Shannyn Schroeder | My 3 Favorite Tropes

I think all romance readers have favorite tropes they like to read. In fact, some of us click the buy button so fast we could sprain a finger after reading a blurb that uses one of our favorites.

The thing about tropes is that they’re like comfort food. We know exactly what to expect, yet it’s never boring because how the story unfolds creates the excitement for us.

I came to reading romance much later in life than most. In fact, I kind of stumbled into it and knew nothing about tropes. Over the years, though, I’ve learned so much thanks to the many romance authors and bloggers out there. The more I read, the more I discovered which tropes satisfy me and my need for an HEA.

The first trope I like to read is the enemies-to-lovers trope. Julie James can do this one really well. In this trope the hero and heroine start out not even liking each other. For me, the draw here is the banter. Even though they say they don’t like each other, there’s always the underlying attraction that annoys them both. As they interact and snipe at each other, I giggle with glee. The main problem I find with this trope is when the hero and heroine spend too much time disliking each other and then suddenly they’re in love. But when it’s done right, it’s awesome.

The next trope I love is the best friend’s sibling trope. This is when the hero or heroine has a thing for his or her best friend’s brother or sister. There are a couple of reasons I love this one. First, there’s the element of forbidden love. It’s usually the friend who thinks, “I can’t love him/her, my best friend will kill me.” Watching them navigate around that is fun. The second thing I love about this is that many times, there’s some secret crush going on. One of the characters has been pining away quietly for the other (often because of the forbidden love aspect). When done well, it’s almost painful to watch. The downside to this trope is when the sibling is overbearing and unrealistic. This most often happens when the sibling is the overprotective brother of the heroine. It bugs me when the brother can’t accept that his sister is a grown woman.

Finally, my favorite trope—probably my most favorite—is friends to lovers. I adore this trope because there’s such depth to the hero and heroine’s relationship before sexytimes happen. In addition, this trope has high stakes naturally built in. When the hero and heroine are best friends and they have a long and strong history, taking their relationship to the next level could end disastrously and they could lose each other forever. Like the best friend’s sibling trope, sometimes there’s the secret crush. Other times something happens to cause a spark between the hero and heroine and it’s like they suddenly look at each other and think, “How did I never notice how sexy you are?” For me the biggest problem with this trope is when the characters don’t talk to each other. Occasionally, it’s warranted, but most often, it just makes me want to slap them upside the head. On the other hand, when it’s done well, a story like this keeps you on the edge of your seat and can practically rip your heart out while you’re cheering them on.

What’s your favorite I-can’t-click-fast-enough trope?

About Shannyn Schroeder

Shannyn Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the Hot & Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends finding love. When she’s not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to bake cookies.

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About HIS NEW JAM

Sydney Peters can’t wait to finally drop the cymbals in marching band and devote time to her true love: drums. With the semester coming to a close, she’s blocking out the cacophony during practice, especially sax serenades from Hunter Reed. But when Hunter offers her a paid gig as a drummer in his band, Sydney quickly changes her tune. The two favor different styles, but they make beautiful music together…in more ways than one.

Hunter is fascinated by Sydney’s distant allure. He might be a ladies’ man on campus, but the sarcastic cymbalist is impervious to his advances. When Hunter sees how passionate Sydney is behind the drums, he orchestrates a plan to find out if she kisses like she plays. What he doesn’t anticipate, however, is falling so hard. But will the repercussions of his past crash down on his chance at something real?