Happy Christmas, beautiful people! To explain a little about what this post will be about, I’m taking the intro I did for the last one: In every romance book you read there are tropes or archetypes. You can also see them in shows, movies, plays, etc. Romantic tropes are everywhere, and they are fabulous. I adore them. I adore some of them and I always tend to find my favorite ones in romance books so I can enjoy them more. I decided to do a sort of Trope Tuesday piece where I will be talking about many tropes and recommend you all some of my favorites that fit.
What is a trope? Urban Dictionary explains it best I think: “Despite the erroneous definitions already published here, trope on the interwebs really refers to an often overused plot device. It can also be described as another variation on the same theme. TV shows, movies, comics, games, anime’, & books are full of tropes & many rabid fan-sites now name & track said tropes with a self-explanatory title for each one.” We can name a few: accidental pregnancy, best friends to lovers, sibling’s best friend, marriage of convenience, and so many more for sure. Your favorite couples? They probably got a trope too! It’s always so nice to realize or find out your favorite romance trope and keep searching for books with the same theme.
One of my all-time favorite sub-genres is fantasy. Mix it with romance and you get something really great as a result. There are so many fantasy romance books out there but today let’s focus on the indie books. They’re just as important and I so want them to get the hype other books get so this is why I’m going to be talking about them. You all can go and get them and get excited with me because for sure… for sure you all will love them.
Fantasy can really have anything; from dragons to princesses, to battles and curses. Fantasy is that world you dream about and crave in your dreams. Believe me I know all about that. I wish I could fall in love with a villain and fight alongside my one true love, defeating all the good heroes but I guess the world wanted me to be in a contemporary setting. Still fantasy makes me so happy and I escape to other worlds and learn a bit about their magic and their history. It’s always fascinating to me to read a book and get their history front and center without taking so long, right?
Fantasy is my second love but by no means it’s less than the first one. I’m always searching for that one fantasy book that can make me reread it in the future. If you want to know my favorite tropes or archetypes inside this sub-genre is the antiheroine trope but I seem to not find many antiheroines in my fantasy books. One day! I also love villains and morally grey heroes. I love the enemies to lovers trope in fantasy. Imagine kings from enemy kingdoms in an arranged marriage who will slowly fall in love through time and care. Fabulous right!
I won’t keep you much longer so you can go and add some books to your wishlists!
My Heart is Ready by Chace Verity
This is the prequel to the start of a fantastic series. Chace Verity wrote a luscious and magical prequel in which you get two point of views and two main characters. One is Corsine who keeps her magic a secret and only wants to make her girlfriend happy. Then we have Lester, a self-proclaimed harpy king who suddenly gets a liking to a strawberry farmer. There is a bigger picture in this story and a heist, but it really all develops together.
Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert
Talia Hibbert’s first paranormal fantasy really is a punch in your heart. There is nothing Talia can’t do. Mating the Huntress tells the story of Chastity and Luke, a coffee shop owner and a werewolf. Both face something really big: fated mate trope. But Talia really does it perfectly and writes a beautiful, hilarious love story.
Seducing Chaos by Luna Quinn
I’ve talked about this book a lot and I won’t shut up until this becomes big because it deserves the hype. Seducing Chaos has everything you’re looking for. Hell princes? Check. A grim reaper heroine who takes souls? Check. This Hell prince who turns into a beast? Check. Crushing since years ago? Check. Hate to love? Check. And a big plot that involves murders, Sherlock Holmes-esque pairing up between our two leads and lots of fun scenarios in between.
Ivan by Kit Rocha
Kit Rocha is such a big hit and with reason! Their semi apocalyptic series are such an obsession that you won’t be able to stop when you start and there are many, many books to read so you have lots of time to read them and won’t get tired. Ivan is the third book in this new series, Gideon’s Riders, where these Riders protect the Rios family and fight evil people. Ivan is a Rider plus he’s the bodyguard of Maricela, one of the Rios princesses. You won’t be ready for the tension and the slow burn.
In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard
A f/f ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling. You’re reading it right! Beautifully written, In the Vanishers’ Palace is a novella that needs to be picked up. Our Beast in this retelling is a dragon and this magnificent story features also an all-Vietnamese cast. Aliette de Bodard is known for amazing world building in her stories and the world inside is always so full of wonders and fascinating secrets.
