I dug up my reading list and gathered here novels that have a realistic perspective, not about building the world, but about building the relationship. They are fun to read and are a refreshment of some stories when the romance is written in a hurry and forced to the reader hahaha... more>>

=== BG and BL included ====

Many times, when searching for hiding novels to read, I found myself almost discarding some amazing stories just because the synopsis are deceptive.... So here many of the descriptions are mine/some angel that described perfectly the feeling you got when read them o(≧▽≦)o  <<less

No beta male Japanese simps that can't look a woman in the eye without blushing or deranged Chinese psychopaths that massacre entire clans because a... more>> young master looked at their woman the wrong way. <<less

Slice of life type of stories with very straight no bull*hit romance. ... more>>

Sometimes you need to take a break and just enjoy breezy love with maturity and understanding.

✅ Completed

⭕ Started - not completed. <<less

All men beware! The effeminate main characters have invaded our masculine paradises. This list is the start of my attempts to help readers discover good, mostly mature, and masculine male protagonists. Only stories about the manliest, yet well-written male main characters may be found here.... more>>

The best of all stories which embody the strengths of the Masculine Heavenly Dao and reject the weaknesses of femininity and indecisiveness will be placed in this list.

Join me brothers in this most profound path so that we may seek enlightenment and cast off the shackles that bind our true masculine selves! <<less

I feel like the title " spicy but with at least a little bit of a plot" is pretty none explanatory. I'll do my best to make sure that the novels I include all tread that line between an innocent romance story and outright p*rn.  I just want it to be known though that these choices were hard to make.....where is the line between no plot and a sliver of a plot *sigh*... more>>

If you guys have any titles you'd like to add or ones you disagree with just let me know in the comments ;) <<less

The villainesses we all love! 

Serious/Seinen themes with as less cliché elements as possible. Preferably clever and calm MCs. No harems, maybe one odd love interest but nothing frivolous. Negligible... more>> comedy tropes.  <<less

[For untranslated CN novel suggestions, please refer to the Comment Section of this list]... more>>

Romance novels that will make you reconsider the pre-established order of things, that shine by their realism, that demand that you acknowledge cannon fodders, that hinder you in condemning villains. <<less

Among many novels I've read, these are my favourite and, in my opinion, the absolute best.... more>>

(My preferred genre is mostly Josei, with strong and interesting female lead. A good romance is always appreciated and I also enjoy regency and political novels with schemes. Might be a little biased about angst genre.) <<less

No description.

I've made this to keep track of those I'm currently reading. You can still use it as a reference though. I guarantee that what I'm reading is currently the cream of the crop of the current translation era. If you don't see your favorite novel, please feel free to comment and please relate it to my current list if possible. I'm also open for suggestions and I'll try to update the list as much as possible. Please be aware that this list composes of those I deem good or in my taste, so you might disagree with the few on the list.... more>>

Note: I remove the things I've completely read, so the list is very short. Also, the order is very relevant, though the top 5 usually swap position most of the time. <<less

Bunch of random evil protag

Good novels, well written, entertaining, and interesting. These novels are quite unforgettable after reading, the characters and story will surely stick around for a long... more>> time. <<less

Ranked from highest to lowest.... more>>

Little to no harems.

Welcome to give suggestions.

Other list-

The Perfect Run

Paragon of Destruction 

Mother of learning <<less

Tired of naive female protagonists? Close to losing it because you can't stand another clumsy MC that doesn't consider the consequences of her actions and somehow gets everything to work out either due to her OP male suitors or just dumb luck?... more>>

Well good news! 

Here is a compilation of mature female protagonists who are calm, level-headed, and rational. All hail these practical queens that can stand on their own, against all odds, with or without the male lead. 

PS: My queen ratings have nothing to do with how much I liked the novel. I rated all of these novels 4 or 5 stars and I think they're all really good. <<less

ML of these novels is mainly sweet and loveable. Their devotion to MC's is very heartwarming. These novels are an absolute must-read!! Highly recommended :) Most of them are completed. I will keep this list updated so a new novel will be added at the bottom if I do find one.  ... more>>

- Yany (●ω●)  <<less

These are novels that I have completely read or is in the middle of reading with high anticipation. I do not regret reading them but... more>> regret finding them too late. <<less

This is my personal top picks. If you can get the gist my taste through this list, please feel free to comment down below some of your recommendations too! Thank you and Happy reading!... more>>

What constitutes a good story for me?

PLOT. It must not stray away from its intended plot. No unrelevant arcs just for the sake of DRAGGING the story. THERE MUST BE SUBSTANCE. 

As much as possible, NO RUSH ENDING. The conclusion is the most important. If the story ended with some questions unresolve, the story is a failure. Open endings are acceptable, since it is closest to reality you can get. 

CHARACTER GROWTH. I believe it's one of the essential part of the story. I can stomach s*upid and naive characters, ONLY, if they showed character development along the way. 

LOGIC. No one wants to proceed on reading if they couldn't understand nor make sense out of anything. I'm willing to make an exceptions for WORLD-BUILDING. But there's what you call an out-of-this-world logic and an out-of-this-world s*upidity. The former I can accept, the latter, thanks but no thanks.

ENJOYMENT FACTOR. A STORY MUST EVOKE EMOTIONS OUT OF ME. If I couldn't feel anything while reading, then the writer failed to connect to their readers. Even if the genre isn't my cup of tea, it should be able to convince me otherwise. That's what it means by a good writing.

Thank you. (This list is subject to change) <<less

As the title says Intelligent MC.... more>>

I dislike hot blooded, overly emotional and dumb MCs, so this list won't contain any such novels. 

On the other hand i like scheming MCs, so expect such novels.

P. S- This is another list from my previous account (which i lost) 

https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/4489/ <<less

well, here are some of the novels that are under-rated-ack (and I have been reading these), well not for long aye? ... more>>

So, most of the MC's here are male. The focus is on the action, adventure...annnnddd fantasy!

Warning: Not much romance could be found.

Do comment below if you found anything new and on your favourite series.

Happy reading fellas! <<less

list has been edited, sry. plz check my other lists... more>>

characters in relationships yet also dealing with other problems in life. <<less

No description.

Here is some novel list that hit my taste. ... more>>

Please tell me if you have another recommendation.

*The order in the list doen't mean anything. I just put them in based on my memory. <<less

BL cultivator novels set in the past ... more>>

All novels are at least 4 stars or higher

Comment if you have any suggestions to add to it :) <<less

Older working adults dealing with older working adult problems. Protagonists must be dealing with realistic issues, be mentors, have a competent outlook on life, or... more>> just generally act like old people :P <<less