Enemies, Lovers, and the Tropes I'd Marry: A Definitive Ranking

Pop quiz, hot stuff: what do a rain-soaked airport reunion, a fake engagement in Vegas, and a grumpy cowboy all have in common? They're tropes, baby — and we love them, we defend them, and occasionally, we put them on blast.

Today I'm ranking the classics. Agree with me in the comments or don't — but know that I will be dramatic about it.

The Hall of Fame: 7 Tropes That Still Make Me Swoon

7. Forced Proximity. One cabin. One snowstorm. Two people who definitely don't have feelings. Sure, Jan. I love this trope like I love my heated blanket — deeply and without shame. It earns its spot because the tension writes itself: you literally cannot escape the person driving you crazy.

6. The Grumpy One Falls for the Sunshine One. The sunshiny heroine who wears down the brooding hero like rain on limestone? Timeless. Bonus points if he only smiles for her. I have been known to highlight those pages in yellow.

5. Fake Relationship. We all know it's fake. They all know it's fake. And yet the moment one of them catches feelings — chef's kiss. It's the trope equivalent of eating cookie dough: slightly irresponsible, absolutely worth it.

4. Friends to Lovers. The slowest of burns and the sweetest of payoffs. When the best friend finally realizes what we've known for 200 pages? Pass the tissues, and maybe the cold shower.

3. Second-Chance Love. First loves coming back around hits different, especially for readers who've lived a little. There's something about two people who already know each other's flaws and choose each other anyway. Mature, tender, and quietly devastating.

2. Marriage of Convenience. Historical or contemporary, this trope is a masterclass in restraint. They're married in every way but one, and that one is killing them both. The yearning? Unmatched.

1. Enemies to Lovers. And here's my crown jewel. The banter! The almost-kisses! The moment hate flips into something hotter! Done right, enemies-to-lovers is a fireworks show with a slow fuse. It's the trope that made me a reader, and honestly, it's the one that made me a writer.

The Retirement Party: 3 Tropes We're Gently Walking Out in 2025

The Amnesia Plot. Look, I love a soap opera as much as anyone, but "she forgot the entire love of her life" has been done to death. Unless the memory loss comes with a truly fresh twist, we're letting this one nap.

The Love Triangle That Never Resolves. If I've invested 400 pages and there's no clear winner, I'm filing a formal complaint. Choose. Choose with your whole chest. We're tired of the stalemate.

The Big Misunderstanding That One Sentence Would Fix. You know the one. Page 350, and the entire third act collapses because nobody said, "Wait, that's not what happened." I love angst, but I need my characters to be adults with functioning vocal cords.

Now It's Your Turn, Darlings

Here's where you come in: I'm drafting my next novel, and I want YOU to pick the trope. Head to the poll at the bottom of this post and vote for what you want on your nightstand next:

• Enemies to lovers (again? you greedy things, I love it)
• Second-chance love with a rodeo twist
• Fake engagement in a small Texas town
• Marriage of convenience, historical edition

Voting stays open through the end of the month, and whichever trope wins gets the full Mackenzie treatment — banter, yearning, and a hero you'll be dreaming about long after the epilogue.

Go vote. Then go reread your favorite chapter. You know the one.

— Mackenzie