We all have some cringe tropes that just don’t sit well with us as readers, and sometimes cringe is not even enough of a word to describe it. Let’s dive into some tropes that get my reader/author eyes twitching.
Note: These are meant for a little humor, so let’s not get our perverbial panties in a twist if you don’t agree. Have fun and jump in the after reading to comment and share some of your own cringe-tastic tropes.
Motorcycle Gangs and the Princess Treatment
This trope has always irked me simply because I know a few women who were once “old ladies” of men in these groups. The trope shows up a lot in romance stories, where a biker gang leader takes in a woman and suddenly she’s treated like royalty. Let’s be real… Actual outlaw motorcycle clubs don’t usually work that way when their reputations are built on crime, violence, and intimidation. Nor are women running the show or being pampered. The reality for most (not all) women is they are often sidelined and objectified. That doesn’t exactly scream princess treatment. While it makes for a fun fantasy on the page, it doesn’t match the reality of how these gangs often operate.
Tattooed bad biy made for sex and dirty talk, sure. But he’s not going to turn into Prince Charming because of mind-blowing orgasms.
Kidnapper Turned Lover
Forget he’s a kidnapping mass murderer out for blood… and apperentlty orgies. He’s got abs and a mask, so of course the heroine is swooning instead of running for her life. I know a lot of people love this dark romance trope, but as a horror girl, I’m running for the hills because I’m not getting slashed by Leatherface. I’ve seen what happens in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nope, nope, and nope! I’m not about to risk finding out whether he’s going to eat me in bed… or eat me with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Hard pass.
The Abusive Alpha Turned Lover
A whole lot of nope for me. This is a common trope in shifter romance, and I have a severe loathing for it. The brooding Alpha stuffs her in a dungeon, abuses her physically and verbally, and when he figures out she’s his mate, they fall in love.
No way, jerk! You just locked me up, broke my trust, and treated me like property. I’m not swooning no matter how dominantly delicious you look. Keep your dirty paws off me!
The Miscommunication Plot
For gosh sake, get to the point! One honest five-minute conversation would solve the entire conflict in these books, but nope. The author is gonna stretch this into 400 pages of mind-numbing torture with two insufferable main characters that you want to smack in the face and wake them up. And worse… there’s a book two because they never settled anything in book one.
The Barely Legal Virgin and the Older Experianced Man
The classic: barely-legal virgin woman turns 18, and suddenly meets a much older BDSM sugar daddy who decides it’s his duty to teach her everything she needs to know to become a sex goddess. Night one is a whirlwind of massive slongs, spankings, and sexual satisfaction where we forget about protection with the hopes and dreams of safewords. To top off this night of chaos of unbridled passion, no one gets any STDs, she’s free of getting pregnant, and the age-gapped couple fall in love from the biggest orgasm of orgasms known to man. It’s absurd, it’s over-the-top, and leaves you shaking your head at just how wildly unrealistic it is.s.
Readers, what are some of the tropes that are big nopes for you?
Loretta Kendall 