Think of it in terms of an interest in loyalty and betrayal rather than Mills & Boon; there's a lot of romance in fiction that has nothing to do with the formulae of 'romance novels'.
What do you mean by that? I don't understand.
I think the appeal of pairings where one half is a criminal is probably the 'wild free spirit trope' -- like shipping Elizabeth with Jack Sparrow because Will is boring', for example. Plus you've got the frisson that comes with the risk of the lover's getting caught; it's a love that takes its life in its hands every time the couple meet, sometimes literally.
That's true. However, in my limited understanding of the romance formula, it involves a couple overcoming their external and internal barriers so they can eventually commit to each other. If they're already so deeply in love that they're willing to risk their lives for each other at any point before the end, it's not really a romance novel.
And depending on the story you may get the 'reformed by the love of a good woman' trope; he may be a crook, but he is prepared to settle down and forsake the profits if that's what it takes to be with her.
That's basically what happens in Guys and Dolls, isn't it? I love that musical, but illegal gambling isn't really a crime on the level of, say, murder...
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What do you mean by that? I don't understand.
I think the appeal of pairings where one half is a criminal is probably the 'wild free spirit trope' -- like shipping Elizabeth with Jack Sparrow because Will is boring', for example. Plus you've got the frisson that comes with the risk of the lover's getting caught; it's a love that takes its life in its hands every time the couple meet, sometimes literally.
That's true. However, in my limited understanding of the romance formula, it involves a couple overcoming their external and internal barriers so they can eventually commit to each other. If they're already so deeply in love that they're willing to risk their lives for each other at any point before the end, it's not really a romance novel.
And depending on the story you may get the 'reformed by the love of a good woman' trope; he may be a crook, but he is prepared to settle down and forsake the profits if that's what it takes to be with her.
That's basically what happens in Guys and Dolls, isn't it? I love that musical, but illegal gambling isn't really a crime on the level of, say, murder...