My Favorite Romance Tropes + Book Recommendations

Romance tropes are all the rage. If you do an Amazon search for “Billionaire romance” you’ll receive over 40,000 results in the books category. On Good Reads, you’ll get over 11,000. Holy smokes that’s allotta books!

“a trope is simply a common convention in a particular medium. It refers to anything that gets used often enough to be recognized.”

Tropes keep the romance genre running. The same ones keep getting recycled over and over because people love them. Some writers ONLY write to the tropes because they know what sells. Others do so instinctively because, like it or not, tropes are part of how we tell stories. In fact, tropes aren’t exclusive to the romance category; they exist in almost every form of entertainment out there. That said, I’ve noticed that I tend to go for the same tropes again and again. We like what we like, right?

Here are my favorites tropes along with some books I’d like to read in 2020 that have them:

#1 Fake Dating

A classic. Characters have to pretend to be dating for whatever reason; holiday party, a work promotion, to get their moms off their backs, to deter a would-be suitor. Fake dating puts characters into fun situations where soon the lie becomes a reality.

Book to Read: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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#2 Age Gap Romances

I like age gaps because they’re different. Love doesn’t always come in a perfectly aged package. If you’ve noticed, in most romances, the man is always two years older than the woman. Somehow, as a society, we’ve decided this is how it should be. My dad was two years older than my mom. Don’t tell anyone, but my husband is sixteen years older than me and we’re a perfect match. For romance novels, I’m not talking a twenty-five year old and a seventy year old here. I think 15-20 years is respectable and I know plenty of real life couples who have age gaps.

Book to Read: Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

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#3 Best Friends to Lovers

Obviously, I love BFFs. If you read Lessons in Love, you know this. There is something magical about BFFs becoming romantically involved. It’s also messy and complicated because they know each other so well.

Book to Read: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

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#4 Second Chance Love

OK. Story time. I once had my own second chance romance. My high school boyfriend and I hooked up ten years later. It was amazing for the first six months and then it went downhill fast and hard. We haven’t spoken since. I still love the idea of it, though. This fantasy makes us wonder “what if” with some of our past relationships. In my case, it was great for a while, but crashed and burned.

Book to Read: Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

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#5 Enemies to Lovers

This trope makes lovers work for it. They start off hating each other and slowly grow to love one another. They don’t necessarily have to be sworn enemies, but disliking each other from the start is great; like in When Harry Met Sally.

Book to Read: Well Met by Jen DeLuca

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#6 Forced Together

I don’t know why we like it when characters are forced to do things, like live together. Maybe they have nowhere else to go. This is almost like the Enemies to Lovers trope, but it doesn’t have to be. Either way, they start off not wanting a relationship and grow to love one another.

Book to Read: The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott

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#7 Bad Boy

Oooh. Who doesn’t love a good bad boy? I dated my fair share back in the day because bad boys are hot. Boys in bands riding motorcycles. Yes please! They’re dangerous and live on the edge. Of course, we all know a good bad boy has a soft underbelly and is truly a sweetie at heart who treats his lady like a queen. It’s the magic that true love brings out.

Book to Read: Good Girl by Brill Harper

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#8 Office Romance

Fun at work. I mean, where else are you going to meet people? Think Pam and Jim from The Office. Perhaps there is a policy that employees can’t date one another. Or they’re up for the same position at the company. This adds so much potential drama. I’m not talking about a boss boinking his secretary. I like two contemporaries who are both strong characters who know what they want. A little competition never hurt anyone.

Book to Read: The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

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#9 Love Triangle

Yes! Love triangles are my jam.. Did you read Lessons in Love? What better way to introduce conflict than with a classic love triangle. And boy, have I been there. I once had my own love triangle: Sweet sensitive boy on motorcycle or intellectual writer (also on motorcycle) who was mean to me, but we had passion? Both were gorgeous. Guess which one I chose. I chose the latter and he ghosted me a year later anyway. In fact, I’ve been in a few love triangles. Looking back, they were drama! But I kind of like that my young romantic life was so passionate and crazy. Makes for good writing. And love triangles make for good reading.

