I must confess to being puzzled as regards why reviewers who (by their own admission) do not care for a particular genre choose to review books which (clearly) fall within it. Very recently I came across a review which awarded a book 2.5 stars. By their own admission the reviewer is not a lover of romance which contributed to the low rating, (the work in question is, in part at least a romance).
I don’t review many books. However on those rare occasions when I sharpen my favourite quil pen, dip it in the ink well and write a review it is for a book which falls within my range of interests. I would not, for example review a Mills and Boon romance because romantic fiction is not, on the whole my cup of tea. The writing would, almost certainly not captivate me leading to a review which wouldn’t do justice to the author’s hard work. I could not, in fairness post such a review because, in my heart of hearts I would no that my own personal tastes had influenced it.
I have not read the book in question and have no acquaintance with either the author or the reviewer. I have taken the decision not to name the book or the reviewer because my comment is a general one and I have no desire to get into a discussion with the reviewer regarding their review. I would, however make a plea to reviewers to ask themselves prior to embarking on a book review whether their dislike of a particular genre could impact negatively on what they write.
(Note: I have reviewed one work of romance due to being intrigued by the author’s blog. You can find my review here, http://newauthoronline.com/2014/01/22/book-review-12-days-the-beginning-by-jade-reyner. I enjoyed the book). /
K Morris - Poet 
Apologies, the correct link to my review of Jade Reyner’s book is http://newauthoronline.com/2014/01/22/book-review-12-days-the-beginning-by-jade-reyner/
Hi Kevin
I’m not a romance fan either, but I do read it and will review it. However, I honestly don’t think it impacts on my, hopefully, objective view. I have given romance novels four stars on goodreads. Two point five isn’t a bad score anyway, it merely says the book is neither good nor bad.
Back to your question. I read outside my preferred or favourite genres for two reasons.
One, fairly obviously, is that because of the work I do, I think it is important to read widely.
Two, I think it’s worth all of us reading outside our comfort zone. We can often find surprising gems that would have otherwise passed us by. Even if we don’t like the subject or genre, or even the plot, it doesn’t mean we can’t recognise and acknowledge a well-written book.
On the subject of reviews, people will ask me to review a book, and I participate in personal and commercial book tours (all of which are unpaid), so I think it is fair to provide a review, regardless of genre.
I’ll have a read of your review now.
Many thanks for your thought provoking comments. I am sure you are objective in your reviews as, I hope am I. I have reviewed 1 romance novel, “12 days, The Beginning” by Jade Reyner. I enjoyed it despite the book not falling within my usual list of favourite genres. However the novel was much more than a work of romance/erotica, it dealt movingly with domestic violence which is, I believe one of the reasons I warmed to Reyner’s writing. I would recommend her novel which is, I think being re-edited. As regards the 2.5 review, the reviewer also says that they did not read the blurb fully. This coupled with their statement about not being a fan of romance leads me to the conclusion that their review is not as fair as it might be. Thanks again for your thoughtful response to the post. Kevin
Hi! What you say it’s true, of course, it can very likely have a negative impact on someone’s point of view on the books BUT, sometimes I think it’s good to step out of our confort zone and try new genres. For exemple, I don’t enjoy books very much WITHOUT romance. Yet, I have read Of Mice and Men and the firsts of Harry Potter which I enjoyed very much. Plus, in my opinion, 2.5 stars is not a bad rating. In my opinion 🙂 Although I can understand if for the authors it is.
thanks for your comment. I think that book reviewers have to give their honest opinion of a book and the author may learn something from a review (even if he (or she) disagrees with the reviewer’s comments, provided the reviewer doesn’t allow their dislike of a particular genre to influence what they write. Kind regards, Kevin
Amen.
Many thanks for your comment and following my blog. Kind regards. Kevin
You’re welcome. 🙂