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Trope flipping: What I want to see more of in romance novels in 2021

1/25/2021

5 Comments

 
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I love that romance novels have familiar tropes. Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of surprises. I enjoy knowing (for the most part) what I'm getting into before I start reading. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to see the familiar tropes I love done in an uninteresting, unexpected way every now and then. So, with that in mind, here are some flipped tropes that I'm hoping to see more of in 2021 (authors out there, I hope you're paying attention. Please and thanks) : 

Age gap romance where the heroine is older

via GIPHY

You can't swing a dead cat in Romancelandia without hitting an age gap romance about an older guy and a younger woman. And heck, there are even a ton of those types of age gap romances that I really love. But while there are some great examples of older heroine/younger hero romances out there, I want MORE. 

Rock stars who aren't manwhores

via GIPHY

Look, I realize that groupies are often part of the rock star lifestyle. But why can't we have more romances about rock stars like Jon Bon Jovi who give tons of time and money to charity and are faithful to the women in their lives? Jon married his high school sweetheart and has been faithful (as far as we know) to this day. I want more of THOSE rock star heroes in my romances. Note: While we wait for more, I highly recommend The Has-Been and the Hot Mess by Isabel Jordan, which features a hot has-been rocker who runs a dog rescue. *swoon* And, of course, there are these great reads that fit the bill. 

Billionaires who are WOMEN

via GIPHY

I can think of one series where all the billionaires are women, and that's it. The billionaire romance trope is dominated by alpha males, and I really want to see more women break into that club. 

Billionaires who aren't alpha jerkwads

via GIPHY

I recently did a recommendations list of billionaires who aren't alpha jerkwads, but it wasn't a huge list because those books were really hard to find! Can some author (or group of authors) make this happen for me? Doesn't feel like too much to ask. Billionaire romance doesn't HAVE to include a messed up, domineering a-hole hero, does it?  

Rom com that's REALLY funny

via GIPHY

Somewhere along the line, authors and publishers got the idea that any romance that is low angst can be marketed with a cartoon cover and called rom com. Well, no. I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. To be a rom com, I need laugh-out-loud, almost-pee-your-pants comedy. Low angst is great, but it doesn't automatically mean rom com. The books on this list are rom coms, for example. So are these. Low angst contemporary romance is just...low angst contemporary romance. 

Heroines who are stronger than their heroes

via GIPHY

More female superheroes like Greer in Caped and Dangerous, please. Killian was a great hero because he supported Greer at every turn, and was perfectly OK with the fact that she could snap him like a twig. It was refreshing, and I want to see more of it. Sure, there are plenty of awesome, kickass heroines in romance, but precious few who are WAY stronger than their chosen heroes. I'd like to see that change in 2021. 

Grumpy/sunshine pairings where the heroine is the grumpy one

via GIPHY

I've talked about how much I love the grumpy/sunshine trope. I've also talked about how much I adore grumpy heroines. But the combination of the two tropes is so rare that I'm struggling to find a really good one. So, authors, can we change that soon? Please and thanks again. 

But what about you? What are YOU hoping to see more of in romance novels in 2021? Let's discuss in the comments! 

5 Comments
Sarah B.
1/25/2021 11:55:23 am

More older couples who aren't pathetic! Any setup for this works- working on saving a 10+ year marriage? Divorced and dating again? Focused on your career and didn't expect to fall in love at 40? Any of those work for me as long as they're not pathetic "woe-is-me, I'm 37 and single" characters.

Reply
Jennifer, Romance Rehab
1/25/2021 12:11:58 pm

Yes! Good point. I'm not a huge fan of the "oh, I'm so sad because I'm 40 and single" characters, either. And since you mentioned it, you don't see too many great romances about already married people working to save their relationship, either. I'd really like to have more options for that flipped trope, too. Thanks for commenting!

Reply
Alexis
1/27/2021 09:59:28 am

I am right there with you Sarah B! Those "older" romance novels are so hard to find but are so much better IMO due to the maturity in the characters and actual real world problems they have to tackle vs these "ask me to the prom" problems that are ~200/300 pages long.....so far the only writer that develops great longer stories with strong older characters is Kristen Ashley i.e. the Magdalene Series, and even a few of the Colorado Mountain series. I have been scouring this website and the internet for a new author that fits this description and i am yet to find one! please send some my way if anyone has suggestions!

Reply
Sarah B.
1/27/2021 10:39:29 am

I do have suggestions! Lucy Score does some great older character rom-coms- two favorites of mine are By A Thread and Rock Bottom Girl, both having characters in their late 30's (the hero in BAT is in his 40s).

Kate Meader and Kate Canterbary both have some books with older characters and I can't think of any of either of their books that are young/new adult. Olivia Dade also writes mostly older characters and her books are usually enjoyable.

For marriage-in-trouble/etc. I liked: Letters to Molly by Devney Perry (they've been divorced for 5 years), Then Came You by Kate Meader, Ever After Always by Chloe Liese. For two books that are some of the most popular with the theme, I thought Bromance Book Club & Love Her or Lose Her were both okay- worth picking up on sale or from the library, but nothing I'd put at the top of my list.

Jane
1/25/2021 03:29:09 pm

LOVE all of these! Rom-Coms are not funny and I just... don't get it. The only genuinely funny one I've read recently is You Deserve Each Other and that was hilarious.

Currently writing an older woman/younger man erotic romance right now because I want more of that too!

Totally agree with other commenter about marriage-in-trouble trope, too. <3

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