Books like 'Reckless Woman'

Readers who enjoyed Reckless Woman by Catherine Wiltcher also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

dark romance  suspense  military  mafia  hurt-comfort  alpha male  possessive hero  abduction

  • KING SERIES BUNDLE: The Four Book Set by T.M. Frazier

    KING SERIES BUNDLE: The Four Book Set by T.M. Frazier

    Rated: 4.82 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 19 ratings
    All four books in the USA today bestselling KING series. King, Tyrant, Lawless, Soulless. KING: Homeless. Hungry. Desperate. Doe has no memories of who she is or where she comes from. A notorious career criminal just released from prison, King is someone you don’t want to cross unless you’re prepared to pay him back in blood, sweat, sex or a combination of all three...
  • Red Team Box Set by Riley Edwards

    Red Team Box Set by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Get three books in Edwards' bestselling Red Team series all in one place! PROTECTING OLIVIA. Leo “Panther” Gillonardo is a former SEAL who thought he knew the game better than most. He's a professional, a tier one contractor. She’s the mission. Protecting Olivia Cox, the daughter of a White House aide should be his only objective...
  • Sponsored links / Remove ads
  • The Broken Trilogy: Books 1-3 by J.L. Drake

    The Broken Trilogy: Books 1-3 by J.L. Drake

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    *The Complete Broken Trilogy In One Box Set. *. BROKEN #1. *** This is the first book in this series and it ends with a cliffhanger. Intended for 18+. ***. My name is Savannah Miller. My father is the mayor of New York. One day after my twenty-seventh birthday I was grabbed from behind. A cloth sack was quickly pulled over my head, and I was taken from everything I’d ever known...
  • My Sweet Cyanide by Amo Jones

    My Sweet Cyanide by Amo Jones

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    She survived evil. . .. Until a worse one decided she was his. Melissa Hart clawed her way back to Westbeach with a bakery full of dark humour and a strict no-bikers rule, determined to prove she could rebuild what was stolen from her. Melissa thrives on control...
  • Single Mom's Undoing by Kai Lesy

    Single Mom's Undoing by Kai Lesy

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    When hot exes come with even hotter best friends…. Five years ago, I fled Blackthorn Falls. Now I’m back—broke, desperate, and hiding out in my late brother’s cabin,. Counting the days until a trust fund saves my little boy. Then I see them. My brother’s three best friends. The men I've yearned for in secret—and left without goodbye...
  • Luca by Eden Summers

    Luca by Eden Summers

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Luca dragged me from hell and delivered me to salvation. At least that's what I thought. I hoped this would be a new life. A fresh start. But the pain followed. I'm certain the monsters did, too. I'm told it's paranoia. Trauma. PTSD. Nobody believes my truth. But they'll soon learn. We all will. Because as much as I want to forget the mantra from my nightmares, it hasn't stopped being true...
  • Rescuing Isabelle by Ellie Masters

    Rescuing Isabelle by Ellie Masters

    Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Keeping her safe from a deadly cartel might be the easy part of our relationship…. As a former NAVY SEAL and Guardian, rescuing Isabelle LaCroix was my job. Falling for her was not. But that didn’t stop me. Boy, did I fall hard. Just my luck… Izzy isn’t looking for happily ever after. Especially not with a guy like me...
  • Miles by Lane Hart, D.B. West

    Miles by Lane Hart, D.B. West

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 20 ratings
    Who could ever fall in love with a cold-blooded killer like me? The answer is no one. That’s why I’m giving up trying to find a woman who wants me for more than one rowdy night. I’m determined to find a wife instead. If I buy a mail order bride, then she’ll have no choice but to stick around...
  • Shadow Man by Catherine Wiltcher

