Privacy Policy
What we collect, what we don't, and how to opt out.
Last updated: 21 October 2026
The short version. We don’t ask you to create an account, we don’t ask for your name or email to browse, and we don’t sell anything about you to anyone. We count page views and clicks so we know which parts of the site are useful. Google Analytics and Amazon set their own cookies when you visit or click through. If you subscribe to our optional email newsletter, we collect your email address for it (see Email newsletter below).
Who we are
The Romance List is operated by Twisted Key Publishing. Enquiries can be sent through the form on our Author Spotlight page.
What we collect ourselves
This site runs its own lightweight analytics. It records events, not people. Specifically:
- Pages viewed, and the site that referred you
- Which filters, sorts and searches are used
- Which book, author and series pages are opened
- Clicks on outbound links, share buttons and Author Spotlight cards
To estimate how many separate visitors we get, we store a short non-reversible hash derived from your browser and connection. It is not linked to your name, email or account, we cannot reverse it to identify you, and we do not use it to track you across other websites.
What we do not collect
- Names, email addresses or postal addresses from ordinary browsing
- Payment details — we never handle a transaction; purchases happen entirely on Amazon
- Precise location
- Anything at all if you only read our articles without interacting
Information you choose to give us
If you apply for an Author Spotlight or email us, we receive whatever you send — typically your name, email address and details about your book. We use it to answer you and to run the placement, and nothing else. Our email is delivered through Resend, which processes messages on our behalf.
Email newsletter (optional)
We offer an optional weekly email newsletter. We collect information for it only when you choose to subscribe:
- What we collect: your email address, your first name if you give it, and the genres you choose.
- Confirmation: subscriptions are confirmed by email (double opt-in). Nothing is sent until you click the link in the confirmation email.
- Who stores it and sends the emails: MailerLite, our email provider, stores your subscription and sends the emails on our behalf. See MailerLite’s privacy policy.
- What it is used for: only the weekly emails for the genres you chose. We don’t sell it or use it for anything else.
- Unsubscribing: every email has an unsubscribe link.
- Deletion: to have your newsletter data deleted, email [email protected].
Cookies and similar storage
| What | Set by | Why |
|---|---|---|
Google Analytics cookies (_ga and similar) | Aggregate visitor statistics | |
| Amazon cookies | Amazon | Credits us a commission if you buy after clicking through |
cf_clearance and similar | Cloudflare | Security and bot filtering |
trl_sp_ref (session storage) | Us | Notes that you arrived at a book page from an Author Spotlight, so the author gets credit. Cleared when you close the tab. |
trl_exclude | Us | Set only on our own devices so our visits don’t pollute our statistics |
Third parties
Using this site involves these services, each with its own privacy policy:
- Google Analytics — visitor statistics (policy)
- Amazon — affiliate links, book data, covers and prices (policy)
- Cloudflare — security and content delivery (policy)
- Netlify — hosting
- Google Fonts — typography
- Trakt and Movie of the Night — film, TV and streaming data
- Resend — email delivery
- MailerLite — newsletter subscriptions and emails, only if you subscribe (policy)
Once you click through to Amazon or any other outside site, you are on their property and their privacy policy applies, not ours.
Your choices
- Block cookies in your browser settings. The site works fine without them.
- Opt out of Google Analytics with Google’s browser add-on.
- Use Do Not Track or a blocker. We don’t serve ads and don’t use advertising trackers, so there is little to block beyond analytics.
- Ask us. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to see, correct or delete personal information we hold, or to object to how we use it. Since we hold essentially nothing tied to an identifiable person from ordinary browsing, this normally only applies to emails you have sent us. Get in touch through the form on our Author Spotlight page and we’ll handle it.
Children
This site publishes adult romance content and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has sent us information, get in touch and we will delete it.
Data retention and security
Analytics counts are kept in aggregate form and are not tied to identifiable people. Emails you send are kept as long as needed to deal with your enquiry. The site is served entirely over HTTPS.
Changes
If this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it. Material changes will be noted on this page.
This policy describes our actual practices in plain language. It is not legal advice, and privacy law varies by jurisdiction — if you operate under GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA or similar regimes, it is worth having a qualified professional review this text against your obligations.