trope
Revenge Romance
A revenge romance centers on a protagonist who pursues a romantic or sexual relationship with someone as part of a deliberate plan to hurt, humiliate, or exploit them, only to have genuine feelings complicate the scheme.
Why readers love it
Readers love the tension between calculated manipulation and involuntary vulnerability, watching the avenger lose control of their own heart while the target slowly becomes more than a pawn.
Also called
Fake relationship revenge
seduction for revenge
revenge against a rival
mutual revenge
revenge via marriage