Book to read: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

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Here’s a list of 145 romance tropes. What’s your favorite? Is there a book you’d recommend that uses your fave trope? Post it in the comments for me.

10 Holiday-Themed Novels That Will Make You Want Some Mistletoe

One of the best parts about the holidays is how romantic everything becomes. From mood lighting set by the fireplace to slowly falling snowflakes on a quiet night time street, the season is surrounded by love. If you’re a sucker for a heartfelt, romantic novel set in the midst of the holiday season, check out some of my favorites.

“The Billionaire's Christmas Miracle” by Chelsea Hale

When a mourning Hailey Waters returns to the town of Road Oaks to see to her aunt’s belongings who recently passed, she meets a man who not only catches her eye but also her need for Christmas spirit. Love interest and billionaire Troy Rasmussen is working on winning the Christmas Gifts Bet: revive the Forest Festival by spending as little money as possible and with as little help as possible. However, Troy’s determination begins to waver between tasks. Does he care more about winning the competition – or the girl?

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“My True Love Gave to Me” by Regina Scott

What does one do in the face of darkness during the Christmastime? Try to spread holiday cheer in any way they can. This is Genevieve Munroe’s mission as her newly impoverished family faces a final happy Christmas. Finding peace among rivals proves to be more challenging than she anticipated when the attractive eldest son, Alan, proposes a challenge: if he can present her with all the gifts from the Twelve Days of Christmas song without spending any money, she has to marry him.

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“Bringing Holly Home for Christmas” by Laura Wolf

Marked by new beginnings and new love, Holly and Klaus meet each other at a time of uncertainty, confusion, and mess. Feeling like a Scrooge himself, Klaus would like to ward off Christmas as a whole this year. Holly, however, only wants others to have a better Christmas than the lonely one she sees herself spending. Just when life seems as doomed as ever, these unknown lovers could change each other’s perspectives – and lives.

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“Dear Santa Christmas Romances” by Mona Ingram

Although he’s the town’s most eligible bachelor, he’s also so much more than that. His good looks aren’t the only thing that wins over the heart of caterer Paige, it’s his caring personality. After a night of working an esteemed company’s Christmas party, Paige is invited to relax with the man in charge of the crew. It isn’t until the very end of the night that she realizes her life is about to change… forever.

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“The Christmas Cookie House” by Jennifer Griffith

Heading back to her hometown was proving to be difficult for Leela Miller after her mom passed away that spring. She found herself as a new full-time caregiver for her sickly father, forcing her to quit her job as a bookshop keeper. Not only does she have to return to Massey Falls to tie up loose ends, but she also has to fill her mother’s shoes in the Ladies’ Auxiliary by chairing the Cookie House fundraiser. She only sees the Layton Mansion fit for this event, except she faces a new challenge: it’s not ready for business. New vet school graduate Jay Wilson has nearly flipped the entire house, except for the attic. Once that’s complete, he can sell the property. So what does Leela do? She offers to help him under the condition that once they’re finished she can use the house for her event. But the day of the fundraiser is also the house’s sale deadline. Now, Jay faces the decision as to whether he should sell the place, which would take the house out from under Leela’s feet, or stick to his promise to her.

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“Christmas in New York” by Melissa Hill

There’s no better place to be for Christmas than in New York City with unlimited decorations and Christmas spirit, and that’s exactly where Penny finds herself for the holiday. While staying with her best friend Kate, she comes into contact with the last person she expected to see: Mike. Timing has never been right for the two, but with the spirit of Christmas as high as ever, can she resist him any longer?

