Description of Tags

I thought it would be a good idea to explain what I mean when I use certain tags.  Since definitions of genres can vary from publisher to publisher, or even person to person, this is just to clarify what I consider to be a particular genre or classification.

Action/Adventure:  This tag is for stories that have a more exciting element to them.  There may be car chases and shootouts with criminals, there may be exploration in the jungle and escaping the claws of the panther, or it could be a crazy stalker threatening a character's home.

BDSM:  For those who don't know, BDSM refers to bondage and discipline (BD), dominance and submission (DS), and sadomasochism (SM).  It's sort of a wrapper for some of the grittier elements of erotica, where leather, chains, and a variety of toys blend together with a set of rules about how the partners play.  There are varying degrees of BDSM, and I will usually designate them with mild, medium, and heavy.   

Mild usually indicates that there may be some light bondage, a little bit of dominance, or mild elements of the BDSM lifestyle.  It doesn't usually mean an established arrangement, more as an occasional element to sex.   

Medium usually indicates a more formal arrangement.  There are established rules of play, and it is a regular part of the characters' sex lives.

Heavy indicates some of the more controversial elements of the lifestyle.  Extreme bondage (days), scat play and water sports (if you don't know what that is, Google with caution!), etc.  Fiction that is marked as heavy is usually not for the faint of heart, so proceed with caution.

Blind Dates:  This designation is for any story that includes characters being setup by someone they know, either a friend, relative, or coworker.  There is a separate designation for two people meeting through an impartial third party (see Matchmaker below).

Boy Next Door:  This may seem like a self-explanatory label, but it does have a couple of meanings.  It could be that one of the characters is literally the boy next door, or lives in the neighborhood; they characters may have known each other their whole lives, or one may be a new neighbor.  It could also mean that one of the characters is of the "boy next door" type; he's a stereotypical nice guy, always with a smile on his face, a gentle word, with classic looks.  He's not necessarily the most popular guy, or the smartest, but he's usually better than average in most categories.

Coming Out:  This tag is for stories that have at least one character's coming out as a major element to the story.  It may be a general coming out, or coming out to a particular person, but it is a driving element for the plot.

Contemporary: This is a very general designation for a story.  It marks stories that are set in the present time, and generally in a reality that can be construed as our own world (Earth).  The story may not specifically say it is set in Chicago, or London, but it is told in such a way that it is obvious the story is set in the world we know.

Cross-Dressing:  Stories with this tag include an element of cross-dressing, either as part of sex play or full-out dressing as a woman in public.

Dubious Consent:  This tag is somewhat of a warning for those who do not like instances of rape or near rape.  Stories with this tag have some uncertainty as to the consent of one or more of the characters; it may be out and out rape, or milder forms of dubious consent such as drunken sex where one party doesn't really have a chance to say no.

Fairy Tale:  This tag is for stories that mimic or retell a classic fairy tale.  They are usually fantasy, or have fantastic elements.  It may be paired with the Fantasy tag or the Contemporary tag, in an effort to pinpoint exactly the style of fairy tale that is being told.

Family:  Stories with this tag involve family as an important element of the story.  It could mean a character's immediate or extended (such as his parents, siblings, cousins, etc.), his "family of choice" (those individuals who make up the nearest and dearest, usually blood family members and friends who are supportive of a gay lifestyle), or the family he has created (usually his partner(s) and any children they have between them), or any combination of these options.  This tag is often combined with the Kids, Marriage, and Coming Out tags.

Fantasy:  Stories with a Fantasy tag are set somewhere that is not recognizably Earth, either in our present or past.  It nearly always has elements of magic and creatures not found in our reality, such as dragons, elves, dwarves, etc.

Friends to Lovers:  This tag is specifically for those stories where the protagonists were friends before they became lovers and partners.  The story may start with their first meeting, or pick up from where start changing over to a deeper relationship.  Often paired with Coming Out or Gay For You.

Gay For You:  Gay For You stories involve at least one character who primarily identified as straight, but through the course of the story falls in love with another man.  It may mean the man now identifies as bisexual, full-on gay, or straight with a single exception, but his new partner is the catalyst for his change in perspective.

Historical:  Historical stories are set in Earth's history, prior to the present day.  This could mean any time over ten years prior to the story's publication; therefore a story published in 2000 and set in 1985 would carry this tag, as would a story set in 1200.  If a story mimics Earth's history but is set elsewhere, it may carry this tag along with Fantasy or Science Fiction.

Holidays:  The majority of a story with this tag is set during a major holiday, and involves the celebration of that holiday as a part of the story.  The holiday can be anything from the standard Christmas/New Year's/Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day, Kwanzaa, or Ramadan....or even a holiday not recognizable in our world (for Fantasy or Science Fiction stories).

