What is a trope, and why are they so powerful?
Trope: (in a romantic novel) a plot, theme, device or character used so often that it has become a convention within the genre.
In other words: a romantic trope is the thing readers buy the romance for!
Tropes aren’t cliches, really, and they aren’t formulas. They definitely aren’t a paint by numbers novel solution.
But what they can be is your starting point for a great romance novel that hits all your reader expectations, and still manages to surprise them, too.
That is the power of tropes.
In this blog post, I’ll be answering the following questions:
- Why do tropes matter to romance readers – and writers?
- What are the most popular tropes in romance novels?
Why do tropes matter to romance readers – and writers?
When a reader picks up a category romance novel, they already know from the title, the cover and the blurb what sort of a romance to expect. And that’s a good thing, because it means that our readers are easily able to find the sort of books that they enjoy and want to read.
The title often has the most obvious clues; for instance, my latest release from Harlequin Mills & Boon, Italian Escape with her Fake Fiancé, tells you instantly that this is a book that follows the ‘Fake Relationship’ trope. It also tells you that there’s going to be an Italian setting, and that the heroine is escaping from something.
The cover, as you can see, showcases the hero and heroine mostly, although the Australian cover also includes the gorgeous setting, which I love.
So, my hypothetical reader has picked up the book, or seen the cover on line. She’s clocked the title and thought, ‘Ooh, I love a good fake relationship story, and I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. I wonder what she’s running away from…’ Now, she turns to the blurb on the back of the book and reads:
Their made-for-the-media match… is about to turn real!
When musician Daisy Mulligan and rockstar Jay Barwell retreat to a cottage to work on their music they did not expect the media storm that followed. When the media start claiming their working relationship has been sealed with a diamond ring, both realise the chemistry they’ve been fighting is anything but fake!
So now she knows a little more: the hero and heroine are musicians, famous ones, playing into the ‘Celebrity’ trope. There’s a media storm, to boot. And they’re both fighting the chemistry, which means they must have other reasons not to want to fall in love…
Because of the tropes involved, a reader familiar with the romance genre and its conventions can probably already tell if this is the sort of book they’re going to enjoy. And that’s the first power of tropes: they help us to connect with the right readers for our books.
Which leads us to our next question…
What are the most popular tropes in romance novels?
And what reader expectations do they carry?
I’ve collected some of the best blog posts and articles on romance tropes I’ve found at the end of this post, and many of them have film or book examples to support each of the tropes. I’d definitely check them out if you’re looking for further reading. But as a starting point, the major romantic tropes for category romance are:
- Friends to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Fake Relationship
- Enemies to Lovers
- Marriage of Convenience
- Accidental Pregnancy/Secret Baby/Suddenly Parents
- Second Chance Romance
- Best Friend’s Brother/Sister
- Workplace Romance
- Royalty, Sheikhs, Celebrities and Billionaires
- Amnesia/Mistaken Identity
- Runaway Brides, Best Men and Wedding Planners
N.B. Some other famous romantic tropes, like love triangles and fated lovers, just don’t seem to work within the confines of a category romance, so are generally better left for other romantic genres.
Here’s why they work, and what readers expect from them:
For each trope, I’ve also included what I consider to be the defining trope moment that readers are looking for. I’ve also linked to one of my books (because they’re the books that I know best!) that uses the trope, where I can, so you can check out the cover, blurb and first chapter, if you want.
Also, a caveat: I write for the Harlequin Romance/Mills and Boon True Love line, so that’s what I’m most familiar with. While generally these notes are universal, there may be variations between category romance lines. Please do let me know if you spot some, and I’ll update this post!
I’ve also only referenced more specific genres like Medical, Heroes, Suspense or Cowboy, as I think of them more as genres of romance than overarching tropes that apply to all.
The Top 12 Tropes for Category Romance Novels
Friends to Lovers
This classic trope is an old favourite. It works, because the couple already know each other, already like each other, and already have that emotional connection. It’s also very familiar to readers – not just from other stories, but from life. Who hasn’t had a crush on a friend at one time or another?
