Top 10 ….Romance Tropes
I have to be honest. I’m a total romance snob. Like, I’ll read other genres. But rarely and few and far between. Since a (probably inappropriately) young age, romance novels were my life. But when you’ve read as many as I have, you start to notice a few trends and, let’s call them what they are, tropes. But these consistent tropes can be used in so many different and awesome ways that I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of them. Below are my top ten romance tropes.
10 – Happily ever after: the defining characteristic of every romance. Knowing that the people you’re about to get overly attached to over the next three hundred pages will somehow manage to make it through and find their happiness.
9 – Initial hatred: Sure, some books have meet cutes. But other meetings are less cute and more hatred at first sight. Considering that a good romance needs conflict, it’s only natural to start the hero and heroine off on a bad foot. But the more they dislike each other, the more satisfying it is when they finally realize they can’t live without one another.
8 – Fake relationship: Someone once told me that the basics of a romance is that you have to get two people who probably don’t think they should be together and find some reason for them to spend three hundred pages worth of a book with each other. And contriving some (believable reason) for them to pretend they looooooove each other is one of the most entertaining ways to do this. There are so many different awkward scenarios and incidents that come about from it. There’s a reason this trope is so overused and I’m not even close to sick of it yet.
7 – Morning after plot shakeup: Sure I want the couple to end up happy, in love, and screwing like bunnies. But things need to stay interesting through the course of the book. So after their first night (or even afternoon delight) together, something normally happens to shake up the newfound trust and send them hurdling towards the climax of the book.
6– Bad boys…need I say more? (Similar but not the same – Alpha Heroes)
5– Class differences: This is why billionaire romances are so popular. Throwing two people together with completely different lifestyles and backgrounds and seeing all the fun, humor and conflict that arises once they’re forced to spend time together. Not to mention how much fun it is to read about when one is thrown completely out of their element with only the hero/heroine to depend on.
4– Unexpected talents/hobbies: Girl meets boy. Girl immediately hates boy. Girl finds out boy is a secret genius. Boy meets girl. Boy thinks girl is a shallow airhead. Boy finds out girl spends her nights volunteering at the local food bank. So much romance (right down to Pride and Prejudice) is based of misunderstandings and misconceptions. So the reveal when the characters realize that there’s more to this person than they first thought is always entertaining.
3– Up against a…wall, door, car, counter, washing machine. Doesn’t matter. There’s something so spontaneous about a couple so hot for each other that they can’t contain their passion a moment longer to make it to a bed. So hot. Love it!
2– Heroine saves the day: Romance gives pop culture so many strong, capable, powerful women it’s a shame that the genre is still looked down on. Sure there are still a few damsel in distress scenes (I’ve written quite a few) but when it comes down to it, the couple only gets their happily ever afters once they work TOGETHER to beat their bad guys or inner demons.
1– Fighting turns into kissing: What can I say? There’s not much hotter than the passion exploding from anger to something steamier. The heroine is just so mad at the hero, but instead of striking him or walking away, all she can do is pull him close and shut him up the only way she can think of in the heat of the moment.
Billionaire heiress Emma Devaroux has been living a safe-yet-mundane existence in Georgia for too long, but when she learns her sister, Joslyn, has been arrested, she heads to New York City to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, as an unemployed debutante, she’s not exactly qualified to be leading an investigation. But help is at hand in the form of the handsome, former military man Jace Lance who happens to be the one who got her sister arrested in the first place.
Jace thinks Emma is crazy for even considering working with him since he’s the one who stopped Joslyn from killing his former client. However, he can’t deny that the sexy southerner is in over her head when her tycoon cousins try to hire him to make sure Emma doesn’t find out the truth about what really caused her sister’s murderous actions.
As they begin to uncover the truth together –and get to know each other intimately – it becomes clear that the more answers they get, the more danger Emma is in. Jace is determined to protect her, but how can he keep her safe when her whole family is in on the conspiracy?
Yes Please to # 1….and 3..and 5..and 6 and….
I clicked to read this because, at first glance, I thought the name of the book was “Thrusting The Boss” and had to check it out! :)
You can almost never go wrong with a happy ending or unexpected “talents” in a romance!