I’m over at The House of Kirkus today talking about Friends-to-Lovers plots, and the various pitfalls that could happen to the hero and heroine on their way from friends to friends-with-benefits all the way to friends-with-happily-ever-after.
There’s the type in which one person is secretly in love with the other, while the other remains ignorant of all that ardor. I call this One Pines and One is Clueless.
Then there’s the type where one or both Wake Up (often at about the same moment) and See Something More in the other person that wasn’t so obvious before.
Both plots can be very satisfying, but there are pitfalls to each—it’s easy for the book to go off the rails or for the characters to lose the reader’s respect regardless of what path they take.
I loooove friends-to-lovers plots, like The Kiss Test and the slightly-more-a-boss-nanny-than-friends-to-lovers story Not Just the Nanny, because when that “something changes” happens, it can be explodey with the joy and possibility, and then there’s pages and pages to explore that possibility.
What are your favorite friends-to-lovers plots? Share share, please – I’m loading up the digital reader for the long weekend today!
I loved Maya Banks’ “Be With Me”
They are friends to lover(s)(s)(s)(s) hee hee
Ooh! My favorite friends to lovers book is Anything for You by Sarah Mayberry.
Sam and Delany are best friends but Delany has secretly loved Sam forever and can’t take it anymore. So she decides to cut him out of her life for the sake of her stalled love life. Her withdrawal knocks Sam out of his complacency and suddenly he finds himself having impure and lusty thoughts for his best bud. 🙂 A cute yet hot romance. SO fun to watch Sam fall apart. (g) Yup. Loved that book.
http://www.amazon.com/Anything-for-You-ebook/dp/B000MAH8NK/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1290612010&sr=8-13
If you like m/m, Promises by Marie Sexton has great friends to lovers in the “One Pines the other is clueless” category. They are not long-time friends, but the first part of the book develops their friendship and the second their relationship. Complicated by the fact that one of the guys has never seen himself as gay. Really wonderful book and great start to a really great series.
Hitting one of my favorite series, Suz Brockmann’s Troubleshooters featured several books that dealt with ‘Sophia and Dave”. Sophia started out with a traincar full of luggage, but Dave had known her in a professional basis as a CIA informant. Dave had his own luggage and over several books they became friends. He was the person she turned to when she moped over another man. He was that quiet man who was always there. Then they finally got together, and in the end she realized that what she needed all along was the quiet man who was solid as a rock when it came to their relationship.
Just to prove that Jennifer Crusie is my answer to darn near any question asked on this blog:
Anyone But You. You’ve got two piners here, each afraid to make a move. Nina is ten years older than Alex, so she thinks they should remain friends, because he dates gorgeous women and she’s . . . forty. Alex thinks Nina is sexy and mature and deserves better than an emergency room doctor, so he’s afraid he’ll ruin their friendship if he makes a move.
And even when Alex makes a move, these misperceptions don’t just go away . . .
It’s awesome.
Oh btw one of the things I loved about the “Sophia/Dave” match up, neither one was clueless. Dave did not stalk; he was there, but he got on with his life too. Sophia knew Dave liked her, but she kept their relationship as friends for years. Brockmann portrayed the way adult relationships can roll out.
Lucy and Ethan from The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins.
Finally read Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase and that was a “both wake up about the same time with these omg-we-have-to-stop-this feelings” plot and just wonderful. I really loved Olivia. Lisle bugged me with some of the stuff he said to her in his “omg!” panic (and never really apologized for) but, all in all, it was simply one great book.
Crazy For You by Jennifer Crusie is one of my favorites. I lurve this plot.
Crusie also used this approach to excellent effect in Manhunting, which remains one of my favourites even though it is very early in her oeuvre.
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn.
Michael grew up very close to his cousin, they were more like brothers. When the cuz dies suddenly, he not only inherits the earldom but now his cousin’s widow is available and he can do something about the feelings he’s hidden for her for years. Nope there’s nothing in his way now – except a boatload of guilt.
I don’t often cry when I read a book but this one really had me bawling. I really felt for him and although his guilt was misplaced it was very understandable and believable.
Suzanne Brockmann’s Body Language.
