Connie Brockway | In Praise of the "Guy" Hero

Like most romance readers, I enjoy a variety pack of heroes, ranging from emotionally scarred and damaged ones like Jack Seward from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT to the gorgeous and befuddled professor Archie Grant in my latest book, THE SONGBIRD'S SEDUCTION. But I have to fess up, while I appreciate the over-the-top darkness of Jack, my very favorite heroes are those who are just… guys.

“Just guy” heroes exhibit what I think of as Essential Male Cluelessness —a
collection of traits that can be wildly charming and which may include to
varying degrees: a wonderful lack of self-consciousness — the guy hero doesn’t
bother ranking himself against others or others against himself; a clear
emotional linearity — i.e. “I like you. You like me. Let’s hop in the sack!”;
what, at least to the guy hero, are reasonable and unambiguous goals — i.e.
“Let’s hop in the sack!”; and an intrinsic inability to dissemble— at least with
any notable success.

Unfortunately (or, rather, for writerly purposes completely fortunate!) the flip
side of charming is exasperating Apparently, all that aforementioned
forthrightness comes tandem with certain deficiencies…like a constitutional
inability to engage in or, for that mater, even recognize the subtleties of
communication. Mostly female communication.

For example you, in your most tragic tones, ask your guy, “Does this dress make
me look fat?” in answer to which, he actually spends two minutes perusing your
a… derriere before nodding with what he may well imagine is commendable
sympathy, commendable because from his point of view you’re solely responsible
for getting your a…derriere into that shape and yet he’s still being what he
presumably imagines is supportive by not pointing this out. Yet. Ergo,
commendable. And while his point of view may have some validity, it’s clearly
incidental to your query. Not that this has happened to me, but I can imagine.
Just like I can also imagine staring dumbfounded into his wide, uncomprehending
eyes, and realizing that the doofus actually thought you were asking for his
opinion when all you wanted was reassurance.

I know this because I am married to that doofus and have been for decades. If
one could earn a degree in “Guy Heroes” I’d be way past my master’s and working
on my eighth or twentieth doctorate. And yet, in spite of my decades long
research, there’s much more to learn. Because unpretentious does not simple, and
a lack of ambiguity does not means a lack of depth. A guy is willing to stand
before you and openly hand you his heart, proving that in vulnerability there is
great strength. A guy hero may be clueless but he’s not confused and when he
says “I love you,” he means it, he commits to the very core and forever,
unhesitating, unquestioning and unending. Which is, when you come down to it,
really pretty damn brave and certainly heroic.

What’s your favorite type of hero and why?

About THE SONGBIRD'S SEDUCTION

Effervescent bon vivant Lucy Eastlake is a young operetta singer whose star is
on the rise in Edwardian London. Though struggling to maintain her beloved
great-aunts’ household, she holds fast to the belief that “things will work
out.” Now, with the fiftieth anniversary of a siege her great-aunt Lavinia lived
through approaching, it looks like Lucy is right, because a fortune is due to be
divided among the survivors. All Lucy and her great-aunts have to do is travel
to a small Pyrenees town to claim Lavinia’s share of a fabulous treasure in
rubies. What could be more simple?

Professor Ptolemy Archibald Grant is the brilliant, straitlaced grandson of a
British lord who also withstood the siege. When his grandfather asks him as a
matter of honor to escort his old love on the journey, the about-to-be married
professor agrees, not expecting Lucy to be part of the bargain. Losing the
great-aunts en route, the handsome, buttoned-down professor finds himself caught
up in Lucy’s quirky, bewildering, and probably illegal efforts to reunite with
them, as he is drawn further and further into an inexplicable infatuation with
the free-spirited singer. What could be more complicated?

But when unwilling attraction gives way to sizzling passion, both will be forced
to confront the ages-old question of whether love trumps honor…or the other way
around.

About Connie Brockway

Connie Brockway is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty historical and contemporary romance novels. An eight-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, Brockway has twice been its recipient, for MY DEAREST ENEMY and THE BRIDAL SEASON. She is the author of MY SEDUCTION, named one of Library Journal’s top romance novels of 2004. Her most recent novel is NO PLACE FOR A DAME and her most recent collaborative novel is THE LADY MOST WILLING, co-written with Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. She is a Minnesota native, and currently lives there with her husband and two spoiled mutts. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads