“Common Elements of this Trope Here are some elements that are common to stories using the marriage-of-convenience trope: Characters choose to get married, either due to their personal circumstances or because of their goals.
Marriage generally happens before the hero and heroine fall in love.
Sex often happens before there is any emotional intimacy between the couple.
The hero and heroine will usually come together in a way that is certain to generate conflict—so initially the sparks will fly but eventually an amazing love story will emerge.
There is an immense romantic arc – from two strangers with no romantic aspirations through to them being fully committed to each other.
There is strong attractional tension – our couple do not want to be attracted to each other.
It can be challenging for a writer to come up with plausible story scenarios since there are relatively few situations or reasons for a couple to contemplate entering into this type of relationship—especially with contemporary stories where the couple could simply opt to live together.
Additional tropes are often incorporated into the plot.”