Julie Cohen’s One Night Stand. Hero has loved heroine for years, but she’s only just waking up to her own attraction to him. (Wow, I’m recommending Julie all over the place today. She should pay me commission) Kristan Higgins also did a lovely friends-to-lovers in Just One of the Guys, where heroine has been nursing a crush on her friend for a long time without knowing he feels the same. Both of these books are written 1st person from the heroine’s POV, so you only begin to discover how the hero feels when the heroine does.
Ooh, another good one by Higgins! Funny that I overlooked that one, it’s my favorite Higgins book.
This is one of my favorite romance types because I lived it. And it was (still is!) awesome. Many of the examples above would be on my list (with the exception of Higgins’ The Next Best Thing, which I didn’t like, for reasons having nothing to do with friends-to-lovers). I haven’t read the Julie Cohen, though, or the Carina Press book pictured, so both of those go straight on the list.
@ kristen YES! I rarely read the Harlequin Blaze series, partly because they always include men of authority (not my bag), but that was a great book. I’ve even reread it a few times.
My suggestions are Midsummer Madness by Christine Rimmer and of course When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn.
Oh, Connie Brockway’s As You Desire. Harry and Desdemona have such a friendly (and awesomely snarky) rapport with one another. Harry being desperately in love with her and Desdemona slowly waking up to the fact that something in their relationship has changed is so much fun to read. It also helps that I’m a little in love with Harry.
I really enjoyed Nathalie Gray’s METAL REIGN (Samhain). The hero is a ship’s cook, no less!
I second, Anything for You. One of the best in recent years. On my keeper shelf, and revisited often. Love this trope. Either One Pines, or Both Wake Up work for me – though I think I like pining better. The reason this works for me for romance is that the characters have some backstory – and don’t just FALL IN LURVE in 200 pages.
I’ve always liked enemies-to-lovers over friends-to-lovers, guess the complete turnaround and “hey, all that snark and nastiness was just foreplay” does it for me. But the first friends-to-lovers that popped into my head was Donna Kauffman’s Sleeping With Beauty. The heroine goes through a life and body makeover for her high school reunion, gets the attention of the old crush, but the best friend always thought she was great the way she was.
one of my favorites is Secrets of the Heart by Candace Camp. The hero and heroine are already married but because of something that happened before they got married they weren’t really husband and wife. Michael loves Rachel from the very beginning, but Rachel has no clue. Then, when Rachel realizes she loves him, he is clueless! Eventually they both figure things out and end up happily ever after.
I have no titles to recommend off the top of my head, but I have to say, my favourite friends-to-lovers plot is the one where both are simultaneouly secretly pining and clueless. The awkward moments! The angst! I eat that stuff up with a spoon.
London Season by Joan Wolf – they are friends from age 6!
Goddess of the Hunt – He’s the friend of her brother
In the thrill of the night – he’s friends with the widow and her dead husband
Lucy Sullivan is getting married – great great book
Eye Candy by Dorie Graham – reading this right now, so far so good. . . They’ve been friends since middle school.
I love lists! I can’t wait to reread what everyone posts
I really loved Nora Roberts “Bed of Roses” for a “friends to lovers” book. I’m not generally a big NR reader (very hit or miss for me), but this book was plain ‘ol romantic and the ensemble quality of the story added to it by leaps and bounds. Loved, loved, loved it! 🙂
K.
For the first type In Bed with the Boss by Susan Napier and for the second type Playboy Boss, Live-in Mistress by Kelly Hunter. Category fiction, notwithstanding the egregious titles, does a great job with the friends to lovers theme and the Napier book is one of my all-time favorites. I’m not a fan of Julia Quinn (just don’t get the fascination) but When He Was Wicked sounds like my kind of book.
For Nadia on the enemies to lovers theme, I’d recommend Can’t Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry.
A third vote for Kristan Higgins The Next Best Thing!
Unless you count Col. Brandon/Marrianne from Sense & Sensibility – which I don’t since she really didn’t like Brandon much until after her illness – I really don’t like the friends to lovers plots. They all read like a bad teenage rom-com to me.