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“Sweet on Christmas” by Gabby Reed

After losing it all – her money, heart and bakery – Lauren finds herself back at her grandma’s bed and breakfast that has been in her family for generations. But there’s something she comes to find out: the place about to go bankrupt. Wanting to save it for her family, she realizes she needs money, and she needs it fast. Lucky for her, there’s a local baking contest with a $5,000 grand prize. Her biggest competition, Trevor, is the only thing standing in her way, and he doesn’t plan to let her win. When in the second round they’re paired together, it seems like a recipe for disaster when they’re forced to put aside their differences and work together. But is it enough to win?

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“Henry's Holiday Charade” by Danielle Thorne

Amanda Hill is facing emergency, and Henry Caldecott needs a girlfriend. While she’s trying to get through Christmas without facing more debt, he’s the heir to a successful hotel chain and in search of a date to his family’s Christmas party. Prepared to make a deal to bring her to the event of the year, Henry sees this as the perfect opportunity to not just save the damsel in distress. He also sees it a chance to prove his family wrong. Turns out, he’s the one who needs to be saved.

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“His Christmas Wish” by Melissa McClone

Christmas was always Carly Bishop’s favorite holiday until the worst event of her life happened: the simultaneous deaths of her fiancé and brother. She left her town of Hood Hamlet behind in search of a new life soon thereafter. Coincidentally, she left her love of Christmas behind too. Six years later, her family tasks her to return to the town that only reminds her of pain to give her niece and nephew the Christmas they need and deserve. Jake Porter still finds himself burdened with guilt over the passing of his two friends and how he couldn’t save Carly. When she returns, Jake wants to turn not just his life around, but hers too.

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“Garland's Christmas Romance” by Danielle Thorne

Garland Tate lives in a Christmas-obsessed town seemingly out of a Hallmark movie. But if there’s one thing she wants to avoid this year in the face of her mom’s terminal illness, it’s the celebration of a holiday. Pete Darling, heir to a wealthy Victorian-age family, finds his holiday spirit in full spring when he’s tasked with distributing money anonymously to his remaining relatives in need. When Garland and Pete meet at the Lava Java, both of them become distracted from their lives and focused on something new: each other. Can their Christmas love last forever?

❣️Post your favorite holiday romances in the comments. I’m always looking for new ones to read.

The Only Writing Books A Newbie Writer Will Ever Need

I recently read a Twitter post or something on a message board (I forget where) from a person claiming to have hundreds of books on the topic of writing. Some people like to collect things and there is someone who collects everything.

For those of you who simply want the goods without taking up too much shelf space, I’ve created this list.

Books on writing are awesome. I love them and I have plenty. You see a good one and think: Hey, I’ll try that out. And then it turns into a dud and you don’t feel like going through the hassle of returning it - or it’s too late. There are many books out there, some better than others. This list assumes you’re just starting out or looking for something to add to your arsenal. If you’ve been writing a long time, chances are you’ve heard of these - but if you haven’t, I hope you’ll get some good use.

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Understanding Show Don’t’ Tell (And Really Getting It)

Hands down, the best education on the concept of Show, Don’t Tell. I’ll admit, when I was just starting out, SDT was basically like two different languages. This book really hit home and does such a good job of explaining it so you really get it. A simple example is:

• He was really mad - TELL

• He slammed his hand on the desk - SHOW

This book goes beyond that and it’s essential for every new writer.

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Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Note: I have never read this book, but it’s rated five stars on Amazon and people tell me it’s amazing. Definitely work checking out.

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The 90-Day Novel

I avoided this book for years. It kept coming up in my Amazon suggestions, but I vehemently said no because I felt I didn’t need a basic writing how to. After attending a Summer writing workshop, someone had mentioned they loved it and I figured, all right…why not? Least I could do is check it out. And what a difference it has made. The 90 Day Novel can definitely be about blasting through a novel in three months, but for me, it’s been most helpful in getting to know my characters in a deep, fundamental way. The exercises are great for expanding your own relationship with your story. It’s been endlessly useful. I use it as a reference book and have implemented it into how I create my characters.

