| By Jenn Stark | August 12, 2009 |
This week, I had the opportunity to read a “throw-back” novel, “Kiss An Angel” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (which I adored, frankly). Written in the mid-90s , it made me think of the romances I’d read and loved even earlier, as a teenager, when I’d first gotten into romance. I cut my teeth on Barbara Cartlands, historical romances set in the glittering world of the rich and titled, predominantly in England but with a few sheikhs thrown in for good measure. (I mean, come on. You gotta have a sheikh in there). I then moved on to Jude Devereaux and finally made my way to contemporaries and paranormals.
But looking back into my very first romances, I thought of the heroes of those books who entranced me so: Tall, dark and almost brutally good looking, physically imposing whether they were heavily muscled or lean and strong, wickedly intelligent, elegant or a “man’s man” depending on what was needed at the moment (a gala or a fistfight)-and, of course, titled or worthy of a title. Ah, the passions of my youth.
And then I thought about the hero in “Angel”: tall, dark, brutally good looking…hmm… lean and elegant, physically imposing (circus rider and whip wielder, hello!)…intelligent (professor)… and, um, yes, titled: the long lost heir to the Russian throne. But that was a book written more than a decade ago, surely just a nostalgia point for me, right?
So I turned to my favorite heroes today, since I’m now an enlightened forty-year-old, former exec and current freelance business owner, a strong, single, self-sufficient female. And those heroes would be…ah… tall, dark, brutally good looking men whose strength often tends to muscled-but-lean, whose bodies are elegant, minds are sharp, and um… if they’re not titled, they’re worthy of a title. Probably the only thing that’s even remotely different is that they’re occasionally vampires these days, or possess paranormal powers of other sorts – the incarnation of the Tarot Magician.
Which made me realize that my taste in heroes hasn’t changed all that much… in the past thirty years!
Now my preferred heroines on the other hand… well, they’ve gotten older (heh). More complicated. With a few key exceptions for YA heroines with “old souls” or young twenty-something heroines who’ve been around the block so many times they’ve grooved the concrete, I tend to like a more mature heroine. But my hero? As long as he’s lived longer than twenty five years on this Earth (or, okay, any dimension), age is irrelevant to me. Basically, it’s the hero of my youth all over again – which is sort of intriguing, since my life is a whole lot different than it was when I was thirteen years old.
How about you? Have your tastes in heroes, heroines, or romance in general changed since you first started reading it to now? What’s new and different in your fictional preferences, and what remains a tried-and-true component of your ideal romance? I’m fascinated by heroes in general, so I welcome your thoughts!
August 12th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Great post, Jenn! And no, my taste hasn’t changed either. I still like the tall, muscular but not hulkish heroes who are highly intelligent without being out of touch, absentminded or above-it-all. I want them to be regular guys but better.
As for my heroines, I love strong, in-your-face, intelligent and determined women who have a life of their own with or without a man.
I still love romantic comedies and witty historicals. I’m not much into paranormals, because I have such limited reading time, I pick and choose carefully.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I tend to find that almost every hero I read looks the same (regardless of how the author has described him). Which is almost always tall, dark, handsome and moderately muscled. (Which is odd, given that I pathologically date tall, lanky redheads.
) Kiss an Angel is (as you know) one of my FAVORITE SEP books! I’m so glad you think the same. (And also, so glad that now that you’ve read it, you’ll give me back my copy!) 
August 12th, 2009 at 9:15 am
When I was reading this, it was like reading a biography! LOL, seriously though, I started out with Barbara Cartland books as well, then progressed to Jude Devereaux and now paranormals. I can remember having this poster of men in tuxedos on my wall as a teenager. These guys were HOT…suave, pretty boy handsome, the kind of guys you could take home to mama.
Now though, I’ve found that I’m attracted to the dark, dangerous bad boys you can’t take home to mama. They don’t mind getting dirty (and look amazing that way), they’re smart as whips, and I just have two letters for them: g and r. GRRRR lol
August 12th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Robin, Liz and Danica, thanks for your posts!
Robin, I love your characterization of “regular guys but better” — I can absolutely see that look.
