Favorite Romance Tropes #BookLovers #LongandShortReviews #BlogChallenge

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

This week's topic: My Favorite Tropes of the Romance Genre

My favorite subgenres for Romance are Paranormal and Historical, but these tropes can be applied to any subgenre in my opinion. I have too many favorites to list here, but I'll pick some of my top faves along with the best recommendations I have for these types of reads.

• Amnesia - The H/H doesn't remember how s/he got where s/he is because of a blow to the head, a medical condition such drugs or some other creative reason. Now, s/he has to function in their life, learning about the person they are/were, sometimes there is a mystery involved (to spice things up!)

          

• Friends to Lovers - Falling in love with Best Friend/Best Friend's Brother/Brother's Best Friend - My favorite is when the heroine is the younger sister of the hero's best friend, but there are other combinations that are fun to read, too! The best friend is taboo, but love disrupts the balance of friendship and if they declare their love, then there's no going back to the way things were between them.

     

• Employee/Employer - Falling in love with the Boss Romance - The H/H are put in close working conditions (office, manor house, etc.) where their attraction for each other grows.

          

• Alien Abduction - The H/H is an alien from another planet and abducts the H/H. This abduction might be planned or accidental. The purposes of the abduction are for repopulating an alien planet, experimentation, servants/sex slaves, fulfilling alien prophecies, mail-order alien brides, etc. 

          

Be sure to check out the other blogger's suggestions at ...

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

You can Follow me on ...

BookBub | Amazon | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

Happy Reading!

~Tricia

AMAZON

A Return to Baker Street #221back

Most of my friends know of my obsession with Sherlock Holmes. It began with reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic works when I was a teenager. I still re-read them. Just can't get enough.

But when it comes to television, I wasn't impressed with the idea of setting the famous detecting duo in present-day London. The stories are firmly set in Victorian London and in my strong opinion, that's where they belong!

Until I broke down and decided to watch the first episode of this new modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who?) and Martin Freeman (isn't he a Hobbit?). Yeah, I'm usually a year or so late when it comes to new movies/television series. I suppose I wait until I hear about it so often from other people that I figure that if its caused such a buzz, it'll be worth taking a look. When I saw Sherlock was available on Netflix that I decided to give it a watch.

That was back in December.

OMG! I'm so glad I did. I had no idea what I was missing! The show is like a drug on which I'm happily and unabashedly addicted. I seriously cannot get enough, just like the books!

Being a contemporary adaptation, it doesn't follow any particular story from the books like other movies do. It's difficult for any book to be translated into a movie anyway. It's more like this show is heavily influenced by the books. The writers, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, (both of whom I greatly admire!) take the characters from the book and place them in modern day London where there's all sorts of mystery and mayhem for them to experience! And they must have fun writing these episodes! They are creative and brilliant!

Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective and John Watson is an Army doctor returned to England from the war in Afghanistan. The show also includes Mrs. Hudson, Irene Adler, Mycroft Holmes, Mary Watson, and of course, James Moriarty!

It's not just the mystery that pulls me into this show, but the interaction with the actors. The believable and well-drawn characters, the sharp dialogue, the quick glances, the humor, the shared friendship, the breathtaking excitement and suspense, and the devastating heartache. Oh, I could go on about why I like the show, but it's the same with the books. You've just got to experience it for yourself. And I encourage you! If you haven't read the books, give them a try! And if you haven't watched the show, well...what are you waiting for? There's 3 seasons available for you to get caught up!

I'm beyond thrilled to discover confirmation for Season 4! They're planning to air a Special which will begin filming in January 2015, with 3 more episodes which will be filmed later that year.

The waiting is, of course, horrible. Unlike most other fans, I actually didn't have to experience the wait long to watch Season 3 since that aired only a few short weeks in January after I got caught up on Netflix. Oh, I was so thankful, too! I don't think I could have managed waiting for long after watching the ending of Season 2!

Now I'm along with everyone else...waiting...waiting...

At least I'll have Doctor Who in August to fill a little of that void in my life.



Here's a little clip I found on YouTube. This is the Prequel to Season 3.

Buying Books But Not Reading Them

As I was clicking through the internet the other day, a headline caught my eye called Books Bought but Rarely Read.

Now that's just silly, I thought. Who would buy a book and not read bother to read it?

Apparently, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is one of the most popular books bought but never read. Whoa! What a mistake for those unfortunate book-buyers! I read that book and loved it! They don't know what they're missing! 

Welll....

Considering I have over 1000 books on my TBR shelf (note: I said shelf, not TBR list, meaning I bought these books and that doesn't include the ones I have on my Kindle!), then I am guilty, too. Now, it's not that I have no intention of ever reading these books, it's just that for some reason or another, I've just never got around to it. Yet, there they sit, looking so majestic and beautiful on my shelf. I know there must be an adventure in there waiting for me!

The article I read specified that the books in the list were ones that readers started but never finished. However, I'm not that kind of reader. I'm not sure what compels me, but when I start a book I must finish it even if its terrible to the bitter end. Perhaps its my constant optimism. The book might have a fantastic ending! Very few readers feel the same way which I understand.

I glanced through my shelf to find some books that have been sitting there for quite some time, patiently waiting their turn to be read. Here's my list of 5 books that I bought but haven't read (yet!):

The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons: I bought this during my time working at the bookstore because my customers were saying it's like a Russian version of Gone With the Wind which I adore! Others compared it to Dr. Zhivago. Yet, for some reason or other I just haven't picked it up to read. Yet!

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry: My mom read this book and loved it! When the television
mini-series aired in the 1980's starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as the two main characters, I watched alongside my mom, completely absorbed in the plot and characters. I loved it, too! The reason I haven't read the book yet...have you seen how many pages are in that thing? Close to 1000! Considering I read about 50 pages an hour, that'll take me...quick math, oh, about 20 hours to read. And I just know that this will be a book that I won't want to put down. But, I'm still trying to find 20 hours of free time. Yeah, I know. That's a lame excuse.

Anything written by Nicholas Sparks: This man must be some sort of romantic, tragic genius. While working at the bookstore, I sold so many of his books to customers that it almost became a joke. Along with the Harry Potter books, I just kind of got sick of hearing about him. Unfortunately, my annoyance built a wall in my mind. I just can't bring myself to read his books. Yet, I bought quite a few. Rather tragic in itself. Add that to the fact that I know I'll cry while reading... Well, I don't want to cry while I'm reading. My eyes get puffy and red and people look at me funny. How to explain? So sadly, I encourage others to read Nicholas Sparks because I have it from reliable sources that his books are excellent, but just maybe not for me.

Skye O'Malley by Bertrice Small: Every romance reader has read Bertrice Small's books. They often

talk about her characters like they're real people. So much so that before I knew better, I thought Skye O'Malley was the author! I learned a lot while working at the bookstore. Knowing that I'll probably be hooked on her books, I decided to wait until I had them all before I started reading.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King: I have a love/hate relationship with Stephen King (and J.K. Rowling, but that's another story). I love King's writing. It really sucks the reader into the story so much that the rest of the world fades away. Why do I hate him? Because his writing sucks the reader into the story so much that the rest of the world fades away. Mr. King, I have writing of my own

to do and a lot of housework. Why must you write such addicting stories?

So there's my list. It's rather short. But, I don't usually have a reason NOT to read a book.

What books have you bought and not read yet?