Okay, I want to state from the start that this is not a rant. This is simply an airing of all our little and not so little grievances when it comes to our beloved books. Yes, as a reader, we all have gripes. Plot lines we’re just plain bored with. We’ve read the exact scenario so often, we can practically recite the book with unerring accuracy. What does that mean since all romances deliver HEAs. It means the journey is exactly the same as the last such plotline. Believe me I know that for some readers–hopefully not the majority–my books may fall in to this category. I definitely started my publishing career with books that had tried-and-true plotlines.
Or what about scenarios you don’t find remotely ‘romantic’. I personally don’t think a woman selling her body to survive is the least bit romantic as we see in the movie Pretty Woman. I also don’t like my romances too issue-based. Reminds me too much of women’s fiction. Stories that deal a lot with illness are especially pretty much a debbie-downer for me. I love my romances to make laugh, cry and tug at my heart but it should never make me want to take a whole bottle of sleeping pills. I won’t read a book that is sure to depress me. But that’s just me. I’m quirky like that. 😉
What about you? Are tired of particular plotlines or characterizations–heroine too wimpy or just too kick-ass? Or are there plotlines you avoid with a ten-foot pole?
I don’t like TSTL or wimpy heroines. I don’t care for rape or other mega-violence in romance. (Yes, I get plenty of violence in the mysteries and thrillers I read, but my expectations are different for romance.) Plot devices I’m not particularly fond of (but will read at times) include secret baby and time travel.
I like characters who are intelligent, strong and loyal; who have enough flaws to show emotional growth; and who enjoy a good sense of humor.
And my next book, An Heir of Deception, has a secret baby…. 🙂
With the exception of a good ghost story, I am a hard sell for nearly anything paranormal these days. Vampires, werewolves, angels, etc. — enough! No more for me, thanks. (Steampunk can sometimes be the exception to this rule of mine)
I love snappy banter and think that can be such a great indicator of chemistry between the H/H. So if a book doesn’t have good dialogue I am going to lose interest.
When I started reading romances (which admittedly was only a couple of years ago), I read almost everything I could get on my hands on (and at an average of a book every 2 days, that was a lot). Now, though, I’m way more selective and I’ve decided not to read small town contemps anymore. All the gossips, the annoyingly quirky characters, and the usually good, solid reason the hero/heroine left the town in the first place usually have me rooting for them to LEAVE the small town and NEVER return. When I started hoping for the hero and the heroine to have their HEAs somewhere OTHER than the small town in the book, I knew this subgenre was not it for me anymore.
Otherwise, I’m still open to other subgenres (except for rom suspense and perhaps m/m, f/f, and bondage) and other tropes.
@infinitieh
OMG, you gave me such a laugh!
I’ve gotten really fed up with Regency lords who are apparently dilettantes but are actually spies. Also noblemen who have abandoned their estates and turned to piracy. Also heroes (in any genre) who were done wrong by the heroine’s family and vow to have revenge by taking over the heroine’s family company and seducing and abandoning the heroine. I think vengeance is always a tricky plot line–don’t most people outgrow their teenage revenge fantasies and end up with better things to do with their lives?
Since I read a lot of romances I think there are some things that didn’t bother me at all when I first read them but when I have read it over and over then it starts to annoy me. Lately that has to be the ‘I love you but will leave you for your own good’ story line. I can understand where a character has had a tough life, maybe made some mistakes and doesn’t think too highly of himself or herself but when they take off instead of talking to their significant other it doesn’t give me a lot of hope for their HEA.
I’m tired of kick a$$ heroines
I am another one who doesn’t like stories about prostitutes, someone dying, or someone who is divorcing. I like my romances to make me feel happy and not sad.
Like infinitieth, I don’t like to read about m/m, f/f, bondage, and other forms such as these. Give me a good old fashioned m/f love relationship.
Regency spies make my eyes glaze over faster than just about anything else, but as I learned from Revealed, even that can be made to work by a really good writer. I think the one thing I absolutely can’t take under any circumstances is a hero that seems lukewarm about the heroine. If I’m not feelin’ the love, a romance is worthless.
I agree with the thriller stuff staying in the thrillers I read. When I pick up a romance I want a good romance that will be a bit of a roller coaster that ends with me and the characters happy. Girl meets boy, boy gets girl and sweeps her off her feet…now I want to go pick up a book!
I get bored when the romance has a hero who can’t get over the death of his first wife.
And I’m tired of pregnant heroines. I never used to mind them at all, but I read alot of Harlequin books and they use pregnancies too much.
I really don’t like the secret baby story line, especially if the heroine deliberately kept the baby a secret from the father. I don’t really care that much for the courtesan or prostitute story line either, unless there’s a really good reason for her actions.
I’ve discovered that I tend to read in cycles. When something begins to bore me or irritate me, I switch to different genres or sub genres. About the only thing that isn’t included in that cycle is horror. So, while I may not appreciate certain story lines right now, by the time I get around to reading them again, it’s ‘new’ again.
@Karen C
You’re right. That’s me too. Right now I’m heavy into contemporary, which isn’t good because I’m writing a historical. 🙂
I absolutely hate wimpy heroines and also hero who had a bad childhood so they take that on the heroin by treating her like crap.
I do not like amnesia plots lines. I also hate whining. Makes me want to through the book when they whine.
I’m just very tired of lame, pointless plotlines. There are too many to list.
I really don’t like it when the lady (or gentleman) doth protest too much —
It’s fine when, at the start of the story, they resist the attraction — but it gets tiring when they do the same every chapter.