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Stephen King - On Writing

Whether you’re a fan of King’s or not, there’s no arguing he’s a prolific writer. Although it’s filled with advice, it’s mostly a memoir that talks about how he got started. It’s inspirational to see how he went from nothing to where he is today. It’s also a quick read and makes you feel like you can do it. Although, I will admit, it made me feel bad I hadn’t published anything by the age of 20.

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The Emotion Thesaurus

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have created the writing thesaurus empire here. There are five or so other books in the series and I have all of them. These actually make you a better writer. They help for those moments when you’re struggling to describe a character’s emotion and need to go beyond, “he was sad.” The thesauruses for environments are very helpful as well. Our brains are amazing, but even if you’ve been to the big city, you might forget certain sounds that can bring life to your work. These help add real depth and are a must have.

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Naughty Words for Nice Writers

I LOVE this book and use it often. This is immensely helpful for romance writers (or anyone who has romantic elements in their work). Even if you’re writing a fantasy adventure, but there is a love interest. Caveat: Cara Bristol isn’t timid and there are definitely some extra naughty words in here. This covers all the bases and then some, if you get my drift. She also goes into details about how to set a romantic scene, which is beneficial. Sometimes you want more than, “They went into the bedroom - the end.” If you’re writing clean romance and get shy around physical descriptions below neck, this isn’t for you. I love Bristol’s honesty and how she plainly tells the reader that some words are just gross.

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The Chicago Manual of Style

OK, I’m a copy editor and I use this book all the time for everything. If you’re a writer, it’s important to know the rules. I often see writers asking basic grammar questions on Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter. We all need help from time to time; and if you’ve ever delved into WattPad, you know grammar isn’t everyone’s specialty. Even English majors need this book. You can look up information online, but it’s handy to have this baby on your desk for quick reference. The CMS is the most widely used grammar and style guide on the planet. They set the standard. Knowing the rules makes you look like a champ and it improves your writing by ten-fold.

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Writing Between the Sexes

Not to brag, but I already write decent male/female dialog and interactions. At least, I feel like I do. This book however, is great for new writers.

Based on stereotypical (and expected) definitions of male and females, see if you can tell which is the girl and which is the boy:

• “I think we need to talk about our relationship. It’s just…we’ve known each other a long time and I feel like things have been weird for us lately? Know what I mean?”

• “OK.”

Even gender-neutral characters tend to fall into one type of speech or the other. What Michaels calls “female” can easily be applied to your “emotional” or “heart on their sleeve” characters - whatever gender they happen to be. Don’t let the Yin and Yang element deter you. You may have a male character that is more feminine or vice versa. One of the biggest issues new writers have is the inability to differentiate between characters in speech. Don’t feel bad. We all start there. This will help you add more depth to your characters and the way they talk. To be honest, this book also helped me understand interactions with people in real life as well.

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How to Write Sexy Descriptions and Sex Scenes

Val Kovalin has written several M/M romances and a few “how to” books. Fall Into the Sun is really great, by the way. Because she writes male/male romance, this book gets into it. And I mean, in to it! There are however, some wonderful nuggets of information for female/male relationships as well. Shy kids stay away. Kovalin is extremely honest and her advice goes straight for the pants.

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The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell is the guy who popularized the idea of the hero’s journey and how mythology plays into almost every story you’ll ever read. It’s fascinating. I didn’t get around to this one until I was in my 20s, but knowing what makes stories tick will make you a better writer. If you’re really into the craft of writing, I do suggest you start reading even just a basic high school mythology book.

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Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence

This is an important book to read if you’re interested in WHY human being thrive on story. For me, this book helped solidify why I do what I do. It also helps you understand why stories are so important and what it is about them we love so much. It breaks it down in a fun, understandable way.

