My next book, The Billionaire’s Best Friend, will release on June 17th. Last time I blogged, I mentioned some of the more challenging (at least to me) parts of the friends-to-more or friends-to-love trope. This time, I thought it would be fun to visit some of my favorite CCR that has the friends-to-more trope. Because there are a lot of great ones out there!
As hard as I struggle sometimes when I’m writing this trope, I really do enjoy it when it’s done well. Because there’s something about that fingernail biting time where one (or both) of the friends is on the cusp of trying to change the relationship and they’re agonizing about whether or not to take the plunge.
Because it could be glorious!
But they could also end up losing more than they bargained for.
So while this is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, here are some friends-to-more books that I have enjoyed greatly.
First up is An Unlikely Proposal by Toni Shiloh. I love that this one just is all in, right from the start. Because not only is it friends to more, it’s a marriage of convenience! In some ways, being friends makes the MOC work really well. Because of course this is something friends would do for one another. But on the flip side? It really pushes the problems of the change in relationship into the forefront. But I loved how Toni handled it. Plus, the hero had adorable kids who really added to the story.
Next, also friends-to-more combined with marriage of convenience, is Marrying Mandy by Melanie Snitker. I loved that in this one, Preston was already half in love with Mandy at the very beginning, despite her having seriously friend zoned him. And so his suggestion of a marriage of convenience is one that is kind of self serving, but also it really does have the potential to solve her problems. And he’s such a gentleman–despite his care for her, he lets her set the pace in that transition out of the friend zone.
Then there’s Lavender and Lace by Tara Grace Ericson. This one is fun because it’s got a bit of hidden/mistaken identity to it as well. Lavender and Emmett are friends…online. They don’t actually know each other in person until she’s hired to help with his social media. In person, they aren’t fast and immediate friends, but the potential is there. And it’s fun to see that push-pull of the online friendship at odds with the in person fighting and frustration.
Another is The Breakup Project by Carolyn Miller. This has a fun twist on the friends to more trope because, in addition to being friends in their own right, he’s also her brother’s friend. So there are some extra, fun reasons for him to be in the friend zone.
Older, but still fabulous, is A Lesson in Love by Autumn Macarthur. I love her books set in the UK (because hello free vacation without all the travel delays) and Fraser is almost the perfect hero all around. Who doesn’t want a handsome Scot?
For me? The Billionaire’s Best Friend isn’t my only friends-to-more story. A Heart Reconsidered is book six of the Peacock Hill series. Claire and Danny have spent the previous five books as friends–a little unrequited love along the way from both sides, just never at the same time. And it all comes to a head at the end, because Claire is tired of the friend zone.
My very first book ever, Wisdom to Know, is a friends to more as well. Kevin has been in love with his best friend, Lydia, since high school. But she’s got him so firmly in the friend zone, she doesn’t always remember he’s not her brother. In fact, that whole first series is mostly friends to more. Courage to Change (book 2) is. Joint Venture–a prequel that I have listed as book 4–is. And there are elements of friends to more in book 3 (Serenity to Accept) as well as book 5 (Pathway to Peace).
Books 2 and 4 (Muffins & Moonbeams as well as Donuts & Daydreams) of my Arcadia Valley Series are friends to more.
And finally, because I really could go on and on, my book A Dash of Daring is also friends to more.
Now it’s your turn! What are your favorite friends to more books (CCR, please!) What are your thoughts on the trope? I’ll choose one commenter on Saturday, June 11, to get their choice of my friends to more titles.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
I love friends to more romances! Watching the couple’s feelings morph into attraction and romance is such a satisfying journey. There are so many good ones, so I’ll limit myself to mentioning the last one I read: With Love, Melody by Emily Dana Botrous. I wrote a friends to more romance, too, and have plans of doing another later this year.
It can be a lot of fun watching those feelings change for sure! Which of your titles is friends to more (obviously I haven’t read all of yours yet!)
I LOVE Marrying Mandy. One of my favorites.
Thanks for mentioning AUP!
Also, I loved The Billionaire’s Best Friend. So excited for its official release!
I had to go back and reread AUP after reading An Unlikely Alliance because of how well the two of them go together.
And yay! I’m excited for Best Friend to come out too :)
thank you for being here today and sharing. I find this a fun trope. I enjoy watching how the relationship goes.
Your The Billionaire’s Best Friend is great! Mandi Blake’s Almost Everything (Blackwater Ranch Book 2) is another great friends to more, which also throws in that the hero is also the heroine’s brother’s best friend. I know I’ve read more, but this what I can think of right now.
It can definitely be fun. I do feel like when characters are friends disagreement has to be carefully considered. Because they should know each other.
Thanks, Trudy! I totally forgot about Mandi’s!
I really enjoy the friends to more trope too. Becky Wade and Pepper Basham have both had a couple stories using those tropes that were excellent. I like the tension between the friends aspect and the romance aspect, plus since they’re already friends they have a good foundation to build a relationship on.
It’s definitely (IMO) one of the better tropes if you’re hunting for “realistic and lasting relationship”
I enjoy friends to more troupe.
The Billionaire’s Nanny was fun & I can’t wait for the rest of this series! Knowing the next one is a friends-to-more excites me even more because there’s no better troupe in my mind. Those are my tippy top favorite kind of stories to read :-)
Maybe because I have my own friends-to-more love story. I relive the agnsty feeling of not wanting to lose a friendship with someone I care about but yet wanting to move into something more. The questions of “does he feel the same or am I imagining it” kind of scenario going on in my head. I remember those days…lol! And that’s why I can connect with the characters because I understand some of what they go through. Then finally when they both realize that it’s love they are feeling, wow, it really is the sweetest!! I think friendship as basis for a romance makes it stronger & has more depth of feelings…at least in my opinion anyway.
I can’t really name a particular book with this troupe because I read so many books in the first place. It’s hard to keep track of them all…lol! Great recommendations you have here Elizabeth, I’ll be checking them out for sure! They’ll most likely go on my TBR pile :-)
It can be a fun one for sure.
Oh yay! I love adding to people’s TBRs :)
My hubby and I are friends to more as well, so it’s definitely one I can relate to more easily. And yeah, that tension of should we? What if…? Gah!
I love reading Friends to more trope because I love finding out how they get to be more than just friends. Have a great week and stay safe. I enjoyed reading this post.
Thanks! You too.
I liked The Breakup Project, too! And I can’t wait to read The Billionaire’s Best Friend!
no fav
I enjoy the friends to more troupe. I would have to say Tacos for Two by Betsy St. Amant. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Mine would have to be “Lesson of Love”
I enjoy all different ones but no special favourite yet.
I briefly debated including Tacos for Two! It’s a great book.
Elizabeth,
I’ve read many of the books you’ve mentioned and they’re all great fun!
An author I’ve found who also has some cute friends to more troupe books is Liwen Y. Ho. I just read through her Fab Forties Series. It was so fun to read.
Thanks for writing wonderful books to read!
Whenever I see one of your books I know I’ll enjoy it.
A couple I loved were Jessie Gussman’s Best Friends in the Show Me State and The Cowboy’s Best Friend.
I love the trope! it’s really adorable also being friends first I know that feelings are deep and not just lust.