u/No-Let653

I really want a contemporary romance with action and gun fighting, but I don’t want it to be dark or bdsm related. Bonus if it’s MM!

I read the {Forest Grove series by Ames Mills} and that had exactly what I was looking for.

Likes: Who hurt you?, Only one bed, Hurt/comfort, Contemporary, College, Paranormal, Praise.

Dislikes: Hate Love, Friends with Benefits, One night stands, flings, forbidden love, miscommunication, Degradation, dark romance, BDSM, cheating.

This is basically every trope in the cowboy sub genre. SO ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A BOOK WITHOUT THEM! 😭

But I really, REALLY crave a cowboy romance rn and these are my most DESPISED tropes! I mean, there has GOT to be a book out there somewhere that doesnt have these tropes. RIGHT?

I’m curious, what book(s) have you read and found out was horrible, but kept reading anyway?

Meaning, all the characters have a relationship with each other!

I’ve looked at the Poly Magathread and numerous posts on this sub, but all of the recs I’ve seen are either RH, open relationship, or a love triangle. THATS NOT WHAT IM LOOKING FOR!

I need a book where everyone in the relationship has a relationship with EVERYONE! All the characters in the relationship must be involved with each other!

Likes: MM, College Romance, Only one bed, Who hurt you?, Friends-to-lovers, Hurt/comfort, Contemporary, Paranormal, Praise.

Dislikes: Hate Love, Bdsm, Dark Romance, One night stand, flings, forbidden love, Miscommunication, Friends with Benefits, Degradation.

Edit: Some of the recs I’ve seen so far are bdsm or start as a love triangle. That’s not what im looking for, and I thought I had made that pretty clearly in my post. I’ve also noticed that most of the books I’ve seen are RH with MM. That’s not true polyamorous! A true polyamorous relationship happens when no one is in the center of a relationship, that’s why I don’t want RH!

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY??? 😭

Why is the kissing always downplayed in smut? It’s like smut authors think kissing is something small and basic that doesn’t “belong” in a hot and spicy book when in reality, KISSING IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST THINGS SOMEONE CAN DO!

Why do authors give characters such incredible chemistry and sexual tension, but only make the kisses brief and simple!?!?! DO AUTHORS NOT REALIZE THAT MAKING OUT IS 10x HOTTER BECAUSE THEY KISS LIKE CRAZY????

It’s hot when characters finally snap and kiss so hard they become frantic and loose all control! It’s hot when they keep kissing because they physically cannot stop, and don’t want to! It’s hot when their kissing leads into the nitty gritty!

So why do authors forgo kissing in every smut book I have read? Why do authors only go for the sexual tension, when emotional connection makes the sex a bazillion times better???

I’ve even read books where the characters NEVER KISS AT ALL!

Yes, it’s the most stereotypical trope out there.

So whyyy is it so hard to find a book with a prince mmc that doesn’t have action or politics??? I’m looking for a ROMANCE!

I want him being the prince to be a very strong part of the plot! Fantasy is what I imagine but I don’t want a dark fantasy book. I will take anything that isn’t mystery or sci-fi.

A few absolutely not tropes I have: hate love, bdsm/dark romance, one night stand/flings, forbidden love

That’s right, THIS CAN’T BE A FORBIDDEN ROMANCE! Any recs would be wonderful!

I know y’all, I love me some slow burns. But rn I’m reading the slowest slow burn I have ever read and I’m CRAVING SOME HOT AND SPICY DIRTY TALK! 🥵🔥😩

They gotta be so hot I’m blushing, kicking my feet squealing kinda spicy! 🌶️🔥 The man needs to have the hottest, smuttiest mouth you’ve ever come across. Praise kink and descriptive talking are my thing, just no degradation! And I will take ANYTHING in CR, collage romance, HR, and paranormal! Those special anatomies do something to me, okay? ✋🏼😩

I gotta have me a POSSESSIVE man who would kill before ever sharing their gal! Please, I NEED THIS TO SCRATCH THE ITCH OF A LIFE TIME! 🔥🫦🪭

My only absolute no gos are: hate love, bdsm/dark romance, one night stand/flings, forbidden love

I need a book with dual pov, where the characters are obSESSED with each other. I need them to stalk each other, I need them to take pictures of each other, I need them to know everything about each other but have never met! 😫

And when they realize the other is obsessed with them I. Need. The. Spice. To. HITTTTTTTTT.

