A Not-so-Brief Word about Tropes

​Hello, Romance lovers!

This month’s Romance Required book is “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure if it technically can be considered a true romance novel, even though romance does play a large role in it. But I figured a change of pace might be good, and even though it’s been a very long time since I’ve read the book, I remember the romance parts being very, very romantic.

I remember my mother watching the “Thorn Birds” on television when they made it into a miniseries in 1983. I was only around five years old at the time so it had to have made a big impression on Little Colleen! I remember thinking how beautiful Meggie looked in her “ashes of roses” dress, and how dashing Father Ralph looked in his cassock. I will admit the plain black cassock is my favorite out of all the Roman Catholic clerical garments (I wonder what it says about me that I have a favorite one at all), and I can blame “The Thorn Birds” for this little quirk, I suppose. The main reason why I chose “The Thorn Birds” was because I wanted to focus on a particular “trope” in romance, that being “forbidden love.” (A “trope” is a recurring theme or plot device often found in literature.) Ralph and Meggie’s love, though pure, was definitely forbidden since he had sworn a vow of celibacy to the Catholic Church. There are other examples of the forbidden love trope, such as books involving a romance between a boss and their subordinate, or a teacher and their student (this one usually is set in a college or university setting, for obvious reasons), or even stepbrother and stepsister.

​Most romance aficionados have a favorite trope or two. For those keeping track at home, mine happen to be Grumpy vs. Sunshine, friends to lovers, and forced proximity. Below I’ve listed a not-quite-exhaustive list of some tropes, including an example of each and where you can find it in our collection.

  • Grumpy/Sunshine: where one half of the couple is grumpy and the other is happy. Example: “The Love Hypothesis,” by Ali Hazelwood [ebook/audiobook in Follett]

  • Only One Bed/Forced Proximity: where a couple is thrown together in very close quarters, and romance ensues. Example: “The Soulmate Equation,” by Christina Lauren [audiobook]

  • Friends to lovers: this one is kind of self-explanatory; a couple’s relationship develops from being friends to being lovers. Example: “Hook, Line, and Sinker” by Tess Bailey [FIC BAILE 2]

  • Enemies to lovers: This one is also kind of self-explanatory; a couple goes from being enemies to being in love. Example: “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black [YA BLACK]

  • Taboo/Forbidden Love: The relationship is unconventional or even taboo. Example: “The Thorn Birds,” by Colleen McCullough [ebook/Audiobook in Follett]

  • Second Chance: Where a couple might have been together in the past but broke up, and a second chance for love emerges. Example: “Baby One More Time” by Camilla Isely [ebook/audiobook in Follett]

  • Marriage of convenience/fake romance: Another favorite trope of mine, a couple will pretend to be in love in order to achieve a goal of some sort, only for real love to emerge. Example: “The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn [FIC QUINN 1]


​It’s important to note that while personally my preferred romance books feature couples of differing sex or gender, these tropes can occur in LGBTQIA+ romance novels as well. That’s something I love about this genre – there is literally something out there for everyone!

​Don’t see your favorite trope listed? Have a recommendation for a good book? Are you reading “The Thorn Birds” right now and just have to get something off your chest? Let us know in the comments!   ​

I hate cliches trope

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