One of my favorite jokes about romance is that the most unrealistic aspect of them is that the men have friends.

These are romances where the male main character has close friends he talks to and banters with. These are often brothers, but sometimes they are more found family. They don’t have to be fellow men but they help round out who is and make him a better, more complete person. It’s catnip for me when they see his growing love for the other MC more clearly than he does.