But a warning: readers will expect there to be a very good reason for them to have stayed apart this long, and for them to be resisting the attraction between them now. What has changed to bring them together romantically after being just friends?
Defining trope moment: the moment they see each other differently for the first time…
Check out: Carrying Her Millionaire’s Baby
Forced Proximity
This one can encompass everything from a couple being snowed in together, to stuck in an elevator, to having to work together for a shared goal, to being best man and bridesmaid at a wedding. Anything that forces the couple to stay in each other’s presence for a time – and so, get to know each other and fall for each other – counts.
Readers expect the couple to resist whatever is forcing them together, at least to begin with. And whatever it is, it needs to feel unavoidable and real.
Defining trope moment: realising they’re stuck together with no way out. Classic example – needing to share a bed because there’s only one hotel room left!
Check out: Road Trip with the Best Man
Fake Relationship
One of them needs a date for a wedding, or to impress a boss, or to throw the media off the scent… I love fake relationship stories, and have written more than a few! For whatever reason, our couple are compelled to pretend to love each other – until it becomes reality.
Readers expect them both to have a good reason to go along with this plan, so ask yourself: what do they both stand to gain from it? And it makes a stronger story if they have other reasons to believe a relationship between them can’t work between them, other than it all being fake.
Defining trope moment: having their first kiss in front of an audience, and realising it doesn’t feel so fake
Check out: Italian Escape with her Fake Fiancé
Enemies to Lovers
They think they hate each other – but when they really get to know each other, they discover there’s a fine line between love and hate…
With this trope, readers expect there to be good reasons behind their enemies status – and equally good reasons for the couple to get over them. Perhaps they’ve misjudged each other, or believe another person’s assessment of their character. Or maybe there are two sides to every story, and neither of them have all the facts… Whatever their reasons for hating each other, they need to be compelling. And as you strip it away to show the person underneath, you allow them to fall in love.
But, and it’s a big but, it can’t all be a big misunderstanding. They both need to grow and move past whatever was keeping them apart. And they can’t do that if they just believed the wrong gossip and suddenly learn the truth.
Defining trope moment: when one of them realises there is more to the other than they imagined – and they want to find out more.
Check out: Snowbound with the Heir
Marriage of Convenience
This one works brilliantly in historicals – but it can work in the modern settings too, with a bit of thought. Basically, the couple need to get married, even though they’re not in love, or even together. Maybe it’s for an inheritance, or business, or family reasons. Whatever the motive, as with a fake romance it’s vital they both get something out of it – especially since the stakes are higher.
Readers expect the wedding to take place reasonably early in the book, so that they have to figure out married life – and their relationship – as the story progresses.
Defining trope moment: the wedding! The sense of impending doom!
Check out: His Very Convenient Bride
Accidental Pregnancy/Secret Baby/Suddenly Parents/Nanny
I’ve thrown a lot of baby/kid centric tropes into one category here, to save us all some time.
As a general rule, children and babies shouldn’t take up too much page space in a category romance – mostly because there just aren’t enough pages in such a small book (same goes for secondary characters). However, they can cause such a massive change in a couple’s life that they’re a fantastic trope to write!
Whether the heroine finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one night stand or fling with the hero – or another man – or the couple are suddenly thrust into parenthood as guardians to a child or children, there are lots of ways to use this trope.
Secret baby – where one parent has kept their child’s existence a secret from the other parent – is harder to pull off without some really great motivation. I’ve managed it once, (in The Unexpected Holiday Gift) but I think that, as a trope, it’s fading in popularity, as readers find the whole idea just a little bit icky. Equally, the ‘single dad falls for the nanny’ trope has to be handled carefully to ensure an equal power dynamic in the relationship.
Readers expect the couple to be brought together by their love for the child, and to learn more about themselves – and each other – through the experience of parenthood.
Defining trope moment: the moment of realisation – staring down at the baby on the doorstep, or the positive pregnancy test, and realising that nothing will ever be the same again.
