Top Ten Tuesday #76 + Teaser Tuesday #37

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: Top 10 Things I Dislike When It Comes to Romances. Well, this should be easy!

1. Do I Love Him Or Do I Love Him?! You know the classic love triangle. Girl caught in between two guys (I suppose it can happen with a guy caught between two girls, but it's rare in novels). I just can't stand it. The girl flip-flopping between the guys makes her seem flaky and ridiculous, and by the end of it I want to tell both guys to find someone else. She's not worth it!
2. French Kissing. I'm going to admit: like everyone, I anticipate that leadup to the "first kiss." I wait for it in every Jane Austen novel. However, descriptive kissing - especially in the French fashion - is repellent to me and certainly puts me off ever wanting to kiss or be kissed by anyone.
3. Lack of Communication. This isn't just in romances, but it does seem like that most of the tension in romances comes from the fact that the couple just doesn't communicate. They fail to explain or even mention something. If they just sat down and talked it would all be fixed! I can't stand that.
4. Physical Attraction. Okay, that's not the best way to put it, because I'm perfectly all right with the protagonists finding one another attractive. Attractiveness is important. What I mean is I'm tired of romance being nothing but that. They go on and on and on and on about how hot the person is and how amazing they smell or how tingly and aroused they feel. That isn't love! That's lust.
5. Insta-Love. The only time I can be okay with "oh my gosh, we've known each other for two days and I AM SO IN LOVE!!! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!!!" is in a fairy tale retelling or a similar story involving life-or-death peril. Circumstances can make attraction grow, depending. But I do much more prefer relationships to progress over time. Granted, novels only have so much time for that to happen, I realize. It can be tricky, but it can be done!
6. The Alpha Male. Also known as abusive, egotistical, controlling, erotic, and perhaps even a rapist. When did this become sexy?! When did this become desirable?! Seriously! You want a guy who might potentially abuse you and fly in jealous rages?!
7. Emotion Overload. Flip-flopping, loving, hating, upset, confused; emotions are always felt in extremes in romances. There's never rationality, there's never a moment of "let's sit and think." It's all this way or that way and I hate it. Gives me such a whiplash.
8. Teen Romance. High school flings. Romances that aren't going to last for more than a summer. They're just shallow. And I have nothing invested in that kind of romance.
9. Best Friends Lose. This isn't just with best friends; it's essentially the guy in the love triangle who doesn't win. Usually the guy who doesn't win is the best friend. Why doesn't the guy get to find someone else? Does he seriously just spend the rest of his life alone and still pining for Miss Flaky? That's not right!
10. Sexual Tension. It's not needed, people!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

- Grab the book you're currently reading.

- Flip to a random page.

- Share 2 teaser sentences from that page!

The biggest distraction from trying to puzzle out what his dad had meant turned out, to Call's surprise, to be his classes. There was no more Room of Sand and Boredom; instead, there was a roster of new exercises that made the next few weeks go by quickly. The training was still hard and frustrating, but as Master Rufus revealed more of the magical world, Call found himself growing increasingly fascinated. The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black (pg. 153)