Conversations with Kav – Tropes + Giveaway

Excited to talk about a hot topic today — Romantic Tropes. BUT first, I think Amazon’s bot’s spied on last week’s conversation ’cause I got the official notification this week banning me from posting reviews because of my “repeated violations of their community guidelines.” Sigh. They said I could email them if I had any concerns and, let me tell you, following the maze of links to finally get to the right place to send the email to was….interesting. So, now I’m waiting for their response.

Meanwhile — let’s talk about tropes! Do you have favourites? Ones you absolutely detest? If a favourite author writes a novel with one of your least favourite tropes, will you still read it? Inquiring minds want to know. AND, since I just discovered that Baker Book House offers gift cards and I’m miffed at Amazon — we’ll do a giveaway for a BBH gift card today too…but more about that later.

So, I’ll start the conversation off by answering my own questions. Yes, I have favourite tropes, so much so that knowing a story includes a certain trope will guarantee I’ll buy it. And yes, I also have some strong negative feelings about certain tropes that will pretty much guarantee I won’t read the book. There are only a very FEW fave authors I will blindly follow anywhere. So, for instance, if Irene Hannon wrote a love triangle (please, nooooo!) I’d read it. But that’s a very rare exception.

I brainstormed Romantic Tropes and here’s what I came up with. Did I miss any?

As a rule, I enjoy a variety of Romantic Tropes, but I do have favourites:

  • Grumpy/Sunshine – Love me a brooding hero with a heart of gold and the whole opposites attract thing he has going on with the heroine. (Yes, I know it can be reversed with the hero the grump but I prefer it the other way around.)
  • Marriage of Convenience – Yes, I know it would actually be horrendous in real life but it’s swoonworthy in my fiction!
  • Secret Crush – Soooooo much fun, especially in a rom/com. Angsty but with enough lighthearted scenes to not make it gutwrenching. And I don’t care who is pining for who…I just want all the feels. 🙂
  • Close Proximity – Especially in Romantic Suspense. So many opportunities for character development and relationship growth.

Now for the Romantic Tropes I don’t have a fondness for:

  • Secret Baby – There’s practically no good reason for a woman to keep the father of her child in the dark. If this trope isn’t written really, really, really well, the heroine comes off looking selfish and shallow. And no, just because your college boyfriend said he didn’t want kids doesn’t give you carte blanche to not tell him when you get pregnant. He deserves to know and make his own decision about how involved he’ll be in the child’s life. That’s not your call. Grrr…I pretty much always pass over books with this trope with very few exceptions. Having said that, I’ll concede that I have read some good ones where the author did manage the secret keeping reasons to feel plausible and relatable, but they are rare.
  • Amnesia – this used to be one of my favourite tropes but then it seemed like every Romantic Suspense book I picked up featured an amnesia plot and a lot of them weren’t developed well. So, I just had enough and started avoiding this trope altogether. I’ll make a few exceptions (again, if Irene Hannon wrote an amnesia story I’d be all in.)
  • Love Triangle – You all know I feel about this. No….just Noooooooooooooo! And part of the reason is I’m reading a romance for the happily ever after and, in a novel where both potential love interests in a love triangle are likeable I can’t stand the idea of the rejection one of them will feel. Yes, I know it’s a story but….And if it’s really clear who the love interest should be then I feel that all the nonsense with the obvious ‘loser’ is just a lot of wasted page time when I could be swooning over the nicely developing romance. Oh — and if a heroine is dithering over two guys and one is obviously a creep and she can’t see it, then I lose respect for her and I find it hard to be in her corner as she figures it out. I just want to shake some sense into her and tell the good hero guy to jump into another story and find a better heroine.

Hmmm….it seems I have strong opinions when it comes to tropes, but now it’s your turn. Have I missed any tropes? Feel free to add more in the comments. What are your favourite tropes? What are your least favourite?

