Obstacles & taboos tropes
What stands between them: forbidden bonds, class divides, secrets that should have stayed buried.
A love that defies the rules, fate, family, or enemy lines, and refuses to be denied.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas
Twilight
Stephenie Meyer
Iron Flame
Rebecca Yarros
Elantris
Brandon Sanderson
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
A Court of Wings and Ruin
Sarah J. Maas
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
House of Earth and Blood
Sarah J. Maas
Crown of Midnight
Sarah J. Maas
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
From Blood and Ash
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
An attraction that crosses an unspoken line of friendship or family, strictly off-limits.
A meaningful age difference between the leads that shapes the power, pace, and stakes of love.
Three people tangled together, one heart torn between two, facing an impossible choice.
It Ends With Us
Colleen Hoover
American Queen
Sierra Simone
Clockwork Prince
Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess
Cassandra Clare
Finale
Stephanie Garber
Interim Goddess of Love
Unknown
These Hollow Vows
Lexi Ryan
Tides of Shadows
Evelyn Hope
Tiger's Destiny
Colleen Houck
Tiger's Voyage
Colleen Houck
Wicked Beauty
Ines Johnson
A divide of money, rank, or status stands between them, testing whether love can bridge it.
Powerless
Lauren Roberts
It Happened One Summer
Tessa Bailey
Twisted Games
Ana Huang
King of Wrath
Ana Huang
King of Pride
Ana Huang
Geekerella
Ashley Poston
King of Envy
Ana Huang
Royally Screwed
Emma Chase
Before Beauty
Brittany Fichter
Four Dukes and a Devil
Cathy Maxwell, Tracy Anne Warren, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox
Iron, Fire and Ice
Ed West
The Powerless & Reckless Collection (Boxed Set)
Lauren Roberts
They hide their romance from everyone, and the thrill and strain of secrecy fuel the tension.
Twisted Games
Ana Huang
Priest
Sierra Simone
Royally Screwed
Emma Chase
Glamour
A. L. Jackson, Sophie Jordan, Aleatha Romig, Lili St. Germain, Sierra Simone, Nora Flite, Nicolla Rendell
American Prince
Sierra Simone
Heated Rivalry
Rachel Reid
Hideaway
Penelope Douglas
In The Shadows
L. B. August
Kiss the Villain
Rina Kent
Off to the Races
Elsie Silver
Say You'll Remember Me
Abby Jimenez
Steel Princess
Rina Kent
One hides who they truly are, their rank, power, or past, until the truth threatens it all.
A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Elantris
Brandon Sanderson
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
Crown of Midnight
Sarah J. Maas
Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas
Empire of Storms
Sarah J. Maas
Steelheart
Brandon Sanderson
Ruin and Rising
Leigh Bardugo
House of Sky and Breath
Sarah J. Maas
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3)
Holly Black
Powerless
Lauren Roberts
They are perfect for each other, but life, timing, or circumstance keeps pulling them apart.
One unspoken truth or tangled misunderstanding drives the entire conflict between them.
The Bromance Book Club
Lyssa Kay Adams
A Sicilian Romance
Ann Ward Radcliffe
Emma
Jane Austen
Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry
How Should I Love You?
Dwight Hervey Small
Mr. Wrong Number
Lynn Painter
November 9
Colleen Hoover
Of Noble Family
Mary Robinette Kowal
Once Upon a Shoe: A Cinderella Retelling
A. R. Summers
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane. Austen
Shades of Milk and Honey
Mary Robinette Kowal
The Love Wager
Lynn Painter