Wave and her band of guest reviewers have been busy over the past three months—we’ve posted a total of 165 reviews (as of March 30) for an average of 2 reviews per day. Clearly, if you are looking for recommendations of m/m stories, this is the place to come!
As reviewers, we try hard to be balanced and fair. Not everything is going to get a gold star seal of approval from us; in fact, during this quarter, two books (1.2%) received the lowest rating on the site: one star.
At the other end of the spectrum, seven books received the coveted distinction of DIK: desert island keeper…those books that you want to be sure to have handy when you head out on “a three hour tour” that ends up being a much longer sojurn.
There were eleven books that earned 5 stars, meaning they are excellent but didn’t quite tip over into DIK status. DIK is meant to be rare; 5 stars is a terrific read and definitely worth your time.
The fractional difference between 4.75 and 4.5 stars—what is the tiny little edge that makes a difference to a reviewer? Looking at reviews, it seems that 4.75 generally means one tiny niggle, similarly, the assumption is that 4.5 is two tiny niggles, however please remember that each reviewer has his or her individual criteria for ratings. Since these differences are not major, I have listed the 35 (21%) books total that received either a 4.5 or 4.75 rating.
In all, during this quarter, 53 (32%) books received a rating of 4.5 stars or higher, just a hair under one-third of the books reviewed. The remaining 112 (67.8%) received ratings of 2 to 4 stars, which I think does represent a good balance and mix of books reviewed and opinions offered.
For reference, here are the DIK, 5 stars, 4.75 stars, and 4.5 star books reviewed between January 1 and March 30, listed in alphabetical order. You can find the corresponding review by searching the site. An easy way to do this is by using the option to search by author’s name or by title as they are categorized here at the site. Look on the right hand side of the page for the links. You can also search by rating.
Deserted Island Keeper (DIK) – 5+ stars (n = 7; 4.24%)
A Red Tainted Silence by Carolyn Gray
Baymore’s Heir by Lynn Lorenz
Fires of Ballian by M.L. Rhodes
I’ll Be Your Drill, Soldier by Crystal Rose
Lessons in Seduction by Charlie Cochrane
Sticks and Stones by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
Take My Picture by Giselle Ellis
5 Stars (n = 11; 6.7%)
A Fair Trade by B.A. Tortuga
Amor en Retrogado by A.M. Riley
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Lynn Lorenz
Duty & Devotion by Tere Michaels
Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane
State of Mind by Libby Drew
The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
The Prayer Waltz by K.Z. Snow
The Silent Hustler by Sean Meriwether
The Telling by Eden Winters
The Why Not by Victor J. Banis
To Hell You Ride by Julia Talbot
4.75 Stars (n = 11; 6.7%)
And Call Me in the Morning by Willa Okati
Angels of the Deep by Kirby Crow
Bound to Please by Kimberly Gardner
Death of a Blues Angel by Sarah Black
Hide Out by Katie Allen
L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown
More by Sloan Parker
Soothe the Burn by T.A. Chase
Tangled Web by Lee Rowan
The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon
The One That Stayed by T.C. Blue
4.5 Stars (n = 25; 15%)
A Stranger’s Touch by Anne Brooke
An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride
Anchors Aweigh by Janey Chapel
Bull Rider by Jade Buchanan
Can’t Hurry Love by M. Jules Aedin
Catch Me If You Can by L.B. Gregg
Dar and Gregg by Bobby Michaels
David and Conner by Bobby Michaels
Drew and Vince by Bobby Michaels
Encore! Encore! by Charlie Cochrane, Jet Myles, Kimberly Gardner (anthology)
Hue, Tint & Shade by Jordan Castillo Price
Little Boy Lost: Enlightened by J.P. Barnaby
Love is Blindness by Sean Michael
Love Means…No Shame by Andrew Grey
Moolah & Moonshine by Jordan Castillo Price
Other’s People’s Weddings by Josh Lanyon
Promises by Marie Sexton
Quinn’s Hart by Cassandra Gold
Sea of Sin by India Harper
Sins of the Father by D.W. Marchwell
Slings & Arrows by Josh Lanyon
Slow Bloom by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox
The Wish by Eden Winters
Wranglers: Judgment by Vivien Dean
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Authors, if your book that was rated between 4.5 and 5 stars is not here please email either Leslie or Wave.
Thank you, Leslie, for summing up these data. Reading all those reviews is definitely different from seeing it in numbers like this. All the work, time and effort you reviewers invest just becomes even clearer.
So hopefully you will keep enjoying what you do, the 1 star reads notwithstanding ;), because that’s the most importing thing. Especially against the background of your post about feeling overwhelmed, Wave. 🙂
Thank you for your detailed, thoughful and professional reviews. Kudos to you all!
Lilli
The kudos go to the guest reviewers who do a great job every time they review a book. They love to read, just like you do.
As for feeling overwhelmed, I think we all do to some extent, and hopefully my post and the wonderful suggestions will help someone else who is in a similar situation.
Thanks, Lilli…I appreciate your comment and am glad you find this summary useful.
L