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I Give You My Body…How I Write Sex Scenes

Diana Gabaldon put this book out a few years ago at the request of her fans. It gets into her head and what she considers when writing a love scene. If you’ve ever read any of her Outlander books, you know she’s a master in the bedroom (and other places as well) without being too graphic. Gabaldon’s sex scenes are emotional and rich. This is a quick read, but filled with lots of wonderful ideas and descriptions from her books to help inspire you.

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How to Write a Swoon-Worthy Sweet Romance Novel

Currently reading: I love this book. Victorine E. Lieske is one the better indie, clean romance writers out there. A self-professed pantser, Lieske attempts to describe what it is she does and how she does it so well. The best part about this book is that she includes one of her popular clean romances and pauses in between paragraphs to describe what she was thinking and why she did what she did. It’s great. This isn’t just for clean romance. Her advice applies to all romance.

Hopefully this list gets you on your way to improving your writing and making better stories. These are just my favorites. What’s your favorite writing book? Post in the comments.

Books I Didn’t Finish

I used to finish a book no matter what! I had to! I’d started it, I better finish it. Don’t want to be one of those people who don’t finish books, right? So I would start a book and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t read it. Because I hadn’t finished the one I started, I couldn’t just start another one…not until I finished the first. As a result, I read fewer books and less often - which made me sad.

At the beginning of the year, the only New Year’s Resolution I made was to let myself off the hook for not finishing a book. I decided that life is too short to read books I’m not interested in. So now, if I start a book and don’t finish it, I don’t feel too bad. OK. I feel a little bad, but I’ve given myself the green-light to start reading another book. Of course, this means I have numerous half read books lying around. These are the books (from the last year or so) that I couldn’t make it through - for various reasons.

Get in Trouble - Kelly Link

I got this as a Christmas gift a few years ago from someone who felt I would LOVE it. At the time, everyone was talking about slip-stream and I admit, I was curious. I couldn’t stand this book. I felt Link’s writing is pretentious and boring (get to the point). I read one of the short stories and felt annoyed after. This book got a lot of buzz and attention, but I couldn’t read because I was rolling my eyes so much. I felt like she was trying too hard to be weird. You either are weird or you aren’t. You can’t fake weird. I honestly can’t understand why people like her work so much. Slip stream is cool, but this felt forced.

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England’s Dreaming - Jon Savage

I have been trying to read this book for twenty years. No lie. It’s a thick tome. Jon Savage was there during the inception of the British punk scene. He was the eyes and ears, a writer for a popular music magazine. It’s a good book. Don’t get me wrong. When I read it, I enjoy it, but Jon’s language is very sophisticated and British. As an American with only a 12th grade education, I have to stop and look up every other word. I suppose one day I’ll finish it. This is one book I feel is important to finish - a bit like a haunted quest.

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Only Lovers Left Alive - Dave Wallis

This book was published around the same time as A Clockwork Orange, but didn’t quite have the same popular social impact. It’s well loved by people who are into 1960s teen counter culture. It’s sort of an underground favorite. It’s a great book and I was enjoying it, but about midway through I realized that I should have read it when I was sixteen (when I read A Clockwork Orange). It would have meant more. I’d like to finish it. Wallis is a good writer. The teen lingo, the kids out of control, 1960s England, the end of the world. It’s all things I love. It’s really a mystery why I stopped reading this one.

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Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury

Ray is my all time favorite author. Why did I stop reading this? To be honest, I can’t even remember anything about it. I picked this up at the discount shelves at my local bookstore and was so happy when I got it. I don’t know. I feel bad for not reading this.

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We Got the Neutron Bomb - The Untold Story of LA Punk - Marc Spitz

Again, another great book, but by the midway point, I got the gist. This tells the story of the 70s and 80s Los Angeles punk scene by using first hand accounts from the people who where there. It assumes you know who everyone is. I know most of them, but I forget the rest. Someone would say something and I’d have to look them up. Start, stop, start stop. I’ve been working on this book for nearly a decade. And oddly, the tales aren’t always that interesting. It’s weird, because it’s really cool and Spitz interviewed some of the heavy hitters in the scene, but I kinda feels like it drags on. I feel bad for saying that. It’s a cool book.

