I saw this list on Reddit and reworded it to fit how I define🌶️

🌶️ Chili 1: Mild & Sweet: These are the Cozy Romances. They are the HallMark Movies of books. There is a lot of hand holding, looks of desire, and possibly some soft kisses under the mistletoe. This is perfect for those who enjoy a gentle love story with all the feels and none of the steam.

🌶️🌶️ Chili 2: Warm & Fuzzy: We are still in the PG not even second base zone. While there will be more passionate kisses, some playful flirting, and maybe a fade-to-black moment, we won’t get full descriptions of body parts and the language surrounding it will sound more like your momma’s romance novels. It’s all about the build-up, leaving the rest to your imagination.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Chili 3: Spicy Sizzle: Now we’re cooking! There are plenty of scenes that go beyond second base and haul ass into third (oral and fingering/hand jobs). The scenes are getting steamier and even have a few that head into home base (sex). There are detailed sex scenes but they focus on romance and intimacy and don’t use vulgar language for genitals. It’s enough to make you blush, but you won’t need to reach for the fan just yet.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Chili 4: Hot & Heavy: Slipping into the lava (almost)! These are your rated R level language and several X-Rated moments. You could almost call it softcore 🌽. The story still focuses more on romance. We might even have a slow burn that leads up to these steamy moments. There is at least 60% story over

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Chili 5: Blazing Inferno: You might as well call this Cliterature. This is where the fire alarm goes off! We have slipped into the lava and it burns so good! Things are scorching, with explicit scenes and all the 🌶️ you could want. Not for the faint of heart and NSFW—this level of heat will leave you breathless and maybe a little bit flustered. Handle with care! More spice than story. I also apply this to dark romances or ones that head into SA territory. If it hits Trigger Level Sex Scenes 💀 gets added.

I figure this is also a great time to define MY levels of Trigger Warnings 💀 Each person has a different levels of what triggers them but this is how I rate books.

I found a Master List of Trigger Warnings at https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/masterlist-tw/

💀Low Level- Most people will not find this book offensive or it will have marginal instances that would trigger someone. There might be violence in one or two moments but it will not be the kind that leads to death or depicts carnage. There will be no sexual assault graphically depicted but might be lightly implied.

💀💀A couple skeletons in the closet– This will have usually five or less instances in the book where I can point out blatant trigger points. If there are more than that I tend to bump up so that people are warned that there are more than a handful of moments that could make them uncomfortable.

💀💀💀Getting Goosebumps- These books can start to make the hair on your neck stand up or have moments of graphicness that make your stomach turn. Still less than half the book has graphic content and the moments depicted aren’t the kind that will leave you up at night (usually).

💀💀💀💀Might Need Some Therapy- This is where the book is more than 50% filled with triggers. Or the moments that are graphic are intense enough that they could send people needing to talk to a professional or set off their PTSD.

💀💀💀💀💀WTF was the Author Thinking? Many Dark Romances or War novels wind up in this category for me. If the author themselves have to start off their novel with a list of triggers, it is going to wind up here. Enter at your own risk!