The most common types of Romance novel heros are; Navy SEAL/Special Ops/Spy, Billionaire, Vampire/Werewolf and Pirate. Not exactly the types you meet around the water cooler.]
A nice summary. I began reading romance novels years ago, after a stay in the hospital and finding Elizabeth Lowell’s Riding the Diamond Tiger. She is a great writer, and I’ve read most of her stuff.
Reading other romance novels we find the same heroines, the strong women who eventually dominate the male hero in one way or another. But put out redhot, passionate sex when the guy is under compete control.
However, despite the woman having control of the male, much like a teen age girl has when she rides a gelded horse, there are always conflicts of various shades of bathos and misunderstanding.
Men and women fail to communicate, at least at first. The great leavening is hot, dripping wet sex, which is fun to read but is total fantasy. Women love fantasy, men love sex. Both hero and heroine have their misunderstandings, and they live happily ever after the teen aged gelding rider has her way with the insensitive hero who’s day job is to kill his and his military or law enforcement enemies. And it helps, of course, if a lot of money is in the plot.
I used to read romance and reflect on how happy I am to be a man, which most romance writers see as something that needs gelding and riding.
Don’t read much romance anymore. And I don’t miss it.
There are so many sub-genres of romance novel these days, you might find some you like. Especially if you like sci-fi and/or fantasy.