What do clean romance, closed door, fade-to-black, open door, low spice, and no spice actually mean? If romance book terms leave you feeling confused, you’re not alone.
In this episode of The Clean Romance Podcast, we’re joined by Rachel Parker of @ClosedDoorRomance for a fun game of Two Tropes and a Lie, followed by a deep dive into romance spice levels and reader expectations. Rachel breaks down popular romance terminology you’ll see on Bookstagram, BookTok, and Goodreads, explaining how these labels impact both readers and authors.
Whether you love clean romance, prefer closed-door love stories, or are just trying to understand the ever-changing romance genre, this conversation will help you read—and recommend—romance books with confidence.

Follow our guest, Rachel Parker, on instagram at ⁨@ClosedDoorRomance⁩
She also has a store, www.closeddoorromancebooks.com where all books are closed door.

Here are the links to our five-star reads (we always use affiliate links, because every penny helps!)

Tiffany's five-star read, Bounty Hunter by Kaylee Jarvis

Rachel's five-star read, Sometimes Love Throws a Curveball by Laura Hawkins

Sarah's five-star read, Wooing Caddie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner

Join the conversation on your favorite social channel!

Instagram

Youtube

TikTok

Check out our website: www.thecleanromancepodcast.com to learn more about Tiffany and Sarah and for links to all the five star reads!

To find out more about Tiffany and Sarah’s books, check them out here:

Tiffany’s books can be found here: Amazon

Sarah’s books can be found here: Amazon

Thank you to RCC Music for letting us use your song! If you love Christian music, you will LOVE RCC Music. Check them out on Spotify