And Liz, yes, FINE, you can have your book back now
. It really was terrific!
Danica, I still have a Barbara C book — I think something called “Love In the Dark” (about a hero who’s temporarily blind, of course!) stashed away somewhere. Every once in awhile, I pull it out and sigh all over again. But mmmmm on your down and dirty bad boys. Sounds like a heart stopper!
Thanks again, everyone, for your comments!
August 12th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Jenn! Intriguing blog. Now that you mentioned it, my preferences in heroes really haven’t changed from day one. I read romance for the sheer joy of escaptist fantasy. I want larger than life, sweep-the-heroine-off-her-feet heroes. Give me big, bad, gorgeous. A hero who is totally focused on one woman and will stop at nothing to win her, gets me every time. Bottom line: when I finish a great book, the hero haunts my dreams.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I must add my vote to the others; my heroes haven’t changed. I think some of that has to do with the qualities we see as heroic. And let’s face it, you can put the heart of a lion in a tabby, but tabby’s meow still won’t make your toes curl, your blood race, or your heart skip a beat. Give me the shaggy mane, the regal presence (Okay, you can keep the smell).
Great post, Jenn. I adore a strong hero and like books where the heroine, while still feminine, is just as strong in her own, inimitable way.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
What a thought-provoking post, Jenn! Like you, I don’t think my ideal hero has evolved too much since my teen years. I’ve always liked my gents a bit maverick and frayed around the edges. What’s different now is I understand the brokenness behind my boys. Peace!
August 12th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Mmm, I think I’m going to have to look up Kiss an Angel and see if it’s available for the Kindle.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Interesting post, Jenn. I’m new to romance, coming from a fantasy background, and only recently realized it was the relationships between the characters that I really wanted to read. I’m still trying to figure out what type of hero I like (and I’ll certainly have to check out Kiss An Angel) . I think the “regular guys but better” is a great description.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Hey, Cate Noble! LOVE the comment of “the hero haunts my dreams.” I think that’s a great way to describe it!
Gwynlyn, I totally hear you on the lion vs. tabby concept. Isn’t it interesting that bold and arrogant works great in the right hero–and becomes downright intolerable in a villain.
Shelley, “frayed around the edges” is another wonderfully evocative phrase. Thanks!
Cate, I’m telling you, it’s really good… I mean, come on: a circus? Really? But Susan Elizabeth Phillips makes it work like you wouldn’t believe.
Kelsey, I wish you a GRAND adventure in finding the perfect hero for you–you’ll know him when you see him!
Thanks for everyone’s posts! Today’s becoming quite a day for Heroes.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
What a thought provoking post. I definitely have a taste for the dark in heroes. But not arrogant. It’s a fine line, but I detest arrogance in real life, and don’t like it in my romance heroes, either.
I think you’re right that as romance has evolved as a genre, it’s the heroines who’ve changed more. To reflect how the women reading them have changed I expect… But seems no matter how much we evolve, we still like to fantasize about the bad boys.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Jenn, what a thought-provoking post!
I used to read a LOT of category back in the day. The thing I never liked about those heros was their lack of communication. AND lack of humor. So while in many ways I still go for the TDH hero, I’ve loved the evolution of heros from those who seemed brutally unemotional to those who can crack a smile. Without it be sardonic.
Thanks for the fun!
Nancy
August 12th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Maureen, you raise a great point of comparing real-life traits to fictional ones — the things I would be okay with in my fictional hero might make me lose my BRAIN in real life.
And Nancy, I love your comment on the evolution of the modern hero! Dark and brooding to the world, but with a soft, warm center. Hmmm. Sounds like a good recipe for chocolate, too!
Thanks for your comments!
August 12th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Hi, Jenn, wow, you made us dig deep today? I still like the strong, silent type, ya know. And my heroes haven’t changed much either. I’m married to an engineer, so therefore I’m attracted to intellect, but someone who doesn’t spout it… does that make sense. Some of the best dialogue I get from my husband. I often find myself using it in my books because it’s so unexpected. They don’t have to be the most attractive of the species, but there’s got to be definite appeal. They can be blond or blue eyed, they can be dark with brown eyes. They’re always fit LOL…. I don’t think any reader wants to read about that adorable little pot belly… But there’s got to be that self-assurance, intellect and sense of humor. I think I mentioned my ideal hero is Tommy Lee Jones in the Fugitive… not in any of his other movies. I love the character he portrayed in The Fugitive
He’s not perfect, unfortunately he is arrogant, but that can work for me if he’s got a job to do. Great post, Jenn!
