Barbara White Daille: What's so fun about opposites attract?

Barbara White Daille, whose A Rancher of Her Own is out next week, asks some of our favorite romance authors — Kristan Higgins, Debbie Macomber, Lori Foster, Robyn Carr, Christina Skye and Donna Kauffman — why the opposites-attract trope is so fun. The authors recommend some of their favorite opposites-attract stories.

Barbara: There's nowhere you'll find more differences between a hero and a heroine than in an opposites-attract story. Likes, dislikes, and opinions … where they live, what they drive, why they don't believe in love … These all add great conflict, especially when the characters take opposing stands on most issues.

In my new release, A Rancher of Her Own, the heroine is a New York-based photojournalist who travels the world and doesn't plan to settle down. My rancher hero is a single dad whose world centers on home and family. Their attraction is instantaneous. And their relationship is supposed to be temporary …

Here are some additional thoughts on the subject from a few of our favorite authors.

Kristan Higgins, author of If You Only Knew

There's some mystery in an opposites attract story … why the heck would these two like each other? They have nothing in common, they rub each other the wrong way, and there's no way they'll end up together. It takes real time and effort for an opposites couple to come together … those slow steps toward each other, realizing that the surly alpha male isn't really that surly, or the sweet innocent woman has teeth.

I'm going to recommend The Best Medicine by Tracy Brogan. The heroine is a buttoned-down, serious surgeon; the hero has NO written all over him: He's adorable, unemployed, younger and irresponsible. But there's something about him. There always is.

Debbie Macomber, author of Blossom Street Brides

Many romance novels are built around the concept that opposites attract. It's a popular plot device that resonates with readers, because it's based on real life. Opposites do attract. This is the yin and yang of lasting relationships, as opposite personalities balance each other.

A good example is in my book Blossom Street Brides. My hero, Rooster, is a businessman/biker, and Lauren is a refined, educated woman. They live in opposite worlds, yet despite their differences, their attraction is strong. I believe the appeal to readers is that Rooster and Lauren's relationship reflects real life — this could very well be the reader's own love story.

Lori Foster, author of A Buckhorn Summer

I love opposites-attract stories because there's a built-in conflict from the get-go. Characters from different sides of the tracks, with very different backgrounds and lifestyles ... One of my favorites is Take Me On by Katie McGarry. The rich boy and the poor girl, but both of them so strong-willed and capable and determined.

There are some opposites I could never "get." Like political opposites, or really anything that's more of a mind-set conflict than a lifestyle conflict. People need to share priorities and morals. But otherwise, anything goes!

(Note: All proceeds from A Buckhorn Summer benefit Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio.)

Robyn Carr, author of A New Hope

It's one of my favorite romance tropes to write about, read about and live. My spouse and I have everything and nothing in common. I want the lights on, he goes around the house turning them off, he goes to bed early, I stay up late reading — with the lights on!

Kristan Higgins is pretty famous for her opposites-attract romances. The Best Man pairs up Faith with Levi — they come from entirely different backgrounds, want completely different things, and after a touching, sentimental ride through a tender story, find more in common than not. Completely irresistible!

Christina Skye, author of The Bride Wore Mistletoe

Life can hold all kinds of magic. As readers, we genuinely love to be amazed. We revel in dangerous twists, unexpected conflicts and sudden surprises.

When two completely opposite characters come crashing together, sparks fly and a reader savors every moment of dangerous discoveries to come. In my latest story, The Bride Wore Mistletoe, a rugged British hero is instantly drawn to a workaholic bridal seamstress. They are complete opposites ... until magic happens. Those moments of surprise are my favorite part of being a writer!

Donna Kauffman, author of Sea Glass Sunrise

I've always been a sucker for the opposites-attract storyline. Probably because I'm still mad at Shakespeare for killing off his star-crossed lovers. Even now, reading a book about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks wooing (and winning!) the high-society deb fills my heart with a little smug, see-they-can-too-work-it-out glee.

I love seeing how the hero and heroine close the seemingly insurmountable chasm between them. One of my all-time favorites is J.D. Robb's entire In Death series, featuring Roarke, the suave and smooth Irishman, and his rough-around-the-edges homicide detective wife, Eve Dallas. You can't get more opposite than these two, which has made watching them fit into each other, life, heart and soul, that much more gratifying.

Find out more about Barbara White Daille and her books at barbarawhitedaille.com.