Katie and Nayeli’s Favorite Romance Tropes
Picture this: It’s Saturday night at the bookstore and Katie and Nayeli finally get to work together again. After quickly catching up on each other’s lives, their discussion goes down the same road it always does when these two booksellers get together. “What are you reading?” “Have you read anything really steamy lately?” “It’s a ‘don’t touch my fake wife’ romance? Let me add that one to my TBR.” Eventually, the conversation will find itself on the same path it always does. Hockey romances. But this fateful Saturday we decide to share our favorite Hockey Romances with the world, and why stop at Hockey Romances when there are so many great tropes we love? You didn’t know you wanted it, you didn’t ask for it, but here it is: Nayeli and Katie’s favorite romance tropes and their favorite books for each trope.
Hockey
Nayeli—The Deal by Elle Kennedy
The Deal is a college romance featuring Hannah who is looking for someone to teach her about sex and seduction in order to increase her confidence. Enter Garrett Graham the college hockey star who is in desperate need of a tutor who can help fix his GPA and so a deal is struck. Garrett is a great book boyfriend that will have you swooning and blushing. With a steamy deal that helps bring them closer, what happens when they start to develop feelings that might complicate everything. A classic hockey romance that is funny, steamy, and swoon-worthy. As someone who has read a lot of hockey romances this one definitely is a stand out, with great spice and compelling characters, this book is a fan favorite.
Katie—Him by Sandra Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Him is a friends to strangers to lovers romance, which is always a great trope, but Bowen and Kennedy put on an absolute class building the chemistry between these two men. Jamie and Wes meet as kids at hockey summer camp and even though they only see each other 6 weeks a year, they consider themselves best friends until *that one time at camp* moment happens on their last night. Fast forward to senior year of college and we see them as leaders of their hockey teams facing off in the Frozen Four. Both are unsure of each other, as it is the first time they have spoken in the 4 years since that one bet changed their friendship for good. What will happen when they decide to rekindle their friendship and spend one more summer at their old hockey camp, this time as coaches? I won’t give away the ending for you, but let me tell you this is one VERY hot book starring one of my favorite couples in romance.
Honorable Mentions: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (Nayeli), Mile High by Liz Tomforde (Nayeli) Right Man Right Time by Meghan Quinn (Katie), Powerless by Elsie Silver (Katie)
Fake Dating/Marriage of Convenience
Nayeli—Addicted to You by Krista Ritchie
Addicted to you is a story of childhood best friends who have pretended to be dating for years in order to keep each other's secret addictions. Lily is addicted to sex and Loren is addicted to alcohol. They have pretended to be together for three years in order to keep their parents' questions and expectations at bay. However there is one simple truth in this messy story, their true addiction and the thing they can’t live without is each other. The jealousy, the pining, and the secrets are one of the best parts of this trope and this book does them extremely well. This one is definitely a more serious romance book so I would check the trigger warnings before reading.
Katie—Roomies by Christina Lauren
Roomies is a rom-com set in New York featuring a hot Irish musician…umm yes please!!
I just reread this one last month. It is very rare that I will take the time to reread a book since there are so many good romances out there I haven’t read yet, but I love Holland and Calvin so much that sometimes I just need to revisit their story.
For months Holland has been crushing on a sexy musician who busks at the subway station. In true romcom style their worlds collide and they end up having to fake a marriage and move in together so he can stay in the country and land his dream job. When will they realize they are no longer pretending to be in love? If you loved the movie The Proposal, then Roomies should definitely be your next read.
Dating Brother’s Friend
Nayeli—Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
The second book in the “Knockemout” romance series is a small town romance featuring Nash Morgan the town chief of police who until recently was known for his Southern charm but after recovering from being shot he is a shell of the man he once was. When Lina, his brother's best friend, comes into town with secrets of her own and becomes his neighbor, she will be the one to see past his facade. This book is steamy, real and wholesome with fun, interesting characters that feel like you have known them forever. Lina and Nash have amazing chemistry that is passionate, steamy and sweet, this book will certainly have you craving more.
