My Favorite Romance Tropes

If you've read romance, by now you must know that there are 'tropes' that readers and writers often discuss. So, what is a trope when it comes to romance? A trope is nothing but a plot or a character trait that's commonly used, so much so, that it becomes the norm. Still don't get it? How about friends-to-lovers? Second-chance? Ah! Now it sounds familiar, isn't it? This post is a listing of some of my favorite tropes and some books that I've written and/or books written by other authors that I enjoyed in each of my favorite tropes. Let's jump in!

1. Friends-to-lovers - Without a doubt, this has to be one of my most favorite tropes. Although I exclusively wrote Falling For My Best Friend where the protagonists literally grow up together, all my books invariably have an element of friends-to-lovers. Given that we are living in an age of insta-love and wham-bam-thank you mam, there's something so beautiful in falling in love with your best friend, and I shamelessly lap up every single book that I can lay my hands on, in this category. Some recent reads that captured my heart in this trope are Stealing My Best Friend by Summer Brookes and The Tycoon's Baby Revelation by Elizabeth Lennox.

2. Arranged Marriage/Marriage-of-Convenience - Who does not like the protagonists being forced to get married to each other only to realize later that they do, actually, love each other? Dreamy sigh! This trope is literally the dream-come-true for most romantics, and I am certainly no exception. That's why my book Bound By the Marriage Contract was begging to be written where the wrong twin gets married to her sister's boss in a marriage of convenience. Of course, what follows is anything but convenient ;). If you want to check out some awesome reads under the arranged marriage scenario, see Marriage of Convenience by Katy Kaylee and The Kiss Thief by L J Shen.

3. Bodyguard Romance - I can already imagine the gleeful clapping by excited readers for this trope. Yes, we love strong, silent, brooding alpha giants whose life ambition is to protect the love of their lives. What's not to love about the usually-silent protector going all out for his not-so-damsel-in-distress. Hey, sometimes the bratty women need some protection too :). In some cases, the badass bodyguard is our heroine!!!! So, yeah, I experimented with the bodyguard trope in my book Guarded by Mr Handsome, where the brooding bodyguard protects his secret love. Bonus, this is also a second-chance romance. If you haven't done so already, check out these amazing reads as well: The Bodyguard by Ruchi Singh and The Hitman's Obsession by Jagger Cole.

4. Curvy Woman/BBW - I'm not sure if curvy woman can exactly be classified as a trope, but I'm going to go ahead and list this here anyway! Yes, body positivity matters, and every body type and shape is beautiful. After all, beauty does lie in the eye of the beholder. Far from being fat shamed and making men and women feel only a certain type of body is desirable, the BBW or curvy woman trope has taken the world by storm. Of course, the dad bod syndrome has also become quite popular ;). Championing for body positivity, I've tried to explore the psyche and the insecurities of a big girl and her discovery of herself in my book Wooed by Mr Charming. When it comes to recos, there are loads and loads of amazing books out there :). I'll leave the link to the pages of some authors who predominantly etch big, beautiful characters: Nichole Rose, Cameron Hart, and Megan Wade.

5. Age Gap Romance - Alas, another favorite of mine. Usually, I prefer the man to be the older one in the age-gap romance. If you're someone who is tired of dating a man-child, you'll know why this trope is swoon-worthy. Someone who can take charge and be hot at the same time? The alpha offering endless TLC? Yes, please :D. I haven't (yet) written in this trope, but something is for sure cooking! Meanwhile, here are some recos - Torn by Carian Cole and Stalking His Claim by Lucy Darling.

That's about it for now. Hope you're all safe during this pandemic. Take care, and happy reading!