Today one of my blogging buddies, Colette from A Buckeye Girl Reads, is here to talk about her favorite type of romantic hero. Colette and I have a long-standing debate over one of the heroes she mentions in this post, so let's bring it! ;)
Everybody has a favorite type of hero. I'll be the first one to admit that I have a hero problem. I almost never go for the nice guy love interest for the heroine. No, I go to for the one that is moody, slightly boorish, demanding but has a heart of gold that only shows itself when he realizes he’s in love with the heroine. Yes, I have what I call the Arrogant Hero Syndrome. I just love those guys who with one line like: “One day you will kiss a man you can't breathe without, and find that breath is of little consequence.” (Barrons, Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning) will totally win me over to their side with a blink of an eye.
I'm not sure when I developed the Arrogant Hero Syndrome, but I blame it totally on James Mallory, the hero of the first real romance book I read. He was the hero in A Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey. He was this tougher then tough guy who totally melted for Georgie and I was hooked from that moment on for tough guys.
I don't know why I can't like the nice guy heroes. The ones who are charming, nice and would do anything for their heroine. With a few exceptions the nice guy heroes tend to bore me with their charm and obvious love for the heroine. They are open books, and what makes the arrogant hero so desirable to me is that you never know where they are coming from or going to. The ultimate example of the Arrogant Hero is Barrons from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. There's almost nothing redeemable about him, but he's so mysterious, blunt and jerkish how can you not just love him? I'll be in the middle of wanting to smack him for lines like this one: “I'm sorry your pretty little world got all screwed up, but everybody's does, and you go on. It's how you go on that defines you.” (Bloodfever) Then we get a gem like this one: “You're leaving me, Rainbow Girl," (Dreamfever) and it makes me love him again. What can I say? I have book boyfriend issues!
Tell me, what kind of hero do you like best? The ones with the hidden heart of gold or the ones who are super sweet?
Some of my favorite Arrogant Hero Quotes:
"You undo me, Merit. Wholly and completely. You don't take me at my word. You challenge me at every opportunity. And that means when I'm with you, I am less than the head of this House... and I am more than the head of this House. I am a man." He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. "In my very, very long life, I need you more than I have ever needed anything. (Ethan, Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill)
He paused, then tapped a finger against the box. “This is a wish,” he said quietly, “that even after four hundred years of existence, a man can be strong enough to accept the gifts he’s given.”
“Ethan—,” I began, but he shook his head.
“I’m prepared to wait for a positive response.”
“That’s going to take a while.”
Ethan lifted a single eyebrow, a grin lifting one corner of his mouth. “Sentinel, I am immortal.” (Ethan, Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill)
“You know I do, aye? Love you right, Chessiebomb.” (Terrible, City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane)
“I am cursed with a terminal case of curiosity," he said. "I am jealous, selfish, acquisitive, territorial and possessive. I have a terrible temper, and I know I can be a cruel son of a bitch." He cocked his head. "I used to eat people, you know.” (Dragos, Dragon Bound)
Signs you have The Arrogant Hero Syndrome:
5. You find yourself skimming over parts of the book that don't have the bad guy love interest in them.
4. You have trouble reading books with Beta heroes in them.
3. Eye rolling occurs when the nice guy hero appears.
2. Shouting occurs when the heroine dares have a paragraph alone with the nice guy hero.
1. You find yourself defending heroes like Barrons and Ethan all over the place.
Thank you, Colette! I don't think I have arrogant hero syndrome, thank heavens. :)
You can find out more about Colette by checking her out on twitter and FaceBook.
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