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Fantasy Romance

brooding hero

Book Review: It Takes Two to Tangle

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Rating:2/5

Title: It Takes Two to Tangle

Author: Theresa Romain

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You know those hero qualities I told you about that I don’t like?  And what it takes to make me dislike the heroine? And when I mentioned that I actually like for there to be a plot?

This book manages to strike out on all three counts. I did give it two stars because at least the writing was decent, the meager plot didn’t fill me with rage, and I didn’t want the author to invent creative ways to kill the characters.

 

Characters

Let’s start with the hero. If ever there was a brooding character, this is the one. He buys an officer’s commission, his brother’s connections get him to the rank of captain. He ends up coming home physically and mentally broken after the war. And all he wants is the most beautiful, vivacious woman in the ton so he can resume his place. . . Um, yeah.

He comes out of it, sort of, by the end. I should’ve listened to the reviewers who warned me about the hero.

The heroine wasn’t much better. The heroine is prone to making bad decisions. She made lots of poor choices in her youth, and she doesn’t seem to have learned from them as she blatantly states in the book that she’s willing do it all over again for the hero “for love”. I have a hard time feeling much for her. She could’ve been Cyrano D’Bergerac. But wasn’t. Not even close.

 

Plot

The plot is slim at best. The hero wants the most desirable lady in the ton, who happens to have the heroine as a companion. Through some mistaken assumptions, that could’ve been resolved with a 30 second conversation, we have the plot of the story. It’s a sit-com plot thrown into novel length.

I suppose there’s something of a character arc for the hero as he feels less entitled at the end than he did at the beginning, and he’s accepting his change in circumstances. Not enough to make me like him, and I never came close to liking the heroine.

Heroes Analysis: My Current Work-in-Progress

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Continuing on the vein of applying my likes and dislikes to my own work, I’ll take a look at the hero in the story I’m working on.

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In Crowned Prince, the calculatingly practical hero fall in love with a slave girl and has to choose between his elaborate plans to take the throne or happiness with the woman he loves.

1. Does he brood? – Very little. He is cold, ruthless and practical. Brooding does nothing to forward his plans, so he doesn’t indulge in it.

2. No arrogant jerks- He can be a touch arrogant. He is a prince used to getting his way. But, he listens to the heroine’s advice, and he will do everything in his power to protect her and make her happy.

3. Indecisive – He has a moment of indecision when he realizes he’s in love, but he doesn’t lie to himself and he knows he’s not a man to deny himself. Once the decision is reached, he never looks back and all of his actions forward are to take what he wants with as little political fallout as possible.

I think I succeeded pretty well on these counts. The hero in this story is a more traditional alpha male, so it was easier to fly past brooding and indecisive. I also worked hard as I was writing not to let him be too much of a jerk. He’s cold and calculating, but for very good reasons, but not too over-the-top.

So, do I give him the characteristics needed to like him?

 

1. Competence – the hero is competent. He can carry his own in a fight, and he’s good at machinating and reading people. A bit Machiavellian, but goes with the strong alpha male.

2. Protector – he may not have been much a protector before the start of the story, but we see what lengths he’ll go to in an effort to protect the heroine.

3. Honorable Leader – the hero is already a leader of men, and the head of a plot to put himself on the thrown. He is not chivalrous or terribly honorable at the beginning of the story, but that changes by the end as he’s come to see why it’s important.

Interestingly, this hero started out as a villain in a different story but was too interesting to “throw away”. He got a story of his own, and I found him surprisingly easy to fit into the alpha male role. A thought to ponder in another post.

Analysis: Heroes Book 1

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Now to apply what I’ve learned from other people’s work to my own. While other people may disagree with me about what makes a hero likable, I at least want to write a hero that I would like if I were reading him in someone else’s work.

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In Knight of Valor, the hero has recently destroyed a powerful lich and returned home a hero. He’s having trouble settling in and agrees to escort the heroine out of danger and to the safety of his homeland.

1. Does he brood? – perhaps a little. He has been through hell and back and is trying to find his place. People view him as a hero, but that’s not how he views himself. The one scene he does start to brood, the heroine calls him on it. Still, worth another look to keep him from being whiny.

2. No arrogant jerks- I actually went back through the story and had to inject a bit more alpha into the hero. He is more of the “white knight” trope, so I don’t feel like this is an area for work.

3. Indecisive – it takes the hero awhile to come to terms with what he’s feeling, but once he does, he moves quickly and decisively. The hero is far more prone to action than anything else, and he makes sure the heroine is well protected.

 

Okay, I need to make sure the hero isn’t too broody. Now, does he possess what he needs to make him likable?

1. Competence – the hero is an extremely competent fighter and protector. He is strategic, and even under pressure, proves himself. He’s so competent, in fact, I had to make sure he was appropriately challenged so he didn’t just walk over his enemies.

2. Protector – he has dedicated his life to protecting his homeland and its people. He protects the heroine from the beginning even if he didn’t like her. This is an integral part of his personality and never waivers.

3. Honorable Leader – the hero is honorable and behaves in that way, up to and including worrying that people see him as more than he is. He doesn’t lie, and he refuses to take advantage of his position as the heroine’s protector even when they both have feelings for the other.

Overall,  I think the hero is pretty likable. I need to make sure he isn’t too broody, but he never lets that interfere with doing his job to protect the heroine. No running away from feelings, no abandoning her, and no being a jerk because he has feelings.

 

Book Review: Lord of Scoundrels

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Rating: 4/5

Title: Lord of Scoundrels

Author: Loretta Chase

Romance

I saw the rave reviews, so I picked up the book. While I liked it, not sure it was worth the hype and I’d probably have liked it better if I wasn’t expecting so much.