    Shadow Man by Catherine Wiltcher

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    SHADOW MAN is the first book in a new duet from bestselling author Catherine Wiltcher’s Santiago saga. .. BLURB:. Cause and consequence:. Two words that haunt me. When I was stolen, I learned to hate. When he saved me, I learned to fear. I ran from him, following a trail of the dead, from Miami all the way to Colombia. Now I’ve fallen into darkness again, and he’s the only one I see...
  • Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 19 ratings
    A lethal mercenary bent on vengeance. The innocent woman standing in his way. Dr. Sara Cobakis’s quiet suburban life is turned upside down when a darkly handsome Russian assassin breaks into her home and tortures her for information. But the nightmare doesn’t end there. Because Peter Sokolov returns, and this time, he’s determined to keep the pretty young doctor for himself...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • Bound by Aleatha Romig

    Bound by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    With more revealed, what does that mean for the future? From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a brand-new dark romance trilogy bringing us back to the same dangerous underworld as WEB OF SIN. You do not need to read the Web of Sin trilogy to get caught in this new and intriguing saga, Tangled Web...
  • Paragon by Sybil Bartel

    Paragon by Sybil Bartel

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I didn’t get to covet. I bled duty and honor, and my mission was singular—eliminate. So when I saw her, I didn’t think twice. She was trespassing. I was trained to kill. I drew. But I didn’t pull the trigger. I gave her an order… to kneel...
  • The Mafia and His Obsession: Part 2 by Lylah James

    The Mafia and His Obsession: Part 2 by Lylah James

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 13 ratings
    I lived in the darkness for so long. No life. No choice. The devil owned me, body and soul—but not my heart. It was the only part of me which could never be claimed…. …or so I thought. Viktor weaved his way into my heart and imprinted on my soul. He made it clear he was there to stay. Even when the darkness blinded us, he never left my side. What we shared was sweet, untamed, and wild...
  • Healing Hope by P.J. Fiala

    Healing Hope by P.J. Fiala

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A former SEAL on a life changing mission. A congressional aide caught up in the underworld of greed. The explosive culmination of secrets, lies, and salvation. Former SEAL, Creed Rowan, rescued a beautiful captive on a yacht during a mission, but there’s more to his rescue than meets the eye...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  dark  angst  length-medium
  • The Six Night Truce by Hannah Shield

    The Six Night Truce by Hannah Shield

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    When I stepped into the courtroom this morning, I intended to fight for my client’s life. I never expected to run for my own. Now the courthouse is in lockdown, and I’m trapped in a tiny room with my nemesis—the West Oaks PD cop who hates me most. He’s a single dad with a growly attitude. An ex-Marine. And he’s the star witness against my client...
  • 30 Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    30 Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Secrets and lies tore us apart. Can love keep us together? SERGEI. Willow thought she got away from me, but she was wrong. She will submit. She will play her role. 30 days until she becomes mine forever. 30 days for her final chance to run. 30 days, and Willow will be my wife. .. mine until the end of days. WILLOW. Sergei wants me to trust him...
    Categorized as:
    mafia  alpha male  suspense  dark  contemporary  bdsm  captive  abuse
  • 30 Days of Shame by Ginger Talbot

    30 Days of Shame by Ginger Talbot

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    The monster draws pleasure from my pain. Now, it's time to fight back. SERGEI. 30 days of pain have pushed Willow to her limits. My pretty prisoner is no longer meek. She's trying to resist. But my precious prize doesn't know what I know. Nobody has ever won a war against me. Nobody has ever bested me. And she's not going to be the first. Good luck, little Willow. .
    Categorized as:
    mafia  suspense  dark  bdsm  captive  contemporary
  • King of Pain by Piper Stone

    King of Pain by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    My vows didn't make me his. My body did. Diego Santos may be wealthy, powerful, and sinfully gorgeous, but his slick veneer doesn't fool me. I know his true nature, and I had planned to end this arranged marriage before it even began. But it wasn't Diego waiting for me at the altar...
    Categorized as:
    mafia  suspense  alpha male  spanking  dark  contemporary  bdsm  m-f
  • Luca by Eden Summers

