Hurt/comfort is my number one favorite romance trope. Every time someone asks me, that’s the first thing I say. I love a lot of tropes, but none of them are as great as hurt/comfort.
If you’re unfamiliar with tropes, here’s a definition I found online. (It says fanfiction in the definition because I borrowed it from a fanfiction site, but it applies to non-fanfiction stories, too.)
“Hurt/comfort is a fanfiction genre that involves the physical pain or emotional distress of one character, who is cared for by another character. The injury, sickness or other kind of hurt allows an exploration of the characters and their relationship.”
I love this trope because it allows the story to focus on the characters and the relationship without a gazillion subplots, because I want my romance stories focused on the romance, not a mystery or a murder or something else. It’s also interesting to see the characters’ reactions: both how someone reacts to a person in need, and how the injured person reacts to being cared for says a lot of their personalities. H/C stories allows the characters to show vulnerability, and I also love to see how trust builds between the characters, and this trust is what finally lets the hurt party start to heal.
Below are four of my favorite hurt/comfort books. I’ve re-read them all several times.
Do you like hurt/comfort? If yes, tell me your favorites in the comments; I’m always on the lookout for more!
Out of the Blackness | Strong Enough | The Terms of Release | Brute
Nell Iris 