Come on, y’all, this has to exist somewhere! 😭😖

I’ve been avoiding this series because I thought I wouldn’t like it… and now I’m starting to rethink my decisions.

I read The Assassins Blade, loved it, exactly what I was in the mood for. I knew Throne of Glass would be a bit more juvenile, but I didn’t it expect it to be this slow!

The mystery has been in this book from the very beginning, and we still know absolutely nothing! We’re 3/4ths of the way through, people, where is the action I was promised?

The trials are basically a subplot at this point, the romance is okay, but the mystery? It’s dragging on and on and on. Like come on, these people are supposed to be the best of the best! USE THAT TALENT AND FIGURE IT OUT!

Celeana has apparently been doing research but even I have some theory’s and leads she could chase and all I’ve been told are some off handed comments! Like, come on!

And the thing is, is that it is so. flippin. slow! 100 pages could’ve been cut out of this book because those pages were POINTLESS.

You see, I have this curse of DNFing a book right before it gets good. I don’t want to DNF if it’s about to turn into what I’ve been waiting for.

I really want the action to actually pick up, I want the trials to take the wheel and for us to actually get on with this mystery that’s supposed to be everything but has so far been nothing!

I’m on page 263, the start of chapter 35 and apparently there are supposed to be some important things going on. I really could not care less. I know the next 4 chapters are going to be dedicated to this ridiculous ball and I don’t want to sit through it if it does nothing for the plot.

So if I haven’t enjoyed Throne of Glass so far, should I DNF? Or should I push through and hope the next book is better? I don’t know, and if you’ve read this I’d really appreciate your opinion.

I don’t care for how long exactly as long as they actually suffer for a good amount of time

I want the FMC to become friends with an established pack. Then I want her to go into heat early, lock all the doors and windows, realize there’s no food, what about her nest?

Then I want the MMCs to call, text, or do whatever they normally do. When she doesn’t respond like normal they go to check on her and realize, oh shit—she’s in heat!

I want them to worry about her, get her what she needs, all the supplies. And I really want them to guard her home! I want them to make sure she’s safe during her heat! Of course, they half to suffer through this. As long as they suffer for a good amount of time, it doesn’t matter when or if they give in and what happens next as long as there is no dubcon/noncon or any conflict such as a 3rd act breakup or miscommunication.

I know this is specific, but if this book exists please tell meeeeeeeeeeeee

I’m really craving a book where the FMC and MMC both have flawed bodies and love each other for it. I want it to be spicy and sweet while still making sex because they love each other and thats their way of expressing it. I want those flawed parts of each other to either turn them on or at least not turn them off.

No exhibitionism, or 3rd act conflicts can be in this book. I don’t want a dark/mafia romance, and I don’t want omegaverse. No flings. One night stands are okay if it doesn’t extend beyond that.

I would love a polyamorous or any couple/pairing that doesn’t have one person in the center (love triangles, V relationships, RH). The characters must all love each other equally!

I’m not looking for sci-fi or mystery; but if your rec fits all my requirements except the genre, go ahead.

Any recs would be wonderful!

I’m looking for a book or book series where the fmc has to hide her gender and become a man to survive. I want it to be apart of the plot, and I would love a fantasy book with lots of action!

I don’t want the H/main characters to know she’s a woman (unless it becomes necessary), and If there’s romance, I would love it if they became friends first. I also don’t want the mmc to be gay, and accidentally catch feelings.

No naive or immature characters, please.

Some examples:

{Stung} and {Cured} by Bethany Wiggins has this trope and it’s one of my all time favs to re-read when I get thirsty for this trope again.

{Eon by Alison Goodman} I didn’t like how the fmc was immature/naive, but I loved the action and I wish hiding her gender had been a stronger part of the plot. I hate how the second book didn’t have this trope anymore.

Lastly,

{Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton} had this trope! It was a little more interspersed but went well with the plot. I loved how somehow, everyone thought she was a dashingly handsome man who seduced women. 😂 And I loved when she had to hide her gender at certain parts!

Any recs would be wonderful!