There are many types of tropes in romance books. From plot devices to settings to the kinds of heroes and heroines, you can search this list for your favorite tropes.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Romance Novel Tropes
Tropes Make Reading Romance Novels Fun!
Looking for a certain kind of romance to read? If we’ve read and reviewed them, look no further! We’re very familiar with the wide range of tropes in romance books.
On this page, you can search for general romance tropes, eras, places, and more. Just click on the category that interests you.
If you don’t see a trope or setting that you’d like to see represented on this list, please let us know, and we’ll add more!
Tropes List
These are the general types of tropes in romance books, including forced seduction , amnesia, love triangles, and more.
General Romance Tropes
- Actors, Actresses, Writers, or Directors
- Adultery or Infidelity
- Age Difference
- Arranged or Forced Marriage
- Amnesia
- Bad Sex
- Big Misunderstanding
- Billionaire (or Super Wealthy)
- Boss or Co-Workers
- Class Difference
- Enemies to Lovers
- Dubious Consent or Forced Seduction*
- Friends to Lovers
- Guardian & Ward
- Interracial or Interethnic Romance
- Love Triangle
- Mail-Order Bride
- Makeover or Plastic Surgery
- Marriage of Convenience
- Married Couple
- Mystery or Suspense
- Older Man & Younger Woman
- Older Woman & Younger Man
- Opposites Attract
- Kidnapped or Taken Hostage
- Pregnancy
- Rape or Sexual Assault*
- Revenge
- Road Trip
- Reunited or Second Chance at Love
- Secret Baby or Child
- Secret Identity
- Shipwrecked, Stranded, or Trapped Together
- Slavery or Indentured Servitude
- Soul Mates
- Treasure Hunt or Quest
- Two Brothers – One Woman Love Triangle
- Twins
- Unrequited Love
- War
*(These two are separate due to the nature of old-school bodice ripper romances where the heroine was often “ravished” by the hero. While the lines might have been blurred in older romances, we separate the fantasy of “forced seduction” and assault & rape into different categories.)
Hero by Professions, Ranks, or Hobbies
- Athletes
- Bodyguard
- Businessmen
- Cowboys: Gunslingers & Bounty Hunters
- Cowboys: Ranchers
- Doctors
- Escorts, Prostitutes & Strippers
- Farmers
- Knights
- Pirates
- Noblemen & Landed Gentry
- Military Men or Mercenaries
- Royalty
- Ship Captains & Sailors
- Sheiks – Caliphs – Pashas
- Swordfighters
- Vikings
- Warriors
Hero Tropes
- Anti-Hero
- Abusive or Cruel Hero
- Cold/ Morally Uptight/ or Snobbish
- Biracial or Mixed Heritage
- Blind
- Deaf or Mute
- Divorced
- Emotionally Damaged or Tortured
- In Disguise
- Handsome (more than average hero)
- Obsessed with Heroine
- Over 40
- Pursues Heroine
- Scarred, Maimed, or Injured
- Virgin Hero
- Widower
- Young Hero
Heroine Tropes
- Cold/ Morally Uptight/ or Snobbish
- Beautiful (more than average heroine)
- Blind
- Biracial or Mixed Heritage
- Criminal, Thief, or Con-Artist
- Deaf or Mute
- Divorced
- Dressed as Male
- Emotionally Damaged or Tortured
- In Disguise
- Mistress, Courtesan, or Prostitute
- Nurse
- Over 40
- In Pursuit of Hero
- Scarred, Maimed, or Injured
- Shy
- Virgin Heroine
- Widow
- Young Heroine
Settings Across the World
- African Continent
- Alaska
- The American Midwest
- The American South
- Asian Continent
- Australia
- Big City
- Ceylon/ Sri Lanka
- Canada
- Caribbean Islands
- China
- Denmark
- Desert
- Egypt
- England
- European Continent
- France
- High Seas & Oceans
- Ireland
- Italy or Rome
- Jungle or Rainforest
- Mexico
- The Middle East (Levant, Arabian Peninsula, Persia)
- New Zealand
- North East America (Mid-Atlantic to New England)
- Peru
- Russia
- Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Finland, & Sweden)
- Scotland
- Small Town
- South American Continent
- Southwestern America
- Spain
- Sweden
- United States of America (general)
- Wales
- Western America
Time Periods
- Age of Enlightenment (1715 – 1789)
- Age of Conquistadores & Discovery (1492 – 1640)
- American Civil War & Reconstructon Era (1860 – 1877)
- American Revolution Era (1776 – 1789)
- Ancient Civilization (~3000 BC – 476 AD)
- Ancient Egypt (~3100 BC – 332 BC)
- Colonial Period (1609 – 1776)
- Classical & Ancient Greece (~800BC – 529 AD)
- Dark Ages of Europe (476 – 1066)
- Edwardian Era (1901 – 1914)
- English Civil War & Restoration Period, aka Cavalier Era (1642 -1680)
- Georgian Era (1714 – 1830)
- Gilded Age (~1870 – ~1910)
- Islamic Golden Age (~750 – 1258)
- Louis Quatorze Era (1643 – 1715)
- Medieval Era (1066 – 1492)
- Modern Contemporary Period (1946 – present)
- Napoleonic Era (1799 – 1815)
- The New 20th Century (1914 – 1945)
- Ottoman Empire (~1299 – 1922)
- Post-Revolutionary/ Antebellum America (1789 – 1859)
- Post Regency Era (1820 – 1837)
- Pre-Colombian Era (1500 BC – 1492)
- Roaring Twenties (1920 – 1929)
- Regency Era (1811 – 1820)
- Renaissance Era (~1300 – 1492)
- Roman Republic & Empire (753 BC – 476 AD)
- Victorian Era (1837 – 1901)
- Vintage Contemporary Period (1946 – 1972)**
- Western Era (1845 – 1912)
**Please note, this is not an actual historical era, but the time between the end of World War II and the publication of The Flame and the Flower in 1972).
Types of Romance Genres
These are sub-genres in romance books, not really types of tropes, but are listed for your convenience.
- African – American Romance
- Bodice Ripper
- Classic Romance
- Clean & Sweet Romance
- Gothic Romance (Historical & Modern)
- Contemporary Romance (1980 – present)
- Historical Romance
- Highland or Scottish Romance
- Native American/ Amerindian Culture
- Neo-Bodice Ripper
- Paranormal Romance (Magic, ESP, Reincarnation)
- Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, or Futuristic Romance
- Series, Sequels, or Trilogies
- Time Travel
- Vintage Romance (originally published before 1990)