I don’t know about you, but I’ve been watching a lot more TV during this time of quarantine. I’ve also gone back to my Asian roots and gotten into C-dramas, partly to brush up on my Chinese and also for nostalgia’s sake (I used to watch them with my parents when I was young). One particular show I’m watching features a total alpha male who does all of the usual alpha male things, such as making every woman swoon when he saunters into a room, and swooping in to rescue the damsel in distress at the exact moment she needs help. It’s a bit campy and dramatic, but also tickles my romantic “funny bone” to see this kind of stereotypical behavior. That’s when I realized I actually love romance cliches, as cheesy as they are!
Gasp!
I know, I know, as a romance author, I feel a teeny bit embarrassed that I buy into romance cliches. Aren’t authors supposed to be imaginative and creative with their stories? Yes, definitely. But there’s something just so safe and comfortable about writing and reading cliches, kind of like wearing your favorite pair of warm, woolly socks during the winter.
So, with that said, I’d like to share 7 romance cliches that I (now not-so-secretly) love.
- The Alpha Male – Maybe it’s because I married one, but I totally appreciate men who know who they are and have the confidence to take charge in a situation. Even better yet are the wounded alphas, male leads who have a tragic past and find healing through the love of a woman.
- The Mad-Dash Love Confession – This is the one where one of the main characters makes a mad dash to the airport to declare their love before the other person can take off and leave town forever. It makes you wonder why their flights never take off on time (I suppose you could blame security lines!), but these kind of confessions do make for some swoon-worthy scenes.
- Kissing in the Rain – I bet you can name 3 movies where a couple kisses in the rain. Is being drenched and cold romantic? Not at all! But getting kissed by the love of your life while catching pneumonia? Absolutely!
- Being Trapped Together – Elevators always break down at the most opportune times in a romance, don’t they? Lol. There’s just something suspenseful and fun about two characters getting stuck together where neither one can run away and all they can do is talk out their problems like we know they should!
- Lost Memories – Yup, we’re talking about amnesia! My hubby thinks this cliche is unrealistic, but it still manages to pull at my heartstrings. I think the characters in these romances have to fight harder for their happy endings, which makes me want to root for them more.
- Forced to Work Together – Isn’t it so convenient when two characters who don’t want to fall in love with each other end up having to spend lots of time together? Maybe they need to plan an event or they’re part of the same wedding party—whatever the case may be, it’s always fun to see the sparks fly in these situations.
- The Timely Bump-Fall-Catch – This one might be my favorite. You know how it goes: girl bumps into boy, she loses her balance and falls, and he catches her just in the nick of time. It’s a bit overdone, but still romantic and even more fun in slow motion!
Now that I’ve revealed the romance cliches I enjoy, I’d love to hear about yours! Feel free to share in the comments below!
Giveaway: I’d like to give away a $5 Amazon gift card. One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments below. The giveaway will remain open until midnight on Sunday, November 22nd.
A chauffeur and referee by day (AKA a stay at home mom of two), Liwen Y. Ho writes inspirational and sweet romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).
I had my very first kiss in the rain. It is romantic.
I love an adorable meet cute too.
I love all of those!! I love this whole post.
1. The meet cute.
2. The almost kiss.
3. The pretend fiance.
3. The weekend date.
Liwen…..I could go on. But I love everything about romance movies and books. I love reading them and writing them.
Thanks for the fun post.
I’m a sucker for the blue-collar hero. (I married one, so it’s not too surprising.)
Yes! Especially to the tragic alpha hero. :)
I like #6 the best and #5 the least. I love love triangles which is why I read lots of ya.
I like any and all!! I don’t even mind the secret baby too much, as I’ve seen it handled very well by CF authors, though I admit it’s not at the very top of my list!!
I love all of them. As well as those with military, firefighter themes
Meet in high school lost touch reconnected years or decades later.
I just did a blog post with some of my favorite tropes!
#2, #4, #5, and #6 are favorites of mine, too. Royal romances, celebrities, and fairy-tale retellings are more of my favorites.
I was just thinking of Anne of Green Gables – hating Gilbert Blythe in grade school, and then falling for him later.
I like all of these :)But I also love royalty and fairy tales.
I enjoy the enemies to more cliche and the fake fiance cliche too. I also agree with all the ones you listed too :). I think cliches work so well because we know what we are getting and it always ends up happy.
Hi Mary! Oh, that is so romantic! What a fun memory. And I totally forgot about the adorable meet cute! Good one. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Lindi! The almost kiss! How could I forget that?! LOL. So glad you enjoyed the post!
Hi Karin! Yes, they’re awesome, both in fiction and in real life. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Toni! Right?! They just tug at your heartstrings! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Elle! Ooh, I gotta say, you’re one of the few people I’ve met who like love triangles! Good to know. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Trudy,
I’m with you on the secret baby one. :) But yes, all the cliches are fun! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Yvonne! Ooh yes, men in uniform are awesome, in books and in real life. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Kim! Ooh, I love those, too! I like how the characters’ past adds some familiarity to their relationship. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Abigail! So cool! I just visited your blog (great roundup of tropes!) and also followed you on IG (your leaf photos are so pretty!). Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Lila! Ooh yes, royal romances are fun! I just watched a Christmas one last night. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Margaret! Ah yes, the old enemies to lovers cliche! Anne and Gilbert were pros at that one. ;) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Angeline! Yes, I’m a fan of royalty, too. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Megan! For sure. Especially this year, predictability is a good thing. ;) Thanks for reading and commenting!