    Luca by Eden Summers

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Luca dragged me from hell and delivered me to salvation. At least that's what I thought. I hoped this would be a new life. A fresh start. But the pain followed. I'm certain the monsters did, too. I'm told it's paranoia. Trauma. PTSD. Nobody believes my truth. But they'll soon learn. We all will. Because as much as I want to forget the mantra from my nightmares, it hasn't stopped being true...
  • Stolen Mafia Vows by Vivy Skys

    Stolen Mafia Vows by Vivy Skys

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    **An Age Gap Surprise Pregnancy Dark Romance**. “When can I touch you where no one else has? ”. One reckless text. That’s all it took to start a mafia war. She was untouched. And she let me watch her fall apart—moaning my name through the phone like I already owned her. So I married my wild Irish rose. Filled her with my seed. Marked her as mine. Then my father’s orders caught up to me...
  • Betrayed in the Dark by Ashley Elizabeth

    Betrayed in the Dark by Ashley Elizabeth

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Betrayed. With one letter, that’s what he did to me,. irrevocably splitting my heart down the middle,. causing everything we once shared in secret to become nothing more than a distant memory. One I try desperately to forget. So, imagine my shock when my brothers stood before me. to tell me who my new bodyguard would be while I fought back tears,. pretending my heart had never belonged to him...
  • Sax by Lane Hart, D.B. West

    Sax by Lane Hart, D.B. West

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    I never thought I would be stupid enough to make a deal with the devil, but here I am doing just that. It’s not like he really gave me a choice. I have to give the Governor what he wants, or he’s going to throw all of my Savage Kings MC brothers into prison for decades. And what exactly does Governor Satan need from me? That’s the real kicker because he’s insisting that I…date his daughter...
  • The Disciples: A Dark Romance Collection by Izzy Sweet, Sean Moriarty

    The Disciples: A Dark Romance Collection by Izzy Sweet, Sean Moriarty

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    First he kidnaps her and holds her captive. Then comes love and a baby carriage. .. Rich, powerful, and untouchable, Lucifer and his merry band of killers rule the streets of Garden City, their sheer strength and brutality unmatched. Possessive and obsessive, they take the women they want, knowing no one will stop them. Stealing them from the very bed they share with their husband. .
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  anthologies  dark  length-epic  m-f
  • Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    HARLOW IS HUNTING HER SISTER’S KILLER. AND COLE IS HUNTING HER. COLE SAINT. The woman my family is looking for is the one-night stand I can’t get out of my head, and her life depends on me getting to her first. Harlow is sunshine and light. I live in the shadows, among the dark and the damned, but there’s something about Harlow that makes me want to take care of her...
  • Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She has secrets she prefers to keep hidden. Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth. When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child...
  • Web of Sin Boxed Set by Aleatha Romig

    Web of Sin Boxed Set by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “Have you been Aleatha’d? ”. “Aleatha is back, better than ever. .. ” Six Chick Book Blog. Web of Sin boxed set is the deliciously intriguing collection that includes: SECRETS, LIES, and PROMISES. Welcome to the Sparrow Web world, Sterling Sparrow and Araneae McCrie’s trilogy:. SECRETS:. Sterling Sparrow has waited nearly two decades to claim his queen, the woman born to rule beside him...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mafia  alpha male  dark  abuse  bad boys  length-epic
  • Opal: A Wolfes of Manhattan Novel by Helen Hardt

    Opal: A Wolfes of Manhattan Novel by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She lashes out with spite and venom. He fights back with anger and passion. Being held captive on a South Pacific island and forced to submit to the depravity of strange men was horrific, but it wasn’t the worst experience of Kelly Taylor’s life. Abused as a child and abandoned once she turned eighteen, Kelly is now free…except for the threatening text messages she’s receiving...
  • Eidolon Boxset Books 1-5 by Maddie Wade

