Page 20 of Faking the Book Boyfriend

“Not necessarily. I didn’t know it before I started writing. It’sa common theme that you see in a given book. An overarching concept. Romance books are known for having them. At some point, there were probably only a dozen or so, but it’s taken on a life of its own, and now there are hundreds. Romance readers are attracted to different tropes depending on their personalities, wants, and needs.”

He twists his lips. “I’m not following. Can you give me an example?”

“Sure. A very popular trope is enemies to lovers, where the couple starts off hating each other, and then that hateful passion morphs throughout the book into steamy, bedroom passion. It’s usually followed by a happily ever after.”

He scrunches his face. “I can’t imagine hating a woman and then magically falling in love with her. That’s weird.”

“Frankly, I feel the same. I’ve only written one book with that trope, and, between you and me, they weren’t true enemies. More like business competitors.”

He nods. “I can seethatbeing hot. What are other examples of tropes?”

“Friends to lovers, billionaire, second chance, fake relationships, forbidden—”

“Forbidden? What does that mean?”

I shrug. “A bunch of different things. Sometimes it might be teacher/student or employer/employee, but it’s probably most often used in romances between stepsiblings or a stepdaughter and her stepfather.”

He makes a look of disgust. “Do you write those?”

I shake my head. “I don’t, but I respect those who do. I’ve read some, I just don’t write them. I keep things fairly lighthearted. I write the kind of men I’d like to date, and I’m okay with the fact that it may not be for everyone.”

“What does all this mean for me and your service? Do I have to pick a trope and become that guy?”

I let out a laugh. “No, not at all. I’m just creating awareness of all the different types of themes in these romance novels.Each woman is attracted to something different. For example, some like what is termed a cinnamon roll or golden retriever man.”

“What are those?”

“Sweet, supportive, kind book boyfriends.”

“All women don’t want that?”

“No, they don’t. Some want alpha or possessive men. Men who practically growl. Many women like thattouch her and dievibe. Or thewho hurt youvibe.”

His eyes meet mine. “Which kind do you like, Gemma?”

I feel my cheeks redden. “In all honesty, I think I’d like a bit of both. There are times for sweet and supportive and times I want a man who takes a little control and will fight for me.”

“Have you ever found one who is both? The whole package?”

Shaking my head, I admit, “I haven’t. Maybe he doesn’t exist.”

He calmly leans back in his chair. “Maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong places.”

Maybe he’s right.

We’re both silent for a few long beats as we sip our drinks.

Eventually, he asks, “What are other tropes?”

“There are hundreds of them. I swear, I see new ones pop up every single day. We could talk about tropes for hours. There are fake marriages, surprise pregnancies, secret babies, mistaken identity, forced proximity, age gaps, bodyguards, shared bed, kidnappers, stalkers, sports—”

He perks up at that. “There are sports romances?”

I nod. “Lots of them. Women get off on jocks.”

“Doyouget off on jocks?”

I sigh. “We’re not here to talk about me. This isn’t a date.”Though I wouldn’t mind if it was.“I’m here to help you better understand women’s desires and needs.”

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