WOOHOO! And now it’s time for the GIVEAWAY:

Just leave a comment and I’ll put your name in my Random Wheel of Names Generator and you could win a $10.00 e-gift card for Baker Book House. They have fantastic deals, including free shipping and discounts for new releases as well as used books.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 23 2024.

65 thoughts on “Conversations with Kav – Tropes + Giveaway”

  1. Favorites: Marriage of Convenience, Fake Relationship, Forced Proximity & Enemies To more.

    Least: Secret baby

    A good author can be maybe take the least favorite one and make it good. But I also have moments where Best Friends Brother or Sister, and Second chance get old. Because some Second Chance romances just feel rushed or I feel like we miss out on all the “firsts”…. but I still like them, depends on the author.

    Im neutral on Love Triangles. I havent read many with them. It could be hit or miss, based on whether I think the right person was chosen lol.

    Blessedmommy3x AT gmail DOT com

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    1. I like an enemies to more trope too — but it has to be done well. Sometimes, especially in rom/coms the hero and/or heroine come off as petty and vindictive at first which doesn’t endear me to them. There are so many ways authors can tweak these tropes — writing is such a fascinating thing.

      I have to admit that I’m quite the fan of second chance, though, again, the reason for the previous break up has to make sense (not petty or juvenile.) I think it can be interesting to see the relationship in the new light of maturity but I have also read some second chance romances that, like you said, felt rushed. You’re so right when you say it depends on the author.

      Bwahahaha — I can never be neutral on love triangles! 🙂

      Good luck, Blessed Mommy!

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  2. My favorites and dislikes match yours almost exactly! Lol😂 Although I do like a good amnesia story (I’m looking at you, The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter👀) and I don’t know that I’ve read too many secret crush stories🤔

    I agree with you that there aren’t many authors I’d follow blindly into a trope I dislike, but perhaps a few. (I’ve made the mistake of jumping genres because I enjoyed an author’s books so much, but quickly realized I really was only a fan of the originals genre I loved them for😂 Not exactly the same as trope-jumping, but close enough that I’m cautious with that as well, having learned from my mistakes, lol.)

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    1. Yay — we’re bookish kindred spirits. You’re right about the amnesia trope when it’s done well – makes for such a great read but I read so many ‘meh’ ones I got jaded. I’ll still trust a really fave author and recommends from trusted bibliophile friends though.

      Oh…jumping genres…there’s a topic for another day. Thanks for the inspiration. Good luck, Elly!

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  3. The only one I could think of that wasn’t on your list was only one bed, which is not a favorite of mine. While it can be included in a clean romance, it still… is a bit uncomfortable.

    I generally enjoy enemies-to-more, friends-to-more, fake dating, forced proximity, and grumpy sunshine.

    I usually don’t love single parent romance in any form (single parent, secret baby, pregnant heroine). Usually this means that one or both of the MCs doesn’t live in a way I think they should, although there are exceptions to every rule. I’m also saying this while knowing I’m basically writing a single parent romance, so take that how you will.

    I know there are lots of tropes that people generally dislike, but they’re tropes I have seen done where I still enjoy the book in the past. Things like love triangles, age gap, or insta love don’t necessarily bother me as long as they’re written well. Of course there are some amazing stories with these tropes and some… less than amazing stories with these tropes.

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    1. Hmmm….not sure if I’ve read a one bed trope either. Maybe not very common in Christian Fiction.

      Ohhh, you’re writing as well as reviewing? Awesomesauce. I think kids can add a lot to a story — expose character vulnerabilities, provide humour, show the soft aide hidden under the grumpy exterior of a brooding hero. Happy sigh.

      Yes, and unfortunately, some of us have huge dislikes due the the less amazing stories. 🙂 I mean, authors are always surprising me — shaking me out of my comfort zone if you will. I’m thinking of Elizabeth Maddrey’s billionaire series (so not a billionaire fan. In fact I cringe when I see that word in the title!) And the love triangle in Love and a Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray was…ack, can’t believe I’m saying this, really well-written and an integral part of the story.

      Good luck, Courtney!

