I love reading a story that has a great guy in love with the absolutely right girl. I love writing about that kind of good guy – an old friend who becomes more than a friend by story’s end.
I saw something this week about romance tropes in stories. There’s the bad boy character who always seems to draw girls to him. There are the main male and female characters who start out hating one another or at least seeming to. The opposites attract trope. The two people who seem the least likely to fall in love but are forced to together by some force outside their control. And then the one that fits Caleb in Along a Storied Trail. The long time friends who add romance to that friendship. That’s the romance trope in my upcoming release too. I think you’ll love getting to know Gabe and Jacci in my story, In the Shadow of the River.
But in my Rosey Corner stories, Small Town Girl and Love Comes Home, I suppose it was more the bad boy trope and Kate not wanting to fall in love with Jay. But of course she does. I suppose that’s a little of a spoiler alert for Small Town Girl, but when you start reading books like that you are usually sure early on in the story which guy and which girl will end up together at the end of the story. You just don’t know exactly how and you enjoy going along on the journey to love with them.
Romantic scenes aren’t always just that first kiss or proposal or wedding. Here’s a scene from Love Comes Home that I think hits high on the romantic scene meter. What do you think?
That first night after they’d put her in this hospital bed, she’d drifted in and out of awareness, but every time she opened her eyes Jay was there. She wanted him there, and at the same time she couldn’t bear to see him. She wanted to shut out everyone, even him, and curl up in solitary sorrow, but he refused to let that happen. She could still feel the loving comfort of him cradling her body next to his after he climbed into bed with her. When a nurse came in to the room during the night, Kate braced for the nurse’s outrage at Jay in bed with her.
Jay raised his head and simply said, “I need to hold her.”
Kate opened one eye enough to make out the nurse’s features in the light from the hallway. The same woman had been in earlier, a plain woman in her middle years who looked worn down with taking care of people.
“I have to check her vital signs,” the woman insisted.
Kate couldn’t remember her name, but Jay did. He kept his voice soft, friendly. “Glenda, I can vouch for her pulse being steady and her breathing easy. If you know that, there’s no reason to jerk awake someone who has suffered what my Kate has suffered.”
Kate eased her eye shut and pretended sleep. She could feel the nurse hesitating. Jay had always been a charmer. She wanted him to charm the nurse. She wanted him to keep holding her.
The nurse summoned up her sternest voice. “It’s against the rules for you to be in bed with her, sir.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure it is. But I spent more than three years marching across Africa and Europe to make sure we hung onto the freedom to break those rules when they need breaking. Most of the time they’re good rules and you’re right to insist on folks following them. But tonight that rule needs breaking. We just suffered a sad loss and I need to hold her.” His arms tightened around Kate. “She needs me to hold her.”
Did you agree that this scene has romance?
Which of the romantic tropes do you most like to read in your stories?
For fun, I’ll give away a copy of Love Comes Home to one of you who comment on this post and on the Sunday night post. Maybe I’ll come up with another romantic scene for that post from a different story. Maybe one from When the Meadow Blooms or who knows? Maybe In the Shadow of the River. It’s time to get readers wanting to know more about my people on that showboat. Just leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for Love Comes Home. If you already have the book and you win, you can always donate it to your library or give it to a friend. Deadline to enter is midnight EST on February 21, 2023. You need to be 18 or older to enter. I’ll pick a winner by random and notify them by email and announce the winner on the post Wednesday, February 22.
Comments 69
I like the long time friends (or old friends that meet up later) who add romance to that friendship the most.
Although I do like all of them in their own way.
I look forward to reading your book.
Author
I do hope you’ll enjoy my story when you get a chance to read it, Deb. Both of the stories I mention here are already available for readers. The new book, In the Shadow of the River, will be available in May this year.
I like that friendships that lead to more too, but as you say each way romance can show up in stories can be fun to read.
I like the friends that turn into love for I’ve certainly been there. Makes for a sweet love story.
Book sounds to be very interesting.
Author
Sounds as if you are speaking for personal experience, Loretta. Glad you found that perfect friend to beome more than just a friend. That does make a sweet love story. Hope you’ll give my Rosey Corner book a read.
Thanks for the chance, I love the friends to ‘lovers’ trope as well. The book sounds lovely.
Author
I’m glad you think the book sounds like one you might enjoy, Ashley. While this particular story doesn’t have that friends that end up falling in love trope, some of my other books do. But Jay and Kate do become good friends after getting to know each other better writing letters back and forth during the war.
Love the cover Sounds like a great book
Author
So glad you like the cover, Sarah. Hope you get a chance to give the story a try.
