It’s not uncommon for guys to become attracted to sisters of their friends. When the attraction is mutual, and a dating relationship develops, there are some guidelines that should be followed to keep the friendship intact. Here are ten tips to avoid relational issues when dating your friend’s sister.

1. Don’t take sides. If there is a disagreement between your friend and his sister, do not take sides. Insist on remaining neutral and not being brought into the middle of the argument. It is a no-win situation for you, should you voice any opinion at all.
2. Don’t share stories. This works both ways. Don’t share stories about his sister with him, and don’t share stories about things your friend has done, with his sister. Keep your lips sealed tight.
3. Don’t double date. There may be some brothers and sisters who would be comfortable on a double date, but most would not be. You don’t want your friend watching your every move with his sister, and she probably doesn’t either.
4. Stay on good terms. This would not be a good time to get your friend upset with you. He has the ear of your girl, and he could do irreparable harm to your relationship with her, if he was inclined to do so.
5. Gain inside knowledge. Use your relationship with your friend to gather some insight into what his sister likes and doesn’t like. You have access to a great resource, if he’s willing to assist.
6. Treat her good. If he hears news from her, or anyone else, that you have been anything but a knight in shining armor, you could lose a friend and gain an enemy, real fast. Be on your best behavior with this lady.
7. Watch what you say. This can be applied in several ways. Anything you say about your friend, may be carried back to him via his sister. Anything you say about her, could be carried back to her through her brother. Do not discuss your relationship with one, with the other.
8. Remember the relationship. This fits along with the previous tip. Be careful about what you say about the sibling in front of your friend or your girl. Always remember that, in their eyes, you’re talking about their brother/sister, not ‘your friend’ or ‘your girl’.
9. Don’t break her heart. This is one of the biggest dangers that you risk in dating the sister of one of your friends. What will happen when you break up? If she feels wounded or betrayed, her tears are not likely to go over to well with her brother. Ending your relationship with her, could potentially end your relationship with your friend.
10. Don’t neglect him. Be careful not to give the impression that you’re no longer interested in your friend, or don’t have time for him, once you start dating his sister. See #4 for one good reason; the other is that you don’t want to give the impression that you were using his friendship to get connected to his sister.

Weigh out the complications before deciding to enter into one of these sibling relationships. They can get a bit sticky at times, depending on the maturity of those involved.

Reading fiction is a great way to relax and escape to somewhere else for a while.  Many times we feel our life is mundane and not very exciting.  Losing ourselves in the pages of a good book is a fun way to spend our free time.  Romance novels take escaping to a new level and add the spiciness of imagining yourself in the character’s shoes or negligee as it were.  Unrealistic storylines are a little harder to get into, but still offer a fun read.  Check out these 10 totally unrealistic but common romance novel storylines.

1. Virgin bride: This is an extremely common storyline in romance novels.  Boy meets girl and sometimes there are issues that keep them apart at the beginning.  Then they fall for each other and it gets romantic.  Then something tears them apart and it looks as if they aren’t going to have a future together.  Then they decide they can’t live without each other and they get married and she is a virgin.
2. Wealthy stranger: It always seems to be a wealthy good-looking stranger that comes into her life.  He has some high-powered job, but never seems to be doing it.  He is used to getting what he wants and she’s not interested.  He pursues her because she’s not falling at his feet like other women have.  He wins her over and they live happily ever after.
3. Lost on a deserted island: It may not always be an island, but it could be somewhere remote where either he or she can’t leave and they are forced together.  The proximity is too much and they give in to their passion for each other.  They get rescued and try to separate.  After being apart for a while they realize they can’t live without each other and they get back together for good.
4. Hero rescuer: The main character runs into trouble, like a fire or hurricane. She is rescued by a fireman or coast guard officer and sparks fly.  Then he takes on a protective role over her, but she is a strong independent woman and doesn’t need anyone to take care of her so she runs away from him.  She finally realizes that she doesn’t mind being taken care of or that she doesn’t want to live without him.
5. Financial trouble: Our heroine is having trouble with her family’s business.  The hero plays a related role like a businessman coming in to profit from getting her family business or a competing company.  They fight and think they hate each other, but they discover that there is a fine line between love and hate.  Then he has a change of heart and helps her out instead.
6. Romeo and Juliet: Such a famous and great story that it has often been retold and reimagined in a variety of ways.  Our story can be set in modern times or in historical romances you can even read romance novels set back hundreds of years.  The basis of the story is of course the families not getting along and the kids fall in love.  Fortunately in romance novels they end happily ever after, not dead.
7. Angry Kiss: The two main characters meet and somehow instantly hate each other.  They are thrown together for various reasons, business dealings or personal.  They argue all the time and never agree on anything.  Very common is the man getting so mad or frustrated with the woman that he says something mean or off-color and she slaps him.  He is either caught off guard or expecting it, but he rushes in to kiss her and she resists at first and then finds herself enjoying the kiss.
8. Childhood friends: This is a very common storyline.  Maybe they were neighbors or in elementary school together and were great friends.  Then one of the other moved away.  Years and years have gone by and for some reason or another they end up back in their childhood home and reconnect.  This time they are just friends.
9. Ugly duckling: Our two main characters knew each other growing up and she was awkward and gangly.  She grows up to be a beautiful woman.  Sometimes she doesn’t know how to show it.  She is in a serious job and tries to dress like a guy.  Then for one reason or another they end up back in the same place and at first he doesn’t notice her or even remember that he knows her.  She knows him though.  Then she breaks out of her shell for some fancy occasion. Her beauty blows him away and he can’t take his eyes off of her.  He then realizes he knows her and they get together.
10. Arranged marriage: This is just as it sounds.  For some reason two people were promised to each other.  Be it in a royal family or a religious thing these two people have to come to terms with marrying a stranger.  Usually the break up happens because they decide that they are not going to let someone else decide whom they are going to marry.  They start out thinking they won’t like each other and then they find that they are a perfect match.

