Top Ten Tuesday: Romance

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely book blog: The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten tuesday is about the top ten things I like and dislike when it comes to romances in books.

I love a romance element in the books I read- as a rom-com addict/ hopeless romantic I can't help but love when an author creates a romance which makes me swoon!

4 Things I Dislike About Romances in Books

1. Too much too soon (insta-love): Isn't it annoying when the characters fall dangerously in love almost in an instant? When after meeting their love interest they declare to the world that they would die to save them? I understand that people can love so strongly and truly that they would sacrifice anything for the person they love but do they need to be so dramatic when they barely know the 'love of their lives' yet?;) If done right, this passion can be absolutely swoon-inducing to read but when its rushed and you feel like the character's feelings have no substance, it becomes frustrating!
2. Do I know you?: Whenever the protagonist falls in love with a character I want to fall in love with them or feel something about them too! So I hate feeling left out in the dark when authors don't let the reader get to know the love interest well enough- when a love interest is almost reduced to simply being the 'love interest' and nothing else. I want to know why he or she is so special and wonderful and lovely! Otherwise it's not hard to feel disconnected from the romance:(
3. Geometry and Love don't mix: Why are there so many love triangles, squares and probably even decagons? Now, Hamlet, that is the question! Sometimes love triangles can be done in a way that makes you enjoy them- they're suspenseful ("Who will she/he choose?"), you get to choose a team (which can be really fun!) and you understand the conflict and why the characters are so attracted to whoever they're so infatuated with. But so many books obsess over love triangles even though in reality there aren't that many love triangles and there's nothing wrong with a classic love story (a love line?;))
   
4. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing: Another tiny thing that bothers me to no end is when we're told the characters are talking and having the conversation of their lives but we never get to experience that oh-so-sweet get to know you stage. I want to know what the characters are saying to each other and why they feel so connected- give me the dialogue which has conversation and banter I could cuddle! It adds substance to their relationship and in the end will make me care about them more if I know what they are like together and how they understand each other so perfectly!

6 Things I Like About Romances in Books

1. Witty or adorable conversations: There's always that couple who have the most entertaining, humorous and yet loving conversations I can imagine! Some books in which I have experienced this are: Katy and Daemon in the Lux series (their banter makes me smile and laugh and just stop to appreciate Daemon for a few minutes;)), Rudy and Liesel in The Book Thief - how cute is Rudy's "How about a kiss, Saumensch?", Percy and Annabeth in Percy Jackson because who can forget those two - Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl, Pride and Prejudice is a classic example;), Fault in Our Stars is abundant with these (the quirkiness, lovability and intelligence of the characters sure helps!) and of course Noah Shaw and Mara Dyer in the Mara Dyer series (too many quotable moments between those two- Noah should be a poet!)! 
2. Stop, drop and roll: Except in this case it's Stop, drop jaw and swoon! There are those moments in romances which just make you instantly adore the couple and everything about them! It can be the most unexpected moment but everything just comes together. For example in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I always remember the random and strangely sweet moment Noah kneels down to tie her shoelaces ("'Now you won't fall.' Too late".)
3. Time after time: Slow-burn romances are the best! Almost the opposite of insta-love because they give characters time to get to know eachother and give the readers time to slowly feel more and more passionate about the characters finally realizing how they feel for eachother. This is done in so many books like Harry Potter, Winner's Curse, Angelfall, The Darkest Minds, Life in Outer Space (the ultimate geeky sweet romance:)) and Crown of Midnight.
4. You & Me: The best relationships, in books and real life, are the ones in which the characters inspire their love to become their best self and at the same time also embrace their own potential. They're equals and the both end up feeling at home with eachother! In Life In Outer Space, a lovely, weird (a great weird!) and down-to-earth romance, the characters get each other through their hardships by being there for each other and showing each other original and kooky ways to move on from something holding them back. A similar situation is in Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. One book I'll never forget, in which there's a grumpy bookstore owner who is transformed by a little girl named Maya (my name!) left in his store and transformed by someone who just gets and loves him, is called The Storied Like of AJ Fikry.
   
5. The chase: Don't you love when two characters are pining for each other? The tension, nervous feelings, sweet moments and reluctant smiles result in making the chase one of my favourite parts of a romance. A classic example is the Lux series, Crown of Midnight and Sweet Evil.
6. Underdog: You can see how highly a character thinks of another when they think the other person is too good for them but still love them despite how hopeless they think their crush is. I love when a character is so relatable in his/her own awkward and adorable way as they have no idea what to do next! Anna in Anna and the French Kiss doesn't think she can ever be with Etienne St Clair but really.... they're perfect for eachother! Stephanie Perkins is a goddess of romance novels:)

Thanks for reading! What do you love or hate about romance in books?