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). /