When he was wicked is one of my fave, fave, faves. I’ve been trying to convince a friend to read it but she wasn’t all that into the other bridgerton books. keep insisting this one’s different. had me bawling as well, but in a good way!
oooh I just recommended this for a HaBO yesterday, although this book seems more fitting for this entry. I second the reco! 😀
I also recommend Cat Johnson’s “Friends with Benefits”. It’s just a short story, I think it’s one of those free ebooks over at allromanceebooks. Like the title says, they’re friends with benefits but then once heroine finds out hero has slept with another girl, she feels hurt and pissed. Also brought tears to my eyes, but I like how she was playing it all cool like “So we could date each other exclusively. Or not. Whatever. I don’t care either way.” while she’s all pining for him inside hee <3
consider92 – what is up with 92, this number’s been haunting me every time I write a post here. consider reading that erotic novella first, it’s less than 92 pages 😀
My favorite, too! I especially love the friends to lovers thing b/c my husband and I were best friends for 11 years before making the move. I just downloaded the Kiss Test. Looks like a fun one!
One of my favorites is Nora Robert’s Red Lily. Harper and Hayley became friends after she moves in with his mother. He was attracted to her since the beginning but felt guilty because she was pregnant and vulnerable and never acted on anything, she liked him but didn’t want to get involved with her boss’ son and ruin her friendship with his mother. Finally, in the third book (of the In the Garden trilogy) they get together and they are totally adorable. Its probably my favorite of this trope, which I usually don’t seek out; I’m much more into the ‘reunited former lovers’ category.
Oh, but I do have to second Last Night’s Scandal. Love Olivia and Lisle, and loved their inevitability in Lord Perfect that was satisfyingly realized in their book.
captcha: soviet24. Yes I have probably read 24 articles about how the soviets were going to take over the world if the Marshall Plan hadn’t happened for a paper I have yet to write. >.<
Friends to lovers can be great when done well. What I don’t like is the hero who takes the heroine for granted – sometimes for YEARS – until she finds someone else, then spends all his time sabotaging her relationship with Other Guy.
Because it’s all right for HIM to date other women and sleep with other women – but the heroine should be sitting at home waiting for him even though he didn’t know he wanted her!
And of course, Other Guy turns out to be a creep. Grr…
Well… I just wrote one.
/sheepish
Three friends in college – the hero was interested but didn’t move as fast as his buddy. She married the buddy, and when he left her a widow, she came to rely on the hero as a friend. She tries for f-w-b, but he’s not having it, being an all or nothing kind of guy.
Her Kind of Hero at Carina Press. Short and sweet, novella length.
Honestly, I was going back and forth on whether or not to post this, since it sounds so pimptastic, but my word is “her69” and I’m taking that as a sign from the gods that it’s okay to don a purple fedora. If it’s not, please delete this 🙂
Sarah Mayberry writes simply the best friends turned to lovers romances. Her Best Friend, Anything for You. I’ve reread them a zillion times!
That was meant to be “simply the best best friends-turned to lovers romances”. Mayberry’s latest falls in that category. H and h are friends. Not great friends, but friends nevertheless. Best Laid Plans.
I like this trope, but it’s so badly done so often. You really need a good reason why they don’t just admit they like each other. And when it’s the dead spouse/best friend, you’ve got to tiptoe around the ghost.
Tears of the Moon by Nora is mine… it’s one of my all-time favorites as well as my friends-to-lovers fave (it may very well be my ONLY friends-to-lovers pick… I usually prefer the instant attraction or enemies-to-lovers).
I love this trope, because it provides (for me) a more believable HEA than when the hero and heroine have known each other for all of 3 days yet just know that the other is The One. My most frequently reread example is Mary Balogh’s “Irresistible”. Sophia was a soldier’s wife and Nathaniel another officer in her husband’s regiment. They did not see each other after Waterloo, where her husband was killed, but then run into each other when Nathaniel brings his sister and cousin to London for a Season. I like how Balogh portrays the instant that the comfortable relationship suddenly becomes charged with something more, and she’s a master at showing the emotions that are released through their physical affair.
The heroine goes through a life and body makeover for her high school reunion, gets the attention of the old crush, but the best friend always thought she was great the way she was
@ oogame: You appear to be posting your spam on every post entry you can get your hot little keyboard on. I know it’s spam because you are just randomly copying bits of other people’s comments without further comment of your own. I can only assume you do this because 1) you want to post the link to your site as many times as possible (google-bombing, perhaps??); and 2) you suck. Please stop. Thanks bunches.