Justice For Hope

Nobody's Angel

Kallypso Masters2011

A former soldier rescues a woman from an abusive relationship. He uses BDSM to help her process her trauma and regain a sense of safety.

pace0·prose0·bleak0

Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert1856

A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

earnest → tense

pace0·prose+3·bleak+1

Paradise Logic

Sophie Kemp2025

A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

earnest → epic

pace0·prose+3·bleak+1

Mad Mabel

Sally Hepworth2025

An eighty-one-year-old woman with a history of killing people tries to hide her past when a curious young girl moves into the neighborhood.

earnest → dark

pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

Securing Caite

Susan Stoker2019

A former soldier protects a woman after she witnesses a crime, leading to a quick romantic connection while they are on the run.

Same earnest register, still romantic suspense

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Special Ops Seduction

Megan Crane2021

Two soldiers with a shared history are paired for a dangerous mission in the Alaskan wilderness. They must work together despite their past conflict.

earnest → tense, still romantic suspense

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Fish & Chips

Madeleine Urban2010

Two FBI agents go undercover as a married couple on a Caribbean cruise to catch smugglers. They must maintain their cover while sharing a cabin.

earnest → playful, still romantic suspense

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Ruthless People

J.J. McAvoy2017

The heirs to the Irish and Italian mobs marry to end a war. They compete for dominance while eliminating shared enemies.

earnest → propulsive, still romantic suspense

pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

Savage Prince

Meghan March2018

A powerful man in the New Orleans underworld becomes obsessed with a woman and pursues her despite the danger of his lifestyle.

earnest → propulsive, still romantic suspense

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Burn for Me

Ilona Andrews2014

A private investigator with the ability to tell truth from lies is hired to find a fire-user. She is forced to work with a dangerous billionaire.

earnest → propulsive

pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

Ulysses

James Joyce1914

Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

earnest → playful

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

earnest → elegiac

pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

Either/Or

Søren Kierkegaard1992

A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

earnest → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

A country girl is sent to claim kinship with wealthy relatives. Her life is derailed by a sequence of social betrayals and rigid moral standards.

earnest → elegiac

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Brokeback Mountain

Annie Proulx1997

Two ranch hands begin a secret sexual and emotional relationship in 1963 Wyoming. The story follows their occasional meetings over twenty years.

earnest → elegiac

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Bright Side

Kim Holden2014

An optimistic college student moves to Minnesota for a fresh start while hiding a terminal diagnosis from her best friend.

earnest → tender

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2