They say that the best love stories are often born from friendships. Friends to lovers is a particularly emotional trope because it allows the reader to get to know different stages in the couple’s relationship: a friendship that evolves into romance and a happily ever after.
A romance based on a friendship has a strong and steady base. The hero and heroine know each other deeply as a whole, they have known and understand every aspect of their personality: their context and childhood, their favorite food, what makes them happy or angry, and—perhaps most importantly—they understand the importance of their motivation.
Here are some tips to help you craft an exciting friends to lovers romance:
Set the Backstory:
How did the hero and heroine become friends? Do they know each other from childhood, or did they meet in their workplace? What were the circumstances that brought them together and how well do they know each other?
Pair with Other Tropes:
This trope usually works well paired with a second chance romance or first love reunion. Perhaps the hero and heroine were inseparable childhood friends that drifted apart due to life circumstances and now, after a long time, are reuniting.
A trope pairing can also be the base for the situation that makes their friendship evolve. Perhaps a forced proximity or a fake engagement scenario gives them that spark of attraction that makes their existing bond evolve into love.
Conflict:
When the hero and heroine realize they are in love, the fear of losing their friendship arises, this is usually the most common conflict in a friends to lovers romance. In addition, the hero and heroine must ask themselves how their love would affect their personal motivations, and how will they overcome this conflict.
Here are some Harlequin romances that perfectly exemplify the friends to lovers trope.
Her Secret Homecoming
By Anna Grace
Heartwarming
Lucy Walker returns to her hometown of Pronghorn, Oregon to help revive the local school. While working on the project with her fellow teacher Mateo Lander, she must come to terms with her history and accept the love of her best friend.
The Cowboy Who Came Home
By Kathy Douglass
Special Edition
Malcolm Wilson and Veronica Kendrick shared a special bond as childhood best friends. Now, Malcolm returns to their hometown of Aspen Creek to heal the past and their broken relationship, but spending time together ignites the sparks of an unexpected romance.
Looking for a strong trope charged with emotion? Don’t hesitate to give the friends to lovers trope a chance. Want to read more about romance tropes? Check out more trope spotlights in our archive.
