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 first loves is sports. If you ask my friends or my family, you’ll know that I’m a big sports fan. Sometimes I even show a little of my excitement on Twitter but I don’t talk enough about it. I love love sports and championships and athletes who give it all for the sport and win it and lose it sometimes. It’s such an amazing thing to see and I have big respect for every single athlete out there. So of course one of my first loves in the romance community was sports romance books. But I had my disappointments with it and I now tread carefully around this trope.
Why? Well, romance books have a lot of sports related romances between their front and back covers. But most of them tend to be very… white. And if you have ever seen a sport event or game or anything, you know this is far from reality. All-white teams? That’s not reality and I hate to see that this mindset is still out there whenever I check a new book out. When I get a complete sports romance Goodreads list with the majority of the books being about people of color, we will talk.
But aside from that, what I enjoy most about them is the world they are in. It’s always nice to see inside the closed doors and the things you don’t see in games, for example. I loved when Pitch, the TV show, came out because we saw inside the doors of baseball and how everything came together: the free agency, the players, the hardship that takes to play a game, etc. Hated to see it get cancelled because that was a show I was rooting for SO HARD. I hope one day maybe if the stars aligned we get it picked up *whispers* please Netflix.
Now it’s time to recommend some fabulous books because everyone needs some happiness and joy in their life right now. (I do to be honest).
Make the Play by Jamie Wesley
Everyone should have this on their TBR. It’s about brothers in a sports romance series and Jamie Wesley’s writing is always A+. This one is the first book and it’s about Carter Jones. He just signed a big contract with the league but he’s also dropping passes and the fans are booing him. Plus his brother/roommate is always butting in his problems. His solution? To find another place. When he meets the real estate agent of this open house, sparks fly but she will try her hardest to ignore them. Doesn’t it sound amazing?
Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole
Not a sports romance but the hero does boxing. Let It Shine is an historical romance but I couldn’t not mention it. It’s one of my top favorite titles and Ivan Friedman is someone you definitely want to meet, he’s adorable and caring and his relationship with Sofronia is epic. I highly recommend every Alyssa Cole book and this is such a good way to start if you haven’t yet read her novels yet.
Settle the Score / Hustle Play by Tara Frejas
Basketball fans in the house? Tara Frejas has a title for you. Garnet, the heroine, lives and breathes basketball. Her best friend (and long-time crush) Charles is a cheerleader! She finds out one day his girlfriend is cheating on him so what is going to happen next?
Once Upon a Player by Agay Llanera
This novel is all about volleyball. Val is the star of her team and she knows it. She never runs out of dates but this year is different and it seems she has her eye on someone… But there will be obstacles and maybe a cute boy that might complicate things? Val reminded me of Blair Waldorf, she’s unlikeable and definitely hard to root for but I completely adore her.
I’ll Catch You by Farrah Rochon
When a football player finds himself without an agent or without hope to get back into the game, what will happen next? Payton is here to save the day of course. She’s ready to sign her first client and she thinks Cedric is a perfect candidate. But keeping things professional might be a bit hard to attempt…
Hard Knocks by Ruby Lang
I’m a big fan of Ruby Lang and Hard Knocks is really the book you should all pick up. Neurologist heroine and hockey player hero. Everything you want in your romance story. They kinda dislike each other and banter a lot but in the end we know they will give in into that attraction and fall madly in love!!!! They sort of end up having this no-strings-attached relationship but their interactions and feelings slowly but surely are turning into something deeper more and more.