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  4. Secret baby and insta love are my least favorite. I do enjoy a marriage of convenience or a secret crush. But even though I’m not a fan of ALL tropes, some authors just know how to handle it well. I’ll follow an author over a book description any day.

    kathrynlvossATgmailDOTcom

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    1. I like this: “I’ll follow an author over a book description any day.” I should adopt that motto…only not with Love Triangles. Bwahaha! And you’re so right, it really depends on the way an author approaches a trope.

      I don’t mind insta love — quite enjoy it actually, though some authors make it more believable than others. Sometimes it can feel forced. I think the reason I’m so open to insta love is because I know a couple who lived it. Met and married in under a month. Think he proposed on the third date. And they had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary when he died. They met in a small prairie town just after WWII, he’d been a pilot and had significant hearing loss from that and their first home was in a crudely converted silo. Had two kids there before they scraped enough money together to buy a house. The stories she told about trying to keep the place clean and watching to rascally boys in the middle of nowhere — literally only a dirt track to their door. She was a city girl from Toronto, he was a small town Saskatchewan boy — ohh, there’s another trope I didn’t mention — opposites attract! Anyway, their story totally romanticized insta love for me.

      Good luck, Kathryn!

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  6. Good morning Kav, I too will follow an author over a book description, but reading new authors requires knowing more about the trope. I like most anything if it’s well written, except scary suspense.

    If I’m picking my favorite type of story I enjoy marriage of convenience, friends to more, close proximity, amnesia and second chance romance.

    Secret babies and pregnant heroine have been so over done I don’t care if I ever read another one. Do women really fall in love with men that often while pregnant with another man’s baby? I just want to say to her, takes some time and breathe!

    My least favorite are fake relationships, royalty and billionaire. Although I’ve read a few billionaire stories I liked, for the most part I think of them as being based on materialism and don’t care for that. And by the way, when did being a millionaire stop being enough? That just rubs me wrong.

    I like grumpy/sunshine when the hero is the grump, but I can’t stand a grumpy heroine. I have read stories with the guy doing everything possible to win her over and the lady was so unreasonable all along the way I would say she doesn’t deserve the guy and why does he even want her anyway? Not my favorite, I want to like both the main characters.

    The weakest tropes to me are the ones that have a misunderstanding at their core. If the plot is based on misinformation that can be resolved by a simple conversation I consider that a weak plot and will be rolling my eyes the whole time.

    It seems easier to say what I don’t like or rubs me wrong, I like so many types of books in general. Just my 2 cents on tropes 🙂

    It’s sibling week for me this week! I’ve been enjoying time with my sister from Alabama and my 2 brothers who live near me. We have been all over our area shopping, eating at restaurants and just enjoying each other’s company. (So if you happen to wonder where I’ve been, that’s my story 😉 )

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    1. Totally agree with your pregnant heroine comments — I mean, should you even be making life altering decisions in the middle of pregnancy hormones?! And, even if the father was a cad, one is supposed to believe the heroine loved the father at one point and she’d be dealing with his betrayal on top of grappling with those aforementioned pregnancy hormones, so how realistic is it to think she’s going to fall in love so quickly? More like run the other way if a man shows interest.

      And yes, kindred spirits on the billionaire thing as well. I just think of all the billionaires behaving badly that are prevalent in our news feeds and shudder. No thank you. Give me the salt of the earth kinda hero who’s struggling to save the farm or scrambling to make his small business profitable — that equals humility which is a very attractive trait in a man. 🙂

      It’s funny how hard it is to make a grumpy heroine sympathetic, isn’t it? Somehow they come across as self-centred and shallow where there just seems to be more depth to the grumpy heroes I’ve read.

      Misunderstandings! Yes! Especially when there is such an obvious solution. Though, an initial misunderstanding at the meet-cute or into the very start of the story can be fun – especially in a rom/com, but it takes skill to make it work all the way through a novel. There has to be more to the conflict than jumping to the wrong conclusion all the time.

      So glad you’ve been enjoying a sibling week with lots of good eats! And I bet you are having nice autumn days too which is a bonus. Enjoy our company, Tracey. And good luck!

