A special Halloween treat! Fresh Fiction Reviewer Miranda Owen is
letting us know her
favorite bad boy romance heroes!
“I’m not the big bad wolf everyone makes me out to be.” - “Rocky Ride” by
Vivian
Arend
In general, I prefer heroes who are more Clark Kent than
your typical bad boy or antihero, but there are a few amazing exceptions. My
main beef with
bad boy heroes is when they take on “alphahole” qualities, say or do things
to the heroine that
are reprehensible and can’t be easily – if at all – taken back, and use
their supposedly sexy
bad boy status to get away with anything. I also feel cheated if the author
has the bad boy
hero experience a miraculous epiphany in the last few chapters or pages of a
book and
completely change his personality without any believable buildup to see how
the character got
to that momentous change. I much prefer when an author digs deep into the
psyche of a bad
boy, explains his thinking, and changes his perspective and how others view
him, rather than a
fundamental and all-encompassing change that seems hard to believe. One of
my favorite
examples of a bad boy done right is Claudia Dain’s “Courtesan Chronicles”
character Lord
Dutton. For several books, Claudia Dain chronicles Dutton’s flaws, fleeting
flashes of deep
feeling immediately sandwiched between selfish impulses, slow decline and
raking over the
coals, before eventually giving him his own book and begins building him
back up. It’s not that
Dutton fundamentally changes who he always was, whether for good or bad, but
having been
brought so low, his perspective is greatly changed and that change, along
with the realization
that he has to do better if he wants the woman he’s fallen in love with,
makes him a better man
but still deliciously wicked and snarky as ever. I’ve recently read a slew
of entertaining and
seriously sexy books about heroes who are a little more devil than angel,
but who are
fascinating, exceptional, and who are multifaceted conundrums: SHADES
OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost, DON’T
TRUST A KILLER by Cynthia Eden, MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
by Emma
Castle, FALL by
Kristen Callihan,
“Getting Hotter” by Elle Kennedy, and “Rocky Ride” by Vivian Arend.
He craved corruption, not evil. - MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL by Emma
Castle
All of the heroes discussed in this article at least started out
as human, except for one exception - Lucien Star aka Lucifer aka The Devil
from Emma
Castle’s book MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL. Lucien is supposed to be the ultimate
big bad, and
he does put the heroine in an extremely difficult situation, but it’s
difficult not to be charmed
by him. Lucien is up there with Peter Cook’s portrayal in the 1967 film
BEDAZZLED, as two of
my favorite interpretations of the devil. Even as Lucien ties Diana Kingston
to him with
seductive glances and naughty whispered phrases, the power balance shifts
slightly when he
becomes just as tied to her emotionally. Emma Castle manages to tell an
erotic tale of
damnation and sacrifice with a classically “evil” character but make the
hero more human in
more ways than one. The critical point for me, is that while Lucien
undergoes a change of
heart, the things about his personality that the heroine and the readers
love so much basically
remain the same.
Veritas: “Careful, someone might mistake you for a
gentleman.”
Ian: “Anyone who’d make such a mistake deserves what they get.”
- SHADES OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost
When I first was introduced to vampire bad boy
extraordinaire Ian in Jeaniene Frost’s ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE, I was mildly
intrigued, but I
wouldn’t have been unhappy to have him turned into a pile of ash. Over the
years, and
assorted books, the character has evolved while still keeping his shady
edge. Ian’s fun, sexy,
and more than a little wicked (in the best possible way). I had always hoped
that he would be
paired with a tough heroine who could maybe give him a run for his money and
match him
when it comes to swagger and an eye for danger. I pictured him with a woman
like wolf shifter
Marchessa from Saranna DeWylde’s PRINCESS OF THE PACK or the delightfully
antisocial
Imogene from Sara Dobie Bauer’s BITE SOMEBODY ELSE. Jeaniene Frost took me
by surprise
by pairing Ian with Law Guardian Veritas. I worried that Veritas would be
too much of a goody-
goody to have great chemistry with somebody as wild as Ian. Thankfully,
Veritas has more
layers than the Buffy persona she shows to the world. Veritas likes Ian the
more she gets to
know the real him. Both characters use different masks to cultivate a
certain persona for
reasons of protection as well as other more personal reasons. A law
enforcing hardass with a
compassionate side and a sinner with a heart of gold turn out to be a better
combo and have
more in common than first thought. I look forward to seeing Ian continue his
journey in future
stories.
“I want you to stop looking at me like I’m a villain. I want you to judge me
for yourself.”
