Books like 'Break Me Slowly'

Readers who enjoyed Break Me Slowly by Joya Ryan also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  dark romance  virgin heroine  super rich hero  tortured hero  alpha male  bdsm  new adult  shy heroine  angst 

  • Grounded by R.K. Lilley

    Grounded by R.K. Lilley

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 185 ratings
    James and Bianca’s story draws to a close in the explosive conclusion to the Up In The Air Trilogy. After a short but earnest courtship, Bianca can no longer deny her feelings for James, and though she’s tried her hardest, she can’t help but see that he cares deeply for her, as well...
  • Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken

    Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 34 ratings
    The next book in the internationally bestselling mafia series… All is lost. All. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. My thoughts are filled with hatred and dripping with rage. I've lost my soul. She took it to the depths of Hell with her and haunts me with images of what could have been. Sixty lives are mine to take. Sixty lives stand in the way of my vengeance...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  angst  alpha male  m-f  suspense  mafia  bad boys  dark
  • Sponsored links
  • Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Enrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.Part of a world I loathe.Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.I'm. In. Hell.Also known as the Cosa Nostra.My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.Son to a murdered mob boss.Heir to a throne of murder and lies...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  angst  m-f  suspense  mafia  contemporary  dark
  • The Fallen: Genesis by Tillie Cole

    The Fallen: Genesis by Tillie Cole

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    THE FALLEN: GENESIS (A Deadly Virtues Prequel) IN THE BEGINNING... They told them they were evil. They told them they were possessed by demons. They told them that darkness ran in their veins. Holy Innocents Home for Children is a haven for orphaned boys who have nothing and no one. The priests watch over them, educate them, raise them in the family of the church...
  • Scandalous Prince by Rachel Van Dyken

    Scandalous Prince by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    A mafia romance about secrets and soulmates by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.The Woods are Lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go, before I sleep —Robert FrostI was born under fire and swore to protect her until my dying day, I just never knew that one day, I'd be the very monster I was protecting her from...
  • Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes the epic conclusion to the heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense, Hard to Love series.With her I was always on the highest high. That's why it was so easy to fall. I never stood a chance without her. The two of us were made for one another. It's as simple as that. The world could try to rip us apart, but it would fail...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  alpha male  m-f  suspense  contemporary  dark  mafia
  • Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Beckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them. Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying...
  • Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author W Winters comes an emotionally-gripping, romantic suspense. I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m not the only person to ever do such a thing. I know that. And I’m not an awful person for desiring his touch, his kiss, his everything… but I knew I shouldn’t have indulged. There’s something about knowing it’s wrong that tempts me that much more...
  • SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    I had the perfect school, the perfect friends—the perfect life ... At least, that’s what I thought. But you changed all that. You are always there ... Always watching ... Always waiting in the shadows. You send me flowers and messages. You stalk me, trace my every movement..
  • You Loved Me At My Weakest by Evie Harper, Hot Tree Edits

    You Loved Me At My Weakest by Evie Harper, Hot Tree Edits

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Emily Broken, used and worthless. They are the words that have been branded into my mind for the past five years. Now freed, but they stole my smile and left me with only tears. My dreams of the future died right before my eyes. I'm fighting to find my way back, but I’m too weak. Kayne I won’t let her walk this road alone. I’ll hold on for her. The dark can’t last forever...
    Categorized as:
    alpha male  angst  new adult  m-f  contemporary  rape  abuse  dark
  • A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones

    A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    “I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.” ― Morrissey It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn't know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I've ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him...
  • Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Chegou a hora de encarar o tão aguardado torneio Dragões e Masmorras DS. Entregue-se aos combates. Liberte seus desejos. Na busca pela irmã desaparecida, a agente Cleo Connelly conseguiu se infiltrar no ultrassecreto torneio de práticas BDSM, o Dragões e Masmorras DS...
  • Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I fought my way back, and now I’m possessed. I’ve healed the wounds that kept me trapped. I’m done fighting it. I’m hers. Completely. I just don’t know if she feels the same. What if the empire we’ve been building crumbles along with our love?Possessed by Lies is book 5 in the Truth or Lies series. It continues Enzo and Kai's story...
  • Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Enzo is my heart. My soul. My breath. I never thought I could be so dark. Never knew love meant losing myself and getting reborn. The lies and truths have finally caught up with us. We may have stolen an empire, but we aren’t ready to give it up. It’s ours. He’s mine. And our love will find a way to the truth. Consumed by Truths is book 6 and the final book in Enzo and Kai's story...
  • The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes

