
The Secret Recipe
秘方
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Explore more →A Reading List by a Gloomy but Kind Sewer Rat
Life on my own has gotten a little boring. Anyone with the same kinks want to link up with me? (OvO) I like wooden female side characters, peacock-like men, and socially anxious women.
Even Broke Readers Need Jinjiang, Part 1
Free stories I picked up here and there
Well-Written Free Novels
A roundup of great free novels across all genres, none of which require a paid subscription. (Reposting this list is prohibited!)
Romance
Worth rereading
Pretty Good Free Stories, Average Rating 9.7
Some high-quality completely free works, mainly BG, with a small amount of no-couple fiction.
For Pure BG Fans: Enjoy, You're Guaranteed to Be Satisfied
Master and disciple, pseudo-incest, aloof beauties, gloomy men, forbidden romance, boys and girls, school life, dog training, says one thing but means another, Pride and Prejudice, underlings rising above their superiors, cute stories, faked deaths
Ancient-Era Romance Between an Older Sister and Younger Brother
Long live older-woman-younger-man romances | To-read list
Historical Romance for When You're in a Reading Slump (A Devoted Fan's Picks)
I think these should be easy to get into. The four- and five-star ones are worth a try; think twice about the three-star ones.
Right Up My Alley
Looking for more books
Absolutely Amazing Reads
Historical romance, political intrigue, and jianghu
Favorites
I love how strong the female leads are on the inside
Free Historical, Modern, and Ensemble-Cast Stories
I like stories with a gentle, steady pace. They're soothing to read, and most are free.
High-Quality Free Reads
Thanks to all the authors who write out of love.
800+ Purchased Five-Star Books ②
Mostly female-protagonist novels. Books 101–200 on my five-star list, read between January 2024 and February 2026.
Great Free Reads
They might not be perfect, but many of them have touched me in some way.
A Bit of Everything
All sorts of things
Hidden Gems in Historical Romance
Ongoing recommendations for historical romance novels I love
BG Novels Worth Rereading (Updated Irregularly)
My personal tastes. I don't think these have any major dealbreakers, and the writing is smooth and comfortable to read. I like stories where the male lead loves the female lead more, or couples with a fun contrast that makes them irresistible!
Saving Stories I Like
Mostly BG, with a little no-CP. Some have slightly childish writing, but I’m happy as long as the plot suits my taste.
Great Free Reads
Free novels.
BG, I'll Add More Later
A reading list based on my personal tastes. Mostly historical romance, but there are some contemporary romances too.
[Romance] In an Endless Reading Slump, Rereading These on Repeat...
My favorites, carefully selected from 236 books I bought and 82 I read in full.
Top-Tier Stories of Every Genre
Modern romance, historical romance, xianxia, fantasy, Western fantasy, and infinite-flow stories. The cyberpunk series are especially amazing!
Great Romance Stories
They really hit my tastes, or have great writing
Reader comments 29
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I haven't read such a satisfying novel in a long time. Write down what you think. Let's talk about the male and female protagonists first. The emotional logic line of "Secret Recipe" is very self-consistent because it starts from the core of the characters. What kind of person is the heroine? In the author's words - an ordinary person who is often in trouble and refuses to bow his head for his own dignity. As for the male protagonist and the second male protagonist, one lives a life of humiliation and the other lives a life of forbearance, and both are ignited by the female protagonist. The heroine refused to bow her head, but the other two people always bowed their heads. But they formed a contrast. The second male is justice, light and blessing. But he also has the inability to cross class barriers and the inability to empathize with the lower class, which is very similar to Miss Su Er. Only the male protagonist can really understand the hardships and struggles of the heroine. The second male said that love cannot last forever, but protection can. But in fact, it is often the male protagonist who really protects the heroine, and guarding on his own initiative is not a sign of disrespect for the heroine. On the other hand, the male protagonist always supports the female protagonist unconditionally. The author said that it is not only light that can fight against darkness, but also darkness itself. The male protagonist and the female protagonist are a perfect match. I don't like the word redemption. I think this pair makes each other successful. The male protagonist is only smart enough to survive, but does not have the courage to fight, but he has strength, while the female protagonist is just the opposite. In the interaction between the two people, the male protagonist slowly learned what it means to like, dare to love, and pick up courage. The heroine has seen a higher and farther world and has been growing. The pull between the two people is also amazing. The male protagonist started out as a cute little puppy, then became a courageous wolfdog, and finally turned into a puppy worried about gains and losses. The distance between two people is sometimes close and sometimes far. Some people deceive because of love, and some people hate because of deception. The author also fills in many details that have a cause. For example, the heroine is obsessed with money because she lost Aunt Yang. The male protagonist has mysophobia because he feels dirty. His master once refused to let him in because he was dirty. I also like the authenticity of the author's emotional descriptions. The female protagonist will doubt whether she can help the male protagonist solve his inner demons, and will also be angry because of the male protagonist's avoidance and fear, until she learns more about his past in the process of pursuing the truth. There is more to life than love. Outside of this relationship, both people also have their own growth. The heroine will still give priority to the common people after seeing her own feelings and the hero's danger. As for the inner demons of the male protagonist, there are also plots such as the master, the children in the village, and trying medicine to seek death, until he returns to hell and faces his fear. Finally, I feel that the author really loves women~ For example, she will devote a special space to writing about the dilemma of the heroine. In the end, she did not arrange for the hero to save her, but solved the problem alone. There is no plot about fighting for men in the article. If I were to nitpick, I thought the ending was too dreamy. Whether it was escaping from Ding Miao's control or meeting the emperor. But it doesn't matter, I read novels just for happiness.
