The Knight in Shining Armani

Making Enduring Themes Work In Your Romance Novel

By Megan Andrews

As readers of category romances, you will find certain themes cropping up time and time again. Yet as writers we often overlook them as essential elements to ground our own stories. It is the foundation. The first layer. It must be clear in your mind before you write your opening line.

Otherwise it will be like building a castle on shifting sand. It'll all fall apart.

You have to know what motivates your characters, otherwise a storyline will seem aimless and, more importantly, you will lose the reader's empathy. Readers need to buy into a character's reasoning and psychology - otherwise you've lost them. The thing to remember is: your hero and heroine are almost always motivated by very noble characteristics. It's what lends the story its sense of idealism and restores our belief in true heroes and heroines.

Of course there is always a scrim - often a dark cloud - of misunderstanding that surrounds the hero or heroine's true motivation, something that is cleared up as we go deep and deeper into the story, but at the heart of it - at the core - both the hero and heroine are basically, fundamentally, good people.

Let's have a look at some common themes that thread their way through popular modern romance stories. What you will notice is that many of these themes feed into each other and interlink during the course of a novel.

Rescue Me

We still find the hero on his horse charging in to save the day, but in modern romances he looks slightly different. Here he's a knight in shining Armani and the white horse is more likely exchanged for the horsepower under the hood of a new Maserati.

In Stella Bagwell’s “Precious Pretender”, slick city boy Rick comes to shy schoolteacher Priscilla’s rescue when she needs to come up with a fake fiancé to help appease her meddlesome mother.

On the other hand, he may still have a horse and a sturdy pickup. For example: In Judy Christenberry’s “Inherited: Instant family”, good-looking cowboy Logan takes in a desperate Sarah and her small brothers when she escapes from an unbalanced and violent stepfather.

Yes, both these men secretly love the women they’ve rescued, but their motivation isn’t to get into their pants, but to help them. If you have a lecherous Lothario who only wants to gratify his own needs, then you’re certainly not going to endear him to the reader. Right?

Self Sacrifice

The heroine of your book should always be spirited, independent, a woman with fire in her eyes and a lot of fight left in her belly, but she’s not on a one-woman crusade. Move over, Joan of Arc. Her goals are not always centred around her own happiness. She will be willing to throw herself in the way of danger and even plain compromise if it will better the lives of those she loves – her family, her children, even a friend. In Emma Darcy’s “The Secret Baby Revenge”, sexy dance teacher Nicole doesn’t sleep with Spanish millionaire Quin Solis to save her own dance studio, but to save her mother’s dance studio. Do you see how that makes her a real heroine? Her mother needs the income to help pay for Nicole’s stepfather’s medical treatments.

Otherwise Nicole would come across as avaricious and ambitiously single-minded. I mean, if it was her studio, why not just pack up and get a job at the local Arthur Murray?

Even an alpha hero can follow this theme. In Jane Porter’s recent modern romance, “King of the Desert, Captive Bride” dashing sheikh Khalid Fehr sacrifices his own freedom to save hapless tourist Olivia Morse from a terrible Arabian prison as marriage is the only way he can safely deliver her from danger. Do you see the two themes working seamlessly together here? Rescue and Self-Sacrifice.

Honour/Duty

Family honour and duty are themes as timeless as romance itself. Your characters will often do things against their own secret desires to fulfil the wishes of those closest to them. In Jane Porter’s wonderful “Christos’s Promise”, emotionally wounded Alysia is forced into an arranged marriage to shipping magnate Christos by her conniving father. At the same time, Christos honours his mother’s wish for grandchildren and similarly engineers this marriage of convenience. How these two learn to respect, heal and love each other makes for a compelling romance.
In my story “His Secretary’s Secret,” super-efficient secretary Lauren is also motivated by family duty, having spent the last five years avoiding romance and a social life to look after her ailing mother. Ross, a media tycoon and her boss, recognises her sacrifices and loves her all the more for these qualities. Remember: virtue is always rewarded in a romance.

Break up / Reconciliation

Most of us have broken up with a partner at some point. It could be our first innocent relationship in high school or a devastating divorce. No matter how much closure we get, there’s always a part of us that thinks: “What if? What if things worked out differently?” And this question creates a great hook for a romance novel. Here’s your chance to give a couple of star-crossed lovers the chance to resolve the issues of the past and have a happy ending.

In Kate Hewitt’s gripping “The Italian’s Bought Bride,” art therapist Allegra and handsome Italian engineer Stefano break up the night before their wedding and are reunited in London after seven years.

A child in Stefano’s care is the catalyst that brings them together, but spending time alone they slowly get to the bottom of the emotional obstacles and outside influences that kept them from saying “I do” all those years ago.

