Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Dislike In Book Romances

Today's topic for The Broke and the Bookish is "Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike in Book Romances."  I chose to focus on what I dislike, since it's so much easier to decide on ten topics. Here are my picks:

1. Obsessive love: You know what I mean. "I can't stop thinking about him. I can't function. When he's not near me, it's like there is no air to breathe." That's not love, it's obsession, and it's not cool. Yes, I'm looking at you, Twilight...

2. Instant love: Call me a cynic, but I don't really believe in love at first sight. You know, there is beauty and romance in growing to know and love someone over time. I prefer more Persuasion and less Romeo and Juliet in my books.

3. Love that is focused on appearances: Sure, good lucks are nice. We all like the feeling of being attracted to someone. However, real love is about more than just looking at someone and getting weak in the knees. If an author tells me that one character is in love, and that character is constantly ruminating about his/her love interest's taut body, chiseled abs, and penetrating eyes, I'll quickly feel like this is more lust than love.

4. Cheating: If you're with one person and fall in love with another, I don't want to read about it. Sorry.

5. Love triangles: So over done.

6. Ridiculously fast engagements (in modern fiction): In Jane Austen's time, sure, you could meet someone and be engaged in a month, but in reality, that's kind of bizarre. I mostly see this in Christan novels, and it weirds me out. When half the book is on whether they even like each other, it usually feels way too rushed if they're on their way to the alter before the end.

7. When one person is in love and the other is oblivious: The whole "He's my best friend, but he won't even notice me" is kind of tired. I mean, it does happen, but when the blinders come off and the oblivious one is suddenly in love, that's way too cliche for me.

8. When everything works perfectly right away: Holding hands, kissing, sex, it's all awkward at times. Show us that. I'm picking on Twilight again, but the whole, "It's our first time and we had so much passion that we BROKE THE FURNITURE" is ridiculous and paints unrealistic expectations.