Horror:  Stories with this tag usually carry an element of fear or gore.  It might be a haunted house where people are being killed, a serial killer terrorizing a neighborhood, or a character being tortured.  In any case, the story has parts which may be disturbing to some readers, and cause nightmares or shivers to run down your spine.

Humor:  The story has a significant element of humor, either by one or more of the characters or the narrator himself, in the way the story is told.  A story with a couple moments of humor will not carry this tag, only those where there are several moments of levity.

Infidelity:  One of the characters cheats on the other.  This may need clarification, depending on the level of cheating going on in the storyline; it could be kissing another guy and getting caught, or it could be long-term.  Note that this does not necessarily mean that one character in the HEA couple does the actual cheating, just that one character gets cheated on, and it is a significant element in the story.

Kids:  There are kids as a significant element in the storyline.  It may be kids of the couple (birth children, adopted, surrogates, foster kids, etc.) or kids of relatives or friends who spend a lot of time with the couple.

Long Distance:  The couple spends a significant amount of time away from each other, divided by distance.  This is usually a challenge to the relationship, a hurdle that the couple must resolve/overcome to continue.

Marriage:  This tag is for stories that involve either a proposal or the actual act of marriage or commitment between the romantic couple.  Stories where one or both of the main characters attends a wedding will not include the tag, unless the couple getting married is the focus of another story...and then it will be noted in the review.

Matchmaker:  The couple in the story were brought together by a third party, either an old-fashioned matchmaker (an actual person), or the technical age's version of a matchmaker...online dating.  This may also include things like speed dating or other dating services.

May/December:  The couple in this storyline has a significant difference in age, usually between 5 and 10 years, that causes a generational gap.  This may be an issue in the story, or just set dressing, but the author does make a point in mentioning the differences in their ages.

Mystery:  Stories with this tag have a puzzle or riddle to be solved.  This usually involves a murder or criminal investigation, but may be something simpler like a mysterious thief, a missing artifact, or something similar.  The puzzle or mystery must be a large part of the storyline; a character working on a jigsaw puzzle would not be enough to earn this designation. (:D)

No HEA:  The story ends without a happily ever after for the two protagonists.  This may be something tragic, like the death of one of the characters, or something as simple as the time not being right or a mutual parting of ways.  Often a bittersweet ending.

Paranormal:  Stories with this tag are set in what is recognizably our world (Earth), but with elements that are usually found in fantasy fiction.  This may be ghosts, shapeshifters (i.e. werewolves), vampires, fae, etc.  What makes a story paranormal and not fantasy is that it is set in our world; so the dragon may be in New York, or the werewolf in Alaska or Siberia, and the vampire may carry a cell phone.

Reunited:  In this story, the two characters are brought together after a significant separation.  They may have been lovers previously and somehow found each other again, or they may have just been friends or acquaintances and stumble into a much different relationship upon reconnecting.  Note that "significant" may vary a lot with the story, and is meant to be significant to the characters in the story; it may be several months or a couple of years, or over a decade in length.

Science Fiction:  Stories with this tag involve advanced science and technology in the characters' world.  This usually means the story has space travel, alien planets and civilizations, and possibly time travel, all as the result of gadgets and science advancement.  If the story also contains strong elements of fantasy, such as magic and fantastic creatures (unicorns, elves, etc.), then it usually carries a tag of Steampunk instead.

Shapeshifters:  At least one character in this story is able to change shape into another creature, including anything from a wolf or cat to a dragon or bear.  It may also mean a person can change shape into another person; note that the shapechange is not the result of a spell cast by the character, but rather a physical change that is a natural ability of the character (controlled or not).

Slavefic:  At least one character in this story is owned by another, and lives in constant subservience to his master.  It usually involves elements of BDSM and bondage, but not necessarily.

Time Travel:  A strong element of the story involves moving between two different times, either through magic (Fantasy) or a technological gadget (Science Fiction).

Toys:  This does not refer to a child's toys, but rather sex toys such as dildos, vibrators, etc.  Often paired with BDSM, but not necessarily.

Vampires:  The story involves at least one character who drinks the blood of other creatures for sustenance.  It may be an actual textbook vampire, or a creature similar to a vampire with another name (dhampir, etc.).

Western:  The story is set in the rugged frontier, where cowboys and ranches are prevalent and communication and travel is difficult.  It may be set in current times (Contemporary) or in the past (Historical), but it is almost always set in our world or a variation of it.  Rarely paired with Science Fiction or Fantasy; in such cases, the review will explain such designations.