In award-winning novelist Nina Bruhns’ “Royal Betrayal”, sexy bodyguard Walker Shaw spends a night of passion with a royal seductress, Lady Zara, but their wildly different backgrounds kept them from taking it any further. Now, years later, Lady Zara needs his help and they are given a second chance. We love second chances don’t we?

The Fallen Angel/ Redemption

The fallen angel hero is a great theme to use in a romance, as a hero who has fallen to darkness must now find redemption and the light in order to win the heroine’s love. It gives him an edge, a moodiness, and great emotional and sexual gravitas. It’s the phoenix from the ashes story. We love it.

In one my favourite author’s books – Sandra Field’s “Jet Set Seduction” – the hero, Slade, must overcome the darkness of his past and the claustrophobia of his private demons before he can declare his love for the beautiful, enigmatic and challenging heroine, Clea.

Possibly the best examples of the fallen angel can be found in the works of the uncrowned Queen of Romance, Anne Mather. In “Rich as Sin”, mega-rich Matt Putnam has slid into a profligate, destructive lifestyle after he’s been burned by glamorous Melissa. Only when he meets the ordinary waitress with extraordinary looks Samantha does he decide to clean up his act. Fast.

In “Leopard in the Snow”, the scarred and haunted racing legend Dominic has faked his own death and lives in complete isolation – with only his faithful servant Bolt and a lithe cheetah for company. Until the expected arrival of young Helen forces him to start to feel again, live again and, ultimately, to love again.

Cinderella / Makeover

In legendary author Penny Jordan’s “Mission Makeover,” her tomboyish heroine, Luci, must undergo a Cinderella process in order to catch a boyfriend. But it’s family friend Jake Carlisle who notices her new temptress look – and falls in love.

In Jane Porter’s “Hollywood Husband, Contract Wife,” jeans-and-T-shirt movie assistant, Alexandra, is transformed into a sleek, glamorous (albeit “fake”) fiancée for Hollywood bad boy Wolf Kerrick. She learns in the story that appearances aren’t everything and behind Wolf’s surface charisma lies a man who is a true friend, a philanthropist and a really decent human being: one she is falling in love with.

That’s the point. You can’t throw in a “Pretty Woman” moment to make up the scenes; the Makeover theme must always tie in with plot and your character’s motivation.

However, don’t neglect the hero in the makeover scenario. In Linda Goodnight’s sparkling “Married Under The Mistletoe”, scruffy, wild, bearded Daniel Stephens spends his time building water ducts in Africa, but when he comes to London to hustle for more funding he meets the mysterious Stephanie. In order to woo her, he cleans up rather nicely, shaving off the beard, putting on a tux. He knocks her socks off – but he does it because he knows she is worth it.

OK, so what are you going to do with your Fairy Godmother’s wand?

The Opposite of Love?

I had a journalism professor once who pointed out that there are only three emotions in the world. Love, Hate, Indifference. What he didn’t say is that there is a thin febrile line between these three emotions. It’s no secret that most romances start of with the heroine hating the hero, or at least having great big dollops of antagonism and sizzling conflict between them. Why? Readers love it, yes, but we often start off with the opposite emotion when we fall in love.

On the other hand, we can exchange love for hate when we feel we’ve been wounded.

In Sharon Kendrick’s “Bedded for Revenge,” feisty Sorcha’s desire turns to hate when Italian businessman Cesare reveals he wants her because she is that rare prize – a virgin. Of course, Cesare hides his desire and emotions for her behind a cool mask of indifference, but it soon turns out his need for revenge is based on an emotion even he struggles to name. One called love.

In Lucy Monroe’s recent romance, “Valentino’s Love-Child,” sexy Sicilian Tino and sculptress / mistress Faith Williams try to keep their heart’s protected by making sure their relationship is confined to one of sexual convenience. However, their indifference is tested when she falls pregnant with his love-child and both are forced to come out of their shells and admit their own feelings. And we’re rooting for them all the way!

Last but Not Least: Love!

So often, as writers, we are so busy tying plot themes together and making sure our stories are filled with sensual tension and emotional conflict, we tend to forget that, at the end of the day, we’re writing love stories. It’s that simple and that powerful. What needs to come out of every story – and indeed does in every story I’ve ever read – is the idea of two people recognising love, embracing love and committing to love. There has to be a forever moment! So it doesn’t matter what plot theme you start with, this last one must be there in all its glory at the end. Sounds obvious, I know, but always keep this theme top of mind when you sit down to pen your next story.

Try to use as many of these themes in your own writing and you will see your story become more solid. Have fun with them!

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