Check out: Newborn Under The Christmas Tree
Second Chance Romance
Reunion romances – where an estranged couple, or lost lost sweethearts, are brought back together and given a second chance at love – are perennially popular. The idea of ‘the one that got away’ is one that seems to resonate with a lot of readers.
Readers expect there to have been a good reason for them to break up in the first place, which gives them enough reservations about trying again to drive the conflict in the story. They also want to see that the characters have changed – that the reason they can make things work this time is because they’ve grown and learned, to be ready for love. As always, a simple misunderstanding between them isn’t going to cut it.
Defining trope moment: that first glimpse of each other again after so long…
Check out: CEO’s Marriage Miracle
Best Friend’s Brother/Sister
The forbidden fruit trope, in lots of ways, this can also include a best friend or sibling’s ex, in certain circumstances. At its heart, it forces a prospective couple to deny their attraction for fear of upsetting or angering someone else who matters to them a great deal. How they overcome this, and perhaps win over the third party, is up to you!
I’ve also written this as ‘Brother’s Widow,’ and ‘Best Friend’s Widow’ actually. As long as the other person feels hugely off limits, you have your conflict.
Defining trope moment: giving in for the first time – and the guilt that follows. This is an angsty trope, a lot of the time!
Check out: Second Chance for the Single Mum
Workplace or Job Based Romance
This used to be the ‘boss and the secretary’ trope, but no more! These days, the boss is every bit as likely to be the woman. And more often than not, this is more about two people forced to work together on something – bringing in the forced proximity and often enemies to lovers tropes.
And sometimes it is about a boss and his assistant. But readers today expect the dynamic to be much more equal between them, outside the job if not inside, and often for the boss to learn more from the assistant than the other way around.
This trope can also encompass many cowboy/rancher stories, where the focus is on the ranch itself, or other Hero stories – with doctors, veterans, fire or police personnel, where their job is the hook.
Defining trope moment: for me, it’s that late night working together moment, where they’re a real team at last – and maybe something more…
Check out: Heiress on the Run
Royalty, Sheikhs, Aristocrats, Celebrities and Billionaires
Again, this is several tropes in one, but essentially boils down to ‘people with power, money, influence – and obligations.’ In today’s social media world, these are the people who show up in gossip magazines, and whose every move gets people talking.
They’re also the ones who have other people relying on them to make the right decisions. Whether its a Prince who needs to marry for an heir, a pop star who needs to win back an audience after an ex sold her secrets, a sports star with a chequered past, or a billionaire whose ex was only after her money… these are people who weigh up love very carefully, and have reasons to avoid it.
Readers expect an escapist story of luxury beyond our wildest dreams, and the high stakes to match.
Defining trope moment: entering the world of the rich and famous…
Check out: Falling for the Bridesmaid
Amnesia/Mistaken Identity
These two tropes might not seem like an automatic match, but basically this includes any story where one half of the prospective couple knows more than the other about their connection to each other. Perhaps the owner of a rival business is mistaken for a new employee, or an accident means that only one half of a couple remembers getting married at all.
This is a tricky one to pull off because of the foundation of lies and uneven power dynamic, but handled carefully it can make for a very satisfying story.
Defining trope moment: when the truth comes out, and both halves of the couple know exactly who the other is.
Check out: I’ve never actually written one of these! But Kate Hardy’s One Night To Remember is a brilliant example of amnesia done right.
Weddings
Weddings are a cornerstone of romance novels, whether the bride is running out the door or the best man is falling for the maid of honour, or the groom for the wedding planner! There are so many combinations to explore here, and the ticking clock of the wedding day can help to raise the stakes all along.
I’ve written a lot of wedding stories, and I like to try and find a new angle on them every time. The romance of the wedding background is always popular with readers, and a bride on a book cover is so appealing!
Defining trope moment: the wedding itself, usually. But there are so many ways to use this trope, it’s hard to pick just one moment.
Check out: The Wedding of the Year Duet: Slow Dance with the Best Man and Proposal for the Wedding Planner
More lists of Romance Tropes
If you’d like to read more about tropes in romances novels generally, here are some blog posts I found helpful: