a book at least a rating of 3 stars, then I don’t write a review. Naturally, the same goes if I don’t finish a book. I don’t need to tell the author why I didn’t finish the book, nor do I need to be a snarky negative Nancy and make sure I tell the author everything I disliked about their story or writing. What’s the purpose? We all have different tastes.
That’s not to say I may not mention something that might not have worked for me. For instance, a kindly worded comment about modern word usage or idioms in a historical wouldn’t be too far-fetched for me.
Yes, we all love those five-star (or in my case rose) ratings, but truthfully, a range of reviews and rankings are more desirable than straight 5-star ratings. Really.
Here’s how my blue rose rankings work:
I adored the book and would read it again. I will recommend it to every body who will listen to me!
I truly loved everything about the book, but I won’t read it again.
A solid story but there were editing or accuracy issues that distracted me.
For those of you who might be curious why I choose blue roses for my branding, check out the “Blue Rose” tab above.
