Today we we are looking at readers’ lingo. I’m sure most people know what the acronyms and other words or phrases mean but I am learning new ones every day. Just recently I came across the phrase “alpha cinnamon roll” and was utterly confused. Given that I was puzzled by that, and my sister-in-law didn’t know what KU was the other day when I called Kindle Unlimited that. Some are pretty easily figured out but I have been surprised before, so I figured I would make sure you all knew the stuff too. Let’s get into it.

FMC: FMC stands for Female Main Character, meaning it is the main female the book follows. That is not to say that there aren’t other female characters, even if we follow them for a minute, just that the FMC is the main one we care about.

MMC: MMC stands for Male Main Character. Just like the FMC main guy we care about and the love interest to said FMC. MMCs are usually the ones we readers claim as book boyfriends.

Reverse harem: Also known as RH. A reverse harem is a woman with more than one lover. Sometimes it is fated mates and sometimes it’s just regular people.

Alpha cinnamon roll or alpha roll: An alpha cinnamon roll or alpha roll is an oxymoron to describe a MMC with a tough exterior but all teddy bear on the inside especially where their woman, or any other significant other, is concerned. In my humble opinion, this one is a hard thing to balance. I don’t think I could write one so my hat is off to the authors who can do it well.

Dark Romance: Dark romances are books that have a bunch of violence, some of it senseless, morally questionable characters doing morally questionable things. There are a lot of taboo themes and that romanticize the seedier side of life.

Romantasy: Romantasy is the melding of fantasy and romance. It can include the paranormal and can be dark as well.

POV: POV stands for Point Of View. Point-of-view is two things. First, it is the perspective of the author, and second the perspective of the character. It could be argued that it is one and the same but I see it as two different things. In the sense that it is used by most readers today, it is the character that is currently being looked through. We are limited and privy to what the character can observe, experience, think, and feel, but in many current books, you get more.

Dual or multi-POV: Dual and multi-POV is a book where we get the POV of more than one character. Most often it is a dual POV between the two main characters. I have read two multi-POV books recently, Death Is Easy and Sins of the Father, and of the two, Sins of the Father was the easiest to read. Too many love interests just make the book muddy. Or maybe it’s just me.

BIPOC: BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and Person Of Color. This includes WOC or Women Of Color, and I am here for it. Today, women of all colors and creeds enjoy representation and this helps us more easily identify characters that we may related to us by culture.

TBR list: TBR is a To Be Read list. I, like countless other readers, am always on the lookout for something to read, or our friends have recommendations we can’t ignore, or just something on social media catches our eye (I’m looking at you TikTok), we make note of it, buy it, or check it out and finish up what we are reading. Some people have a relatively short list, others are ten miles long. Mine is only a mile or two, but it is getting added to every day.

Bookstagram, BookTube, or BookTok: BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTube are all iterations of book content on social media. I personally wach BookTok on TikTok. Bookstagram is the book corner of IG and BookTube is the same on YouTube. I am going to have to check out more of BookTube. I watch a guy who rates book shelves and he is pretty funny.

CW or TW: CW and TW is Content or Trigger Warning. Some books have sensitive or questionable content or just flat-out unethical behavior. It can also be abuse, sexual assault, abandonment, or any number of things. Not all people can handle all content. Whether it is trauma in the reader’s past or because of morals and values, there are things people don’t want to read.

FTB: FTB stands for Fade To Black. It is for those who don’t want to write or read sexually explicit scenes. The idea is still there but the reader doesn’t see it. There is no spice. There may be kissing or even heavy petting but no sex.

HEA and HFN: HEA stands for Happily Ever After and HFN is Happy For Now. HEA seems to be for the end of the trilogy or series but HFN is between books. Anita Blake is a great example of HFN.

Insta-love: Insta-love is when one or both MCs fall in love instantly upon seeing or meeting the other. This happens a lot with fated mates.

Fated mate: Fated mates are usually described as soul mates, with lore stating they are of one soul or the goddess chose them for each other. I am sure that sometimes it is the God that does that but it is usually the Goddess. I have come across one that credits the Universe. It is also usually a case of insta-love but not always.

KU: KU stands for Kindle Unlimited. It is a paid service in which you have access to a digital library through Amazon. You can use a Kindle or you can download the Kindle app and use it that way.

Spicy book: A spicy book is a romance novel that has explicit sex scenes. The level of spice can be low but goes all the way to erotica.

Shipping: Shipping is putting two characters together in a relationship. It can be in fanfic (fiction written by fans of the book to continue the story or change it slightly) or just hoping two characters come together like Elain and Azriel for some in the ACOTAR series.

Book haul: A book haul is when you bring a bunch of books home. You can buy all the books or a bunch of books checked out from the library is a haul. I wonder, though, can you have a haul on an e-reader?

I hope this helped. Did I miss anything that you think should be shared or that you have questions about? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!