If you’ve never read a romance novel you should read at least one.  They are good for a laugh if nothing else.  There is a certain segment of the population, mostly women, who prefer this genre to others.  Romance novels have gotten a pretty bad wrap over the years as being smut novels or trashy novels.  Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with a little romance as long as you keep in mind that reality doesn’t usually measure up to fantasy.  Check out 10 Romance Novel Fantasies Women Actually Have.

1. Mr. Right/ Soul Mate: Romance novels always write about meeting the perfect guy that will complete them and fulfill their every desire.  Many women still believe that they will find their soul mate.  In reality, you may have to settle for Mr. Right Now.
2. Simultaneous Orgasms: This might be possible, but I’ve never met a woman who’s experienced this in real life.  Romance novels are great about describing the perfect love scene where the man is patient and great at foreplay and then when things get steamy they both climax together.  Uh, pretty sure this is fantasy or at least very rare.  Ladies, if you’ve experienced this, kudos to you.
3. Romantic Stranger: A common fantasy is to meet a handsome stranger whose name you do not know and have an instant connection with them.  The sexual tension can be cut with a knife and you end up in the throws of passion. The two of you go your separate ways never to see each other again.  This sounds great, but in practice you may end up with a psycho so be careful with this one.
4. Bondage: Something about bondage in writing sounds exciting and thrilling.  Women fantasize about being tied to the bed or being the ones to tie someone to the bed.  If you act on this one make sure you totally trust this person.  We wouldn’t want to end up seeing pictures of you on the Internet.
5. Slavery: The thrill of having someone do your every whim is an enticing one.  From massaging your feet to other more intimate desires has long been a fantasy of women and has taken center stage in many a romance novel.  Only problem with slaves is that they rarely bring home a paycheck.
6. Perfect lovemaking the first time: Romance novels are big on virgins and women that are saving themselves for the right person.  Then when they finally lose their virginity it’s a wonderful experience.  I’m sure we all know that this isn’t the case as a rule, but hey, miracles happen.
7. Wealthy rescuer: Many women fantasize about meeting a rich guy who can make all of their troubles go away.  He will rescue them from their dull lives and whisk them away to a foreign country and wine and dine them and spoil them rotten.  Yep, I’m still looking for this one.
8. Taming the bad boy: Being the one woman to tame the bad boy is an all too common fantasy.  It’s exciting being with a bad boy, but many a novel has described the man who is a playboy and is with a different girl in every location.  And then he meets you and he can’t stand to be with anyone else.  Ah, how sweet.
9. Long lost love returns: Most of us have experienced the love of our life or our first love or the one who got away.  Some fantasize about that lover searching for them and reconnecting after many years apart and everything goes back to how it was before and you settle down for good.
10. Happily Ever After: This is probably the biggest fantasy of all.  We are all looking for the romance where we live happily ever after.  It’s all a matter of perspective though, there’s always something you can be happy about.