Shannon here: Tara Johnson shares her writing process using romance tropes plus a romantic excerpt from her Historical Romance, To Chase the Stars. Comment or answer the question on any post dated Oct 5th – 31st to win a print copy along with 3 other titles. Deadline: Nov 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Tara:
If you hang around romance writers long enough, you’ll hear them chattering on about romance tropes. These are just recurring story patterns that shape the emotional arc of a love story. They appear in books, movies and TV shows and are great for building conflict, character dynamics, tension, and emotional payoffs because they tap into universal desires.
Here is a list of some of the most common romance tropes:
*Enemies to lovers (Ex. Pride and Prejudice or You’ve Got Mail)
*Friends to lovers (Ex. When Harry Met Sally or Monica and Chandler on Friends)
*Grumpy versus Sunshine (Ex. Kristoff and Anna from Frozen or Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls)
*Opposites Attract (Ex. Han Solo and Leia in Star Wars or Johnny and Baby in Dirty Dancing)
*Forced Proximity (Ex. Beach Read)
*Fake Relationship (Ex. The Love Hypothesis or Holidate)
*Second Chance (Ex. Persuasion or The Notebook)
*Secret Identity (Ex. The Scarlet Pimpernel or Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
*Small Town (Ex. Groundhog Day or A Walk to Remember)
*Bad Boy/ Reformed Bad Boy (Ex. Grease or Rebel Without a Cause)
In my latest release To Chase the Stars, I had fun playing with romance tropes. Here is an excerpt. See if you can figure out which trope I used.
Excerpt from To Chase the Stars by Tara Johnson: 
Isabelle smiled, a gesture so radiant, Henry’s chest constricted. She grabbed his hand and tugged him down to the settee. Uneasy, he brushed his free hand over the lush fabric. Expensive. Too good for the likes of him to even be touching, much less sitting upon.
He cleared his throat. “Reverend Johns has been concerned, Miss Holland. He and Miss Rose have missed your presence tremendously the past fortnight. He was anxious, worried that some horrible malady had befallen you.”
Miss Holland shook her head, a dark curl falling free, brushing the curve of her cheek. Was her hair as soft as it appeared? Henry swallowed and looked away, gently disentangling his hand from hers.
“I’m not ill. At least, not in the manner the reverend is worried about.” Her happy countenance dimmed. “My aunt is forbidding me to return to Christ Church.” She sniffed and glanced down at her fingers now resting in her lap. “Jonathan told her some horrid things. Untrue things.”
It wasn’t surprising. Mr. Thrombie was trouble through and through. “What did he say?”
She swallowed. “He accused me of cavorting with unscrupulous men.”
“Me?”
She nodded. “I think it’s because he is jealous of you, don’t you think?”
This time, his brows lifted into his hairline. “Jealous of me? Whatever for?”
She blinked, looking into his face as if seeing him for the first time. “Because you’re so handsome, of course.”
The admission slipped from her tongue far too easily. Usually, a lady of her esteem would never speak such a thing aloud, much less say it without a trace of embarrassment. But Miss Holland blinked, child-like, her blue eyes round and searching. “You are a man of many talents, Cap’n. Kind, generous, brave.” Her words slurred again and a frisson of concern slithered through his middle. Heat crept up his neck, but her flattery uncurled something foreign in his chest.
“Oh.” She gasped and her gaze dropped to his neck. Before he could speak, her slim fingers roved over the collar of his buttoned shirt, her touch skimming his skin with tingling awareness. “I see something . . .”
She unbuttoned the collar, and he stopped her by gently stilling her fingers in his. “What are you doing, Miss Holland?” His voice was oddly tangled in his own throat.
“I see markings.” She squinted and leaned in, studying his skin. “Why, they are pictures!”
Her warm breath fanned his cheek and he froze. The scent was familiar. Musty. His gaze roved around the room and he spotted it. A half empty decanter of spirits, a mostly empty glass resting beside it. It all made sense. Mirth bubbled in his chest.
Miss Holland was drunk.
Gently, he tugged her hands away from his collar. “Yes, pictures. Tattoos actually.”
She gasped softly. “Oh, I’ve heard of those. May I see them?”
A chuckle burst from his mouth. “I’m afraid that would not be appropriate, Miss Holland.”
She frowned, an adorable pout that made him think of a petulant toddler. “I’m tired of being appropriate. I’ve obeyed all my life, and all it’s done is shackle me to an angry aunt and a boring fiancé who treats me like a dullard.”
Fiancé? So, she was promised to another. Mr. Thrombie had not been incorrect in his accusations. The strange warmth in his chest shriveled.
“Ah, Mr. Thrombie warned me you have been cavorting with undesirables. I can see for myself I should have taken heed.”
Henry startled at the sound of the older, feminine voice that intruded into his riotous thoughts.
Isabelle’s aunt had returned at the worst possible moment.
Question for Readers: What is your favorite romance trope?
October 2026 Book Bundle
Lighting Up Christmas by Amy R. Anguish, Contemporary Romance Novella Collection, print
Hilltop Wedding by Kathleen D. Bailey, Contemporary Fiction, print
Northern Redemption by Laurie Wood, Romantic Suspense, e-book
To Chase the Stars by Tara Johnson, Historical Romance, print
About Tara:
Tara Johnson is an author and speaker, and loves to write stories that help people break free from the lies they believe about themselves.
Tara’s books have earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and she has been a finalist in the Carol and Christy awards. She is multi-published in both fiction and nonfiction, and is a certified body language expert and a student in NCI University with a focus on cognitive human behavior. Tara is president of Story Spark Author Development and loves helping authors reach their dreams. Learn more and connect:
Tara’s Website Tara’s Facebook Tara’s Instagram
About the book – To Chase the Stars:
Isabelle Holland is trapped in a life she never wanted. When her tyrannical aunt plans her marriage to an odious man, and with no word from her family in Charleston, she feels her life is over…until she meets a sea captain who can offer her a way to flee Savannah and unravel the mystery of her family’s secrets.
Captain Henry Kincaid is running from the demons of his past. His only solace? Creating beauty from darkness and evading the man who refuses to leave him be. When his world collides with a vulnerable debutante, he must choose whether to allow the beauty to tear down the walls around his heart, or protect her from a danger even greater than the one from which she’s running.
When the lurking ghost from his past catches up to him, will he lose the woman who has given him hope? Where do two broken people turn when all they know of their family—and their identities—crumble to ash?
Worried you won the drawing? Interested In Tara’s other titles? Need extra books for gifts?
Get your copy/copies now!
Leave a Reply