Julia Bennet | The ABCs of Romance Novel Heroes

Alpha, beta, cinnamon roll; which is best? It’s a subject
about which many readers have strong opinions. But in case anyone’s confused, what do
these terms actually mean?

Well, the alphas are the leaders, the CEOs, the warriors, the
head of the shifter pack. They don’t have to be cruel or controlling, though sometimes they
are. On the other hand, the betas and cinnamon rolls are perhaps best defined by their
supportiveness. They don’t want to conquer the heroine but they’ll be there for her no matter
what. They’re dudes and they abide. Alphas will annihilate your enemies, but betas will help
you move house. Personally, I see the appeal of both.

For alphas, think Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey or Sebastian from Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. For betas, almost any Talia Hibbert hero or Winter Makepeace from Elizabeth Hoyt’s Thief of Shadows. I could do a whole post on the wonderfulness of Winter Makepeace. With The Madness of Miss Grey , I didn’t set out with a particular archetype in mind. But I knew my heroine Helen was the tortured one. As a sane woman incarcerated in a lunatic asylum, how could she not be? The hero, William Carter, had to be the antidote to all that, so I gave him a long fuse, a cute dog, and big muscles. He brings warmth and light back into Helen’s life, and I knew the book wouldn’t work if he carried too much darkness around with him. Not that he doesn’t have his issues (who doesn’t?) but he’s very much Helen’s rock. And, as a doctor, he’s a rock who’s hyper-aware of the ethical conundrum posed by his attraction to his patient. What can I say? I’m a sucker for betas and forbidden love. But there are also heroes who don’t fit neatly into either category. Some readers call them gammas but, whatever you call them, they appear to be a mix of alpha and beta. You could argue that Winter Makepeace is really a gamma. He’s mild- mannered, self-sacrificing, and incredibly nurturing, but by night he’s the Ghost of St. Giles, a Georgian-era Batman, fighting bad guys. And sometimes it’s even more complicated than that. What about Crispin Burke in my favorite amnesia book, Meredith Duran’s A Lady’s Code of Misconduct? Depending on where you are in the story, Crispin’s an alpha, a cinnamon roll, and a gamma.

So where does that leave us?

With choices. A hero for every reader and a hero for every mood. Multiple book boyfriends of various sorts and flavors. Anne Stuart’s Luke Bardell (Ritual Sins) one day, then Evan from Talia Hibbert’s A Girl like Her to help you get over the trauma. How about you? What’s your preferred hero type?