Katie—Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
Brother’s best friend might be my favorite romance trope. The pining, forbiddeness, and then the inevitable collision? Yep. It’s most definitely my favorite, and Lynn Painter got it exactly right with Mr. Wrong Number. Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall, but when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining relationship of her life, she thinks things might be starting to look up. You will find all of your favorite tropes in this one; enemies to lovers, forced proximity, secret identity, and the banter is witty, sharp, and SO FUNNY!
Second Chance Romance
Nayeli—“I don’t read second chance”
[editor’s note: I think we can safely say this is not one of Nayeli’s favorites then]
Katie—Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
This dual point of view, dual timeline, childhood sweethearts, second chance romance is a perfect book to throw into your beach bag this summer. Sam returns to her family beach house on Long Island to plan her wedding. What she doesn’t expect is to find her first love, Wyatt, staying next door again. Same Time Next Summer has all the small-town, beachside feels and captures first love and heartbreak in a way that will leave you feeling hopeful and wanting them to find themselves, together.
Enemies to Lovers
Nayeli—Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite trope, the banter, the tension, the chemistry, and the passion make this trope absolute perfection every time. In this new fantasy book Rebecca Yarros takes this classic trope to create a masterpiece.
Fourth Wing features Violet who is being forced by her mother to become a dragon rider. Attending a college where death is a normal, everyday thing and Violet must fight to survive and conquer each challenge. But her last name, size and inexperience puts a big target on her back, the biggest one being the one and only Xaden. Xaden and Violet are EVERYTHING I have ever wanted and their story had me screaming, swooning and dying (yes I’m very dramatic but it is that serious). This amazing fantasy book is absolute PERFECTION, not only because of its steamy enemies to lovers romance that will leave you wanting your very own Xaden but also because dragons, duh.
Katie—Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
After losing her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned to her family’s vineyard to lick her wounds. A few months later, she has finished drowning her sorrows in cabernet and is ready to get back on her feet. All she needs is her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, there is a small kink in her plans as the archaic terms her estranged father put forth stipulate that she must marry before she can have the money. Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him—and kiss him, in equal measure. Tessa Bailey is so good at bringing together all of her readers’ favorite tropes into one delicious story. Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, he falls first, “my wife” moments, and forced proximity all wrapped up with amazing chemistry. Whew. It’s a steamy one.
Grumpy/Sunshine
Nayeli—From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper
If you love witches, this is definitely the book for you! The Witches of Thistle Grove is a book series filled with magic and romance. From Bad to Cursed is an enemies to lovers romance that features Isidora and Rowan, two witches from enemy families. After a terrible incident these polar opposites are forced to team up and get to the bottom of things to clear their respectives family names. Isidora does necromancy magic while Rowan does nature magic however this unlikely duo will soon learn that opposites do attract and after being forced together their attraction for one and other only grows. A perfect fall read that will definitely put you in your witch era.
Katie—Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
Naomi comes to town at the request of her trouble-making twin, Tina, who says she’s in trouble. Tina immediately steals Naomi’s car and money then trashes her hotel room and leaves her daughter in the wreckage. Naomi quickly meets the town grump, Knox, when he mistakes her for her twin, Tina, and tries to chase her out of town. I adored Knox’s character arc from absolute grump to reluctant protector, to maybe, possibly a partner. I mean, I don’t want to give the ending away. This is a slow burn that really brings the heat.
Forbidden Love
Nayeli—Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Princess Bridget’s dreams of freedom come crashing down when her brother abdicates the throne and suddenly she is next in line to be queen. However, hiding her desire for her bodyguard Rhys Larsen will be a challenge for the both of them. If you love a scarred knight hero that is protective and possessive, Rhys is the man for you. I fell in love with Rhys and Bridget from the very beginning and they are definitely my favorite couple in the Twisted series. The way their relationship develops was amazing and it’s safe to say it left me wanting my own scarred knight. (The second book in the Twisted series)
Katie—Pas de Don’t by Chloe Angyel
Heather is a principal dancer with the New York ballet who just got out of an abusive relationship with the star of the company. She is looking to prove that she is a talented dancer and a star in her own right, so she travels to Australia to be a guest artist with the Australian National Ballet. The artistic director of the ANB assigns an injured dancer, Marcus, to be her tour guide while in Sydney. From the very first moment they meet sparks fly, but ANB has a strict "Pas de don't" policy and any hint of a romance will result in their immediate termination.