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  7. My two favorites are second chances and enemies to more both because they remind me of hubby and I. Without a second chance meeting, we won’t be here 42+ years later and although maybe not enemies, but we sure didn’t care of the other the first go round. A few years, finding ourselves in a different point in life and maturity changed that.

    We must really be alike because I agree wholeheartedly with your likes and dislikes and your reasoning.

    As for amazon, it’s like my feelings for Twitter. I’ve closed my account after hearing the nightly news this past week and then finding this on line to confirm what I thought I had heard to be correct. CBS report – Starting Nov. 15, the social media site formerly known as Twitter will share user data — including posts, likes, bookmarks and reposts — with third-party platforms that may use the information to train AI models. I know most if not all sights infringe on our privacy, but I think this is going just a step too far. Some disagree with me, but it’s the way I feel. I know it might affect being able to post reviews, which could affect author’s wanting me to read their books, but you have to stand up for what you believe. Hope you get the Amazon mess straightened out. It’s had when you have no one to call or being easier to get answers.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. I love the sound of your love story, Kay, and it must be fun to discover parts of it in fiction books you read!

      I’ve never had a twitter account — never thought of it as a platform to post reviews or promote books either. Oh well. I’ll stick to instagram and blogging…and maybe Amazon if they let me back in. I’d just give up on them entirely, but that would restrict my access to indie published books so that’s a conundrum. Good luck, Kay!

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  8. I’m so sorry about what’s going on with A*****. I doubt the email will be favorable bc I’ve been that route & ending up calling. This time was different than the time I recently told you about, so yeah, we’ve had our go rounds over the yrs! A few yrs ago we totally redid our bedroom & had to change colors of decor. New lamps, candles, wall art, etc. Well, dumb me, loved EVERYTHING so I took an hour or so to write reviews on them. Bc they came in fast & furious they thought I was a bot. So after the emails & sleepless nights, I called. It took 6 weeks to straighten this out. I kept telling them look at my orders & you will see that I bought these items. Finally when I threatened to close my acct, they sent me an apology & put my reviews back up. Now I don’t post any more than 2 reviews a week bc of that experience. Persistency is key & don’t back down.

    Now on to tropes. My least favorites are mail-order brides, altho I loved the movie, Sarah, Plain and Tall, billionaire, amnesia (however, Denise Hunter recently wrote a good one), and ugh, insta love! I know it happens in real life & I love when it does, but not in my books. I especially love romantic tension like Laura Frantz does so very well! I’m not averse to LTs IF they’re written well. Not a fan of secret baby, either. I enjoy 2nd chance romance, bc everyone deserves one after all. 😉 I don’t care much for Cinderella tropes, but I do like Beauty and the Beast stories. And when it comes to must read, favorite authors, anything goes!! 😂

    Have a blessed Sunday, Kav!

    dianalflowers at aol dot com

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    1. Arrrggghhh — I mean, reviews even say ‘verified purchase’ or something like that so how could they not tell that you had purchased those items? I post a lot of reviews and never thought that could be an issue. Some people like to read and Amazon should be glad of that! Sigh…I guess I’ll have to try to dig out a real live Amazon person. Last time I tried I got a lovely lady from the south with the cutest accent but since I had a Canada account issue she couldn’t help me.

      Wow, you’re one of the few readers who don’t like mail-order bride stories (and did I forget that trope? I think I did! And it’s one I do enjoy.) And yes, Denise Hunter’s recent amnesia story was fantastic! Brilliantly done. You are just as opinionated as I am on tropes, Diane. Love it — even though our likes and dislikes don’t always match up. I like any kind of fairy tale retelling so I’m with you on a Beauty and the Beast romance as well. I’ve read some awesome ones! Good luck!

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      1. I read a steady diet of mail-order brides books until I grew tired of them & they all started sounding the same. I did the same thing with Civil War era books & now I can hardly read anything in that genre. Too much of a good thing, I guess. 😏 Indigo Isle is a slight take on Beauty & the Beast & won 2 Christy awards! A great book!

