review request requirements

I’ve been reviewing books since 2012. You can follow me or have a look at my reviews on Goodreads by clicking here.

I prefer books with a word count of 60 000 words or less.

I’ll read most genres, but NOT romance or anything paranormal, witches, werewolves, or shapeshifting. A little romance is fine, but if your book is heavy on the romance, or has any sappy romance in it, then please DO NOT request me to review your book. And again, no paranormal.

I give preference to psychological thrillers, historical fiction, and horror, but with horror I prefer NOT to read about ghosts, ghost hunters/trappers, psychics or haunted anything. It’s boring. I’ve read too many such books. 

I like scary monsters in the vein of Cujo, It, Pet Sematary, and so on. Or medical experiments gone wrong, zombies, trapped in a mine or the bottom of the sea, or some such thing. I’m sure you get the idea. I’m also open to mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. 

I really like books about family. Happy families or family drama; those I enjoy. Mom, dad, kids, extended family, family pet…all of it. Wholesome, not wholesome, doesn’t matter.

I have no triggers, so no worries on that front. Gory, scary, gross, disturbing…I’m open to all of it.  

No ARCs or requests to join an ARC team.

My reviews are free of charge and they’re honest. 

I prefer e-formats such as epub or Kindle format. You may also send me your book via my Kindle link on Amazon. If you prefer I review your audiobook, I’m open to that as well, as long as it isn’t narrated by AI (trust me, I’ll know).

NO PDFs please. 

If I agree to review your book you’ll need to give me a couple of weeks to do it. I have a mile-long TBR and no shortage of reading material. I’m offering my time to review your book to help you get reviews.  

Your book has to be well-formatted and edited. I hardly ever give one- or two-star reviews, but whenever I do, I like to tear a book apart – especially ones where it is clear very little effort went into the formatting and editing of the book. Mistakes do happen, but it is also obvious when an author didn’t put much work into getting their book as perfect as possible. This is also one of the reason’s I don’t read ARCs (other than the ones I get from traditional publishers on NetGalley). 

No, I’m not open to editing or proofreading and will not do so while reviewing your book. I do, however, know a qualified editor in the U.S. who was an English teacher for thirty years, has majored in English, and is a skilled and affordable editor who has also, to date, written nine novels. 

I only post my reviews on Goodreads. If it’s a 5-star read for me, I might consider posting my review to a few of the twenty-one Facebook book review groups of which I’m a member. I might also consider posting on other platforms per the author’s request if I’m subscribed to any of those platforms.

Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t allow me to post reviews on their website. According to their community standards I need to spend at least $50 per year in their online store in order to be able to post reviews on their website. I live in South Africa, and thus don’t spend money at Amazon. We have our own great online store so I have no need to shop at Amazon. 

I think that’s everything. When requesting me to review your book, please send me as much detail as possible, or your Goodreads link to your book. Even after all I’ve specified here, I still reserve the right to decline your request for a book review.  

Three ways to contact me:

• Send me an email.
• Fill out the contact form on my website.
• Send me a message via Goodreads here.