This is such a beautiful romance written for us by an Iowa author. The female main character is so well-developed that her heartbreak (content warning: emotional abuse) at the beginning was tragic; but her journey, bravery, and healing is fantastic to read. The chemistry between Heather and Marcus is extraordinary, and the mutual pining with the forbidden romance is perfection... and can we just talk about the meet cute?! BEST MEET CUTE EVER! This book also delves into the ballet world, and shines a light into the sexist tendencies that permeate in the arts world.
Who Did This to You?
Nayeli—Feral Sins by Suzanne Wright
For the “who did this to you?” trope I present to you this amazing werewolf romance book!! Taryn and Tren strike a deal to “fake mate” with each other in order to form an alliance between packs. With a sarcastic witty alpha female and a broody possessive alpha male this book is filled with secrets, action, and passion. If you love fated mates and possessive werewolves who have trouble admitting their true feelings this book will be one hell of a ride. It's also the first in a series of standalone werewolf romance books, so if you enjoy the first book as much as I did there is more to read.
Katie—From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout
Chosen from birth to be the Maiden to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is a lonely one. Never to be touched or even looked upon or spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Poppy, is a badass from the beginning, though, and would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods.
And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard whose sole job is to ensure Poppy’s Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. This romantasy is full of vampire adjacent characters as well as werewolves. Armentrout does such a good job of feeding the reader bits and pieces of the worlds she creates as the story unfolds and made me want to devour the rest of the series.
Golden Retriever
Nayeli—The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
This best friend to lovers romance is funny, cute and filled with sweet moments. Bree has been in love with her best friend Nathan, the star quarterback, for a long time. The thing she doesnt know is that Nathan has also been pining for her. Soon they start to fake date after an incident with a reporter and Nathan creates a cheat sheet of things to do to make her fall in love with him. Nathan is a golden retriever book boyfriend that will make you laugh, blush and giggle. A fun, easy sports romance that is entertaining and adorable. This book is closed door (aka no smut) which I don't tend to enjoy but the tension in this book is so well done I didn't even mind the lack of it in this one.
Katie—Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Liv has her dream job as a pastry chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef. Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv is blacklisted from the restaurant scene, the nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.
I adore all of the books in the Bromance Book Club series, but Mack gives off major golden retriever vibes in that he is extremely loyal, positive, funny, and just a little goofy. If you like audiobooks, I would suggest checking out this series on Libro fm. Andrew Eiden is the narrator and he is amazing.
Small Town Romance
Nayeli—Juniper Hill by Devney Perry
Such a comforting small town romance!! I had such a fun time reading this book. When Memphis arrives in Quincy, Montana for her new job as a housekeeper she is ready to start a new life with her newborn baby, far away from her past. When she meets her new reluctant landlord Knox she is struck by his rugged looks that make him feel like a dream but she knows she can never have him. I love reading about Memphis and seeing her grow as a woman and a mother. This book was very comforting and sweet. Knox being a chef and interacting with a baby had me smiling and blushing the whole time. A very sweet love story with a found family that will make you feel like you were wrapped in a blanket.
Katie—The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
The Simple Wild tells the story of Calla, a city girl from Toronto, who receives a call one day informing her that her estranged father, who lives in Alaska, doesn't have long left to live. Calla decides to re-connect with him after years of feeling like he has put his career as a bush pilot ahead of her, and boards a plane to spend some time in the small Alaskan town in which he lives. While she is attempting to navigate through life in a small town and trying to build a relationship with her father she is constantly being thwarted by the annoying, but handsome, bush pilot next door. This slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance is an emotional ride that will keep you turning pages well into the night.
