Romance tropes? Story tropes, movie tropes, book tropes! Not bad words — more like flavors a reader might like.
Just for fun, I have compiled a list of the most common romance tropes and other genre tropes appearing in my published books. Here’s one of the pages I used to suss out my tropes: https://www.mindyklasky.com/index.php/for-writers/romance-tropes/ plus a few others I just thought up. I also talked a little bit about why tropes aren’t just cliches in a blog entry here.
For readers looking for certain elements in their stories, here are the places you can find…
- alpha female: Defender, Prodigal, Witch Interrupted, Red at Night, Catalyst
- alpha male: Defender, Traitor, Pack and Coven, 1000 Kisses, Tangible, Disciple
- amnesia: Prodigal
- apocalypse: Defender, Traitor, Prodigal
- best friends to lovers: Holiday on Ice, Kiss the Bride, Liam’s Gold, Pack and Coven
- billionaire: Whatsoever He Might Kind of Want or Desire
- blackmail: The Whole Truth, Witch Interrupted
- blue collar characters: Kiss the Bride, Pack and Coven, Catalyst, Catapult
- boy/girl/person next door: Liam’s Gold, Stalking Evan
- cats ruling the world: 1000 Kisses, Cat Vs Cocker, Catapult, Catalyst, Stalking Evan
- complete hogwash: Earthbound Passion, Martian Conquest, Far Galaxies, Whatsoever He Might Kind of Want or Desire
- culture clash: Defender, Pearl of Wisdom
- disguises: Cooley’s Panther, Liam’s Gold, Pack and Coven, Dunvegas: Alien Attack, Field Trip, A Mage by Any Other Name
- enemies to lovers: Defender, Witch Interrupted, A Spell for Susannah, Stalking Evan
- fairytale: A Spell for Susannah, Wintertide Spell
- fake relationship/marriage: Traitor, Pearl of Wisdom
- fated mates: 1000 Kisses, Survival of the Fairest
- fish out of water: Pixie’s Tale, Survival of the Fairest, Silver Bound, Dunvegas: Alien Attack, The Whole Truth
- fling: Liam’s Gold, Behind the Mask
- forbidden love: Tangible, Disciple, Survival of the Fairest, Witch Interrupted
- holiday setting: Holiday on Ice, Wintertide Spell, The Worst Christmas, Date at McCabe’s, New Year’s Magic
- interrupted wedding: Kiss the Bride
- just one bed!!: Pearl of Wisdom
- kidnapping/imprisonment: Witch Interrupted, Pixie’s Tale, Dunvegas: Alien Attack, Traitor, Gold Rush
- law enforcement: Prodigal, Field Trip
- love triangle: The Whole Truth
- matchmakers: 1000 Kisses, Cat Vs Cocker, Kiss the Bride, Traitor
- May/December: Pack and Coven
- military: Traitor, Silver Bound, Red at Night
- nerdy/sciencey protagonist: Witch Interrupted, Liam’s Gold, Traitor, What She Deserves, Silver Bound (big ole wizard nerd), Gold Rush, Pearl of Wisdom
- office or coworkers: The Whole Truth, Traitor
- on the road/on the run: Holiday on Ice, 1000 Kisses, Pack and Coven, Witch Interrupted
- on the rocks: Wintertide Spell
- opposites attract: Pixie’s Tale, Survival of the Fairest, Red at Night, Gold Rush, Silver Bound, Catapult, Pearl of Wisdom
- orphan: Stalking Evan
- performer/musician: Behind the Mask, Survival of the Fairest, Catalyst
- playboy/girl/person: Liam’s Gold
- politics: 1000 Kisses
- portal worlds: Pixie’s Tale, Survival of the Fairest, 1000 Kisses, Liam’s Gold, Silver Bound, Red at Night, Gold Rush, Blue Guard
- protector: Defender, Silver Bound
- redemption: Prodigal, Traitor, Disciple, Tangible
- rescue: Pack and Coven, The Whole Truth, Defender, Red at Night
- return to hometown: Kiss the Bride
- revenge: A Mage by Any Other Name, Pack and Coven, Gold Rush
- royalty: A Spell for Susannah, Survival of the Fairest, Wintertide Spell, 1000 Kisses
- secret societies: Tangible, Disciple, The Whole Truth, Pack and Coven, Witch Interrupted, Blue Guard
- spies!: Blue Guard, The Whole Truth, Survival of the Fairest
- stranded/stuck: Holiday on Ice, Pixie’s Tale
- teacher-student: Tangible, Disciple
- tortured protagonist: Tangible, Disciple, Traitor, Holiday on Ice, Stalking Evan
- trouble with the law: Cooley’s Panther, those Duke boys (since the day they were born)
- ugly duckling: A Mage by Any Other Name, What She Deserves
- unlikable heroine: Behind the Mask, Prodigal
- unrequited love: Liam’s Gold, What She Deserves, Kiss the Bride
- virgin: A Spell for Susannah, Survival of the Fairest, Silver Bound
- we’re all gonna die: Tangible, Disciple, 1000 Kisses, Defender, Prodigal, Traitor
- wise old wizard: A Mage by Any Other Name