The villain isn t so utterly repulsive you wonder how he could possibly have gotten on a first name basis with anyone who isn t lower than pond scum. Hero and heroine meet and are attracted, but something separates them - circumstances, attitudes, work, family, misunderstanding. The problem is solved, and they re Together Forever. Yes, it s definitely a formula, but lots of other genre feature formulae. All have their own formulae, and they work.
Readers expect certain things when they pick up a book in a particular genre.