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Left Behind - Jerry B. Jenkins

Out of curiosity, I watched the movie version of this book with Nicolas Cage. I thought it was entertaining. I’m a sucker for cheesy action films and the film has some decent explosions. However, I’m not really into Christian fiction, but I loved the idea of The Rapture occurring and the lead character being a pilot and having to deal with that while in the air. Brilliant idea. I wanted to see what the book was like. Jenkins isn’t a bad writer. He’s got hundreds of published books. I don’t know…This one just fizzled out for me around chapter three.

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Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon

I loved Outlander. And by “loved” I mean, I blew through that book in a week - and it’s a big book. Outlander was a major page-turner from start to finish. Every page was magic. When I finished, I was excited to continue to the story. Dragonfly in Amber goes back and forth in time and was sort of disorienting. It also focuses on Clare’s daughter Bree quite a lot - and I just didn’t find her as interesting as Clare and Jamie. I think the TV series does a better job making me like Bree. People love the Outlander books. At the time, I also didn’t want to invest in an 8 book series; which are all very thick.

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Falling For His Best Friend - Liz Issacson

I found Liz by accident. I liked the story all right, but by the midway point, I just wasn’t feeling it. Too hot, too cold, will they, won’t they. I felt like it was taking too long to get to the point. Liz is a prolific writer and tends to not only write to the tropes, but self-publishes a book every month. That’s crazy. Also, the love interests weren’t really best friends. They knew each other (vaguely) in high school and then became friends, but it wasn’t like Anne and Roman in Lessons in Love. BFFs for life.

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On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King

Great book, great author. Why didn’t I finish this one? I got pretty close. I think by that time, I got the message. This book is more for new writers looking for inspiration. I’m well into my writing career and while the advice King gives is solid, it’s stuff I already know.

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Fall Into the Sun - Val Kovalin

I fell head over heels in love with Kovalin’s characters, Alejo and Bobby, in Reach for the Moon. I wanted more, so I started reading this. I discovered that this wasn’t a continuation, but rather an alternate universe - which annoyed me. It’s like, it happened, but it didn’t happen. Whut? It’s good, but not as good as Reach for the Moon - which made me cry it was so beautiful. I emailed the author to find out why they decided to do an alternate universe and never heard back.

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The Other Duke - Jess Michaels

I received this e-book free when I signed up to Jess Michael’s newsletter. I got to chapter seven, but it wasn’t easy. I’m not really into historical romance exactly. I liked Outlander, but this is a whole other category. I didn’t love the dialog - it wasn’t realistic for the time. There was too much focus on what a strong-willed woman the main character was, but yet she also fell in line, did what she was told, and let the love interest control her. This felt…too easy. Maybe generic is the word. There are so many books like this - writers attempt to write strong willed women who contradict themselves when they agree to arranged marriages or let the male leads “claim” them. I’m sick of the word “claimed” in romance novels.

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Rhett’s Make-Believe Marriage - Liz Issacson

Another Liz Issacson book. Made it to chapter 3 on this one. It’s not that it’s bad, but it just wasn’t holding my attention. I really want to like Liz Issacson, but I just don’t. I just sort of felt like she’s checking off boxes with her books, especially since she writes and releases one a month. Like, she has a list of tropes and just picks one per month. Meh. I’m obviously in the minority. Liz appears to have a very happy fan-base.

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Descent of Man - TC Boyle

I LOVE TC Boyle. The only reason I stopped reading this was because I started getting into several writing books and other projects. This is a collection of short stories and I’ve already read a few. I know I’ll come back to this later.

So there you go. These are just ones the found on my shelf and in my Kindle. There are probably way more floating around the house somewhere. Do you feel bad when you don’t finish a book? Are there any of these I should give a second chance to? Let me know in the comments.