I'm a comic book fan, and that's where I first heard of a character described as
being an antihero – discussed at some length in the pages of multiple comic
fanzines. The comic book universe is full of non-traditional, disaffected loner,
sometimes morally ambiguous, and often reluctant, heroes. These characters have
an appeal for many reasons, but I think largely it's because they tend to be
mavericks. In romance novels, I think of the antihero protagonist as “the most
unlikely hero”.
“Goes with the whole King of the
Badasses. Kind of hard to lead an army of the damned if I'm the King of Nice."
—Sherrilyn
Kenyon, NO
MERCY
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon brings us back to the
electrifying world of the Dark-Hunters and introduces us to a brazen heroine for
whom there is
NO MERCY
Live fast, fight hard—and if you have to die,
take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and
it was one Samia lived and died by. But today, in contemporary New Orleans, the
immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to
slaughter mankind than she ever could have imagined.
Meet Dev Peltier. A
shapeshifter who has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two
hundred years, he’s seen it all—or so he thought. His enemies have just
discovered a new source of power—one that makes a mockery of anything faced to
date. Now the war is on and it’s up to Dev and Samia to guard ground zero. But
in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules—and pray
it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it…
The first time I started associating antiheroes with romance was when I started
reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's “Dark Hunter” series. Sherrilyn Kenyon has many
a slightly surly, wronged by society, male protagonist who goes his own way and
doesn't meet the traditional profile of a hero. One such character that I love
is Zarek with his straightforward, tough, and often tactless approach to life.
However, it is Sherrilyn Kenyon's character Stryker that I find to be a model
antihero. Stryker is a character who is often at odds with his father, his
children, the love of his life, and the world-at-large and acts only according
to his own code of honor, and damn the consequences. Fans either love him or
hate him. I first read about him in the book DARK SIDE OF THE MOON in
which he was a secondary character, but I thought he stole the show. Stryker has
done things that many people would find reprehensible. In spite of his past
misdeeds, in ONE SILENT
NIGHT, Sherrilyn Kenyon doesn't try to justify all of his actions, but tries
to get readers to see things through his eyes and gain a different perspective
on the character. Through this alternate view, he is a greatly flawed hero
rather than a stock villain.
"No one's ever told me that I'm a
comfortable sort. I'm sure I don't like it. I'll have to do something diabolical
soon to correct your impression.”
—Lisa
Kleypas, DEVIL
IN WINTER
"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows
that."
Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner
has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London.
A marriage
of convenience is the only solution.
No one would have ever paired the
shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly
becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian
desires her more than any woman he's ever known.
Determined to win her
husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If
Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her
bed.
When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian
vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife . . . even at the expense of
his own life.
Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of
all-consuming love.
In historical romances, the rake is a natural fit as an antihero. Often living a
life of dissolution, a rake doesn't usually have a lot of typically heroic
traits, so making one the hero in a romance is not necessarily an easy task and
takes a skilled author. Two of my favorite rake antiheroes are Sebastian, Lord
St. Vincent from DEVIL IN
WINTER by Lisa Kleypas, and Lord Dutton from MUCH ADO ABOUT DUTTON by Claudia Dain. For me, both
characters are able to stay on the “bad boy” side of the fence without venturing
into hardcore villain territory. However, it's up to the readers to decide for
themselves what separates an appealing and complex rake antihero from a
despicable unredeemed villain. St. Vincent has always been a fan favorite in
spite of his wicked behavior in IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN.
Sebastian's wry humor and pragmatism makes him especially endearing and sexy. In
just about every book he's in, Sebastian says what most people are thinking -
thoroughly tactless yet said in an equally thoroughly amusing way. With Lord
Dutton, Claudia Dain invested the time in developing a character that pays off
big for longtime readers. Through a divine alchemy, Claudia Dain takes Dutton
from a leering, cocky ineffectual aristocrat, and general low level scoundrel,
breaks him over the course of several books, and rebuilds him without losing his
original bad boy appeal. What Claudia Dain and Lisa Kleypas do tremendously well
is re-purpose a rake and alter his perspective without fundamentally changing
the best, and most deliciously wicked aspects of his personality.
“Argent doesn't have friends,”
Dorian muttered. “He has people he'd find it a little more distasteful to kill.”
—THE HUNTER, Kerrigan Byrne
They're rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards--dark, dashing men on the wrong
side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes
the heart beat faster...
A scandalous proposal...
Christopher
Argent lives in the shadows as the empire's most elite assassin. Emotion is
something he tossed away years ago, making him one of the most clear-eyed,
cold-hearted, wealthiest, and therefore untouchable men in London. But when his
latest target turns out to be London's own darling, Millicent LeCour,
Christopher's whole world is turned upside down. Overwhelmed by her stunning
combination of seduction and innocence, Christopher cannot complete the mission.
She has made him feel again. Now, he will do anything to save her life, even if
it means risking his own...
A perilous passion...
When Millie
learns what Christopher was hired to do, she is torn between the fear in her
heart and the fire in her soul.
Putting herself in this notorious
hunter's arms may be her only path to safety--even if doing so could be the
deadliest mistake she's ever made. But how can she resist him? As the heat
between her and Christopher burns out of control, danger lurks in the shadows.
Is their desire worth the risk?
Only the enemy knows what fate has in
store...
While “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” was once used to describe Lord Byron, it
is also a fitting description for the antiheroes in Kerrigan Byrne's “Victorian Rebels”
historical romance series, and Carolyn Jewel's “My Immortals” series
about modern-day, magic infused, demon warlords. Although these two series are
wildly different, the male protagonists have a lot in common. For example,
Christopher Argent and Kynan Aijan are both killers, even though the
circumstances that led them down that path vary. Both men have endured
oppression and torture that left a long lasting mark and forever altered their
worldview. Both men have done very bad things, but make for compelling
characters to read about. Both men meet women who rock their world and change
the trajectory of their life. Each author tells their story without offering
moral pronouncements but, instead, tell gripping stories about two deeply
fascinating and flawed characters. In THE HUNTER, Kerrigan Byrne takes an
unconventional hero and is able to draw enough contrast between him and a truly
evil villain. Christopher Argent is stunningly sexy and unexpectedly sweet and
easy to fall for. Like Claudia Dain, Carolyn Jewel invests the time in creating
a character that slowly evolves over many books, making for an extremely
satisfying journey for the reader to take with the character. In MY DEMON WARLORD, Kynan
becomes a character to cheer on.
Antiheroes might be the most unlikely hero, but they are my favorite heroes.
Their lack of heavenly perfection makes them more human and easy to root for.
Their often brutal honesty is attractive rather than off-putting. Their
complexities and vagaries add spice to a story and make it for interesting and
infinitely more enjoyable.
3 comments posted.
I've been reading Sherilyn Kenyon since she first started writing and I've loved all of her anti-heroes....they embody the best of the worst.
(Kathleen Bylsma 9:10pm February 17, 2016)