        As far as Amazon, they’d tell me the reviews were a different dept than my orders & hook me up with someone else or said they’d email me. It took me 6 wks to clear that one up & the one with my book reviews was just a nuisance bc I was able to talk to too many customer reps. Way more than I ever wanted to! lol Let us know how it goes.

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      2. Yes — I’ve over indulged in certain tropes and gone off them for awhile too. That’s why I like to read a variety. We’ll see what happens with Amazon…I’m bracing myself. 🙂

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  9. My favorite tropes are probably Marriage of Convenience and Close/Forced Proximity. I’m not sure if this is a trope or not (probably not…?) but I also enjoy books where the main character is a doctor. 

    My least favorite is the Love Triangle trope. I tend to get aggravated with the characters, then I have a really hard time enjoying the story! 😕

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    1. Oooh…now you’ve given me another idea for a discussion topic — occupations! Thanks, Sabrina! I’m totally with you on the Love Triangle thing — 100%!!!!!!! Ugh! That sums them up for me. I’m actually reading a cozy mystery series now which has great mystery and cozy elements but every book there’s some ‘hot’ guy who is into her despite the fact that there’s this perfectly lovely guy you know she’s going to end up with…eventually…and every time she’s with another guy she keeps thinking of the ‘keeper'(in my opinion guy) but she still goes out on a date anyway. Gahhhh….it’s driving me crazy but I really want to see how they mystery is resolved. Sorry, rant over. Good luck, Sabrina!

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  10. Kav, first of all, so sorry for the trouble amazon is giving you. So frustrating. Sure hope it gets worked out. On tropes, love triangle and amnesia would not be on my favorite list.

    Great idea for the Baker Book House gift card. I love ordering preorders from them — often 40% off plus free shipping. Hard to beat! 🙂 Thanks for offering it!

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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    1. I totally agree with your dislikes, Cheryl. And yes, I recently discovered Baker Book House and love their deals. If I lived in the states I’d buy from them all the time. Much rather give them my money than Amazon. Works great for giveaways though. Good luck!

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  11. Will be interesting to see how your “discussion” with A——- works out. Also, re a prior post, it appears that one might be able to opt out of that X third party AI. Kav, I think you mentioned previously that you were also banned from FB. It would be telling to find their specific criteria. No one could be more decent than Kav talking about Christian Fiction! I seem to follow the majority opinions re trope. If it truly is designated Christian Fiction by one of the specific publishing houses and not just a clean fiction by more mainstream publisher, I don’t expect to find certain things in the story, such as secret babies or strong triangles. Also, I am not as fond of romance stories relating to Hollywood or more superficial settings. Misunderstandings can work as a quick introduction but not five chapters into the story – that becomes totally annoying and not believable.

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    1. I think the bots are all out to get me. Bwahahaha! And I couldn’t ever find a ‘live’ person from FB to talk to so I just gave up. Emails went nowhere. I’ll have to try being more persistent with Amazon.

      Oooh, yes, good point about Hollywood settings, not my fave either, However I’ve read some good ones lately — Toni Shiloh’s comes to mind. But I’ll also confess to having a ’30 era’s Hollywood setting novel on my TBR because it’s, well, Hollywood! Even though it has great reviews. I’m just not into all the glam and can’t relate to a heroine who is craving it. We definitely share the same viewpoints on a lot of these tropes. Good luck, CC!

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  12. I love a good marriage of convenience story, but I wonder why, because like you said in real life that would rarely happen!

    I’m not a big fan of second chance romances… I think the two that I read recently, the main characters were to young, enough time hadn’t gone by. But if the characters are older and more time has gone by I can see enjoying it more.

    I have wondered why more authors and bloggers don’t give away Baker gift cards, thanks for doing that!

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    1. Favorite: Friends to more, close proximity

      Won’t touch with a ten foot pole: Billionaire anything and secret baby.

