100+ romance tropes
This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a great start to help you identify ways to bring drama into your romance based on reader expectations of the different tropes.Â
Blending tropes can make your story really stand out and sing!Â
Accidental pregnancy
Afraid to commit
Age gap
Alien
Alpha hero(ine)
Amnesia
Arranged marriage
Athlete
Auction (virgin, bachelor)
Band of brothers
Best friend’s brother
Big Beautiful Woman
Billionaire
Blackmail
Blind date
Bodyguard
Boss & employee
Bully
Business rivals
Cinnamom roll hero
Coming of age
Cougar
Cowboy
Dark secret
Disguise / secret identity
Domme & submissive
Embracing one’s destiny
Enemies to lovers
Fairytale
Fake relationship / marriage
Family at war (internal)
Family at war (external)
Fated mates
Firefighter
First responder
Fish out of water
Fling to forever
Forbidden love
Forced proximity
Friends to lovers
Gang of gal pals
Ghost
Girl next door
Grumpy + sunshine
Guardian + ward
Holiday / Christmas
Housekeeper
Identical twins
Instalove / instalust
Instant family
Invisible disability
Jilted bride / groom
Just one bed
Kidnapped
LGBTQIA2S+
Librarian
Love at first sight
Love potion / magic spell
Love triangle
Mafia
Mail-order bride
Makeover
Marriage of convenience
Matchmaker
Medical crisis
Military
Mistaken identity
Mixed cultures
Mixed species love
Monster / non-human hero/heroine
Motorcycle club
Nanny / au pair
New girl in town
Office romance
One-night stand
Only one bed
Opposites attract
Orphan
Pining for a friend
Playboy
Politician
Priest
Rake / rogue
Rancher
Reality TV show
Redemption
Resistant children
Return from (believed) dead
Return to hometown
Revenge
Reverse harem (MMMF)
Rivals to lovers
Road trip
Rock star
Roommates
Royalty
Runaway bride/groom
Scars (literal … figurative)
School / academy
Seasoned lovers (over 40)
Second chance
Secret admirer
Secret baby
Secret heir
Sex worker
Shape shifter
Shared past
Sibling’s best friend
Sibling’s former lover
Silver fox
Singles pact
Small town
Star-crossed lovers
Step-brother
Teacher / student
Time travel
Tortured hero
Trapped together
Ugly duckling becomes swan
Unrequited love
Vegas marriage
Virgin
Wallflower
Why choose?
Widow(er)
(Wo)man in peril
Wrong side of the tracks