Ana wonders,"What's the best way to write a romance review?"
I wrote many a book report in school, but never for a romance. So I'm trying to devise a template for romance reviews so I can write them efficiently and concentrate on the sincerity.
So far, I have:
section 1 - describe the book from a reader's perspective. Summarize the heroine and hero, their world, and the dilemma they face. Describe a bit about their journey and emotional arcs. No spoilers, if a suspense.
section 2 - comment on the author's skill. Describe how I was swept up into the story. If a swooned over any phrases or passages. How I couldn't put it down.
Or not.
I have encountered writers who are super self-publishing technicians. From my perspective, they rushed to master the art of formatting, cover design, uploading, even making a box set, before investing time into polishing. When I try to read this type of author, my inner editor (the craft muse I am still nurturing through workshops and critique feedback) goes berserk. I can overlook errors in formatting, even poor punctuation, but I can't handle rambling sentence structure. Dialogue tags each time a characters speaks. Incessant head hopping. Cut-and-paste restates of emotional status.
How does one review flaws? Is it better to decline to review? I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I want all every author to succeed.
How do you write honest reviews?