Looking for a Trope, Trigger, and Kink List for your Romance Novel?
I add tropes and triggers to all of my developmental edits to help authors really decide what they should be marketing with and then realized that I should make this list more accessible so here we are! Shout out to Author Laiken Rhodes for also helping me add to this list when my brain just couldn’t anymore.
Scroll below to find a list of Tropes, Quoted Tropes, Trigger Warnings, and Kinks!
Tropes:
Adoption Rep
Age gap
Aliens
Anxiety Rep
Anti-hero
Anal/Ass play
Arranged marriage
Accidental pregnancy
Banter
Bad boy
Band of brothers
Best friend's sister
Best friend’s brother
Best friend’s ex-boyfriend/fiance
Best friend’s rival/enemy
Betrayals
Bi-awakening
BDSM
Billionaire romance
Biting (marking)
Blood Play
Bonding
Breeding Kink
Brother’s bestfriend
Brother’s ex-boyfriend/fiance
Brother’s rival
Broken boy
Chosen One
Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
Chronic Illness/Pain Rep
Cheating
Chosen One
Cock-warming
Coach’s daughter
Coming of Age
Coming Out
Consent King
Cowboy romance
Curvy/Plus Size MC
Cult vibes/Occult
Dark Academia
Dark Romance
Dark Romantasy
Depression rep
Degradation
Divorcee
Dad’s best friend
Dom/Sub
Dragons
Dystopian
Dub-con
Each other’s first time
Enemies to Lovers
Epic fantasy
Epic Battles/Quests
Erotica
Ex’s father
Ex’s bestfriend
Ex’s brother/sister
Ex’s rival
End of the world
Fae vs Human (or whatever it is)
Fake Relationship (dating, engaged, married)
Family rivals/enemy
Fantasy
Fated Mates
Feminine Rage
First Heat
First Kiss
Forbidden Romance
Forked Tongue
Foster care
Forced proximity
Found Family
Friends to Lovers
Frenemies to lovers
Good vs. Evil
Good Girl x Bad Boy
Gothic
Hand necklaces
He begs
He comes in his pants
He crawls
He’s desperate for her.
He falls first
He falls harder
He likes pain
Heroine in danger
Hidden Identity
Hidden Motives
Hidden Powers
Holiday Romance
Horror
Jock x Tutor
Intricate World Building
Knife play
Large/Big Family
Left at the altar/Runaway bride or groom
Love Triangle
Mafia
Magic System
Marriage in crisis
Matching tattoos
Meet-cute
Mental health rep
Military Romance
Mistaken Identity
Morally Grey MC
Morally black MC
MC/Motorcycle club
Nanny
Natural disasters (as a main plot point)
New Adult (NA)
Non-con
Obsessive MC
OTT/JP Hero/Heroine
Omegaverse
One Bed
One-night stand to lovers
Paranormal Romance
Pegging
Pierced Cock
Pleasure Bite
Political Intrigue
Possessive MC
Power System
Praise kink
Pregnancy
Prophecy
Professor/Teacher x student
Quest
Rejected fated mate
Reluctant Hero
Reverse Age-gap
Revenge plots
Romantasy
RomCom
Roommates
Romantic suspense
Sci-fi
Second Chance Romance
Second chance mates (where they are not originally fated mates)
Secret Society
Secret tattoos
Shadow Daddy
Shadow Mommy
She comes in her pants
She falls first
She falls harder
She likes pain
She heals him
Spitting
Shifters (type)
Shifting
Single Dad
Single Mom
Sister’s best friend
Sister’s ex boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance/spouse
Sister’s rival
Size Difference (tall man x short girl etc)
Slow Burn
Small town
Spicy lessons
Sports Romance (Type)
Somno
Spicy
Step-siblings
Star-crossed Lovers
Strangers to Lovers
Stem
Sudden or Surprise guardian
Suicide rep
Secret baby
Space Travel
Taboo
Tattooed MC
Touch Her and Die
Touch Him and Die
Touch Starved MC
Twists/Turns
Upper YA
Using phallic-like objects on her - I don’t know how to say this but it is a trope
Vampires
Vacation fling
Villain gets the girls
Vigilantes
Virgin FMC
Virgin MMC
Western Romance
Widower
Workplace romance
Winged Male
Wound Tending
When he tattoos/pierces her
Why Choose (w/ Letter Type)
**Reverse harem (1 girl 3 or more men), Poly, Menage**
Young Adult
Quoted Tropes:
“Fuck it.”
“Good boy.”
“Good girl.”
“I want you.”
“I’ve got you.”
“Mine.”
“Pretty girl.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Who did this to you?
“Who hurt you?”
“You came.”
“You’re Mine.”
“My wife.”
“My woman.”
“My husband.”
“It’s always been you.”
“Yes, Sir/Madame.”
“Yes, Master.”
“When he speaks ‘enter language” to her.”
Trigger Warnings (mentions or depicted):
Abusive Ex
Abortion
Abuse of power
Anorexia
Animal abuse
Alcohol Abuse
Attempted Rape
Blackmail/Extortion
Bulemia
Child abuse
Coercion/Bribes
Chronic or Terminal Illness
Corrupt government/politicians
Death
Domestic violence
Drug and substance abuse
Drugging of MC
Death of a Loved One
Depression
Domination/degradation
Furry Play
Gambling
Gangs/Crews & organized crime
Gore
Horror
Jealousy and Possessive Behaviours
Incest
Kidnapping
Mental Abuse
Manipulation (mental or emotional)
Mental Health (dissociation from reality, psychopathy, sociopathy)
Mentions of abuse (specific)
Miscarriage
Necrophilia
Past Abuse
Physical Assault
Pedophilia (mentioned)
Pregnancy
PTSD
Racketeering
Self Harm
School shootings (mentioned or on page)
Slavery
Sex work/Prostitution
Suicide
Self-sacrifice
Sexual Assault
Unaliving/Murder
Using nontraditional items during sex*** IE - guns, knives, food, etc
Violence (specify)
Torture
KINKS
Anal play
Ass play
Breeding
Bondage
Blindfolds
Biting/Marking
Breeding kink
Cream pies
Degradation
Dom/sub
Edging
Erotic asphyxiation
Exhibitionism
Food play
Furry
Group scenes
Hand necklaces
Madame**
Mask play
Masochism
Master/Servant
Motor-boating
Nipple play
Non-con\Dub-con
Praise Kink
Primal play
Punishments ie “bad girl/boy scenes”
Rape fantasy
Role play
Sadism
Somno
Spanking
Spitting
Toy play
Whips, chains & ropes
Voyerism
