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Have a favorite romance trope? Maybe meet-cute, meet-cringe, love at first sight, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, love triangles, forced proximity, off-limits crush, fake relationship, marriage of convenience, second-chance love, etc? In this episode, I let you know what some of our listeners said were there favorite romance tropes.

Here are some historical romances you might like:

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

This has an amnesia trope, one we didn't even discuss.

In the midst of a fierce storm, a carriage carrying Sir John Mayfield, Lady Marianna Mayfield, and her lady's companion careens off a narrow cliff road, changing their fates forever. When the wreckage is found, Sir John is gravely injured, and a woman is discovered unconscious wearing a valuable ring. As the woman regains consciousness in a strange house, she grapples with fragmented memories of the accident, unsettling dreams of a child in peril, and a deep mystery tied to the ring on her finger. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces and haunted by a sense of foreboding, the survivor realizes she cannot trust anyone and must uncover the truth of what happened that stormy night, even as danger mounts and enemies conspire against her.

In this revised and updated 10th anniversary edition of Julie Klassen's acclaimed novel, a woman's startling secrets lead her into unexpected danger and romance in Regency England.

Lady Maybe is a clean Regency romance full of mystery, adventure, and a search for identity. This novel will delight fans of the amnesia trope, Julia Quinn, Jane Austen, and Mimi Matthews.

Get your copy of Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham

Reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, a recluse and a young woman discover that the scars of life are no match against an act of love.

Iowa, 1903. All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis's appearance and the scars that came with it. Now that he is the last living Taylor, Otis has covertly returned to settle his family's affairs and rid himself of his past for good. However, he soon discovers that he may not have been the only abandoned Taylor and begins a tireless search for his missing toddler niece.

At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. It isn't a romantic job, but she's hardly had a glimmer of romance since her beau went off to college, leaving her with no promise of a future together. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building--and is thrown in the path of the town's mysterious bachelor.

Otis's wounds are deep, but as Sadie's friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask. Locating his long-lost niece, however, is more difficult than either could have imagined, and Sadie West may be the key to Otis Taylor finally finding his way home.

Get your copy of Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham.

The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers

A delightful new western romance and New York Times bestseller fro

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Barbara Tifft Blakey, a first-timer on the show, joins us this week to chat about her new release, The Angel of Second Street. We discuss the interesting story behind how this book came to be published, what Eureka, California, was like in the 1850s and now, and the difference seeing a place makes when writing about it. With the patrons, she shares the fascinating story of how she got into writing.

The Angel of Second Street by Barbara Tifft Blakey

How Can Compassion be Considered Wrong?

When life is weighed down by challenges, pillars of enduring hope and love are always waiting to be discovered.

Ida Dempsey has grown up in a privileged life of luxury thanks to her aunt and uncle. Although Second Street—where women of ill repute ply their wares—is off limits to respectable citizens, her heart of compassion compels her to frequent the area, hoping to make a difference in their lives. Ida has also befriended Qui Shau, a Chinese woman who keeps house for her family, but friendships between the whites and Chinese are taboo in Eureka. Ida tries to keep secret her forbidden compassion, but someone is watching and will use it against her.

When Blaine Prescott meets Ida at a church picnic, his parents warn him away from any relationship with the young lady who has been seen on Second Street in the company of a Chinese woman. But how could such a kindhearted, lovely young woman be anything but good? But when riots break out in Chinatown and Ida disappears, Blaine will do anything to find out where and why she has gone.

Get your copy of The Angel of Second Street.

I live on five wooded acres outside of Olympia, Washington with my husband, Terry. I have four grown children and eight grandchildren, seven of whom live within sixty miles, giving great joy to my grandma heart.

Like many authors, I dreamed of writing stories very young. At eight-years-old, I rewrote Cinderella. In my version, the prince comes down with measles and the ball is postponed.

I didn’t begin seriously writing historical fiction until after the advent of grandchildren as the Lord had other plans for me. During our homeschooling years, I developed Total Language Plus (TLP), an award-winning, literature-inspired language arts program written for homeschoolers and private Christian schools. I am beyond blessed to have thirty years of producing study guides that make a difference in children’s lives. Nothing is more meaningful to me than influencing children with Kingdom principles!

But as we know, God’s timing is always best. I delight in doing the research historical fiction requires and bringing stories of hope and love to my readers. Time ceases to exist as the Creator of the universe and Lover of my soul draws near to me as my fingers fly over the keyboard. When I write I feel His presence in extraordinary, precious ways.

When I’m not writing, reading, or playing with my grandchildren, you can find me volunteering in the kitchen of Pleasant Valley Christian Camp near Mt. Rainier. I’m also an avid soccer fan, especially for the Seattle Sounders. During stormy weather, my husband and I head for the ocean in our RV to take in the power of crashing waves against rocks. Calm weather also beckons us to the beach to dig razor clams and fish for Dungeness crabs.

Visit Barbara Tifft Blakey's website.

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Jennifer Uhlarik returns to the podcast this week to talk to us about her latest release, Love and Order. She tells us why this book is so unique, how a Florida girl came to write Westerns, and what she means when she says she writes with grit. Patrons hear about one of her business ventures outside of writing.

Love and Order by Jennifer Uhlarik

Wanted: Family, Love, and Justice

Separated as children when they were adopted out to different families from an orphan train, the Braddock siblings have each grown up and taken on various jobs within law enforcement and criminal justice.

Pinkertons Callie Wilson and Joe Trenamen come to Cambria Springs to stop a killer. But when evidence points to a ghost from Callie’s childhood, she must choose between two men she loves.

Falsely accused, bounty hunter Rion Braddock vows to prove his innocence. Former flame Maya Fellows and dime novelist Lucinda Peters both offer help, but is either beauty truly on his side?

In her first solo case, attorney Andi McGovern defends Rion, but the infuriating prosecutor, Daniel Littrick, outwits her. Following a hunch could win her case—or leave Andi dead.

Can these couples stop the true culprit and right the greatest injustice of Callie, Andi, and Rion’s lives?

Get your copy of Love and Order.

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

Visit Jennifer Uhlarik's website.