LitQueuelitqueue

After

Nauti Deceptions

Lora Leigh2010

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Desperado

    Diana Palmer2002

    A mercenary joins a detective agency to take down a child labor ring. He works alongside a childhood friend who hides a secret from her past.

    Same earnest register, still romantic suspense

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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

To recover

3 more ↓

  • What the Lady Wants

    Jennifer Crusie1995

    A private investigator takes a case for a woman with a dangerous family. The story follows their romantic tension and a mystery.

    earnest → playful, still romantic suspense

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • As You Desire

    Connie Brockway1997

    In 1890s Egypt, a scholar and a cynical agent work together to protect an ancient treasure. They navigate their past romantic history.

    earnest → playful

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Fish & Chips

    Abigail Roux2010

    Two FBI agents go undercover as a married couple on a Caribbean cruise to catch smugglers. The plot balances a criminal case with their romance.

    earnest → playful, still romantic suspense

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • The Warlord Wants Forever

    Kresley Cole2011

    A vampire general hunts a valkyrie who stole his heart centuries ago. They are forced together during a magical competition.

    earnest → playful, still erotic romance

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Farewell to Arms

    Ernest Hemingway1929

    An American ambulance driver and a British nurse conduct a love affair during the Italian campaign of World War I.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • 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