Top Ten Tuesday: My Favourite Romance Tropes and My Top Ten Bookish OTPs that Fall Under Them

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week’s theme is a love freebie, so I picked My Favourite Romance Tropes and My Top Ten Bookish OTPs that Fall Under Them.

Normally when it comes to Top Ten Tuesday’s Love Freebies I feature my bookish OTPs, or my favourite quotes from my favourite OTPs, but after a couple of years of that I’m trying something new for 2018. It’s well known that I’m too weak to walk by fairytale retellings or magical realism stories, but there are also plenty of relationships tropes I just can’t resist when I see them featured in the book I’m reading.

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Partners in Crime

Darrow and Mustang
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Darrow and Mustang were one of my favourite OTPs from 2017. While some people struggle to keep up with Darrow and the way his mind works Mustang seems to know his plans better than him. The relationship they have is an equal one; Mustang doesn’t need Darrow to save her and Darrow knows Mustang can and will stand on her own two feet without him.

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Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Really this could apply to any of the Six of Crows couples, but in my mind it applies to Kaz and Inej more than any other. Kaz is always going to be the puppet master, holding all the strings and making the plans, and Inej is always going to be his wraith in the dark gathering secrets. The two would be able to work well on their own but together they’re unstoppable.

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Soulmates/Resurrection

I do love the idea of couples fated to be together, but I think it’s very easy for this to turn into insta-love which is one of the romance tropes I hate with a passion.

Maya and Amar
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

There are a few mixed reviews for this book, and I know for some people Maya and Amar’s relationship was more on the insta-love side of the spectrum, but I loved their relationship. Maya knows Amar is keeping secrets but at the same time he opens up his whole world for her.

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Karou and Akiva
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

The relationship between Karou and Akiva could fit into so many different tropes; partners in crime, soulmates, and enemies to lovers. Their background was full of heartache and betrayal as well as the love, and there was a lot for the two to overcome before the end of the series.

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Friends to Lovers

Monty and Percy
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

When it comes to bookish OTPs I discovered in 2017 I think Monty and Percy are the best. I loved their story as they tried to make their way across Europe and as Monty struggled to hide his feelings. There was nothing more frustrating than Monty putting his foot in his mouth and ruining their moments together but nothing better when he and Percy finally admitted their feelings.

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Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

The relationship between Percy and Annabeth grew over the first five books until the very end of The Last Olympian when they finally kissed for the first time. They’re number one on my list of bookish OTPs simply because we saw their relationship grow and develop from the very beginning; from the moment they met as 12 year olds, to the end of the battle for Olympus and beyond.

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Enemies to Lovers

Simon Snow and Baz Grimm-Pitch
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I loved the back-and-forth between Simon and Baz in Carry On; the constant sarcastic sniping at one another, and the mistrust because of their backgrounds that had to be put to one side as they work to uncover the truth of Baz’s mother’s death. Baz and Simon are the very definition of opposites attract, but I loved their story and their relationship so much.

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Paige and Warden
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Thinking about it more I can’t say for certain that Paige and Warden classify as part of the Enemies to Lovers trope given that, while Paige hates Warden in the first book, Warden isn’t 100% against Paige at the beginning. Still as a clairvoyant and a Rephaite their relationship is forbidden, even though they’re on the same side it’s still not safe for them to admit their feelings for one another.

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Love Triangle

Again love triangles are not always a romance trope I enjoy reading. I hate it when a love triangle has been added simply to increase the tension in a story and keep the reader hooked, it feels cheap to me, but there are a few love triangles I love that have been really well written.

Tessa, Will and Jem
The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare

When it comes down to it this is my favourite love triangle and the best one I’ve ever read. What makes it stand out for me is that Will and Jem weren’t in competition with one another; as much as Will loves Tessa he loves Jem just as much, and it’s the same for Jem which makes all the difference.

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Caden, Dylan and Juliet
The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

I wasn’t a massive fan of this book, it had a lot of potential but so much of the character development was rushed. Still I love the concept, and Cale Dietrich’s idea of turning the love triangle trope on its head is something I loved so I’d enjoy seeing it in more books.

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So what do you think? Did you take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, if so let me know what you picked for this week’s themed free-for-all, or romance tropes you can’t resist reading and what tropes your ultimate OTPs fall under.