Romance novel cliches you’ll actually love

Just because it’s a cliche and has been done a million times before doesn’t mean I have to hate it, right? Good thing no one’s the boss of me, because there are actually quite a few things that have happened tons of times in romance novels, and still, I never get sick of seeing them. Here are just a few…

There’s only one bed

This happens ALL THE TIME in roadtrip romance. The hero and heroine are travelling, or stranded somewhere together, and there’s only one bed, so they have to share. They often go to sleep on their own sides of the bed, then wake up all tangled up, as if they couldn’t stay away from each other, even though they were asleep. And I love it every time I read it. 

For great “there’s only one bed” reads, check out:

And our super-smart readers recommend: 

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Fake relationship to get through a wedding/family event

In real life, I’d tell the person who thinks they need a fake boyfriend/girlfriend to get through a wedding and/or family event to sack-up and man through it instead of lying to everyone around them. But in a romance novel, I adore this trope, even though it’s happened so, so many times before. Here are a few of my favorites: 

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Stranded together in bad weather

This one would scare the crap out of me in real life, because I don’t travel light and need lots and lots of stuff to get me through a day. But in romance novels, there’s nothing hotter than two hot people who are hot for each other getting trapped together by bad weather. (And yes, the use of “hot” in that sentence 3 times was intentional. That’s how I roll.) Here are just a few of the many, many awesome stranded together in bad weather romances I’ve enjoyed over the years.

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My one night stand is my new boss

In real life, I would tell women who are about to start a new job NOT to have a one-night stand, because if all the romance novels I’ve read are to be believed, there’s a 60% chance that the guy you’re thinking of having sex with is your new boss. I mean, it happened to Meredith Grey, didn’t it? But anyhoo, in romance novels, I’m glad no one follows that advice, because there have been plenty of great reads about this very topic…

And our super-smart readers recommend: 

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Switched phone/wrong number madness

Hilarity—and romance—ensues when phones are switched and/or the wrong folks are called. I wish there were more of these frankly. It’s not new or innovative, but I WANT MORE! These are a few I’ve enjoyed:

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The gruff, grumpy loner hero

There just aren’t that many happy, shiny loners in Romancelandia, so the gruff and grumpy loner IS a bit of a cliche by this point. And I totally don’t care. There are few things I love more in a romance novel than a grumpy hero. I don’t even know why, but when I see the word “grumpy” in a blurb, I’m instantly intrigued. Here’s a few of my favorite gruff, grumpy loners: 

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What about y’all? Any cliches you adore? Let’s hear ‘em! We’d love to discuss.