Sold!: What Element Makes You Buy a Romance Novel Right Away?

My ears perk at the mention of angst, and I've loved heroine-disguised-as-male books as long as I can remember. Any mention of Bedlam Asylum or Newgate Prison, and that book is in my hands so fast that all you'll see is a blur.

I love anything wacky or goofy. Hijinks, shenanigans, or tomfoolary, I"M THERE!!

Second chance love, baby! My hand can't push the BUY NOW button fast enough, especially in historicals. It's even better if they married young and separated. Gives me the shivers...the good kind. ;)

Damaged (physically, psychologically, emotionally...) hero or heroine...
Good revenge plot...

Alpha male, tortured/damaged hero, friends to lovers and second chance love are all my auto-buys

I'm with LegeArtis who said "Damaged (physically, psychologically, emotionally...) hero or heroine..." Therefore books such as
Jennifer Ashley's The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Asperger's?), Shana Galen's The Making of a Gentleman (no spoken language), and Mary Balogh's Silent Melody (deafness) all draw me in.

Spinster/plain jane/plus-sized heroine is my most obvious Sold! trigger. I feel I can connect more with such an heroine than with a drop-dead-gorgeous-too-good-to-be-true-every-man's-fantasy kind of heroine.

@Lafka, I second your smart plain jane type heroines. First one that comes to mind (contemporary wise) is Gibson's See Jane Score.

Love this question. In both contemporary and historical romance, I'm a fan of the reformed bad boy and/or the damaged hero with a heart of gold. Conversely, I'm not at all into the 'chip on her shoulder' heroine or the overly sexually aggressive heroine.

I would have to say that when I read the back cover of a possible new book, it is a combination of elements that entice me to buy the book. The plot, the alpha male and the heroine of the story.

that's easy... when you know there will be a happy ending but the story makes you scream, "can't you see he's hurting you because he loves you!"

The older brother's best friend angle -- I don't know why but I'm a real sucker for that plotline!

@Sandypo - I'm with you on the older brother's best friend angle!

I am also very into the friends to lovers, plain jane/plus size/spinster heroine, reformed bad boy/rake, and I will add cop/military heroes and best friend's older brother (similar to the older brother's best friend, but without the elements of the hero worrying about his friend's reaction to him dating his sister). As you might imagine, with so many autobuy plotlines this means I buy a lot of books!

I'm a sucker for anything with a Highlander or Viking in it. Love the go back in time heroine who has to deal with a head strong Highlander or Viking and when the lady puts them in their place (women's lib). Sandra Hill's Viking series all of them and Margaret Mallory and Monica McCarty all great stories

Anything that swaps gender roles is instantly of interest. Women pretending to be men a la Twelfth Night. Alpha females. Ladies in armor rescuing dudes in distress. Angst is practically a given for me, and as mentioned by the others, I also enjoy some friends-to-lovers plot elements. And fantasy/paranormal settings make it perfect.