Books like 'Possession'
Readers who enjoyed Possession by A.S. Byatt & Jean-Louis Chevalier also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance mystery 20th century europe british-isles united-kingdom england urban historical-fiction
-
Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFor the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond is once again in France, leading an army against England...Categorized as:
classics england europe historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 20th-century action-adventure -
![Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett]()
Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPawn in Frankincense is the fourth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles. Somewhere within the bejeweled labyrinth of the Ottoman empire, a child is hidden. Now his father, Francis Crawford of Lymond, soldier of fortune and the exiled heir of Scottish nobility, is searching for him while ostensibly engaged on a mission to the Turkish Sultan...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult angst -
![On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White]()
On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAll of England thinks Phillip Camden a monster--a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But as nurse Arabelle Denler watches the so-dubbed "Black Heart" every day, she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their paths twist together and he declares himself her new protector, she realizes she has her own role to play in his healing...Categorized as:
british-isles drama england europe historical-fiction united-kingdom 20th-century action-adventure -
![Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Sally Beauman]()
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Sally Beauman
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsLast night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise...Categorized as:
classics dark-academia drama gothic historical-fiction literary-fiction europe british-isles -
-
![The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White]()
The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network—field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages...Categorized as:
british-isles drama england europe historical-fiction united-kingdom urban 20th-century -
![The Physician by Noah Gordon]()
The Physician by Noah Gordon
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsIn the 11th century, Rob Cole left poor, disease-ridden London to make his way across the land, hustling, juggling, peddling cures to the sick—and discovering the mystical ways of healing. It was on his travels that he found his own very real gift for healing—a gift that urged him on to become a doctor...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama england europe historical-fiction literary-fiction united-kingdom -
![The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley]()
The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSpanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . .Categorized as:
drama gothic historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction 20th-century 21st-century adult -
![Tajna Krvavog mosta by Marija Jurić Zagorka]()
Tajna Krvavog mosta by Marija Jurić Zagorka
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGlas da pod Krvavim mostom leži mrtav čovjek otvarao je vrata purgerskih kuća, budio gospodu na Kaptolu i dopro čak u spavaće odaje gričkih plemkinja... Tako počinje roman “Tajna krvavog mosta” koji je izlazio u svescima 1912. godine u Malim novinama... -
![The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman]()
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsA glorious novel of the controversial Richard III - a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama england europe historical-fiction literary-fiction united-kingdom -
![Queens' Play by Dorothy Dunnett]()
Queens' Play by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsSecond in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Queens' Play follows Francis Crawford of Lymond who has been abruptly called into the service of Mary Queen of Scots. Though she is only a little girl, the Queen is already the object of malicious intrigues that extend from her native country to the court of France...Categorized as:
classics drama england europe historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 20th-century -
![A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White]()
A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsZivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits...Categorized as:
british-isles england europe historical-fiction united-kingdom 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Outlander by Diana Gabaldon]()
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 91 ratingsThe year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama europe historical-fiction magical-realism united-kingdom 20th-century -
![The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows]()
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 87 ratingsA remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.“Treat yourself to this book, please - I can’t recommend it highly enough.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love)“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama epistolary europe historical-fiction literary-fiction united-kingdom -
![Charlock's Secret by Leah Moyes]()
Charlock's Secret by Leah Moyes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDesperate to hide, Kat flees. Trapped in time, her survival and return are threatened by her tortured heart.Ensnared by hopelessness and grief, 24-year-old Kat Shelton, accepts a position as the curator of an old English estate with the sole purpose of running away from her memories and to bury life’s pain...Categorized as:
british-isles england europe gothic historical-fiction industrial-era united-kingdom victorian -
-
![Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman]()
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant to wed her father's bitter enemy, Joanna slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband who dreams of uniting Wales...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction united-kingdom 20th-century -
![Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore]()
Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma’s childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry—or Asku, as Alma knew him—was the most promising student at the “savage-taming” boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction urban victorian 20th-century adult -
![The Hourglass by Tracy Rees]()
The Hourglass by Tracy Rees
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings2014. Sensible Nora has always taken success for granted, until suddenly her life begins to fall apart. Troubled by anxiety and nightmares, she finds herself drawn to the sweeping beaches of Tenby, a place she's only been once before. Together with a local girl she rents a beautiful townhouse and slowly begins to settle in to her new life...Categorized as:
british-isles drama england europe historical-fiction industrial-era united-kingdom urban -
![When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman]()
When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But before Maude could claim her throne, her cousin Stephen seized it. In their long and bitter struggle, all of England bled and burned...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama england europe historical-fiction united-kingdom 20th-century -