    The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Seven years in heaven awarded me seven years in hell. I’ve admired Savannah Fontane since I saw her whizzing down our street on her hot pink bike with rainbow tassels taped on the handlebars. I was in awe someone so small could ride without training wheels, I asked my mom to remove mine that same afternoon. Savannah drew a rainbow heart on my cast the very next day...
  • Mine to Keep by Cynthia Eden

    Mine to Keep by Cynthia Eden

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    Love is the most dangerous obsession… Skye Sullivan is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. She survived a brutal stalker and escaped his abduction, and now she is looking to the future—a future that includes Skye’s lover, billionaire Trace Weston. Skye thinks the danger is finally over for her. She’s dead wrong...
  • Hawke by Anise Storm

    Hawke by Anise Storm

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Previously published in 2019, "Hawke" has been updated with a new POV and some expanded scenes. Arrogant. Sexy. Reminiscent. I felt all three about my newest client. The moment I met the sexy club owner in need of a party planner, I soon realized why. He was the one responsible for the most mortifying night of my life just one year earlier...
  • Keeping Secrets by Lisa Eugene

    Keeping Secrets by Lisa Eugene

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Is that how a little girl sits? No, Daddy. How should a little girl sit? Shoulders back and tummy in. And how should a little girl look? Always neat and pretty That’s my girl. Twenty-four-year-old Alexa Kennedy is beautiful, sharp as a whip, and at the top of her medical school class. She’s also been waging a war in her head for as long as she can remember. Depression. Hatred...
  • The Mercer Curse by Pepper Winters

    The Mercer Curse by Pepper Winters

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Q Mercer from Tears of Tess meets his half-brother Henri Ward from Ruby Tears for the first time...……….I’ve fought a curse all my life.A curse inherited by my sick father. There is no cure.No antidote for what I am. For years, I existed alone. Fighting the urges, doing my best to stay good.Until Esclave 58 entered my life and I didn’t have to fight so hard...
  • Buttons and Revenge by Penelope Sky

    Buttons and Revenge by Penelope Sky

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 29 ratings
    My brother didn’t pay his debts—and now I’m on the hook for it. They already killed him, so I know they won’t hesitate to do the same to me. With nowhere to run or hide, I buy a one-way ticket to Milan to audition for Barsetti Lingerie in the hope I can start a new life. Conway Barsetti chooses me as his next model—but then he wants more...
  • Meet Fifty Shades Continued - Fifty Shades Freed by G.E. Griffin

    Meet Fifty Shades Continued - Fifty Shades Freed by G.E. Griffin

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Converted to ebook format, Cover UpdatedFifty Shades Freed from Christian's POVGet inside Christian Grey's mind, as you read the complete Fifty Shades trilogy retold from his point of view, carrying on where E L James left off at the end of 'Fifty Shades...
  • Meet Fifty Shades Continued - Fifty Shades Darker by G.E. Griffin

    Meet Fifty Shades Continued - Fifty Shades Darker by G.E. Griffin

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Converted to ebook format, Cover UpdatedFifty Shades Darker from Christian's POVGet inside Christian Grey's mind, as you read the complete Fifty Shades trilogy retold from his point of view, carrying on where E L James left off at the end of 'Fifty...
  • Endless by W. Winters, Savannah Peachwood

    Endless by W. Winters, Savannah Peachwood

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author W Winters comes an emotionally captivating and thrilling, romantic suspense. He holds a power over me like no one else ever could. Maybe it’s because my heart begs to beat in time with his. Maybe it’s because my body bows to his and his alone. Maybe it’s because he thought he loved me before he even laid eyes on me...
  • The Man in the Black Suit by Sylvain Reynard

    The Man in the Black Suit by Sylvain Reynard

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    Brazilian Acacia Santos excels at her job as concierge at the prestigious Hotel Victoire in Paris. When her senior colleague is attacked and sent to the hospital, she is tasked with serving one of the hotel’s most mysterious and attractive guests. Nicholas Cassirer checks into the hotel under an assumed name every three months...
  • Tramp by Mary Elizabeth

    Tramp by Mary Elizabeth

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Lydia Montgomery is a Tramp. After fleeing a tragic past, Lydia’s determined never to go back to the life she left behind at any price. She lands in Grand Haven, California—a city booming with billion dollar corporations and tech money—and everything changes. Armed with the only lesson she learned from her mother, Lydia builds a life of routine, solitude, and success...
  • THE INITIATION: Secret Society Dark Romance by Elena Monroe

