Corny Tropes

Must Run Away (to sort my feelings)

The scenario is simple: right near the climax, one or the other main character decided to run away, travel around a bit, probably right after s/he decided that s/he loved the other main character. But instead of admitting it, s/he had to leave, and stew in his/her own juices for a couple months to let it sink in.  ARGH!  That's just denying the inevitable.

Cardboard Nemesis

Ever read a book, where the antagonist's sole reason to exist is to mess with the protagonist and it wasn't a stalker / obsession situation? That's the cardboard nemesis, who only seems to stay around to mess with the MMC or FMC, for no appreciable reason whatsoever.

Exhibit 1: Some rich tycoon from out of town for no appreciable reason, wanted to force a poor working guy to choose between buying his farm or saving the girl he liked from the brothel.

Exhibit 2: Some local gang boss with the reach to move huge amount of weapons still messes with his ex-wife (and it'd be up to her first love to save her) in some small town in Louisiana.

Deus Ex Machina

This is a classic resolution in morality plays where God comes in last second and solved every problem. But you'd be surprised how often this happens in romance, where something comes in last second and solves one or the other main character's problem so they can be together.

Exhibit 1: the bad guy stalking the FMC was killed by a third guy (for a totally unrelated reason),

Exhibit 2: the evil cruel father that was pressuring the MMC to leave had a stroke/heart attack and changed his mind.

Exhibit 3: the evil brother who wanted to take over the company from the FMC (and blackmailing the MMC) met a guru in Europe and was totally reformed.

Matrix Skill Uploads

I have no problem with the MC finding his or her inner strength to do something s/he had never succeeded before, and managed to do it for the climax, thus conquering their fears or doubts. I, however, do take issue with authors that suddenly gave MC a power NEVER mentioned before just so he can save the other MC before the end.  This often happens in "damsel in distress" romantic suspense when it was written as a B-plot.  The hero, needing to do the rescue personally, suddenly gained skills never hinted, like Trinity suddenly learned how to fly a helicopter in the Matrix.  This can also happen to the antagonist, when s/he suddenly gained skills out of nowhere.

Exhibit 1: a rich playboy who supposedly works 12 hour days suddenly had to rescue fiancee from kidnappers, and thus suddenly gained power at the end of the book to go with his security chief, handle guns, and take down perps silently.

Exhibit 2: the antagonist doctor who's not only a resident supervisor (who watches over the new doctors) but can also, again, knock out trained bodyguards, kill a cop with single trust of a knife, and walk in and out without leaving any trace

Exhibit 3: rich and abusive boyfriend in law school who went to prison for assault, suddenly knew how to steal cars and other stuff upon his release. WTF?

Research -shmeasearch

My biggest problem with some authors is they can't bother to get the details right. There's a reason the good authors are good, and bad authors are... bad.  This is especially so if you write a genre of romance that demands authenticity, like military romance, romantic suspense involving police procedures, guns, law, horses, and so on. 

It seriously makes me cringe when I read another author who can't get genre details right.

Exhibit 1: Colonels don't call sergeants "superior". (yes, real book)

Exhibit 2: One does not wear a "vest strapped with several automatic assault weapons" (yes, real book too)

Exhibit 3: "SEAL abuse" books where they have active duty military personnel (esp. SEALs) running around the continental US doing undercover work for DEA and whatever agency they want. HELLO! That's against the law!!!!!  Posse comitatus! Look it up! 

Smilar problems when authors from one area sets their romance in a completely different area. This problem is esp. prevalent for authors outside of the US trying to set their romances in Montana (esp. Marietta) but their characters, supposedly Montanan cowboys, ended up using British-speak like "bonnet" (we say "hood" over here!).  Others may get details about horses, saddles, and such wrong, or perhaps animals and so on. 

Too Stupid To Live

The most egregious problem in any book, not just romance, is "too-stupid-to-live" moments, where character(s) made decision(s) that made absolutely no sense at all, given their background, their intelligence level, emotional state, and situation. 

Exhibit 1: A trained agent, trying to rescue girlfriend from evil guys, gave his knife to the girlfriend after rescuing her (who doesn't know how to use one!)  and ended up facing three bad guys unarmed, and got captured. WTF?!?!?!!!!!!  

Exhibit 2: A woman who insisted on going with a trained investigator to check out the alleged lair of bad guy, was told to "wait in the car, it's too dangerous".  After waiting for 15-30 minutes, her panic set in, and she drove up to the lair and went inside, and had to be rescued by the investigator who wen in first. WTF?!?!!?!!!

I swear both are real books.

Body-Snatched, i.e. complete personality change after falling in love

Ever read a story where the characters seem to suffer from schizophrenia, where the character had behaved one way from chapter 1-X, then suddenly switched personalities from X+1 on?

The authors who wrote these clearly don't understand how to write character arcs, because character changes are supposed to occur GRADUALLY. Sudden on/off switches are stupid and not believable.

A virgin doesn't turn into a sex kitten overnight, much less a rope play submissive.  A manwhore who went through a good chunk of female population doesn't settle down with a single woman after one f*** no matter how mindblowing it is. Yet often, this is what the author asks us to believe after the MMC and FMC come together.

Exhibit: A certain "virgin auction" romance had a billionaire with a taste for kink (esp. whips) got to bonk this virgin he just "bought". After that one bonk, she turned into a rope slut and he became monogamous. I swore they both got mind-zapped by aliens or something. It's ridiculous. 

PMS Professional, i.e. elite soldiers and operatives that are hormone driven

The problem with a lot of cop romance or military romance is the author seem to believe that professionals, like seasoned detectives or elite SEALs are just as hormone-driven like randy teenagers. One lousy superior's taunt and the hero's head is pounding with tension. One touch from the FMC and the hero's libido is raised. One insult from the antagonist and the hero sees red.

Oh, puh-leeze. That's high-school thinking.

Heartbreak Savior, i.e. Break His Heart to Save Him

MCA, in order to "save" MCB from a third-party threat, must say something really nasty to drive MCB away, making MCB believe MCA had committed betrayal.

Argh.

"Overheard", i.e. Sensitive Ears + Fragile Ego

Ever had the plot where MC overheard the other MC in some conversation that sounds really really bad? And the person was so shattered by what s/he thought s/he heard s/he immediately runs out, in the middle of the night, without leaving a note, believed in the worst way that s/he was betrayed, when it was NOTHING like what s/he had imagined?

Yep, more than a few novels have this corny trope.

What are YOUR Pet Peeves?

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