LET'S BURY SOME OF THOSE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE TROPES
Updated: 6 hours ago
I almost didn't put this post up.
But the other day I had an idea for a graphic that really made me laugh. Then, being me, I got on a wild hair.
I'm a romance writer; not a trope hater! My own writing has some tropes – of course it does! I love a good contemporary romance trope to be honest. Some of my favorite romance series are pretty trope-heavy. The Dream Man series by Kirsten Ashley is one of my favorites. I'm a fan of Brynne Weaver. Love the Elle Kennedy Briar U Hockey series. I am really hoping to live up to some of those.
That said, I'm also a bit fed up with tropes too, because I’d just like to see so much more VARIATION in romance. Can we really only find good guys in billionaires, cowboys and motorbike gangs? Why don't we find some closer to home? Why do I still enjoy some writing that includes tropes, even if I don't like tropes?
The Dream Man Series
Leading Man Archetypes Upended while you wait!
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The Dream Man Series by Kristen Ashley takes well-trodden romance archetypes (the biker, the law enforcement officer and so on) and gently pulls apart what makes the related tropes so addictive, but without being so cookie-cutter cliche that I want to throw the book at a wall!
The Miscommunication Trope:
Where the unsaid inevitably triggers a breakup and bitter enmity between MCs in a way that makes me want to skip to the part when they start behaving like adults again!
Example: In Wild Man, Tessa O'Hara realizes her love interest Brock Lucas is, in fact, a DEA agent investigating her because of her ex-husband's drug-dealing connections. There is no tantrum; instead, Tessa sits Brock down and they talk it through and quickly decide to continue their relationship even though it is deeply unconventional.
The "Wrong Side of the Tracks" power dynamic
Where a perfect law enforcement official who is "out of her league" intimates then wins over the shy girl and lifts her out of her rough background.
Example: In Law Man Mara Hanover does think that detective Mitch Lawson has no business being with someone like her. However, it turns out that Mitch, not Mara has fallen first – and he makes a real effort to fit into Mara's world without being a judgmental authority figure.
The Ruinous Love Trilogy
Where Serial Killer Thriller Meets Rom-Com
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Brynne Weaver's award-winning series subverts the romance tropes associated with romantic suspense and dark romance by pairing them with rom-coms. Think meet-cutes with serial killers; friends-to-lovers-to-mortal-enemies; sexy-banter meets devilish plotting. This crazy combination adds delicious twists to Weaver's plots, but also lends itself to black humor. Maybe love and death really can be two sides of the same coin!
The Icy Dark Romance MMC
Where your hero is cold, cruel, brooding and frankly quite unpleasant.
Example: In Butcher and Blackbird despite being, well, a serial killer, the Boston Butcher (Rowan Kane) is instantly smitten with Sloane (the "Orb Weaver"). His serial killer skills come in clutch for his new, self-imposed role as clinically precise and fearsomely supportive boyfriend.
The Marriage of Convenience
Where a dark dominant MMC uses marriage to keep a vulnerable heroine under his thumb
Example: In Leather and Lark, contract killer Lachlan Kane enters a marriage of convenience with an indie singer, Lark Montague. However, Lark is no shrinking violet but an eccentric vigilante. Her chaotic, glittery persona to her advantage by driving Lachlan up the walls.
The Briar-U Series
Where Hockey Jocks go to be Reinvented
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I mean, this indie publishing titan needs no introduction! Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus and her spin-off series Briar U are both set in fictional Ivy League College Briar University, and center on the lives and loves of adorable hockey jocks. What i love about Elle's writing is how in control she is of every element of her plot, including her tropes! The Briar U series in particular subverts traditional character and gender roles and gives female leads a lot more agency.
The Loud-mouthed Jock
Where an extroverted jock draws a mousy girl out of her shell
Example: In The Chase, Colin Fitzgerald is a hockey jock, but he isn't a loudmouthed airhead: he's a nerd (be still my beating heart!) By contrast, Summer Di Laurentis is bubbly and sociable and knows exactly what she wants.
The Traumatized Heroine
Where our brave hero helps our noble heroine overcome her traumatic past
Example: In The Risk, Brenna Hesen's past is checkered with strained relationships with men including her father and toxic ex. However, Brena is strong-willed, self-assured and confident in her sexuality. Her relationship with Jake Connely is not built on a savior complex.
The Pursuit
Where the jock pursues his love interest - who must resist a little in order to be ladylike.
Example: In The Play, Hunter Davenport begins as a hypersexualized and superficial jock: and Demi Davis won't let him play that game. She challenges him to be genuinely vulnerable and participate in the emotional labor of a relationship, showing that he is capable of more than the trope he was written into.
The Techboys Series
where Tech Billionaires meet their match
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The Grumpy Billionaire Alpha
He's rich, he's powerful, he's probably overcompensating for something...
Examples: In The Refusal, Janus Phillips is an unapologetic nerd, far more comfortable behind a screen than opposite Jo on a date! Meanwhile in The Escape, Aiden Jargen eschews the luxury lifestyle of a retired Tech Billionaire and instead lives out of a backpack. He favors the purpose and anonymity of being a coder and angel investor over flashy displays of wealth and power.
The Damsel in Distress
where a wealthy, powerful MMC lifts the FMC out of obscurity or sets her up professionally.
Examples: In The Refusal, Jo Williams uses her analytical mind and security know-how to save Janus Industries from a catastrophic data-breach. In my most recent addition to the series The Hero Jo (now a successful techpreneur in her own right) employs Sadie Turner, a neurodivergent genius who has overcome socioeconomic barriers to enter the industry. Her intuitive, nontraditional approach to software makes her a total asset to Jo William's security team.
Fake Dating
Where deception, forced proximity and mutual manipulation create artificial narrative conflict.
Examples: In The Game, Tennis star Anna Talanova is facing predatory attention from the insatiable press and a very dodgy ex. A mutual friend recommends Adam as a plus-one for a red-carpet event, Anna jumps at the opportunity. While the arrangement ends up benefiting Adam, too, their relationship is built not on self-interest but friendship and mutual trust. In The Outcast, Kate brings Fabian to her sister's wedding to. Fabian and Kate clearly communicate their expectations and feelings throughout; and Fabian comes in a clutch when his true maverick nature cuts through Kate's family's snobbery.
To Trope or not To Trope?
Wow, it feels like this whistle stop tour through my favorite romance series (and the one I have written) has gone further to disproving my point than I thought - sometimes I do like a hockey player! Perhaps what I was really becoming tired of was reading the same story time and time again. Maybe tropes are like creative constraints that make amazing writing shine even more - I love it when I see a trope unravel, or shape-shift in ways I had never even thought of!
Which tropes do you love to hate (or hate to love)? Let me know in the comments below!
Love, Eve x
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