Genres I am open to reviewing:

• Romance – most subgenres
• Historical Fiction – certain eras & subject matter, please email for details
• (Limited) Fiction that is technically categorized neither as a historical nor as a romance but has a strong romantic subplot. (I particularly enjoy dystopian/post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, and certain subgenres of fantasy with strong romantic subplots. But I don’t review the more gruesome of these genres and I’m just not into angels/demons or other nonhuman type romances.)
• (very limited) Children’s Books (See my Mama’s Storytime videos on YouTube)

IMPORTANT NOTE: I will only review clean/sweet romance books and I dislike books with excessive profanity. Please understand that I will not review anything that I believe would be offensive to the Christian market (i.e. presenting sex outside of marriage in a positive/encouraging light). If you aren’t certain whether your book qualifies, email me to discuss it.

Requests for reviews in any of the genres listed below will be ignored due to the volume of emails I receive. If you are unsure if your book fits a genre I don’t review, NOTE THAT at the top of your email and you will receive a response.

Genres I do not review:

• Amish Fiction (not even the romance kind – just not my thing)
• Women’s Lit
• Mormon Fiction
• Nonfiction General Market – Exception: Nonfiction American History or historical reference books which are related to the novels I write/review. Examples: The Art of the Mantua Maker, A Good Camp: Gold Mines of Julian and the Cuyamacas
• Comics
• Poetry
• Horror
• Political

Please include the following information in your request email.

Emails without this information will be ignored due to the volume of requests which I receive. Thank you for understanding.

1. Which market are you aiming for? (General Market or Christian Market)
2. What genre and/or subgenre is your book? Which shelf would I find it on in a bookstore?
3. What is the word count of your book?
4. The blurb/back cover copy for your book.
5. If this is your first novel- Who, besides yourself, has critiqued/edited your book? Are you accustomed to critical feedback?
6. If you are not indie publishing- Who is your publisher?
7. Do you have a time frame for when you would like the review shared (i.e. around a release date or discount promo period)?

Frequently asked questions:

How far in advance should I request a review? How reliable is that notice at the top of this page?

A: My review schedule typically books out months in advance. So the sooner you can make the request, the better.

I do make an effort to keep the notice at the top of this page updated, but there is a chance that my schedule has booked out a week or two farther than what is noted above. That said, there is also a chance that a book which I tentatively scheduled for reviewing didn’t work out (their release date got pushed back or I decided I couldn’t give it at least three stars) and I now have an opening earlier than what is listed above. If everything else in your request fits except the timing, feel free to shoot me an email and see if I can work you in.

How far in advance do I need to send you the book?

A: I strongly prefer to have the book in my hands/on my Kindle as soon as possible after we have settled on a tentative review date/range of dates. This allows me to work in reading your book as soon as I have finished whatever books I have scheduled to read before yours. It also gives me a buffer for things like catching the flu or taking my kid to the E.R. because he decided that jumping off a giant boulder was a good idea. Having your book farther in advance minimizes the likelihood that events such as those would interfere with my ability to meet the deadline we agreed on. At an absolute minimum, I require the book in my hands/on my Kindle no less than 2 weeks prior to the date I am scheduled to post my review.

How do you prefer to receive books? Which format do you prefer?

A: I prefer to receive books via email and in .Mobi format if possible. Otherwise, PDF will also work. I do sometimes review printed books, but I find it more difficult to squeeze these into my schedule due to the required lighting and inconvenience of needing to carry the book around everywhere.

When do you post your reviews?

A: I typically post my book reviews on Mondays. I will consider posting on an alternate day for special occasions (i.e. you really, really want it posted on your release date and that happens to be a Saturday).

Will you share your review of my book elsewhere?

A: I always share links to my reviews on Instagram and my Facebook author page. I will sometimes share a review on TikTok as well, time permitting. (It would be great if you would share the links on your social media sites as well, though I do not require this.) I also typically post copies of my reviews on Goodreads sometime *after* I have posted them on my blog. On request, for book tours, or if I’m exceptionally excited about a book and happen to have a spare minute, I will also post the reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Christianbook.com where available.

What if you don’t absolutely adore my book?

A: First, see my rating policy HERE.

Second, if you prefer that I only share my review of your book IF I can give it a certain level rating, please let me know in advance. I am always willing to withhold my review from the public. I am NEVER willing to change, tweak, or otherwise rewrite my review to reflect anything other than my 100% honest opinion. I will NOT write a review which I cannot completely stand behind in good conscience. I will NOT write a positive review of your book just because you are my friend, in my critique group, we’ve chatted via Facebook Messenger once or twice, you let me guest blog on your website, or we have some other type of connection. I don’t care if you’ve won 15 awards and sold 400 billion copies of your book. If I don’t personally like it, I won’t write that I do. I would never be deliberately unkind, but if you don’t want to know there is lettuce in your teeth, don’t ask for my review.

That said, I’m an author myself, so I will always respect the amount of heart and effort put into each and every story which I have the privilege to read. If I don’t feel I can honestly write a three-star or higher review for your work, I will privately contact you and let you know. At which point the decision of whether I post the review publicly will be up to you.

Request Emails may be sent here.

IMPORTANT:

To avoid having your email missed in the mass of emails I receive, please include the phrase “REVIEW REQUEST” in all caps in your email Subject line. Thank you! 🙂