![Cynsters: The Beginning: Cynster Novels 1, 2, and 3 by Stephanie Laurens]()
Cynsters: The Beginning: Cynster Novels 1, 2, and 3 by Stephanie Laurens
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGet the first three Cynster Novels in one boxed set from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens! Fans of Regency-era historical romances with adventure and mystery will enjoy these stories of passionate alpha heroes and the ladies who bring them to their knees. Devil's Bride Was he the husband of her dreams . . . or a devil in disguise? When Devil, Duke of St...Categorized as:
industrial-era historical-fiction victorian romance historical mystery family regency -
![A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss]()
A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA HEART TORMENTED Erienne's father had given her hand to the richest suitor. She was now Lady Saxton, mistress of a great manor all but ruined by fire, wife to a man whose mysteriously shrouded form aroused fear and pity. Yet even as she fell in love with her adoring husband, Erienne despaired of freeing her heart from the dashingly handsome Yankee who couldn't forget her...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama england europe historical-fiction industrial-era united-kingdom -
![Symphony of the Dead by Abbas Maroufi, عباس معروفی]()
Symphony of the Dead by Abbas Maroufi, عباس معروفی
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis novel traces the fate of the Urkhani family in the Iranian town of Ardabil before & after the Second World War through the trials & ghostly recollections of its very individual members, who include: Ideen, the frustrated poet; Urhan, his greedy & talentless younger brother; & Yousef, whose childhood antics left him paralysed... -
![The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham]()
The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe highly awaited new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The German Midwife.Venice, 1943The world is at war, and Stella Jilani is leading a double life. By day she works in the lion’s den as a typist for the Reich; by night, she risks her life as a messenger for the Italian resistance...Categorized as:
drama england europe historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction urban 20th-century -
![The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton]()
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsA lost child: On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret: On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell Andrews learns a secret that will change her life forever...Categorized as:
classics drama gothic historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction magical-realism victorian -
![The Button Box by Dilly Court]()
The Button Box by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe new heartwarming novel from Sunday Times bestselling author, Dilly Court.Clara held onto the precious button, glimmering like a jewel in the dark alleyways of London’s notorious Seven Dials. She needed to save her family… but who was going to save her?There was a time when the Carter sisters’ father was their hero...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction industrial-era victorian 20th-century 21st-century adult audiobook -
-
![The Footman by A. O'Connor]()
The Footman by A. O'Connor
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the country mansions of 1930s Ireland, to the decadence of 1940s wartime Paris to the courtrooms of London in modern times.What the Footman saw . . .In 1930s Ireland, Joe Grady becomes the footman at the stately home Cliffenden, owned by the glamorous Fullerton family...Categorized as:
europe british-isles urban historical-fiction classics literary-fiction ireland france -
![Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw]()
Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRich Man, Poor Man is the story of two brothers whose contrasting natures reflect the turmoil of post-war America. Rudy is the rich man - a romantic who would let no one stand between him and success. Tom is the poor man - the black sheep of the family on the run from his violent past...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 20th-century audiobook book -
![The Lady Julia Grey Bundle by Deanna Raybourn]()
The Lady Julia Grey Bundle by Deanna Raybourn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTo say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor. Starting with her husband's sudden death, Lady Julia Grey is swept into a world of mystery and deceit. It is also the world of the enigmatic and maddeningly attractive private investigator Nicholas Brisbane..Categorized as:
british-isles europe gothic historical-fiction industrial-era united-kingdom victorian 20th-century -
![The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White]()
The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBrook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. When her friend Justin uncovers the fact that she is possibly a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea and the estate of her supposed family...Categorized as:
british-isles drama england europe historical-fiction industrial-era united-kingdom 20th-century -
![Think of England by K.J. Charles]()
Think of England by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsLie back and think of England... England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage...Categorized as:
british-isles england europe historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq united-kingdom victorian -
![Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey]()
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn accomplished novel from a talented writer, Letters to the Lost is a stunning, emotional love story. Iona Grey's prose is warm, evocative, and immediately engaging; her characters become so real you can't bear to let them go.I promised to love you forever, in a time when I didn't know if I'd live to see the start of another week. Now it looks like forever is finally running out...Categorized as:
british-isles drama england epistolary europe historical-fiction united-kingdom urban -
![The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard]()
The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the author of the Richard & Judy pick The Midnight House. A wartime secret. An abandoned house. How long can they run from the past? A mesmerising story of love, war, and a mystery that ensnares three generations, moving between Tasmania, London, and Kerry in 1939, 1975 and 2004. Perfect for fans of Natasha Lester, Kate Morton, and Lucinda Riley... -
![The Christmas Card by Dilly Court]()
The Christmas Card by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe perfect heartwarming romance for Christmas, rich in historical detail. She turned the picture of the Christmas card over with her frozen hands, a pretty picture of a family gathering at Yuletide. How different from her own life; stiff with cold on the icy cobbles, aching for shelter . . -
![Standartenführer's Wife by Ellie Midwood]()
Standartenführer's Wife by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a diary of Annalise Meissner, a young German Jew with long time ago falsified papers, living a carefree life in pre-war Berlin. A talented ballerina, she comes from a wealthy family and at first doesn’t want to concern herself with the changes her country starts undergoing under the new Nazi regime... -
![The Secrets of Hawthorn Place by Jenni Keer]()
The Secrets of Hawthorn Place by Jenni Keer
