Political intrigue with romance on sidelines but no Harem. Check comments section for untranslated suggestions. You can read the raws for them. All are HE. 

Novels where MC hurt his/her loved ones in the past... realize their foolishness.. and do their best in seeking redemption / forgiveness.  (Note: Additional recommendations... more>> on comments section below. Most are raw chinese novels, i've completed. Feel free to reply if it already got an English translation.)  <<less

Novels I've completed reading where FL is brave/self-sufficient and ML is smart/supportive . Both have strong commitment and good communication in their relationship. Both undergoes character and career growth.. ... more>>

There were lot of novels out there that have brave FL and supportive ML but they fell flat for me as characters seems OP and there were really no character and career growth (yep, I'm looking for novels with REALISTIC career narrative).  <<less

A few ancient Chinese novels whose heroines I am quite fond of. Mostly calm, smart, and reasonable women who are not overpowered. Most of these webnovels... more>> also have minimal angst. I also have untranslated suggestions in the comments. <<less

These are my favorite novels with transmigration, reincarnation and second chances as main themes*. I like slice of life, slow romance stories with good world-building... more>> and MCs who are calm, intelligent, not cruel and not too OP (if at all).  
I enjoyed reading the novels in this list but they may not be what I would typically like as mentioned above. Suggestions welcome. <<less

I am always  looking for MC's who seem who I can relate with or find endearing. So this is the list of my favorite MC's.... more>>

There can be both men and women MC. Also I am going to add summary later. <<less

These few r not very popular but definitely very very good...the kind which we usually skip or don't expect anything good from... but let me... more>> tell u the novels in this list r worth every single second of ur time... don't skip out on these ones...there r some very good short stories included in the list too..do give these all a read...hope u get to discover some good novels here... <<less

And some ancient men aren't scum.... more>>

No tragedies ( atleast in present timeline),  no scum males, no dodderflower females, no r*pe by ML <<less

List of novels in my To Read list for my favourite trope, rags to riches! To my best guess anyway since I haven't read them XD. Also usually slice of life. ... more>>

I'll also put what made me want to pick the story up. Just be warned that I will delete the story from the list after I've read so the list will frequently change. I like to view the cover art of the book, and be able to see a lot of novel details on the list in one place instead of having to click to the web novel page. I also include any translation detail like where to find them if they aren't on novelupdates so I can read the whole story without getting stuck halfway because of no translations. Not in any particular order but I try to put similar novels, either in expected tropes or vibes together. And the incompleted ones at the back.  Recommendations are very welcome! <<less

A list of all the new shining stars of the genre.... more>>

PS: I'm an avid reader of HR novels but my initial list of favorites was getting too long so I simply divided it in 2. There's one list for the well-known classics & one for the upcoming shakers.  This here is obviously the latter. On that note, happy reading :)

Rating:   ❤️❤️❤️ To-die-for             ❤️❤️ Greatly entertaining                     ❤️ Enjoyable 

For more, my all times "Best historical novels" list is here: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/19039/ <<less

Favorite romances that take place in ancient China, but not in the Emperor’s palace

Novels that have made a big impact on me. Novels that I still keep thinking about. Hope you enjoy them!... more>>

Also,  I considered these as gems because of:

Solid plot | Incredible world building | Character growth (MCs and also side characters) | Beautifully written  (rhetorics and narratives)| Touches on morality and complex human emotions <<less

Here's my recommended list for historical-romance....what I'm highly like in these novels is that the FL is the beauty with brain, the honey-sweet bonding with... more>> FL and ML, they have child ( not all, but mostly and hopefully) and the story is not too abruptly ended ( but, not all are completed ) <<less

RE-birth,life,born,incarnate, even transmigration. It's the 2nd life of host. My transmigrated/rebirthed MC will be the independent woman/man with free spirit, & tough attitude to live her/his 'new life' better than the previous one. Slow romance.  Almost all will have a more/less 100-200 chapters, no more than 300. For simple story like this, short ones is sufficient. ... more>>

1. MC already marries to ML&already gives birth to a child(s) that she neglects. The marriage is usually a 'plastic' one, with the ML only cares for the child & let MC alone.  The child will be a cute one, smart and very very 'involve' with the story. The 'new' MC/host will take the challenge of repairing the broken relationship with the husband & the child, but the romance is slow (I prefer that). 

2. Most of the novel MC is already married,has child(ren), but I might put few with the same theme but without child, so for the one without child(ren) the struggle & the main theme will resolve on MC and ML only. Sometimes, ML isnt the husband.

In all novels, MC will deal with the family/friends/ex-lovers that take advantage of MC(ML) money.  It is as per usual, the face slapping is there but not prominent. It's more interesting than the romance. I like to read abt wolf in sheep skin getting skinned alive and grilled XD <<less

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These are my favorite novels of all time. I have reread these many times over.... more>>

I get that everyone is entitled to their opinions but I refuse to listen any bad things about these novels!!! <<less

Novels I have to read

List of Novels I am reading or thinking about reading

Every story that I've already read will be deleted from this list and moved to either the 'just okay/dropped' or 'so good' list

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This list is what I've read in Novel Updates that I like, so far. Hope you enjoy this too.

This list includes possessive lovers that weren’t able to together with mc at first, including mls/fls that had unrequited love toward the mc, were neglected... more>> by mc, or misunderstood by mc and thought to be scary and dangerous. This list involves partners who aren’t each others firsts. It involves mls or fls with unconditional or hidden love that get their chance eventually, after the mc gains some clarity.  <<less

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All 4+stars. Most I loved. Some I’d just recommend. Different strokes for different folks and all :)... more>>

Added a few xianxia and xuanhuan themed novels <<less

The novels I'm done reading; 2021 and before.