 

Characters

Jessica- she is, of course, perfect. Absolutely perfect. Beautiful, slim, elegant. A femme fatal. And a spinster because … Well, I’m not sure why. But she did help raise 10 male cousins, so not only perfect, but she can shoot, punch, and enjoys wrestling. Really, truly perfect. Oh, and she finds priceless art pieces others overlook. And knows all about “the deed” even though she’s a virgin. I liked her dialogue, and the fact she owns up to her feelings. I mean, she’s so perfect she demands they give her husband’s illegitimate son a home with them.

Lord Dain– had a horrible childhood and is reflected in the man he is. He shuns polite society and has set himself up as the lord of sin and debauchery, taking any fool who goes along with him to ruin. He uses laughter to deflect from his true feelings, and he drinks and whores to soothe his loneliness. He’s got the strength and arrogance of an alpha lead, but with these tragic undertones so he can be redeemed in the end.

 

Plot

Jessica’s brother is in over his head with Dain, and Jessica is in Paris to bring her brother home. She meets Dain at an antiques shop, and sparks fly. This is where she unearths a rare and very valuable Russian icon that no one else notices.

When she refuses to sell the icon to Dain, and they make a public scene, Dain decides to destroy her brother to get even with her.

When she storms his house to get her brother back, more romantic hijacks ensue. Somehow, after a couple of meetings, their lust overcomes their sense and they are kissing in the rain on a public street.

Of course Society wants to see Dain fall, so they invite the two of them to a ball and make sure everyone knows they’re both invited. Why either of them shows is beyond me, but they do, and the sexual attraction gets the better of them. At a ball. Where they know everyone is watching them.

Surprise! They get caught. Dain acts the scoundrel and leaves her knowing he’s ruined her and she will never be accepted into polite society again.

With nowhere to turn, Jessica hunts Dain down and shoots him. She is such a good shot, she only gives him the flesh wound she intended. After their lover’s quarrel, of course the Parisian authorities press no charges… Not sure what she thought this would get her.

The nobleman courting Jessica’s grandmother gets her in touch with an attorney who helps her bring a lawsuit against Dain for defamation among other things, and demands recompence so Jessica can afford to go far away and start a new life after ruining her.

Dain says for that price, he’ll marry her and take breeding rights as well. He’s such a great catch…

Insulting as it is, she has to accept as the offer of marriage nullifies her lawsuit. If she scrapes together her pride and says no, she’ll be a penniless outcast.

They’re wed, and while the sex between them is apparently amazing, Dain continues to shut her out emotionally despite how much he loves her and wants her to love him.

They end of the story is how he comes to terms with his childhood, his love for her, and his illegitimate son all so she’ll love him.

Overall, the plot was thin, but not uncommon in Regency Romance. And, frankly, I’m okay with that. I have seen too many outlandish plots as of late. While I can accept that the plot is simple, the heroine was a bit too perfect. If you go for the brooding, alpha male, this will be your thing.

Character Analysis: Heroes Part 1

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After considering heroines I like and dislike, I decided to turn my attention to the hero.

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Like with the heroine posts, I’m going to break it up into a couple of different posts.

One of the things that stuck with me when reading about heroes is that even if I liked them in the story, they might be people I’d give a very different label to in real life. But that discussion is for a separate post.

Stephanie Plum Series – I never really liked Joe Morelli, the sort of male love interest. Not that he wasn’t fine when he was “on screen”. But I disliked the fact that he magically disappeared the moment we put the book down. Never called. No texts, etc.

Journey’s End – The hero was pompous, arrogant and overly worried about his reputation. Yes, his father ran off with his mother’s sister. I get it, a scandal. But when you’re one of the richest men in America, why, exactly, do you care?

Deliver Me from Darkness – Another hero I never really liked. His brooding because he became a vampire was beyond annoying. Pick yourself up and make something of yourself. Use those powers for good, evil, something.

Tycoon Club – I wanted to like the hero, but there was nothing to him. I didn’t like him, but I guess I didn’t dislike him either. A farm boy from Ohio becoming one of the richest men in the world seems like there should be so much more to him . . . Instead, he’s waffling and really not developed at all.

Accidentally Compromising the Duke – I didn’t completely dislike him. I had some sympathy for him, but I did grow tired of the brooding over his first wife’s death and irrationally blaming himself for it.

Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard – This hero was so busy brooding and trying to ignore his feelings that it almost cost the heroine her life. Um, yeah, not so much.

The Highwayman – I am okay with alpha heroes, but he was beyond the norm. While I had compassion for him, I never liked him. I can get behind a cold and ruthless hero, but this went too far with that.

The Rogue Not Taken – Hero was a complete ass. Again, an alpha hero is one thing, but kicking her when she’s already down, which is the way he treats her through the whole book – I wish the heroine had been more like Elisabeth in Pride and Prejudice and told him off!

 

As I think through all of these scenarios, a couple of things stands out to me:

  1. Brooding Characters –  Get over yourself. You made a mistake, life happened, or life wasn’t fair. Yup, I live in that world, too. When you’re as rich, handsome, powerful or whatever most of these characters are, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for him not stepping up. This leads into point 3 below.
  2. Alpha Male that Bleeds into “Jerk”– I’ve seen this in too many books of late. Yes, there is an alpha male trope out there, and yes, it is a favorite among many readers. I, myself, enjoy them in books if not real life. But there’s a difference between Alpha Male and arrogant jerk. Once you cross that line . .  .
  3. Indecision/Inaction – Perhaps not fair, but I expect the hero to be out there doing something, and I expect that something to either help him reach his goals or help the heroine. A hero who chooses to turn his back on the problem, run away, or be paralyzed by indecision is a quick way to make me dislike him. Sure, he might not like or want the feelings he’s having, but I expect him to do something about them and the something is not run away.