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    2. I had no idea that Baker’s Book House did gift cards. I just randomly stumbled across it and was so thrilled. Much prefer giving them my business then Amazon (bah humbug) I find it so fascinating to see everyone’s take on tropes — what one loves, another hates and it’s all good because there are so many books and plenty of stories for us all. Good luck, Patty!

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  13. The tropes I don’t like are enemies to lovers and secret baby. I’d make an exception for an author whose books I really like. Most of the other tropes I’d give a try. I don’t really have a favorite. I like variety.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. I have no idea why secret baby seems to be so popular among publishers! Most of us don’t seem to like it. I like variety in my tropes too….just no love triangles. Bwahahaha! Good luck, Pam!

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  14. I wouldn’t say that I give too much thought to tropes. I’m not much for marriages of convenience since they feel very un-biblical to me. I’m a firm believer in marrying for love.

    If I had to pick a favourite, I’d probably say grumpy-sunshine and second-chance romance.

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  15. I’ve always loved marriage of convenience, brother’s best friend, and friends-to-more, and lately become a fan of fake dating. I struggle with secret baby because it’s such a shame that the father misses out on such a precious time of life (but I’ve read a couple where the author did a good job). I’m not a fan of love triangles, but again, occasionally I’ve read one that’s well-done.

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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    1. Yes — I think the secret baby trope irks me the most because I feel the tremendous loss of the hero. He can never make up those precious months/years and it’s so unfair. Good luck, Heidi!

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  16. I’m with you on most of your likes/dislikes. I usually enjoy friends-to-more and second chances. I don’t read ones with “billionaire” in the title. I think that one and secret babies are way overdone.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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  19. Why I like Historical Fiction ~ I appreciate all the research the authors do and what I learn about the time period. So do I like the background before the story? I like conversational, learning about the characters themselves. Several authors I would choose because their stories have stuck with me. Story themes I enjoy reading about are immigrants and their skills, mail-order brides, a changed life that is shown rather than talked about. What I have stopped reading: stories by authors that sound like their previous books with only changed names and places; theme stories by several authors at the same time ~ example, world’s fair when it was celebrating several year anniversary. I have enjoyed your showing of debut or new-to-me authors and primarily all our discussions here with “old and new friends.” Appreciate your comments. Kathleen

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    1. Bookish discussions are the best, aren’t they? I’m with you on Historical Fiction — love to learn about different times in history through story and I really love it when a novel inspires me to do my own research about some aspect of history I didn’t know about before. Good luck, Kathleen!

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  20. My two favorite tropes are Friends to More and Marriage of Convenience – my great-grandma was essentially a mail-order bride from Sweden, so I have extra fondness for that trope! And I’m with you that love triangle is right at the bottom. Maybe the right author could convince me, but it would take a really special story.

    Sorry to hear about your Amazon troubles! I was kicked off a couple years ago with no luck getting reinstated, so I understand the frustration. It’s really hard to support authors by leaving reviews when Amazon seems to arbitrarily kick off prolific reviewers.

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    1. First off — what a wonderful family legacy — a mail-order bride from Sweden. The courage it took for her to make that trip! Just wow. And — yikes to you not being able to resolve your issues with Amazon. That doesn’t bode well for me. Good luck, Rachael.

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  21. I do love Marriage of Convenience, close/forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine. I can’t stand love triangles, not big on secret baby either. I also tend to avoid insta love if I can. cilydav at hotmail dot com

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  22. well I’ll be different and say I just don’t like billionaire tropes. I just enjoy a little of everything. leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com

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      1. Only…just had a though — a billionaire hero wouldn’t blink an eye at setting up a library room (or even rooms) in his mansion for his heroine and keep it well stocked. There is that.

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  23. What a great discussion! I like opposites attract (that’s us!), friends to more, maybe grumpy/sunshine. I think the fake relationship one could possibly work.

