Three Romance Tropes I Love, and Three I Can't Stand

Ah. Tropes.

In many cases, when we hear the word, it is being used negatively, but in romance, it's the bread and butter of the genre. Readers who love to read about love often choose their next read by looking for the tropes they prefer and avoiding the ones that make their skin crawl. Although I'm an author, I am also a reader, and I am no exception.

Tropes I Love To See and Use

1. Enemies to Lovers

Enemies-to-lovers stories tickle me in the most toxic spot I have. As a teen, I did a lot of crushing on the guys with whom I was constantly arguing. Reading these types of books really feeds my inner hormonal, angsty young adult.

As a writer, I love and use this trope frequently. Lately, I've been trying to branch out a bit and try something new. I have a concept for a friends-to-lovers story, and have started an insta-love/fated mate set up. I think the reason I gravitate toward enemies-to-lovers on an authorial level is that I love banter. 55% of my relationship with my own husband is shit-talking and banter. To be fair, I was born and raised in New England, and that is often how we show love.

2. Opposites Attract

I am currently writing a book that features this trope and the last one. It really is a bucket of laughs. I didn't know I was into this until I started reading Kimberly Lemming's Mead Mishaps series, particularly That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human. Cherry is young, upbeat, but spicy, and Dante's a bit of an Eeyore in the form of a silver-fox dragon. They easily trumped the couple in the previous book, which was a literal golden retriever situation, in the form of a werewolf. What a series!

My story features an activist and a capitalist who start the story determined to take each other down, fail miserably, and fall in love instead. Like I said, a real bucket of laughs. But besides the grinding conflict and opportunity at an absurd amount of sexual tension, I think the reason I love this trope so much is that it's full of hope. If two people with opposite lifestyles and values can learn to see and love each other and make sacrifices to make it work, then anything is possible.

Bring on the world peace!

3. Secret Identity

The book that put spicy books on the map for me was The Risk by S.T. Abby. It was recommended to me by a friend and long-time spicy reader. I had always made fun of her for reading those books. Little did I know, it'd start a whole chapter of my writing career. This was the book that made me realize-- "All this time, I've been writing unstructured romance."

The Risk has erotic elements, but at its heart, it is a thriller and a romance. No book has ever kept me so captivated. I read it in less than 8 hours, which is impressive for someone with intense ADHD. My hyperfocus? It's the main character's secret identity as a serial killer, revealed to the reader, but being hidden from her new man, who is a whole cop, unwittingly dating the criminal he's hunting. The tension of it all taught me a lot about writing romance effectively, but the trope is what kept me entertained.

Tropes I Can't Stand

1. Workplace Romance

Maybe it's my legacy of terrible bosses and weird co-workers determined to have sex with everyone that gives me the ick about this, but I hate a workplace romance. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've picked up a book, read the back for ten seconds just to run into the same old set up: A rich CEO takes his assistant, or some other woman trying to make a career, under his wing and she quickly becomes his pet.

And she's always like "I know I shouldn't but he's sooooo rich."

Gross.

2. Love Triangle/Why Choose

This one is a mixture of preference and lit trauma. I'm a true love above all type girl. It might be all the princess movies forced upon me as a little girl in America. It might be having parents who were largely non-monogamous in my childhood. But I don't love multiple partners in any scenario. I'm not here to yuck your yum though. It is for someone, just not for me.

To be fair, I grew up in the Twilight Era and Edward v Jacob ruined me.

3. Fake Relationships

Okay, truth time. I've never read a fake relationship book. BUT I HAVE A REASON! Have you ever watched a fake relationship romantic comedy?

They. Are. So. Cringe.

Love Hard. The Proposal. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She's All That. What Happens in Vegas.

They aren't all bad movies. I actually kind of liked Love Hard. But it's the reveal as the climax that activates my cringe. In a fake relationship book, I know it's coming, so I just don't pick them up at all.

And that's just what it is, friends.

Part of this genre is fighting off haters. There are so many ways to write romance, and so many sub genres, tropes, triggers, and all else on the market. We may never agree, but by golly girls (and guys, I see you), we shall read!

Tell me which tropes you love and hate! You know I love a banter moment.