    THE INITIATION: Secret Society Dark Romance by Elena Monroe

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴.𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐋LA wasn’t home… just home for now.Transplanted here to model I learned Hollywood isn’t where dreams survive the harsh reality of millions all sharing that same dream...
  • Fake Crowne by C.D. Reiss

    Fake Crowne by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Colton Crowne is famous for two things: being one of the music industry’s most talented producers and partying away his massive inheritance.I’m a singer with stage fright who’s famous for…well…nothing yet. And I promised my family if I didn’t make it big by the end of this year, I’d go back to med school...
  • His to Own by Ava Gray

    His to Own by Ava Gray

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    He’s supposed to marry her older sister, but he can’t stay away… MICELIThe mafia world is cold and cruel. I live by one rule - cut their throat before they cut yours. It’s what keeps me ruthless and on top of my mafia family.But when I see something I like, I take it. It’s no different with Alessia DeLuca, who’s supposed to marry my rival… while I’m marrying her older sister...
  • Lavish Corruption by Alta Hensley, Stasia Black

    Lavish Corruption by Alta Hensley, Stasia Black

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Good girls don’t break rules—but for one night with him, any risk was worth it.Walker St. Claire is my older brother’s best friend and strictly off limits. Especially while he’s an Initiate during his Trials to gain entrance to the secret society.But after a lifetime of following the rules and being the good girl everyone expected me to be, I’m ready to break a few...
  • Love Me by W. Winters, Amelia Wilde

    Love Me by W. Winters, Amelia Wilde

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 9 ratings
    From USA Today best-selling authors W Winters and Amelia Wilde comes a sinful romance with a touch of dark and angst that will keep you gripping the edge of your seat … and begging for more.He was mine. My protector, my lover. My second start at life. The man who promised me there was more than this.He gave me hopeUntil my world fell apart again. It was bound to happen. It’s all life has given me...
  • Taken by Lies by Ella Miles

    Taken by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Miles comes a new dark romance series! At 16 I was taken. Kidnapped by a boy I thought I could love. Then he sold me as if I were property. For three years I endured. Beatings. Torture. Pain. I never broke. I was strong, determined, resilient. But then one day it happened...I broke. Setting me free...
  • Vital Sign by J.L. Mac

    Vital Sign by J.L. Mac

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    I used to have a great life. My little world was bright. I had no complaints. My perfectly simple life made the fall from grace that much more devastating. I plummeted from the heavenly little bubble that I shared with Jake. I fell fast and hard straight into the fiery pits of hell. The knowledge of how things used to be is a bittersweet torture that refuses me even one moment of respite...
  • The Queen by Skye Warren

    The Queen by Skye Warren

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    I have one chance at a new life. A college education. A future outside of Tanglewood's dark walls. For a breathless moment it seems like I might actually escape. Then I get a phone call from home. Damon Scott is my own personal dragon, the fight I've always lost, the secret hope of my heart. And he needs my help right now. Only my mind can solve the puzzle...
    Categorized as:
    alpha male  new adult  angst  m-f  contemporary  dark  suspense  mafia
  • Hunger by Monique Edenwood

    Hunger by Monique Edenwood

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    A Dark Love Story"As I struggle to unlock my gaze from the impertinent bridesmaid who doesn’t seem able to stop herself from giving me attitude, I contemplate the various ways in which I intend to teach the insolent little brat a lesson."GreysonThis wasn't supposed to happen.Every piece of my life has been planned out since the day I was born, calculated to the letter.I knew where I was headed...
  • The Mask by Alice Ward

    The Mask by Alice Ward

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    A secret club. A mystery woman. A craving I can’t restrain. As a billionaire e-commerce entrepreneur, I’m expected to take my clients to Jewel, an elite men’s club offering female gems of salacious delight. A place where any fantasy is fulfilled... for a price. I never allow myself fantasies, so the last thing I expect to find inside Jewel is a woman I immediately crave. The Butterfly...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  super rich hero  m-f  humor  contemporary  dark
  • Infraction by K.I. Lynn

    Infraction by K.I. Lynn

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 37 ratings
    The exciting continuation of Breach! Waking up in the hospital after a terrible car crash, Lila has a long road of recovery ahead of her. More than just her body, she must recover her heart after an altering declaration by Nathan. With all that happened between them she must chose to forgive him and take him back, or sever all ties...
  • Unforgiven by Willow Winters

    Unforgiven by Willow Winters

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    The sins of his past can’t be forgiven. Mason Thatcher gave me chills when I first laid eyes on him. The good kind. The kind that makes your body ache and your heart hammer. What’s better is that he looked at me the same way. There was a hunger in his eyes that wouldn’t be sated, and a confidence in his stride that told me I could never run from him. Back then, I didn’t want to...
  • Lies by Aleatha Romig