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo houses, hundreds of miles apart...yet connected always.When life throws Molly Butterfield a curveball, she decides to spend some time with her recently widowed granddad, Wally, at Hawthorn Place, his quirky Victorian house on the Dorset coast...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magical-realism industrial-era victorian romance fiction womens-fiction mystery -
-
![Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent]()
Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsExcitement, drama and suspense were only part of Cadi Tregaron's new life. It had been a sunny afternoon when she glanced from the cliff where she sat reading and saw below her in the sea a sight that would change her life...Categorized as:
classics gothic historical-fiction industrial-era victorian 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch]()
The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOxmoon, the rambling old mansion on a sprawling estate in Wales, has been for generations, the dream, the downfall, and the destiny of the wealthy Godwin family... -
![Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch]()
Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFull of fascinating dialogue, surprising twists of plot, and well-developed, memorable characters, a stunningly successful work of fiction. NASHVILLE BANNERThis is the tumultuous novel of men and women pitted against a world of wealth, power, and privilege.. -
![The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore]()
The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsInternational bestselling author Santa Montefiore continues the story of the Deverill family in the third book in her beautiful and moving Deverill Chronicles trilogy—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams1939: Peace has flourished since the Great War ended, but much has changed for the Deverill family as now a new generation is waiting in the wings to make their mark... -
![Cashelmara by Susan Howatch]()
Cashelmara by Susan Howatch
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThere were two subjects which lonely widower Edward de Salis never discussed: his dead wife and his family home in Ireland, 'matchless Cashelmara'. So when he meets Marguerite, a bright young American with whom he can talk freely about both, he is able to love again and takes her back to Ireland as his wife...Categorized as:
classics drama gothic historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction victorian 20th-century -
![The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor]()
The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”1838: Northumberland, England... -
![Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters]()
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThis delicious, steamy debut novel chronicles the adventures of Nan King, who begins life as an oyster girl in the provincial seaside town of Whitstable and whose fortunes are forever changed when she falls in love with a cross-dressing music-hall singer named Miss Kitty Butler...Categorized as:
classics drama gothic historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq literary-fiction victorian -
![The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett]()
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsDunnett introduces her irresistible hero Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of elastic morals and dangerous talents whose tongue is as sharp as his rapier. In 1547 Lymond is returning to his native Scotland, which is threatened by an English invasion. Accused of treason, Lymond leads a band of outlaws in a desperate race to redeem his reputation and save his land...Categorized as:
british-isles classics drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction united-kingdom 20th-century -
![No. 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer]()
No. 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLondon, 1927: One house. Three lives. A decision that will change everything. A powerful, unique timeslip story, perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Miniaturist, and Lucinda Riley...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama magical-realism lgbtq literary-fiction urban romance fiction -
![Lessons in Discovery by Charlie Cochrane]()
Lessons in Discovery by Charlie Cochrane
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCambridge, 1906. On the very day Jonty Stewart proposes that he and Orlando Coppersmith move in together, Fate trips them up. Rather, it trips Orlando, sending him down a flight of stairs and leaving him with an injury that erases his memory. Instead of taking the next step in their relationship, they’re back to square one... -
-
![Stranger at Wildings by Madeleine Brent]()
Stranger at Wildings by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHere is a tale of charm and adventure-set in Europe around the turn of the century-whose colorful action ranges from a touring circus in Hungary to the fox-hunting society of the English countryside to the elegant circles of wealth and fashion in London...Categorized as:
gothic historical-fiction industrial-era victorian 20th-century action-adventure book fiction -
![Deadly Desire by Brenda Joyce]()
Deadly Desire by Brenda Joyce
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe time is turn-of-the-century New York City. Society's elite host glittering balls inside sprawling mansions while outside, the teeming street harbor secrets of their own. New York City's Police Commissioner Rick Bragg has been called upon to investigate a shocking crime... -
![The Last Dollar Princess by Linda Bennett Pennell]()
The Last Dollar Princess by Linda Bennett Pennell
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt must be said: Scandal follows her family like an ever-faithful hound. No matter how hard they kick it away, it comes slinking around time after time. Although her relatives are obsessed with social position and the opinions of others, heiress India Elisabeth Petra De Vries Ledbetter is determined to live life on her own terms, family expectations and society's demands be damned...Categorized as:
british-isles classics england europe gothic historical-fiction united-kingdom urban -
![The Elusive Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy]()
The Elusive Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIt is the early days of the French Republic, and Robespierre's revolutionaries find their wicked schemes repeatedly being thwarted. It appears that Sir Percy Blakeney--the cunning and heroic Pimpernel--is more than a match for them all. But Sir Percy's spy-catching archenemy, Chauvelin, has devised a plan... -
![The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens]()
The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThree heros, three rescues, three weddings.We joyfully request your attendance at the wedding of Miss Angelica Cynster...but not until she and her hero confront a devious enemy and lay to rest an ancient grudge in the Scottish Highlands! Headstrong Angelica Cynster is certain she'll recognize her fated husband at first sight... -
![Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman]()
Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsForced to take her life in a new direction when an injury ends her ballet career, Emma returns to her home in Australia and learns that she has inherited an isolated sheep station from a late grandmother who would impart key lessons about love and motherhood...Categorized as:
drama gothic historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
