LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Spymaster's Lady

Joanna Bourne2008

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Surrender

    Pamela Clare2011

    A Scottish soldier in the French and Indian War rescues a woman from a raid. They navigate their attraction while she hides a secret from him.

    tense → earnest, still historical romance

    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.

    Same tense register

    pace0·prose+2·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.

    tense → epic

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

  • His at Night

    Sherry Thomas2010

    A Victorian secret agent posing as an idiot is forced into marriage by a woman seeking escape. They live together while hiding their true motives.

    Same tense register, still historical romance

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Sex, Lies, and Online Dating

    Rachel Gibson2006

    A mystery writer and a detective go on dates while lying about their professions. They eventually collaborate on a real-life murder case.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Arrow's Hell

    Chantal Fernando2015

    The younger sister of a motorcycle club member pursues a relationship with her brother's friend, Arrow, despite club rules.

    tense → earnest

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Double Standards

    Judith McNaught1985

    A woman takes a job at a global firm to spy on its president, but the two begin a relationship. She must maintain her cover while falling in love.

    tense → earnest

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → propulsive, still enemies to lovers

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • The Professional: Part 2 (The Game Maker, #1b)

    Kresley Cole

    A Russian enforcer continues his pursuit of a graduate student across Europe. The focus is on their sexual power dynamic and his mafia duties.

    Same tense register, still forced proximity

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Victory at Prescott High

    C.M. Stunich

    A high school girl seeks revenge against the boys who bullied her while navigating a complex relationship with all of them at once.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

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.

    tense → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·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.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·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.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-1·prose0·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.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·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.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2