I like stories of Friends at first and then somehow end up falling in love. Those are the ones that have true Love, because thier relanionship wasn’t built on looks. They truly know the person and like spending time together.
Author
That’s a good way to think about the friends to falling in love couples, Jolynn. They do already have a relationship that can continue to strengthen for years.
I love this scene because it is so full of compassion. As a retired nurse, I can tell you that there are ways to get vital signs in just such a situation. As a person who has been in a dire medical condition, having my husband close enough to touch and hold my hand and rub my arm kept me sane.
Author
You are the kind of nurse I’d want if I was in the hospital and sounds as if you’ve had some personal experience at needed someone near to comfort you, Lynda. Glad you like the scene.
Author
Joan – I’m so glad you like the cover. The blue dress and the fence seem to set it off nicely, and to hint at the story.
Ola – I’m so glad you loved the scene. Jay was such a great guy to write about.
Janice G – It makes me smile to see that you love my books and that you think you’d like to read this one. As I’ve told others here, Love Comes Home is available on online booksellers and maybe at your library.
Susanne – I love those friends to romance to weddings too.
Dana – I’m glad you think this scene sounds good. And even happier that you have enjoyed all my books. That has me smiling.
Una – I’m so glad you liked the scene and I hope you will read Love Comes Home if you haven’t already. I had such fun writing the stories of my Merritt sisters in Rosey Corner.
Janice W – I think the scene does show that special love between a man and woman that goes deeper than the first romantic threads and binds two together.
Author
Christine, I do hope you will decide to read Love Comes Home. As I’ve told others here, the book was published a few years ago, so you can find it at online booksellers or perhaps at your library.
Diana, I’m so glad you think the scene works and that it makes you curious about my characters.
bn100 – I’m so glad you agree that the scene works.
I special kind of love!
Love this scene. WOuld love to read the book
I love this excerpt! I am trying to collect all your stories for my Keeper Shelf, so I’d sure love to be able to have this one to read and display!
Author
I love that my stories are on your Keeper Shelf, Becky, and would love for my Rosey Corner books to be there too. Love Comes Home is the third Rosey Corner book, but the stories can be read as stand alone stories although you’ll get to follow my Merritt sisters through some interesting challenges if you start out with Angel Sister and then Small Town Girl.
Thank you so much for reading my stories.
Yes, I agree that your story excerpt has romance — and it is the romantic “trope” (new word for me) that I like the most: when a relationship begins as true friendship, and then develops into romantic love. “Love Comes Home” sounds like a wonderful story, and I’d really like to read it. (If I don’t win a copy, I’ll check to see if I can borrow it from our local library.)
Author
We all need to learn some new words now and then, Roberta. To be honest, it’s a word I’m not all that familiar with myself. I’ve used that true friendship turned into romantic love in several of my stories. However, that wasn’t the way if was for Jay and Kate in Love Comes Home or actually their journey to romance starts in the 2nd Rosey Corner book, Small Town Girl. So you might want to borrow that one first if you’ve already read Angel Sister. I have three Rosey Corner stories starting with Angel Sister, then Small Town Girl and the last one is Love Comes Home. I hope someday to write Rosey Corner 4, but since my publishers aren’t interested in that one, I’ll have to think about it for the future.
Sounds like a great story! Really enjoy all of your books
Sounds great! I enjoy stories starting with friendship and becoming more over time.
I was smiling as I read this scene from Love Comes Home. I like Jay and what he had to say about freedom. I certainly want to read this story.
Thank you for this give-a-way.
Author
The young men who went to war in World War II and all those horrid experiences they had are to be admired and remembered, Loretta. So many of them went to that war and others and didn’t come home to be able to live out their romances or lives.
If you aren’t lucky enough to be the winner, I hope you’ll still find the book online or in your library to give it a read.
This book sounds amazing! I will look forward to reading it. I aiways love your boos Ann
Love this scene!
I like when the characters don’t really get along at first, but wind up falling in love. It’s always interesting to see how they get to that point.
I have read Love Comes Home and enjoyed it very much.
Author
I’m so glad you’ve read Love Comes Home and liked the story, Connie.
I guess in a way the characters not getting along at first and changing their minds about each other was sort of how Kate and Jay were at first. Especially Kate who thought Jay was too much of a playboy with no interest in settling down anywhere.
I like the long time friends that add romance to the friendship trope best although I like all of them in their own way.
Author
I’m not surprised to read that you love all the romantic tropes, Lisa, with the say you love to read. And you are right that handled by skillful storytellers, all ways of getting those romantic couples together can be good.
Beautiful cover!