It was so well written that I almost gave up on the slow pace of the first half, but the second half became more and more exciting. It was obvious that the author had a bright future in his mind and that the plot development was under control. Thank you to the author for portraying the bright and bright little leaf, Li Qiao who put himself in the afterlife, and a whole wonderful world of rivers, lakes and human beings. I look forward to seeing you in the next story! ! This is really the best article in the beginning of 2026. Such good writing style and characters are rare...
The ending of "Spreading Flowers" [Rainbow Fart] has been written too much before, so I will just write it casually this time. In this chapter, everything has ended, but their story continues. I really like the description of the marketplace in this article. The author writes about rivers and lakes, but not only about complicated martial arts fights and countless sects, but also about Huang Guzi, who seeks wealth in danger during the competition between rivers and lakes, the young couple who sang leisurely while Li Qiao was rowing the boat, the common people who are greedy for petty gains but never lose their righteousness, and the Miao Jianghu guest who was previously disliked but silently buried Tang Shenyan after his death. It writes about all living beings and various situations in the world. "Love" as a driving force for progress is actually a very common topic, but I feel that no matter how I write, it will still give me new feelings, because every author has a different understanding of love, and all kinds of tastes and feelings are transformed into every word written. Different thoughts will of course give me different tremors, and those aftermaths are also trembling in my heart. I really want to praise the author for how well he grasps the personality of each character. I felt very, very happy watching it. Even the smallest characters are vivid when described. From the very beginning, Jiuye wanted to buy a house in Jiugao City and make crazy money. Now she has opened a branch in the city but is still willing to stay in Guoranju in Dingweng Village. After experiencing so many things, her mind has changed. Home does not have to be a decent house. She used to want that house in the city so much because she was blinded by the idea of making a lot of money. But now Jiuye is also making a lot of money. Maybe for her, as long as she has enough money to deal with emergencies, she will not make the same mistake as Aunt Yang, no matter where she lives, it will be the same for her. Jiuye, and all of you, we are parting ways. The sky is high and the sea is vast, the mountains are high and the water is long. I look forward to seeing you all again.
Qin Jiuye in many time and space overlapped, carrying different medicine baskets, people or corpses, slowly walking towards her small yard. Li Qiao stepped on the fallen snow of that year or this year and waited in front of Chaimen for people to return home at night. Twenty-two years ago, four teenagers were chatting Later, there was a lot of excitement in Tingfeng Hall, and some people were sent away. Descendants gathered in the dock and held firm in Jiugao City It's too painful, too painful. The dead are freed, but the ones left behind can only move forward. The gods remain silent, the world is filled with joys and sorrows, and there are too many heavy stories. It turns out that the beginning of everything is also the end. I pray that the world will live and work in peace and contentment, and the world will be at peace. The road to the world is long and precious.
When is the next volume of Goddess? Can you start the new year? Please [let me be healthy]
Finished spreading flowers! I haven't seen such sincere writing in a long time. Many novels like to write stories about young masters and young ladies, but real life is made up of every ordinary person. Jianghu seems far away from us, but it is actually around us. I think this is the author's original intention in writing the article. Live every ordinary day well and cherish every day. This is the great blessing of life. There are many people like Lao Tang and Qin Sanyou around us. Treat them well and don't wait until you regret it. [Crying] Life is lived, and the world is never happy, but bearing humiliation and bearing heavy burdens is a way to survive in the world. Even if the mountains are endless and the rivers are endless, the road in our hearts is always ahead. I hope we can be like Jiuye, "Being a grass in the mountains, going out of the mountains to be a distant future" and moving forward unyieldingly in the broken silver! [Come on]
I read it in one go. The author is so awesome. When I saw the heroine, I thought of Xiaoya learning how to bloom peonies. Even in a dark and shady situation, she can stick to her original intention. The teacher-student relationship, family affection, and love are all so delicious. It makes people want to cry all the time. Thank you to the author for writing such a good article!
Three brushes with claws, the large text is so beautiful and very powerful. Thank you Tiao Da for bringing us Jiuye, Li Qiao, and many, many interesting characters.
The fair-skinned boy Xiao Yi was sent by the woodcutter to a friend for further study. This friend couldn't be that poisonous fox, right? Hahahahaha
It's so beautiful. I was on tenterhooks along the way. The world is still the same, but everyone has found their own destination. It's so good! ! !