A trope is a plot device which has become familiar. Every genre of fiction has its tropes and romance is no different. Most readers have a favorite trope and some actively seek out books with a specific trope or tropes. I suspect that most authors have a favorite trope, too, or one they tend to use more frequently. I thought it would be fun to start a regular feature here on the blog called Trope Tuesday to look at tropes in my books.

Marriage often features as an event in a romance: here are three tropes associated with it.

Arranged marriage – the couple is compelled to marry, but their relationship develops into love. This is more common in historical romances.

The Marriage of Convenience – a variation of the Arranged Marriage. The difference is mutual consent. The hero and heroine make a deal to be married for a set period of time or pretend to be married to achieve a goal, and subsequently fall in love. I count both Fake Date and False Engagement in this category, since the intent is similar.

Runaway Bride/Groom – one protagonist flees from the altar and is pursued by the other, to their (eventual) mutual satisfaction.

It’s interesting for me to see which tropes I use most often, by accident or design. There are some which I’ve used a lot more often than these, and we’ll get to them.

Which are your favorite tropes?