    Lies by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    The twisted and intriguing storytelling that you loved in Consequences and Infidelity continues with an all-new alpha anti-hero in the dark romance series Web of Sin, by New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig. I am... That’s no longer an easy statement...
  • The Ingénue by Tiffany Reisz

    The Ingénue by Tiffany Reisz

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A Siren prequelEvents take place approximately six months before The Siren – stars Sheridan &...
  • Mafia Queen by C.D. Reiss

    Mafia Queen by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    What doesn’t kill you makes you a killer. Santino DiLustro changed me. You can’t spend time in bed with the devil without getting addicted to the heat. Before him, I was a girl. Innocent and weak. Now, I’m a woman. A fighter. A killer. I’ll burn the world down for him. Shatter the sky. But I will not break. No...
  • Sold by Clarissa Wild

    Sold by Clarissa Wild

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Top 40 Amazon Bestseller!Sold to the mob boss, now she becomes his prey.I am Marcello Dellucci, new don of the Dellucci Mafia.And my devilish reign over the city has only just begun.But when a beautiful girl steps onto the auction stage I forget everything I'm supposed to be.I want to claim her, no matter the cost.So I buy her body and take everything she has to give.Now she's my pet, my Kitten..
  • Breaking Grace by Rose Devereux

    Breaking Grace by Rose Devereux

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Two years ago, I murdered the love of Grace Garrett’s life. I had it all – a thriving company, money, women at my beck and call. Then I shot and killed James Winthrop. And got away with it. His beautiful fiancé is ruined, so damaged she’s destroying herself. And I’m the reason why. Nothing and nobody can save her. Except me. Only I know how to help her start again...
  • Twisted Prince by Nessa Graye

    Twisted Prince by Nessa Graye

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A dark bratva mafia...
  • BIG BURLY KILLER by Erin Havoc

    BIG BURLY KILLER by Erin Havoc

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    The biggest, burliest, most handsome man ever is staring at me.I give him my number, then find out he was not looking at me, but at the woman behind me.A woman who shows up dead the next morning.I tell myself it couldn’t be him. It’s all just a coincidence.Then he shows up at my doorstep.Just my luck the first man to call me back is a hitman.Hired killer or not, I can’t deny the attraction...
  • Claim by Sienna Snow

    Claim by Sienna Snow

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Damon Pierce has a dangerous reputation at Violent Delights.As for the submissive women he plays with? They get one night only.Any more would put them at risk.He has no interest in emotional entanglements.Especially not with Sophia Morelli.She's too brazen. Too beautiful.And the sister of one of his closest friends...
  • Their Virgin Prize by Loryn Fox

    Their Virgin Prize by Loryn Fox

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I never imagined selling myself to a trio of billionaires, but it’s only one night in exchange for the rest of my brother’s life. How can I say no?The deal is sell my V-card at auction—oh, and allow the taking of my innocence to be livestreamed, too—in exchange for the cash I need to save my brother...
  • White Nights by Anna Zaires

    White Nights by Anna Zaires

    Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 42 ratings
    A Russian Oligarch Alex Volkov always gets what he wants. Once an orphan on the streets of Saint Petersburg, he’s now one of the wealthiest men in the world. But one doesn’t rise that far in Russia without crossing the line . . . An American Nurse Kate Morrell has always been capable and independent. She neither wants nor needs a man in her life...
  • The Paris Apartment by Sophia Karlson

    The Paris Apartment by Sophia Karlson

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She's been in love with him all her life.His little sister's best friend is all grown up and the wait has been forever.Will a chance reunion lead them to true love?As an artist, Paris has always been Mila's dream destination. Being free of her family and the restraints they put on her only adds to the pleasure of exploring Paris on her own...
  • Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner

    Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner

    Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    It was wrong for us to be together, but it was even harder to be apart.   The memory of Dallas Sykes burns inside of me.   Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.   Dallas knows me better than anyone else...
  • His Vengeance: The Alpha Billionaire's Revenge Complete Series by Deana Farrady

    His Vengeance: The Alpha Billionaire's Revenge Complete Series by Deana Farrady

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 7 ratings
    An edgy enemies-to-lovers romance readers call "disturbingly hot" and "addictive." This is the full standalone novel, a hefty volume comprising the complete 9-part series. Available at a low launch price for a very limited time . It's time to make Linnea Melbourne pay...with her mind, her soul...her body. Jonas hates the woman who wronged his family...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.