Robyn DeHart | My Top Five Favorite Tropes

Fake relationships: Fake fiances, marriages of convenience – however you work it, I love me some fake relationships. I've written quite a few MOCs because I write historicals, but I read a lot of contemporary fake fiancé books and I can never get enough of them. It reminds me of that scene in Leap Year where they're at that farmhouse and the family makes them kiss – totally cliched, but it works! Best friends to lovers: Admittedly I've never written one of these myself, but I read a bunch of them. I've always been a sucker for this trope. Frankly I think it stems from the fact that my sister married her best friend when I was like 13 so right at that ripe age for falling in love with falling in love. You get my gist. But it's just the best for people who already love each other to realize that love can now involve sexy times. Nerds in love: OMG! I'm not sure this is an actual trope, but we're going to call it one for my purposes. I don't care if it's the hero or the heroine that's the nerd, there's just something about the awkward sexiness of cerebral people. I've written lots of these types of characters; my heroines are often bluestockings, but also the heroes too. Characters with intellectual skills are sexy AF! Right under your nose: I guess this sorta gloms onto the BFF to lovers, but could also work with your BFF's sibling – younger sister, younger brother – any of that works. It's the sudden realization that this person you thought fit in this one box really belongs over in this box and can you please kiss me again like that? Ugly duckling: Even when I write heroines that would be considered beautiful, most of the time they're ugly ducklings. Sometimes this is metaphorical. Kinda like sleeping beauty – she's immune to her own charms. But the man who sees past her insecurities or maybe even physical flaws and finds a beauty he can't walk away from. Oh yeah, that's the good stuff!