    Eidolon Boxset Books 1-5 by Maddie Wade

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The Eidolon Black Ops Boxset includes the first five books in this Military Romantic Suspense Series. Hot alpha protectors willing do anything to protect the woman they love. Men that live in the shadows they fight for the innocent, for the lost but when they meet the women who bring them to their knees, they realise that fighting isn't always enough--sometimes you have to trust too...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  dark
  • Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas Chance. She has secrets she prefers to keep hidden. Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth. When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  mystery  dark  pregnancy  contemporary
  • Maid for the Yakuza by Melverna McFarlane

    Maid for the Yakuza by Melverna McFarlane

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    When a Kimura has you in their sights, there’s nowhere you can hide. As a single mother of two, I will do anything, and I mean anything for my children. Even if it means sacrificing my dreams of independence after my husband’s death by moving in with my mother-in-law. She hates me, but she loves my son and daughter...
  • Nix. by London Miller

    Nix. by London Miller

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Would you like a gift? Five little words . .. They should have meant nothing, just a proposition made by a man Luna Santiago didn't know for reasons she didn't understand. Five little words was all it had taken to open her eyes and see the new life he offered. With five little words, Kit Runehart owned her.
  • Calavera. by London Miller

    Calavera. by London Miller

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Welcome to the Den . .. Four days before she's meant to take on an assignment she doesn't want, Luna 'Calavera' Santiago is offered another gift—this one from the man she knows she shouldn't trust—the Kingmaker. He'll stop at nothing to get revenge against those that have plotted against him, even his own brother. Kit . .. The one man she vowed to love, honor, and obey . .
  • Hostile Devil: Giovanni & India Duet by Autumn Archer

    Hostile Devil: Giovanni & India Duet by Autumn Archer

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    6. Hostile Devil : A Dark Age Gap Mafia Romance (Souza Cartel: Giovanni). by Autumn Archer (Author) , Hostile Kingdom (Author). 4. 8 out of 5 stars (9). He's my devil. My forever. I've grown up around the Souza cartel, never fully realizing the brothers would never let me go. That the powerful gangsters around me would protect me at all costs...
  • Darkness Follows by J.L. Drake

    Darkness Follows by J.L. Drake

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Emily McPhee is in the clutches of a monster…. Despite the protection of her boyfriend Seth Connors and his colleagues with the Orange Police Department, Emily is imprisoned in a basement by her psychopathic stalker Jimmy Lasko. His bizarre behavior adds to her terror, and a video link forces Seth to witness her captivity, leaving him feeling helpless as he, the OPD, and the FBI search for her...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  alpha male  dark  new adult  m-f  length-short
  • The Final Hour by London Miller

    The Final Hour by London Miller

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Three months pass without incident, leading Mishca and Lauren to believe they can finally move on from the past and build a life together. . .. but enemies both old and new lurk in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike. When a dangerous threat presents itself, Lauren is forced to turn to the one person that would rather see Mishca dead than live happily ever after. . .
  • Until the End by London Miller

    Until the End by London Miller

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    Lauren Thompson. After learning the truth behind her father's tragic murder, Lauren vowed never to go near another Volkov again, but sometimes matters of the heart are too strong to resist. .. Mishca Volkov. As a Captain in the Volkov Bratva, Mishca has pledged his loyalty to the Vory v Zakone, but he soon finds himself at odds with the life he's always known. .. Until the End...
  • The Company by J.A. Huss

    The Company by J.A. Huss

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Some people are above the law. Those people are called COMPANY. Twenty-eight-year-old James Fenici has been an assassin since he was sixteen. He's amassed debts and favors from countless Company brothers and participated in hundreds of Company jobs. But there are not enough favors in the world to clear his debt and make him worthy of the only girl he's ever wanted...
  • Obsessed by Aleatha Romig

    Obsessed by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Everything changed the night our eyes met across the room. His green gaze upon me prickled my skin with uncustomary warmth while my peek beneath his cuff—of a riot of color on his wrist—sparked my insatiable curiosity. Tall and mysterious, Kader was a man whose secrets I longed to know...
  • Opal by Helen Hardt

