Giveaway Alert!
Romance tropes are standard themes or plot devices, usually
in contemporary romances, that readers love. They are classic but updated, and
highly recognizable. You know them well. Secret baby. Marriage of convenience.
Dating the boss (who is a billionaire). Lovers reunited. Unrequited love.
I’m not a trope-y writer. My books have been rejected more
than once because the acquisition team couldn’t identify the romance trope and
therefore the best marketing angle. But there is one trope that I LOVE, and
that’s friends to lovers. Here are my top 5 reasons why:
1. Best friends are already close, sharing intimacies they
took years to be comfortable with.
2. That closeness can lead to deep emotions, which is a cornerstone
of a good romance.
3. Often one friend already loves the other, so there’s
plenty of angsty aching. Even better if they both have feelings but neither one
suspects.
4. If they didn’t see each other romantically, but something
triggers them to look at each other differently, it’s exciting to watch it
develop.
In my latest book, releasing today from Entangled Ignite,
best friends Brady and Molly are spies falling in love as they search for truth
about Brady’s brother’s death. I loved twisting up the typical
friends-to-lovers storyline, adding action and urgency as their feelings for
each other grew and changed.
Read on for details about Hearts
Under Siege, and the huge giveaway I’m doing with Sharron McClellan,
who also has an Ignite, Risking
It All for Her Boss, releasing today. For a limited time, both books
are available at a special price of 99 cents each!
Then tell me, what’s your favorite romance trope, and
does it fit well into a romantic suspense novel?
Brady Fitzpatrick has spent a decade burying the pain of a
broken heart while working for SIEGE, an information-gathering spy agency. That
it kept him away from his family as well as his best friend Molly has been an
unfortunate side effect. But when his brother, also an agent, is killed during
a foreign op, Brady is drawn into a web of intrigue that threatens the lives of
everyone he loves…
Molly Byrnes has loved Brady forever. As his best friend and
a de facto member of the Fitzpatrick family, she holds them together in their
crushing grief. But as a member SIEGE’s ground team, she doesn't buy the
official line about Brady’s brother’s “accidental” death and launches her own
investigation—only to uncover a shocking secret that she and Brady must get to
the bottom of before their target finds them.
Tangled emotions land them in bed together, opening Brady’s
eyes to the incredible, fearless woman who’s been there for him all his life.
But after a lifetime of disappointment, how can Molly trust the possibility of
a future with him…or if they can count on any future at all?
Hearts Under Siege
by Natalie J. Damschroder
Romantic Adventure/Romantic Suspense
Entangled Ignite, 2014
ISBN 13: 9781622664948
by Natalie J. Damschroder
Romantic Adventure/Romantic Suspense
Entangled Ignite, 2014
ISBN 13: 9781622664948
Purchase From:
Looking forward to this. I adore friends to overs. Also best friend's sister/brother.
ReplyDeleteYes! I had a crush on my cousin's best friend's brother when I was a kid. Similar thing. :) So those stories are great fun, too!
DeleteHi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of the romance trope before. I like the friend to lover that my husband and I had.
I think we see this in the Castle series.
Jan
Janet_kerr@msn.com
Aw, real life friends to lovers! They make the best husbands, I think. :)
DeleteCastle is a good example!
I admit to not at first being a fan of friends to lovers, but it has grown on me a lot and I really enjoy these romances now!
ReplyDeleteThat's cool! There are some types of romances that I've grown tired of, but then I read one that's been handled in a new way and that changes everything. :)
DeleteThis sounds great. Love stories of friends to lovers!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you came by! :)
DeleteCongrats on this latest release! I enjoy the variety of tropes out there... some of my favs are Mistaken identity, Friends to Lovers, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Colleen!
DeleteYeah, the mistaken identity trope can open up a lot of hijinks! :)
You hooked me on this story. I just went to Amazon I downloaded Hearts Under Siege.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! Thank you, Joyce! I hope you like it!
Deletetortured hero; yes
ReplyDeleteHi, bn! Always good to see you!
DeleteI like the friends to lovers stories.
ReplyDeleteDownloaded both books today - can't wait to read them!
Oooh, fantastic! Thank you SO much, Mary!
DeleteI like the friends to lovers and also reunited lovers. Can't wait to read this one sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha! Really appreciate it!
Deletecongrats to Natalie on the newest release!!! I also really love the friends to lovers trope and this has definitely caught my attention :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Erin!
DeleteCongrats on books, love fiends to lovers
ReplyDeleteKimh
Thanks, Kimh!
DeleteMy favorite tends to be lovers reunited. I think that theme works really well in romantic suspense! There are so many opportunities there for the characters to come back into each others' lives and fall in love again.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your release! It sounds great.
I would have to agree, Brooke! And it makes the romance more believable on a shortened timeline, too. I'm not sure I've done a reunion romance along those lines. Hmmm...
DeleteFriends to Lovers is a lot of fun, especially when they maybe weren't really the best of friends to begin with and maybe didn't really like each other...I also love Romantic Suspense. Would love to win, thanks lsscarchuk@att.net
ReplyDeleteThat definitely creates a challenging dynamic, LS! :)
DeleteGood luck!
I like your five reasons listed on this post for the "friends to lovers" trope, Natalie. I agree. I think there would be fewer divorces if the marriages were between friends. I think friends tend to work harder toward amicable solutions when there are difficulties...and difficulties always arise in relationships. I'm so glad I was introduced to you on this blog because I devour romantic suspense stories!!! BTW, I tried to sign up for your newsletter on your website, but there was no "submit" button and when I hit "enter" on my keyboard instead, my e-mail address disappeared. (?) Thanks for sharing on this post! jdh2690@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOh great, I was able to sign up for your newsletter on the Rafflecopter!
DeleteOoh, nice depth in this comment, Janice. :) I totally agree. Whichever comes first, your spouse really does need to be your friend.
DeleteI'm sorry you had issues with the widget on my website. It should have opened a new window telling you about the confirmation e-mail. Maybe a popup blocker interfered or something. I'm glad you got through the other way, though! :Thank you so much! :)