These days we hear the word "tropes" all over the tiny corner of the internet that belongs to books. What are they, why do they matter, and why do we love some more than others?

Tropes are basically a theme that encompasses the overall plot of a story. And they matter because it is an easy, searchable term that readers and authors can use to find and market books that interest them.

Now, there are a ton of tropes out there, especially in the romance genre, but for the sake of not making this blog post the length of a novel, I'll focus on the most popular of them.

The Love Triangle: A story that focuses on one character falling in love with two (or more) different love interests and ultimately having to choose one.

The Reverse Harem: A story that focuses on one character falling in love with two (or more) different love interests and NOT having to choose one.

Fake Relationship: A story that focuses on two characters that have to pretend to be in a relationship for some reason and end up falling in love for real

Forced Marriage: A story that focuses on one or both characters being forced into an unwanted marriage and ultimately falling in love with each other.

Fated Love (or Fated Mates): A story that focuses on the two characters being destined to be together, often involving a strong and undeniable attraction and emotional connection.

Billionaires: A story that focuses on one character (usually a woman) gaining the affections (and love) of a wealthy man.

Friends to Lovers: A story that focuses on two characters that have been long-time friends falling in love.

Enemies to Lovers: A story that focuses on two characters that strongly dislike each other or are on opposite sides of a conflict falling in love.

So, now that you have a little description of what these popular tropes are, do any of them ring any bells for you? Maybe realized you tend to gravitate towards romances of a particular trope? Any favorites? Any that immediately turn you off? Let me know by commenting below!