    Opal by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    She lashes out with spite and venom. He fights back with anger and passion. Being held captive on a South Pacific island and forced to submit to the depravity of strange men was horrific, but it wasn't the worst experience of Kelly Taylor's life. Abused as a child and abandoned once she turned eighteen, Kelly is now free. .. except for the threatening text messages she's receiving...
  • Make Me by C.D. Reiss

    Make Me by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Dario Lucari kidnapped me when I was just a bride sold for territory…and made me a captive wife. He will never free me. I am his property and he lets me know that every time he hurts me. My hate for him burns hotter than the embers of love. But for how long? ***. Make Me is the second book in the trilogy.
  • Dawn by Aleatha Romig

    Dawn by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “Night never had the last word. The dawn is always invincible. ” ~Hugh B. Brown. The Sparrow web world is covered in darkness, yet the dawn is near. The dramatic conclusion to the Dangerous Web trilogy is here. The veil of safety protecting Lorna Murray’s life has been ripped away...
  • Rust by Aria Ray

    Rust by Aria Ray

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Being pulled from a raging river by a sinfully hot biker could be the start of a fairytale love story - the trouble is, I have no idea who I am or what deadly secrets my past holds. A tall, dark, tattooed biker pulled my bruised and battered body from a raging river. That's all I remember when I wake up from a coma. Everything else, my entire life - is gone. I have nothing...
  • Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    After a heart-shattering tragedy, Tony Marino bottled up his emotions and gave more than twenty hard years to the SEAL teams. Now, he’s enjoying a later in life career in paradise in the Ellington Cove special security office. The best part? Working with their research expert, Gabby Ladd...
  • Possessed by Mya Grey

    Possessed by Mya Grey

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    This is the 3rd installment for "Brutal Kings Series". Start reading "Owned" (Book 1) https://www. goodreads. com/book/show/6. .. Blurb. He finally confessed his darkest secret to me…. And I already loved him. But can I truly love a cold-blooded killer? Dario, my antihero, my love has done something unforgivable. And it’s my fault. I messed up. Learned something I shouldn’t have...
    Categorized as:
    mafia  suspense  m-f  dark  length-novella  cliffhanger
  • Conquered by Piper Stone

    Conquered by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She made the mistake of wanting to work for me. Little did she know she was mine forever. A savage, brutal father, a man who enjoying hunting humans. In my mind, I was nothing like him. Except I was, a darkness festering inside of me. I'd done everything possible to expunge the Saint bloodline, a powerful mafia regime. But I quickly learned there was no escaping my past...
    Categorized as:
    mafia  suspense  dark  super rich hero  length-long
  • Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Fighting to find his worthy place in life…. This is the story of a woman that has worked tirelessly to build her own life from nothing. While the task has been exhaustive, it’s been worth every drop of sweat to earn her own slice of normal. Natasha Reynolds has built a life beyond an absent mother and a drug addict brother to become a home-owning, dog-loving nurse...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  possessive hero  contemporary  dark  m-f
  • Hold Me by LP Lovell

    Hold Me by LP Lovell

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    I’m a former slave. The sister of death. Collateral. He’s a bad man. A cartel boss— and my everything. I thought I was done being someone’s toy, but I was so very wrong. Safety is nothing more than a premise in my world, and it seems my own sister can’t be trusted. Loyalties will be tested, and even my big bad wolf might not be able to save me this time. A priceless pawn...
  • His Perfect Little Hacker by Everly Raine

    His Perfect Little Hacker by Everly Raine

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 9 ratings
    Getting hacked into wasn’t on Betsy’s list of things she wanted to happen to her. Getting kidnapped a couple hours later and being held against her will wasn’t either. But both of those happened to her. Finding out the man who kidnapped her was a Daddy Dom, something she had been longing for her whole life...
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.