August 12th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Hey Jenn. Great blog! I too have stayed the same-even in real life. I have always fallen for the super nice guys. I don’t put much weight into their looks and that can be a problem when writing a character in my book. I want my hero to come across strong, knows what he wants-doesn’t compromise his morals/values and is genuine.
Hmmm…the bad boys always intrigue me and are fun to write, but has never been my hero.
August 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I have to admit that mine probably haven’t changed much either. My favorite hero in all of romance is Ren Gage from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ BREATHING ROOM. In fact, Isabel Favor from the same book is my favorite heroine ever too. Is it any wonder it’s my fave romance of all time?
August 12th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
My taste in heroes hasn’t changed…tall, dark and handsome with a gentle touch. I too grew up with Barbara Cartland’s books…her heroines always seemed to be in trouble and sorta helpless. They needed the hero to step forward and save the day. Now, I enjoy heroines who know what they want and can hold their own, but still have a gentle quality to make you “feel” for them and their plight to get their man.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Hi Jenn! Fun post! I LOVE Susan E. Phillips. Love her heroes and heroines. Still love them. Spunky, sharp, smart, funny. The heroes in her books just seem extra manly to me and the woman they meet make the heroes bigger and better. I have read all of her books and I love them all. She can make any sort of hero and/or heroine work for me. I guess my taste hasn’t changed much either. I read everything. I’ve branched out in the past twenty years when it comes to what I read, but I always come back to romance and I like sep’s heroes the best.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Hey, Jenn. This is one of my favorite topics, talking about the dynamics of the hero in a romance. I heard this term yesterday “borderline bad boy” and that describes the type of hero I like to read about. I have always liked tall, dark, ruggedly handsome, no pretty boy for me. Possibly the only thing that has changed about the hero’s I love best, is they aren’t as dominent as they once were. I like the bad boy feel with a touch of vulnerability that slips through and a whicked sense of humor.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
What an interesting topic, Jenn! I think I’m the same — tall, dark and ruggedly handsome. Although, when I was young, books tended not to mention whether a hero was buff or not. Now I quite enjoy those descriptions!
August 12th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
LOLOL…the older I get, the less inclined I am toward suffering angsty males, I just don’t have the time and energy to deal with them. Get over yourselves already.
But the basic values that make a hero, compassion, commitment, courage, these are timeless. I don’t care if he’s from 45 BC or 2009, he has to be a good guy. Physical characteristics aside (I always loved tanned, long-haired blondes, but married tall, dark and handsome) there are certain traits I think a hero must have.
He must never cheat on his woman, he must never kick dogs, or pull the tails of cats, or the wings off fairies, and he must kiss like the devil himself.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I lean towards the dark in color (hair and skin). Tall. Yes, please. And a sense of humor. No angsty, tortured souls unless he can laugh about his pain.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:18 am
What a fun post, Jenn!
Yes, I’m still much the same, I think, when it comes to the heroes that intrigue me. The Mr. Darcy types. The Scarlet Pimpernels. Ren in SEP’s “Breathing Room.” It’s less a physical look than a kind of bearing. Tall, muscled but lean. Intelligent and wry. Super-skilled.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Thanks to everyone for posting — I’ve had an absolute blast thinking about heroes over the course of reading the blog responses, and it seems that I am not unique–the heroes we fell in love with as teens are often those that we carry with us, though some of us actually *do* manage to evolve
. Not me, however — I’m off to find my Magician!
August 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
No, my taste hasn’t changed. But I’m sorry to say the market has. They’re publishing less and less good old-fashioned romances these days. Nowadays, if a story doesn’t have a vampire, a ghost, or murder and mayhem involved, it’s unlikely to get published.
I’d like to see more novels like the ones LaVyrle Spencer used to write.