I’m a sucker for all romances—because who doesn’t think falling in love is fun? When we read romance we get to experience the act of falling in love over and over again. We get an intimate view of the hero and heroine’s struggle on that emotional road until they reach the ultimate destination: happily ever after. And there are many ways in which I love to watch it all unfold. My list is long… And I’ve used all of them in various ways *rubs hands together and laughs maniacally*. Since I could go on forever about tropes, I decided to pick my top five, which I used in my Prince Charlie’s Angels series. Rebel heroine: I love a heroine who is feisty, can hold her own, is extremely independent and knows exactly how to save the day. I love it even more when she finds a hero who cherishes these characteristics and values them as her strengths. Instead of saying “Step aside and let me handle this,” he tosses her a sword and says, “Let’s do this!” Relationships are a partnership after all, and we should value each other’s strengths and nurture them. Also, bad*ss heroines are just awesome! Each…

My favorite tropes to write have traditionally been Friends-to-Lovers and Second Chance romance. The reason is, out of all those familiar tropes, those are the two I’ve seen played out in reality most. There’s something hopeful about them, and while not every pair of friends can morph their relationship into a healthy romantic one, and not every relationship deserves a second chance, there’s definitely some appeal there. More than tropes, though, I have favorite themes. My main one is redemption because I believe that those who truly want to right the wrongs of the past should have a chance to do so when that redemption doesn’t lead to the ill effects for someone else. Another theme I often write about is self-discovery. That’s been a big theme in my life, especially over the last few years. My characters are just imperfect people, looking to be loved in a healthy, fulfilling way and that something I think we all want, regardless of orientation, gender, race, color, or creed. When reading romance, which I don’t get to do as much as I’d like, I read pretty widely, without regard to trope. I do have a few tropes I won’t read, including racists…

Thanks for having me at Fresh Fiction! I’m delighted to be here and chat about one of the elements from my latest release, DEADLOCK (June 25)! What strikes me most about my hero and heroine is that they begin from a place of high-stakes mistrust. One wrong move might get either of them killed. What’s more tantalizing than a couple so overcome with need for each other that they throw all caution to the wind to be together? I love it. And so I present you, in no certain order, my Top 5 enemies-to-lovers romances. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas It’s hard to say too much about this one without spoilers, so consider this your warning! I was simply floored at how masterfully Maas took a character who seemed to be a villain from the previous book and turned him into a hero. Amazing. (A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is required reading to get the full impact of this one, but it’s fabulous as well.) WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton When you can hear your neighbor’s, erm, very frequent nocturnal activities through the thin wall separating your bedrooms, how can you face him? This is…