My Favourite Tropes in Romantasy (and Why They Own My Soul)

Summer Brunton-Elliott
May 19, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Certain tropes in romantasy absolutely live rent-free in my heart. I know they’re coming. I know they’re emotionally devastating. Yet… I run toward them every single time. These aren’t just story elements. They make a book unforgettable and unreasonably romantic.

Today I’m ranking my all-time favourite romantasy tropes.

Warning: Possible spoilers ahead for popular series!

My Favourite Romantasy Trope Starts With Enemies to Lovers

Give me tension. Give me banter. Give me a dagger to the throat.

I don’t care how cliché it is. When done well, it’s electric. I want to see characters who would’ve gladly burned each other alive slowly realize they’d also burn the world to protect each other.

Peak moment: When one of them gets hurt and the other finally snaps and admits they care.

Example:

Lara & Aren — The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

Lara was raised from birth to destroy Aren's kingdom—trained to lie, spy, and betray him. But when she crosses the bridge into his world, nothing goes the way she planned.

Only One Bed

The most delicious setup for slow-burn chaos.

You’re telling me they’ve been bickering the whole book, refusing to even admit they’re attracted to each other, and now they have to sleep six inches apart? Yes. Yes, I will devour that scene like it’s the last meal before battle.

Peak moment: When one of them pretends to be asleep but is 1000% aware of the other’s every move.

Example:

Poppy & Hawke — From Blood and Ash (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

There’s an infamous forced proximity moment where Poppy and Hawke have no choice but to share a space, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a dagger.

Fated Mates / Star-Crossed Lovers

Whether it's a magical bond, a divine curse, or prophecy-level fate, this trope always gets me. There’s something about two souls being cosmically tied together and still having to fight tooth and nail to be together that wrecks me in the best way.

Peak moment: “I was always going to find you.”

Example:

Bryce & Hunt — Crescent City (Sarah J. Maas)

Their connection feels written in the stars—but nothing about their journey is easy. Fate is a heavy weight, and they have to fight for every moment of peace.

Grumpy x Sunshine

One of them is emotionally constipated and brooding. The other is soft and stubborn and somehow breaks through all those walls like it’s nothing. Watching the grump unravel because of one smile?? I melt.

Peak moment: The grumpy one doing something wildly out of character because they care.

Example:

Alessandra & Kallias — The Shadows Between Us (Tricia Levenseller)

Kallias is brooding, cold, and ruthless. Alessandra? Bold, charming, and an actual chaos queen. Watching her chip away at his icy exterior was chef’s kiss.

Forced Proximity (But Make It Life-Or-Death)

Bodyguard missions, road trips, royal escorts? Yes, please.

Nothing sparks feelings faster than danger and shared trauma, right? Whether they're tied together by a magical bond or forced to journey across enemy territory, this trope forces intimacy and trust.

Peak moment: A quiet, tender moment in the middle of chaos. A hand on a wound. A whispered “stay with me.”

Example:

Violet and Xaden — Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros)

When your life depends on your bonded dragon... and your dragon ships you with your very dangerous enemy-turned-ally?? The forced proximity is baked into every moment.

The “Touch Them and Die” Trope

It’s not just romantic—it’s primal. Whether the love has been declared or not, something about seeing a normally controlled character absolutely lose it when their person is threatened? I will never recover.

Peak moment: "You laid a hand on them. You won't get a second chance."

Example:

Rowan Whitethorn — Throne of Glass series (Sarah J. Maas)

Rowan doesn’t say a lot, but if you threaten Aelin? Yeah, you're dead. No warnings. No hesitation.

Unspoken Pining

They’re in love. Everyone knows it. Except them.

Give me internal monologues. Give me longing stares. Give me two idiots desperately in love and thinking it’s one-sided. This is the slowest burn—and the most satisfying payoff.

Peak moment: The first touch that lingers just a little too long.

Example:

Iris & Roman — Divine Rivals (Rebecca Ross)

Their letters, the slow realization, the intense but gentle longing between them... this is prime pining material. Soft but devastating.

“We Can’t Be Together” (But They Are Anyway)

The forbidden, secret, aching kind of love.

Whether it’s a political alliance, a magical curse, or a duty-bound sacrifice, this trope hits hard. It’s love in defiance of fate. And I am so here for it.

Peak moment: The stolen kiss in the shadows. The promise they won’t keep. The heartbreak you saw coming and still cried over.

Example:

Jude & Cardan — The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

They shouldn’t love each other. They don’t even want to love each other. But they do—and it’s messy, glorious, and unforgettable.

So yes — I fully admit these tropes own my soul.

They’ve broken my heart, made me swoon, and convinced me that fictional men might just be superior (I love my husband, I SWEAR). Whether it’s a prophecy-bound romance or one very inconvenient bed, these storylines remind me why I write and read romantasy in the first place: Because love is never simple, and that’s what makes it magic.

If you're wondering which of these tropes make an appearance in my debut novel, A Kingdom of Fire & Rain — buckle up. We've got:

✨ Enemies to lovers (with secrets, betrayal, and tension you could slice with a dagger)
💫 Fated mates/star-crossed lovers (but make it divine and a little doomed)
🏹 Forced proximity (because what's a good journey without complicated feelings?)
🫀 Unspoken pining (my personal weakness)
🔥 And maybe a “touch them and die” moment or two 👀