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What is Romance? According to the dictionary, it is “a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.” We all know love has been around since the beginning of time, even if a name wasn’t given to it. There are all types of love… self-love, love for your family and friends, or a love for your favorite object. But let’s be real we want to talk about the love (i.e. excitement) you feel for someone when you first see them and your pulse begins to race, or the love you finally realize is there when you think you hate that person.

I can go on and on because there is no direct path to love. So, how did the publishing industry capitalize on these feelings and create a billion-dollar industry? That’s a topic for another time. But let’s explore a few of the categories of romance that keep its loyal readers (including yours truly) clamoring for more. And authors around the world constantly writing to keep up with the voracious appetite for all things romance.

When a romance book is categorized, it is based on the trope that is dominant in the storyline. So, what’s a trope in romance? It is a plot, theme, character description, or situation that is the catalyst of the conflict. There can be several tropes in a romance book, but it is categorized on the dominant trope.

There are many, many romance tropes. The most popular tropes are

• Friends to lovers
• Enemies to lovers
• Second chance
• Forced proximity
• Fake relationship
• Forbidden love

Here is a list of some of the most popular tropes. What’s nice about this list is it gives examples of books and a brief synopsis that explains the trope in more detail. With this information, count how many romance books you’ve read that fall into these categories.

What’s your favorite trope? Why? What would you like to see more of/less of? Drop your answers in the comments. We Indie authors always want to give you want! Until next time…