February is the reason the red and pink hearts start popping up at the end of December and rose arrangements all of a sudden take a price hike. It’s also a time when kids pass out cards, and I loved passing out Valentine’s Day cards, especially the candy that often came with them. While writing this, I remembered my 4th grade Valentine’s Day card exchange. I received a card from a kid named Andrew telling me he loved me…hahaha. The memories stirred awake while blogging has been pretty entertaining.

I decided to share my top 5 romance tropes. I never mind tropes. I see them as a starting point, stepping stones to a potentially great book with the great being dependent on the author’s abilities. For readers, tropes can serve as heuristics to help decide whether they want to read a book or not. It’s not a perfect shortcut, but with so many books to choose from it helps make choices easier–I’m more willing to pick up a book with a trope I like than one where I have no idea what is going on.

FRIENDS TO LOVERS

There’s something comforting about friends-to-lovers. This is about two people who are already familiar with one another, likes and dislikes, quirks, and so many things in-between, and decide there is a next step to their relationship. This person knows you so well, and they still choose to love you! (Heh…) I like the angst that sometimes accompanies this trope. For instance, the jealousy that springs up when someone else shows an interest in the friend but the other friend thinks that person is completely not good enough. (Mmmhmm…) This happens in one of my recent favorites by Kayley Loring. In A Very Friendly Valentine’s Day, Birdie and Eddie are best friends traveling to by train to New York for Valentine’s Day. Eddie gets completely jealous when he thinks another passenger on the train is interested in Birdie. He insists he’s not jealous, but we obviously know better. (My Review; Reviewed at Escapist Book Blog)

RIVALS TO LOVERS

Rivals to lover is such a fun trope. The bantering that occurs between the rivals is always entertaining. One of my favorite aspects of this trope is when the realization hits, that it might be love and not just purely competitive feelings because there’s usually this level of denial that has to be dealt with. “Am I–could I be in love with her?” “But I don’t like him? I refuse to believe it!” My favorite read of 2020 is one I haven’t been able to review yet because I just adored it so much. I will be able to write a review for this book but until then please grab this love letter to Seattle as Rowan and Neil temporarily put their rivalry aside to work together to outrun their peers on a scavenger hunt through the city, finding that their rivalty might have developed into something more. (Reviewed at Magical Reads)

CUTE/ADORABLE KID

I love kids. I’m the crazy aunt that gets chastised for playing with the kids rather than making small, and not very fun, talk with adults. It isn’t too surprising I always find myself falling for the cute adorable kid before making heart eyes at the parent/guardian lead in a book. Usually the presence of the adorable kid connects the lead and the love interest or helps the adults work through some sort of problem, potentially making some kind of internal realization. This one endears me to the guardian and the love interest a lot. It’s especially interesting when the guardianship over the kid is unexpected like in Helena Hunting’s Meet Cute. Daxton is forced to set aside his playboy ways when he becomes his teen sister’s guardian. This sets up the story to allow him to repeatedly meet with lead Kailyn. There’s one scene in particular where Daxton’s inside a store and has to call Kailyn for help. It’s funny but completely made me melt. It was one of my favorite scenes in the book. (My Review; Reviewed at Kimberly Faye Reads)

FAKE RELATIONSHIP

The fake dating trope can never not be entertaining. Two individuals pretend they’re dating for a variety of reasons from making an ex jealous to trying to stop family from fixing them up with someone. In Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You, Laurie and Jamie decide a fake relationship will be in their best interest. Laurie’s partner just broke up with her, and Jamie needs to show his bosses he has stability in his life. It’s a bit slow moving but Laurie and Jamie end up being perfect for each other even if they seem like a mismatch at first. This one has the added satisfaction of a despicable ex having regrets, which is another reason why the fake dating trope can be great. (Reviewed at One Book More)

FORBIDDEN LOVE

Forbidden love is a very broad trope and takes on many forms. Generally, two people who aren’t supposed to fall in love with each other end up falling in love with each other. Romeo and Juliet is the the quintessential example. Forbidden love can be due to a variety of things from falling for your best friend’s sibling to dating your coworker or dating your sibling’s ex. I really like Alisha Rai’s Girl Gone Viral about a bodyguard who falls in love with his employer. I’m not a big fan of the power dynamic at play with employer-employee relationships, especially if the employer uses it to their advantage (grr…) but the power dynamic isn’t as present here. (My Review; Reviewed at Smitten by Books)

What are some of your favorite romance tropes?
What are your favorite books containing these tropes?