I’m done with ghost romances. I don’t want the ghost to be the hero. I really want a flesh and blood romance. Also I’m a little bored with the lady from the streets or boy from the streets is actually a missing son, lost daughter, etc. The Prince/ess and Pauper line is a little drawn out.
Besides that I think there are always exceptions to what I’m bored with if the author does it right. Snappy dialogue really makes me happy, but I’m immediately turned off with a story when the hero or the heroine is supposed to be smart but everyone can easily see their in love with their prospective person. If they are trying to hide their attraction let them do it, and if they give it away at least allow their smarts to acknowledge when a person points it out.
I can usually ignore tired or unbelievable plotlines if the banter is witty and interesting. It’s amazing how much a good laugh can make me forget that I hate the character or roll my eyes at a scenario. What I can’t get passed is infidelity. I know I should give characters a chance to redeem themselves, but I just cringe when that happens and any HEA after that is just tainted.
This sort of goes along with some of the other complaints but I really get annoyed when the heroine forgives the hero without a bat of an eye. After the hero uses the heroine for revenge purposes, cheats on her, or just plain does does something to hurt her physically, financially, socially, etc, and after some self flagellation and soul searching all he has to do is come along at the end of book and say “I’m sorry” and “I love you” and all if forgiven and forgotten.
I must be missing a whole slew of books, because I never seem to stumble upon the infidelity books. And a book where the hero physically hurts the heroine — I have no words for that.
I don’t want to read about …Weak-willed heroines, infidelity, adult identical twins, heroes that are verbally abusive, deaths of major characters, stories filled with sex scenes instead of plot, vampires, courtesans, pirates, bondage, and books that end with cliffhangers.
I guess I’ll go out on a limb here (she says with saw in hand) and say that I’m not really tired of any trope that I’m reading now or have read or plan to read. That said, there is an exception: most of the historical romance books written are about aristocrats, or might even include a person of the lower class. I’d like to see a book written about the middle class folks of the era…not the Upstairs/Downstairs people, but the upper working class…he-doesn’t-have-a-title-so-he-has-to-work-for-a-living-and-does-pretty-well-for-himself type of guy. Does anyone remember John Thornton in North and South? And what about a shop owning women…maybe some well-to-do modeste? With Ashley’s new novella idea (see her website for details), I voted for middle-class H/H!
I straight out refuse to read any of those cookie-cutter books about virgin brides, mistresses or whatever with secret babies! That also includes sheihks, royal princes or multi-country billionaires!
OOPS…senior moment…forgot to add the last name to Ashley….that was Ashley March.
I don’t care for cheating spouses or books where the heroine is a courtesan. I also think small town romances can read quite similar. There’s always the quirky neighbors and the hero/heroine that can’t wait to escape. I dislike paranormals unless it’s done with a light touch.
If I like the characters, I pretty much will let the author take me anywhere she wants to go lol. I’m probably not a huge fan of extremes such as total erotica or inspirationals that go overboard.
Since I switch around with books I haven’t really gotten tired of any plots.
I like pirates and spies! … I *love* pirates and spies! 😉
I am not fond of small-town contemporaries, except for the occasional Nora Roberts, and even then I make sure to put space in between her books so that I will enjoy them. I am tired of cheesy vampire paranormals, where the word vampire is turned into a slang word for sexy. Vampires should be *dangerous* not arbitrarily falling in love with random women!
I also hate wussy heroines. I don’t want my heroine simpering and crying and falling over like a leaf. I realize that some time periods make it difficult to write heroines that aren’t wussy, but I avoid reading those most of the time! I’m not saying that every heroine has to be an awesome fighter, or save the country/kingdom, or be better at x thing than everyone, just that she be able to stand up for herself and not be a wilting flower!
I’m tired of books where nothing happens and there seem to be a lot of them. I’m also tired of books where so much of the back story is cut that I have to read 4 chapters to get involved in the character’s motivation; now I stop after two chapters when I get one of those. As for things I just plain won’t read even if I love the author and writing . . . I won’t read a revenge plot, won’t read any paranormal except those that deal with psychic powers, won’t read books where the heroine is a courtesan, prostitute, or spy. I’ve tried so many of all those types (even #1 best selling) and they just don’t work for me. I don’t mind if the hero is a spy as long as the plot line isn’t too heavy with the spy stuff. I do really like subplots but want them there to complicate the romance–not take over the book. Also, if an animal is killed, forget it. The book goes in the trash. Thankfully that doesn’t happen often in romance but I would trash those in any genre . . .
I’m a lot like Karen C, I cycle through plot lines or genres. So I can’t think of anything I’d never want to read again unless it was something that never appealed I’m the first place. I’m less interested in stories about a seasoned courtesan finding love Unless she’s been a part of a series & we grow to like her (Blanche? Can’t remember the series… Hm…) Though I du read them some too. It’s not something I see in romance novels, but things like twilight with the main idea being I need a boyfriend or I want to die is something I Never want to read again. Ugh. Ings rather see a stronger woman who wants him & maybe does look worse from lack of sleep/eating while she struggles through but Does struggle on & knows she can make it happen. Strength with weakness is ok. In fact I don’t want too strong women or weak women, I want them to have strengths and weaknesses. No falling immediately into his arms after he sees his mistake, make him work for it cause she’s hurt & untrusting.
Though really… Anything except the I’ll die without a man idea I can love when the author makes us love the characters & want the story.