- DON’T TRUST A KILLER by Cynthia Eden
Kace Quick rules New Orleans and most think he’s more
bigshot crime boss than legitimate businessman. The FBI desperately want to
lock him away
for some crime – the bigger the better. Kace is knocked for a loop when FBI
Agent Bree Harlow
walks into his world. Normally a smooth operator, Kace becomes obsessed with
Bree and tells
her secrets he’s never told anyone else. Rather than seem oily, Kace
surprises Bree with his
kindness and consideration. Kace is a man who is no stranger to death and
danger but often
resorts to violence for honorable intentions. Cynthia Eden writes great
antihero characters,
and Kace is a prime example. Cynthia Eden’s books often keep the reader off-
center by telling
the story from multiple perspectives and including characters with complex
and occasionally
hidden motives. Kace does some digging and discovers that he and Bree have a
lot in common
after facing close encounters with murder. At a certain point, every action
Kace takes and the
decision he makes is all about trying to protect Bree. Kace’s attempts at
protection prove
frustrating for Bree at times, because she has trained for years to be able
to protect herself
and hunt monsters on her own. Bree and Kace make for a potent combination
and a fierce pair
tracking and trying to unmask a killer. The smoking hot trysts and thrills
make for an enjoyable
story and Kace is a hero worth checking out.
This is not good. I’m growing attached to a woman who thinks I’m an asshole.
- FALL by
Kristen Callihan
In FALL by Kristen Callihan, John “Jax” Blackwood is known
as a rock star bad boy, but that’s not who he is at heart. John is a man who
struggles with
depression but manages to take meals to his little old lady neighbor. His
bandmates are close
friends, but he’s mentally in a very lonely place when he meets pet-sitter,
professional friend,
and jack of all trades Stella Grey. Kristen Callihan writes a great meet-
cute between John and
Stella. The dialogue and eventual evolving relationship seems very organic
and the chemistry
between the two is spot on. Like the characters in the other books discussed
in this article,
Stella and John reveal more to each other than they do with anyone else in
their lives. I love
John’s vulnerability, humor, and warm heart. Like many of these other heroes
mentioned, John
has his friends, but getting involved in a romantic relationship with Stella
makes his life more
complicated, but enriches it ten times more and adds some joy to his life
that he was missing
lately.
It drove her nuts that she could never quite get a handle on him. - “Getting
Hotter” by Elle
Kennedy
In HER RED-HOT BAD BOY Elle Kennedy and Vivian Arend write about
two men who try very
hard to get two women to see them as prime boyfriend material. In “Getting
Hotter” by Elle
Kennedy, Seth Masterson is a chain-smoking, tattooed SEAL who is hopelessly
drawn to
Miranda Breslin. The lure of the bad boy is something Miranda tries to
resist, given a bad past
experience, and she takes her responsibility as a single mother extremely
seriously and
doesn’t think Seth is daddy material. It’s not until the end of the book
that readers learn why
he is gun-shy about fitting into a role as a father but is honest with
Miranda about his feelings
and his flaws. Seth is a flawed hero, but I appreciate his straightforward
attitude and
willingness to step outside his comfort zone in order to be with Miranda.
In “Rocky Ride” by Vivian Arend, Mitch Thompson wants
RCMP officer Anna Coleman to see him as more than just a sexy fling. Mitch
is very much a
hottie with a sweet side and has the same appreciation for family that Anna
has. I like that it
doesn’t take Anna long to see Mitch’s virtues and that he is a good man with
genuine feelings
for her. Mitch seduces Anna with the sexual adventures she craves but sneaks
in some
getting-to-know-you time in there to ensure that their relationship grows
and thrives. I love
when a hero goes the extra mile to woo a heroine and Mitch does that.
Here are some other books with bad boy heroes:
WORTH ANY PRICE by
Lisa
Kleypas
DEVIL
IN WINTER by Lisa Kleypas
MUCH ADO ABOUT
DUTTON by Claudia
Dain
DANCE
WITH THE DEVIL by Sherrilyn Kenyon
DREAM CHASER by
Sherrilyn
Kenyon
BLACK SILK by Sharon
Page
LOVER AWAKENED by
J.R. Ward
MIDNIGHT AWAKENING
by Lara
Adrian
THE
WRONG BILLIONAIRE’S BED by Jessica
Clare
ONE
KISS FROM YOU by Christina Dodd
THE
HIGHWAYMAN by Kerrigan Byrne
TO
HAVE AND TO HARLEY by Regina Cole
DIRTY BASTARD by
Jessica
Clare
DUCHESS BY DAY, MISTRESS
BY NIGHT
by Stacy Reid
SO
OVER YOU by Kate Meader
THE
DARKEST PROMISE by Gena Showalter
A
SEASON OF RUIN by Anna Bradley
DOUBLE TIME by
Olivia Cunning
REAPER’S PROPERTY
by Joanna
Wylde
CHASER by Kylie
Scott
AGAINST THE ROPES by
Sarah
Castille
KINGPIN by Alexa
Riley
SWEET AS SIN by J.T.
Geissinger
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND
DESIRE by
Lorraine Heath
RUTHLESS by Anne
Stuart
MY
FORBIDDEN DESIRE by Carolyn Jewel
DUKE OF SIN by
Elizabeth Hoyt
ROCK
STEADY by Dawn Ryder
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