Workplace Romance
Nayeli—By a Thread by Lucy Score
By a Thread is a banter filled enemies to lovers forbidden workplace romance. The story starts with Dominic getting Ally fired from her job at a pizza shop which leads to Dominic’s mom hiring Ally to work in her magazine as an apology. The chemistry, tension and dynamics between Dominic and Ally make this book such a great fun romantic read. The smut and the buildup were done wonderfully and they make the book even better. Lucy Score never disappoints with a plucky heroine and a grumpy boss this book is steamy, fashionable and an easy read. Be prepared for a lot of secret looks, secret touches and pining.
Katie—On the Hustle by Adriana Herrera
On the Hustle has been one of my favorite recommendations to give to my fellow romance readers. It’s just a really spicy, feisty, and lots of fun—the perfect romcom. Theo and Alba's chemistry is scorching hot from page one, and the heat only kicks up a gear when they're reunited in Texas after Alba quits working for Theo in New York. Theo pining for Alba, keeping his feelings to himself while she worked for him, was such a sweet balance to his growly, intense possessiveness that comes out when they finally get together. Alba's work ethic and her determination to do everything she can to succeed, wore her down until she was on the brink of a breakdown, and seeing her learn to trust Theo and lean on him when she needed a hand was so, so swoony.
Friends to Lovers
Nayeli—Lovelight Farms by BK Borison
Ok I will be honest, friends to lovers doesn’t tend to be my cup of tea however every once in a while one manages to completely capture me like Lovelight Farms did. The story of a girl named Stella who is in desperate need of money in order to save her Christhmas tree farm enters a social media competition and lies about owning her farm with her boyfriend. Well there is no boyfriend and when she makes it into the semi-finals and people are coming to evaluate her farm she asks her best friend Luka to pretend to be her boyfriend for the contest. But as we well know, pretending to be in love isn’t easy, especially when you have been pining for this person for a long time. As the magic of Christmas fills the air will they be able to risk it all and confess their true feelings…This one was honestly such a fun read, a little bit like reading a Hallmark movie but better.
Katie—The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Okay, obviously I am a huge Lynn Painter fan. This is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number series and although they can both be read as stand-alones I would say to just get them both because they are really just that good. The Love Wager introduces us to Jack and Hallie with a memorable meet-cute. After Jack’s relationship with his girlfriend publicly implodes right in front of Hallie as she is bartending Jack’s sister’s wedding, the two of them end up spending a very hot night together. As Hallie army-crawls out of Jack’s room the next morning, she is positive she won’t be seeing him again…that is until she sees him on a dating app and strikes up a conversation. This strangers-to one night stand-to friends-to lovers has the BEST, most hilarious banter. Plus; there’s only one bed.
Celebrity Romance
Nayeli—You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
As someone who grew up watching telenovelas, this book definitely hit the spot for me. Jasmine has a plan to leave scandal and drama behind in order to follow her “Leading Lady Plan” but a bad first encounter with her new co-star Ashton proves things might be more difficult than she anticipated. Even though they find each other extremely attractive they can't seem to translate that into their characters and as tensions run high they decide to practice in private. This book is filled with passion, drama, family, secrets and spice. Ashton and Jasmine are definitely a hot power couple both on and off of screen.
Katie—The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Hannah is a Executive Protective Agent (aka Bodyguard) assigned to protect the famous actor Jack Stapleton after a corgi-loving stalker becomes menacing. When Jack’s mom gets sick and Jack wants to go back home, Jack asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend instead of his bodyguard and decides not to tell his family about the stalker situation. It’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack, but what about protecting her own heart?
I loved that Katherine Center flipped the script on this one, threw the usual stereotypes out the window, and made Hannah the badass bodyguard! If you are an audiobook fan, then I highly recommend this one on Libro fm. The narrator does a great job with this one, and does a great job hitting the sarcasm and quick witted comebacks exchanges between the main characters.
It was light hearted, humorous, and sweet read for those who want a little less spice in their romance books.
Want more romance recommendations?
Here’s some of Katie’s most anticipated summer romance reads
These are some of Rachel’s favorite romance tropes
And these are some fantastic Black romance novels to dive into