I like love triangles, too. :)
I like all of the above but especially when male rescues female just before she dies of exposure and broken bones etc. It’s even funnier when stereotype is reversed and woman rescues man. Since I have a medical background as a former nurse I like to see how realistic it is. (Usually not very realistic but fun to read.)
I like many types but I think men in uniform are high on my list! I also enjoy many of the mail order bride/groom stories. I will say the ones I like are written in unusual, creative ways. A couple that stand out in my memory is one where the man is drawn in quickly by the kids that came in with his mail order bride. Of course there always needs to be (in my opinion) someone who shows up seeking revenge for some wrong done to them before the person left, adding that suspense type of twist. I also like it when the mail order duo connects strongly in their faith in God and seeing how He develops the love to grow in the couple!
These are some of my “love likes”.
Hi Diana! The reversed stereotype idea would be fun to write! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Deb! Great thoughts. I also like reading about kids who help play “matchmaker” for a couple. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I love the ones when a guy has lost his wife and he has a child and then he meets the childs teacher or caregiver and they fall in love. I love all the ones you named. Have a Great weekend and stay safe.
Hi Alicia! Ooh, yes, that’s a good one! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Oh boy, I LOLed so hard at some of your descriptions (“It makes you wonder why their flights never take off on time” xD) that one can’t help but wonder, you must be an author ;).
As for which cliches I enjoy, I think they are the Alpha Male as well as the Forced to Work Together (though now that you mentioned it, Being Trapped Together is also appealing).
Thanks for a great (and funny ;) ) post!
If I remember right that was one of Cat Cahill’s stories where the mail order bride was raising her niece & nephew and her new husband fell in love with the kids so quickly and naturally. A great read! It’s funny because I told her that before I started it I was thinking I shouldn’t have agreed to do another mail order bride book for her, figuring it would be “same story, different day”. But with the way she always pulls off unique twists in the storyline I was hooked by the first few pages! Needless to say I loved it. 😊
I think it was Mark Twain who said that a cauliflower was a cabbage with a college education. So, with apologies to Mr. Twain, I think we could just as well say that a trope is just a cliche with a college education. :) The pattern of the trope is richer, more complex but still offers a sense of expectation and hope for an HEA.
I have a penchant for Marriage of Convenience stories. There is a sense of honor and sacrifice often nurturing a broken or frightened heart and being rewarded with love in return. I also like romantic fairy tale retellings like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. I guess the common theme there is the underdog. Someone (he OR she) has a hope for love. The struggle in the story is finding the way that such a hope can be fulfilled despite the odds against it.
I can see that same idea in the Tragic Alpha and the Lost Memories. But I’ve got nothing against the others on the list either. Though Kissing in the Rain has limited appeal. Sharing a warm fire and a towel afterward? Much better. Also, Working Together was part of my story with my sweetie! Somewhere in there, I managed to catch her jaded eye and become more than something the cat dragged in, LOL!
I love second chances, redemption, and enemies to love.
Hi Priscila! Haha, I couldn’t help it with the airport reaction. LOL. My logical side wins over the romantic side most days. LOL. So glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Lincoln! Your comments are always so thoughtful and fun. A cliche with a college education. LOL. You sound like my hubby—he loves rooting for the underdog as well. And yay for catching your sweetie’s “jaded eye”! I bet there’s a good story there. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Denise! Those are all so good! Thanks for reading and commenting!
I love second chance books & men that rescue women.
Hi Amy! Those are great choices! Thanks for reading and commenting!
I love the boy next door falls in the love with the girl next door. They were friends all during their lives.
Hi Debra! Oh, this is one of my top faves, too!! I love the familiarity of old friends. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I like cliches. When I read the other comments, I saw that all the cliches were mentioned that I love. I think everyone likes certain cliches because they are so recognizable and fun. Thank you for this post that gave me a big smile!
Hi Marilene! Yes, there were some great ones that were mentioned. Great minds think alike. :) So glad you enjoyed this post! Thank you for reading and commenting!
I like the Forced to Work Together.
Friends to more
Hi Paula! Those are great choices. I really like friends to more, too. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Being trapped together and lost memories are my favorite!
Is a cliche like a troupe? Because I have a few favorite troupes in a story (or movie).
I love a friends-to more book, probably because that was the way my husband and I were before we were married. I’ve also read a few fake engagements and found I enjoy those too! I like wounded heroes or heroines too.
As far as movies, my top two favorite are “While you were sleeping” and “Sleepless in Seattle”….the first one is fake engagement and second one is enemies-to-more. The second one is fun too, watching two people go from they can’t stand each other to falling head-over-heels in love. Not sure how that would work in real life, but I love reading or watching it in a movie :-)
Hi Natalya! Those are great ones! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Trixi! Yes, a cliche is similar to a trope. Tropes are probably easier to identify. I love “While You Were Sleeping”, too! Thanks for reading and commenting!