While browsing our site, you might see us rating spicy books on a Pepper scale. Peppers are normally rated on the Scoville scale, but seeing as our last name is Pepper and we’re reviewing spicy books and producing free printable book club discussion guides, we figured we’d create a Pepper scale rating system to rate how spicy the books are.
The Pepper scale has seven levels, ranging from the zero spice of a bell pepper, all the way up to The Reaper which represents books that are no plot, just pound!
Here’s a quick guide to each spice level, along with an image making it easier to view each spice level at a glance.
The Pepper Scale
Level 0 – Bell Pepper
These books are safe for work. They’re fade-to-black closed-door romances. Chaste kisses and longing glances are the pinnacle of passion.
1 Pepper – Mild
Love scenes are open-door, but the door is only slightly ajar. You’ll find more passionate kissing and some steam, but the scenes are shorter and focus more on emotion than explicit detail.
2 Peppers – Medium
These stories feature proper open-door romance. Explicit love scenes are included and integral to the character or plot development. This is the sweet spot for many romance readers.
3 Peppers – Hot
These books have a higher heat level and feature more frequent explicit scenes. The spice is a major feature of the book, not just a subplot. The stories might also include more adventurous themes or settings.
4 Peppers – Extra Hot
The romantic relationship and explicit content are the primary drivers of the plot in these stories. You’ll find very detailed, frequent, and adventurous love scenes.
5 Peppers – Inferno
This rating is reserved for books that push boundaries. These will often be stories that are infamous on BookTok for their spice level, dark themes, or unconventional relationships. Smut-forward, you’ll find dirty talk, kink, toys, and maybe a spicy trope buffet.
6 Peppers – The Reaper
Whew! These books are pure erotica. No plot. Zero chill. You read them one-handed and hide them from your Kindle recommendations.
