By Ann Christopher
May 12th, 2008

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I love to read exciting new romance stories as much as the next person, but there are a few standard plot lines that I just can’t resist–don’t want to resist. And it doesn’t matter that every Jane Doe author has already written her take on said plot. Nor does it matter that the plot first appeared way back when dinosaurs were still in eggs. I don’t even care if the plot is contained in a story in a sub-genre that I usually don’t read. If one of the following plots is involved, I’m almost GUARANTEED to pick up the book:

1. Kidnap/Abduction—maybe it’s the sicko in me, but I love a good kidnap plot. If the hero is grabbing and running with the heroine, I’m there. If pirates are involved, so much the better. All-time favorite: Brenda Joyce’s The Game, wherein the privateer kidnaps the well-born lady. New favorite: Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan.

2. Snowbound—you know this one: the hero and heroine are trapped in a remote cabin/castle/mansion together because the snowstorm/hurricane/monsoon is bearing down on them at any moment. LOVE a great snowbound story. All-time favorite: Sandra Brown’s Chill Factor, wherein hero (who may be the villain) and heroine are trapped with a killer on the loose, a storm raging, and the heroine’s asthma flaring up.

3. Wounded Hero—I love to read about damaged heroes. This is not the kind of guy you’d want your real-life sister to bring home for dinner. Understand that. If your sister was dating this guy, you’d probably stage an intervention. But within the safe confines of a romance novel, these guys are tres fun. All-time favorites: any of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood heroes, especially … well, pretty much all of them, and L.A. Banks’s Carlos, the drug-dealer-turned-vampire-turned-slayer.

4. Hero/Villain—this is the one where the hero—at least you THINK he’s the hero—may be the villain. A clever author can string this tension along until the end of the book. All-time favorite: Victoria Holt’s The Devil on Horseback—did the mysterious Comte kill his wife so he could marry the innocent paid companion? I’ll let you wonder.

5. Multiple men in love with the heroine—I just love men going all alpha and possessive—don’t you? New favorite—Megan Hart’s Tempted. Fair warning: this is an erotic romance, and neither man is particularly, ah, possessive, but it’s one great book about two men and a woman.

So those are my fave five plots. What’re yours? Do you agree with any of my choices? Please leave a comment. At the end of the day, I’ll give a copy of Sweeter than Revenge to a commenter. And don’t forget to check back to see if you’ve won!

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