In my last post, I went over some of the romance tropes I like. Today I’m going to go through some of my least favorite tropes. I was a little surprised by how long my list is.
Oh, who am I kidding? I wasn’t surprised at all. I am a very critical person when it comes to reading and writing.
Here are the tropes that I tend to shy away from when I’m looking for a new book to read:
Secret Baby
You know the story: heroine and hero are sleeping together or sleep together once, he’s a dick to her for reasons he doesn’t explain, she discovers she’s pregnant but decides not to tell him, fast-forward however many years and they reconnect and hero is pissed to find out heroine had his child and never told him. No one looks good in this scenario, which is why I hate it. The heroine sucks for keeping a man’s child from him and the hero sucks for not being honest with the heroine at the very beginning. Then the hero has to get over his anger at the heroine to let himself fall in love while the heroine worries the hero’s going to hurt her again. Not. A. Fan.
Accidental Pregnancy
I can handle an accidental pregnancy story in historical romance. Even though birth control was used back then, it wasn’t nearly as common as it is now. I cannot handle accidental pregnancy stories in contemporary romances. Yes, I know they happen more than people think but the way they happen in a lot of romances is moronic. The couple are so caught up in passion they don’t stop and think or ask each other about birth control. Or the heroine’s on the pill but guess what? She was sick recently and took antibiotics and they rendered the pill ineffective. Or the couple uses an old condom. Insert any lame excuse here and you get the drift. It just makes me so angry how lackadaisical and idiotic authors have to make characters in order to get the heroine “accidentally” pregnant.
Sudden Baby
I don’t want to read about a couple grappling with raising a surprise baby and falling in love while they do so. It’s so trite. The heroine who previously hasn’t thought of the hero as a good partner at all, suddenly melts when he’s holding and cooing at a baby. Or, worse, the hero panics about how to take care of a baby and needs the expert heroine’s help. No, thank you, not interested.
Alpha Hero
I used to enjoy alpha heroes when I was younger. Now, most of the time, they just come across as complete douche bags. Some authors are able to make this work for me but the majority do not. When the hero bosses the heroine around and tells her what do do and takes control of her life, I do not find that sexy. I find it sexist and controlling and annoying and I want her to stand up for herself and put him in his place. But since he’s an alpha, this almost never happens.
Amnesia
I just find this trope so cliche and not at all interesting.
Heroine Wants/Needs to Lose Her Virginity
This is a trope that makes me see red. BEING A VIRGIN IS NOT A SHAMEFUL THING. And yet so many romance novels start with a heroine who is relatively young (late teens, early twenties, mid-twenties) griping and moaning to her friends about the fact that she must be the oldest virgin alive and she’s got to have sex and get rid of her hymen or she’ll never get over the humiliation she feels waking up every day never having experienced sex. So then her stupid friends encourage her to go out and find a hot guy to lose her virginity to. Or they suggest she lose it to her hot, male playboy friend whom she’s always been attracted to. So stupid and so irritating.
Virgin Heroine Pines for Man-Whore Friend
Related to the idiot-heroine-who-absolutely-must-lose-her-virginity-right-this-very-minute is the virgin heroine dying to give it up to her man-whore friend she’s been secretly pining for the entire time they’ve known each other. He’s sleeping around and having a good time while she stays home, waiting for him to realize that she wants him. I HATE the double standard here that the hero can go off and screw whoever he wants but the heroine must be pure and save herself for him. No. Just no. Especially in this day and age.
On the Road
I find this trope boring. I want to see characters in their daily lives, interacting with family, friends, and co-workers. Not stuck in a car for hours speeding along the road.
Hollywood (Movie Star/TV Star/Rock Star)
I try to like this trope, I really do. After all, just like a lot of people on this planet, I’m fascinated by celebrities and how they live their lives and fall in love. Except almost every time I pick up a book about a movie star, TV star, or rock star, I find myself bored. They’re all the same. Hero or heroine is super famous and can’t have a normal life and then they meet someone normal and fall in love, only fame tears them apart. We also get thrilling scenes of the characters on set or on stage and it’s so dull and makes me close the book (or tab if I’m reading an e-book).
So there you have it, my least favorite tropes! You will most likely not be seeing any of these in my future books (but don’t hold me to that).