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Carol Rose | Romance Heroes We Love
June 4, 2014
It helps if they’re hot, let’s just be honest. Even the flawed heroes—the ones
with physical or emotional scars—they need to be hot. If a guy doesn’t get your
motor running, you’re less willing to take the journey of reading about his
mating. These days, the romance genre has broadened bunches. Readers can enjoy
heroes from long past, from far into the future and from today. In paranormal
romances, heroes often have special powers (although some would say that romance
heroes have always known their heroines' hearts more than any real guy). We love heroes who love their heroine. No matter if the woman is less than
gorgeous—or just feels less than gorgeous—the hero needs to see her inner
beauty. Let’s be honest, we all feel squishy with a guy who sees a woman’s inner
beauty. Heroes are more real to us, and more loveable, if they aren’t terribly
hung up on supermodels. Even supermodels get pimples and worry about their
thighs being too big. We want a hero who is above all that. I sometimes watch
the romances on The Hallmark Channel and I’ve noticed again and again that the
heroes and heroines—while not ugly—often look like regular people. Romance heroes also often have hurdles to overcome. Something about watching
characters dealing successfully with challenges helps us feel more hopeful. We
face challenges all the time, we care more about characters who also must rely
on inner strength, even if it’s just required to keep the character from decking
someone who deserves it. If we connect to the hero and the challenge he’s facing, we’ll forgive him a
lot. In Rachel Gibson’s classic See Jane Score, the hero is initially
unimpressed with the heroine’s sex appeal. He’s a star athlete and he’s used
to supermodels. We forgive him, though, because he eventually finds his
snarky small-breasted heroine to be super-hot and perfect for him. She helps him
confront and deal with some pretty irritating behavior. The Twightlight hero,
Edward, is super powerful. He could have any chick, but he’s drawn to Bella, a
not plastic pretty girl who doesn’t run with the popular kids. Heroes can even
have done some really bad things. In my Mr. Personality, the hero, Max has
committed adultery with his own brother’s wife. Big betrayal. But we forgive him
partially because he can’t forgive himself. He feels terrible about that one
moment and even though he has great success otherwise, he pretty much thinks
he’s scum. The best, most gripping heroes, the ones we can’t forget, are real people. Even
if they live in strange and different worlds, face scary things and have skills
we don’t often see, they feel—they struggle—like us. They’re gripping,
attractive men we want to know. That’s what makes a hero. Comment below to enter to win your own copy of THANKFULLY YOURS.
Comments
19 comments posted.
Re: Carol Rose | Romance Heroes We Love
You are exactly right. He doesn't have to be perfectly gorgeous. But he has to be hot. And personality, how you meet, his job, etc, so many things can determine how hot he looks besides how hot he looks. You know?? Sometimes a guy isn't really handsome. But something about him makes him irresistible.
(Lisa Hutson 2:17am June 3, 2014)
He needs to be irresistible for me. I don't care what others
think as he it is me who has to feel that special something.
(Shirley Sego 3:22am June 3, 2014)
I enjoy a book where the couple banter back and forth
throughout the book and then in the end realize they are
made for each other and you get your love scene and happy
ever after. I read a book once that they heroine staged a
house war with the children just to prove a point and the
banter was so realistic and funny. That is a book that is
worth reading time and again.
(Tina Ullrich 6:24am June 3, 2014)
I tend to like a handsome hero, but I also like the brooding hero that doesn't look like everyone else.
(Pam Howell 8:54am June 3, 2014)
Out of all the genres of books out there, Romances are my
favorite, but I would have to say that the old-fashioned
Romance beats anything hands down!! By that I mean the
regular boy meets girl type Romance book. I don't care for
all of the erotic books that are out there (no offense),
because you can really write a beautiful love story without
getting into all the mechanics of the act, so to speak. I
particularly happened to pick up the book Roses by Leila
Meacham. Although she's been around for a long time, I
guess, this was my first exposure to her writing, and that
book blew me away!! That was one heck of a love story, and
I had to stay up all night to finish the book. It was
around 500 pages, but well worth reading. Since you seem to
have the same mindset, I am going to be honored to read your
latest book. Congratulations!! The cover is really
adorable!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:15am June 3, 2014)
I always like a real looking man...usually romance novels have these unbelievable photo shopped guys and to me it is not a turn on. A man has to be more than a pile of muscle.
(Vennie Martinisi 12:57pm June 3, 2014)
This sounds like it could be a keeper
(Jeri Dickinson 5:12pm June 3, 2014)
I love sensitive heroes.
(Lisa Garrett 8:27pm June 3, 2014)
i love all kinds of different heros
(Denise Smith 6:03am June 4, 2014)
Yes, I need to feel a connection with the hero.
(Mary Preston 8:10am June 4, 2014)
I agree with you that "Heroes are more real to us, and more
loveable, if they aren’t terribly hung up on supermodels."
Real life heroes are there all around us we only need to
identify them.
(Geeta Nair 8:28am June 4, 2014)
looks extra great hero
(Kent Cook 8:50am June 4, 2014)
A real life hero such as a real man with compassion, character
and intelligence.
(Sharon Berger 9:53am June 4, 2014)
I've been married to my husband for 35 years. The first thing
I noticed were his sparkling eyes. Humor! :) He's a hunk, too,
but the eyes caught me.
(Sharon Shearouse 11:21am June 4, 2014)
I just like to read books.
(Judy Ferguson 1:20pm June 4, 2014)
He has to be sweet...that automatically makes him hotter. ;)
(Brooke Showalter 2:17pm June 4, 2014)
I like a humble hero.
(Melanie Backus 11:09pm June 4, 2014)
I like my heroes to be flawed, tortured souls, someone the heroine can fix. I tend to be a "Miss Fix-it" myself and like to imagine it is me as I read about her "fixing" her man even if she doesn't know that is what she is doing as the time.
(Debbie Kelly 6:35am June 5, 2014)
There are some books that I can relate to the characters and these are the books that are memorable to me.
(Kai Wong 1:41am June 6, 2014)
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