Clare James | The 5 Traits Every Alpha Hero Needs

First, let’s get right to it. Alphas don’t have to be A-holes! Whew, I said it.

This topic has been gaining some traction in the romance book world recently because of the popularity of the alpha hero. Because who doesn’t love a take-charge, protective, strong, loyal hero to sweep you off your feet? Add a little dirty-talk in there, and well, I’m sold. So are thousands of other readers—which is why the alpha is so popular in books, movies, TV, songs, you name it. But along the way, something’s gone terribly wrong and the Alpha Hero has, in many cases, become synonymous with A-hole.

It absolutely doesn’t have to be this way, and I’m really becoming cognizant of it in my own writing. So here are the five traits I think all alpha heroes need to possess to stay in our good graces.

1. Confidence

There is nothing sexier than genuine confidence in a hero. People who believe in themselves are not easily threatened, and usually lift others up, instead of bring them down. And they’ve most likely gained confidence because they’re good at something and work hard at it. We love reading about heroes who are the best at what they do—whether it’s car racing like my hero in CAUGHT, Jarod Cage, or parenting (sexy single dad, anyone?) or business or the arts. If an alpha has an area where he excels, we are so much more invested in him.

2. Respect

This one goes along with confidence, because if you respect yourself, more often than not, you respect others. This especially goes for the steamy scenes with his heroine. Actually, with all of the scenes with her, because is there anything more fun to watch than a hero who supports his woman? Of course, there can be complications along the way (conflict is good), but in the end, a man who respects his lady is incredibly hot.

3. Loyalty

What can I say? We love it in our pets and our heroes. This is where we can really see our hero shine…and where we can fall in love. The guy who is fiercely loyal to his family and leaves his dream to go back home and save the family farm or the man who’d do anything for his military brother who saved his life? Loyalty shows the layers to our hero and we love peeling them back to get to know him deeper.

4. Intelligence

Yeah, his emotions might get in the way and having him acting like an idiot at important moments. And he might think with other, er, parts of his body from time to time, but at the core, he is smart as hell. It doesn’t have to be academic intelligence, he can be smart about life or people, but brains are sexy! It’s just that simple.

5. Motivation

This is what can make or break an alpha hero in my opinion. Why does he do what he does? What is his motivation for being terribly possessive over the heroine? Maybe he lost his sister in some terrible way, maybe he failed someone under his watch. But if he has a good backstory to explain his less than attractive tendencies, we’ll still love him. Even more, possibly. Our alpha hero can be flawed (he should be!), we just need to know the reason.

Now for the purposes of this post, I used the traditional alpha hero/heroine example, but alphas can be women too! And these examples work in m/m and f/f couples as well! The point is, the alpha hero—whoever he or she is—should be layered and complex. That’s sexy!!

GIVEAWAY

What do you find absolutely necessary for a sexy Alpha Hero? Leave a comment below for a chance to win your choice of one of Clare's novels in eBook format. 2 winners, open internationally.

About Clare James

Clare James writes contemporary romance and new adult novels with spunky heroines and sexier-than-sin heroes. Her books have made several best-selling lists including the tender love stories in the *Impossible Love* series; the steamy romantic comedy *Dirty Little Lies*; and the touching family drama *Wednesday*. Her new title, *Caught*, is the first in a series about the women of Elite PR and their very naughty clients. It will be published with Entangled Publishing’s Brazen line in June 2015.

A former dancer, Clare still loves to get her groove on – mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. She lives in Minneapolis with her two leading men – her husband and young son – and is always on social media chatting with readers.

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About CAUGHT

A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint...

She was hired to clean up his image. He wants nothing more than to get her dirty.

Watching sex tapes at the office is just part of PR professional Vivian Blake's job, especially when she has to clean up a celebrity's image. Except that her newest client isn't quite that easy. Racecar driver Jarod Cage is beyond hot, and his onscreen "performance" is already compromising Viv's cool professionalism.

While Jarod hasn't exactly been discreet about his personal life, he never thought his reputation could cost him both his sponsor and his racing career. Now he has to put his future in the hands of a tiny, pixie-like publicist. Which is becoming a problem, because the heat between them is about to redline. But when you go this hard and fast, putting on the brakes is the most dangerous thing you can do...