    I dislike marriage of convenience, love triangle, enemies to more and secret baby. I’m on the fence about amnesia because I don’t think I’ve read any. Also on the fence about the billionaire romance because I’ve only read one and I liked it. (I think it was Elizabeth Maddrey’s also). I think this works best when the gal is unaware of his financial situation (but that may be hard to hide over time). Second chance romance, nah that ship has sailed.

    I’m so sorry the big A is giving you trouble! I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to a live person there. Do they really even have a phone number? Aggravating! Frustrating!

    perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com

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    1. Sigh. If Amazon does have a phone number, they’re hiding it very well. Double sigh. Neat that you are an opposite attracts couple — and that’s a trope I didn’t mention. Argh! So many good ones. Oh, if you’re interested in sampling a really good amnesia trope check out Denise Hunter’s Before We Were Us. It’s phenomenal! And I bet your library has a copy for sure. Oh, and I think Elizabeth Maddrey’s billionaire series worked because the guys weren’t born billionaires, they pooled their resources and made some savvy investments and voila! Plus they were all prayful about the way viewed their wealth, and looked for God’s guidance in how to use it wisely. Great series — I think I have one more to read. Must put that on my January TBR. Good luck, Perrianne!

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  24. My favorites are Marriage of Convenience and Friends to More. Billionaire and royalty tropes are fun, too, even if they are a bit unrealistic. 😀 Least favorite tropes would be Enemies to More (that trope usually feels too rushed for me) and Love Triangle (I hate knowing that someone is going to hurt no matter what the outcome is).

    eclitton at gmail dot com

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  26. Some of the troupes I like are Close/Forced Proximity and Marriage of Convenience. I am not a fan of Secret Baby and Billionaire. Billionaire to me is unrealistic and over-saturated in the market.

    I’m sorry to hear that Amazon is being such a stinker about you leaving reviews. That just doesn’t make sense. It would seem that they would be grateful for the awesome reviews that you leave. I hope you get a good resolution, Kav! I really like this new BBH gift card giveaway! What a fun idea! Thanks for this chance to win!

    Alison Boss nj(dot)bossman(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Yeah, I don’t get the billionaire trope at all but, I guess some people do. I see ‘billionaire’ in the title and cringe.

      I finally found a phone number for Amazon so I’m going to see where I get with them today. I don’t know if these BBH gift cards are a new thing or I just never noticed them before but definitely a fun addition to the giveaway vault. 🙂 Good luck, Alison!

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  27. My least favorite are love triangles and age gaps, which is odd for me considering my grandparents were 16 years apart and definitely loved each other! 😂 I don’t know that I have a favorite, I mostly just know what I don’t like.

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  28. I think my thoughts/feelings pretty much align with yours!lol I think my very favorite is the secret love. I spend half the time screaming in my head “just tell them for crying out loud!” And it’s always soooo fun when they finally do!lol

    Definitely do not like secret baby plots. But I don’t think I’ve come across many of those in the books I read, thank goodness.

    ladepooh at hotmail dot com

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  29. Wow this is an interesting conversation. My favorite are friends to more, and marriage of convenience. Billionaire romance can’t stand. It’s just so unrealistic. How much do we really know about a billionaire and his personal life besides what they allow us to see via social media/newspapers ect. And all that’s staged. So I feel like reading those is just like reading a stupid magazine or social media post. Lol

    One bed romance is done in CF. Jody Hedlund has done one in the Lighthouse series. I believe there is also one in her Cowboy series. It is a bit uncomfortable. Of course nothing happens. And I know it does happens sometimes. I just feel like if it is done to much it feels like they are just tempting themselves. It’s one thing if it’s general fic and I know they don’t mind premarital sex. But when it’s CF and they keep tempting themselves it’s just a little awkward. It definitely has to be handled with care for sure.

    thnx Kav! sarahdar0801ATgmailDOTcom

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    1. That’s interesting about your examples of one bed romance…which I never really thought of as a trope. I think the only time I’ve read it in CF is in a suspense, maybe, where they’re on the run and have to rest where they can, not usually in a bed. Or, I guess a marriage of convenience story? Good luck, Sarah!

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