contemporary romance

Book Tropes: I’m DEFINITELY Not Seducing You.

2022-05-12
SE White
Book Reviews, Recommendations, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

Isn’t it the best when those mischievous feelings sneak up and, WHAM, catch our protagonist upside the head? It’s the literary equivalent to the ‘suddenly; squirrel!’ humor trick and I can’t get enough of watching it play out. Our characters are happily spatting [this is a theme I really like so I read a lot of enemies to lovers, get used to that trope showing up everywhere in my rec posts ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] all while one of them is insistent…

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Book Tropes: We Stan Step Parents!

2021-08-25
SE White
Blogging, Recommendations, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

Today’s niche trope is all about choosing to love. To me, the decision to step up as a parent figure is the definition of heroic, because it hits close to my own personal experience. I have been a single mom and I have been lucky enough to find a second chance with the most amazing husband and stepfather in the entire world. He’s the best. No arguing. Also, he’s mine. But you can have these books which feature a love…

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Book Tropes: Award For Most Adorkable

2021-04-14
SE White
Blogging, Book Reviews, Recommendations, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

Quick internet search tells me that a nerd is defined as; “a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, interested in obscure or not-popular things, and lacking social skills.” Basically? I am ALL OF THOSE THINGS. It’s like the internet knows my life!* *Dear NSA Agent skimming my blog: please do spend some quality time with my trope rec posts. I promise you will need reading material because my life is very boring and these books are more fun. Also…

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Book Tropes: I Can’t Argue With You When You’re Sick!

2021-02-17
SE White
Blogging, Book Reviews, Recommendations, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

For this post it’s that trope, nearly always employed in an enemies-to-lovers type situation, where one of the duo gets sick/injured or is suddenly in imminent danger. Ruh-roh, Scooby! Because they are acting like antagonists life conspires to basically FORCE their defenses down in a way the character would probably never do on their own. Isn’t it the best? When they’re happily spatting, all defensive maneuvers deployed, sarcasm shots launching A+ hard, and then it’s all “Wait, you’re sick? Really…

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Book Tropes: A Mail-Order Happily Ever After

2021-01-13
SE White
Blogging, Recommendations, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

Another trope rec post! This time the specific mood I’m in is that carefully arranged, sometimes mail-ordered happily ever after. I’ve always loved mail-order bride books (despite knowing arranged marriage is much more complicated in real life). This isn’t reality, this is fiction, and in fiction picking a partner like you’re ordering an entrée from a menu ends perfectly every time. For this list I’m focusing on the mail-order trope but including some of the more standard arranged-marriage books because…

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Book Tropes: I’m A Damsel, I’m In Distress, I Can Handle This. Have a Nice Day.

2020-09-30
SE White
Blogging, Recommendations, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Top 10 Lists

Every once in a while I’m in the mood for a SUPER specific, niche type of trope. In this post, it’s the typical Damsel in Distress situation, but with an atypical damsel. I want the kind of book where: things are going down, it’s getting grim, the odds are against them the hero has literally *just* said something like, “We’ll never make it!” or “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” then the heroine strolls in all unconcerned and takes…

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