Bad Boys and Alphas
My recent release, Devil's Pearl, is about a man driven to get the woman he loves. When the heroine leaves him, he is embarrassed and furious, but beyond that anger, he is madly in love. He'll do anything, anything to get her back--including imprisoning her against her will. In Devil's Pearl, I believe Dev is redeemed at the end. How, you ask? Well, it might be best if you read the story to find out. :)
I admit it. I like bad boys. I like alpha males. I like men who take the initiative--who know what they want and will do just about anything to get it. And when the thing they want is a woman...ooh. I love watching the chase, the fight and the ultimate surrender.
But there's a limit, isn't there? There is a point at which a man's drive ceases to become sexy...and becomes downright scary. There is a point at which the sexy alpha male becomes the scary obsessed stalker. Have you read any stories that cross that line? Where do you think the line is drawn? And how can these men be redeemed? Or can they?
Dawn
P.S. I'm holding a contest over at my website. Just let me know who your favorite alpha male is and the title of the book (or movie, or TV show) he's from, and I'll enter you in a contest to win a hot romance paperback, a $10.00 gift certificate to My Bookstore and More, and a bunch of Dawn Halliday end-of-summer goodies.
I admit it. I like bad boys. I like alpha males. I like men who take the initiative--who know what they want and will do just about anything to get it. And when the thing they want is a woman...ooh. I love watching the chase, the fight and the ultimate surrender.
But there's a limit, isn't there? There is a point at which a man's drive ceases to become sexy...and becomes downright scary. There is a point at which the sexy alpha male becomes the scary obsessed stalker. Have you read any stories that cross that line? Where do you think the line is drawn? And how can these men be redeemed? Or can they?
Dawn
P.S. I'm holding a contest over at my website. Just let me know who your favorite alpha male is and the title of the book (or movie, or TV show) he's from, and I'll enter you in a contest to win a hot romance paperback, a $10.00 gift certificate to My Bookstore and More, and a bunch of Dawn Halliday end-of-summer goodies.
posted by Dawn Halliday at
1:29 PM
7 Comments:
I LOVE the bad boys. And as politically incorrect as it is, for me an alpha male can go pretty far in terms of taking control of a woman as long as the author makes me fall in love with him.
Some of my fave romance novels have heroes who some might find completely unredeemable.
But not me, lol
Devil's Pearl...yummy, yummy alpha male!!!
IMO, if the "alpha" hero doesn't really know the heroine, hasn't observed her carefully, and has no genuine insight into the needs and desires she doesn't acknowledge or may not even be aware of herself, then he's just arrogant and conceited and self-centered. The heroine's needs have to be just as important to him as his own. Of course, since she may have conflicting desires and desires (like the desire for independence vs. the need to submit sexually), he may not be able to meet them all at once...but he has to at least make an attempt. :D
If the intimacy and emotional connection aren't there, at least on some level, it doesn't work for me.
Oops -- of course I meant conflicting needs and desires...
Ava, I think I'm with you. I'm willing for alphas in the books I read to push the envelope a bit further than some romance readers might accept.
Robin, That's an excellent point, and I agree. It's SO important for the hero to regard the heroine's needs with as much importance as his own.
I love bad boys too, and dominating males. I think I'm just like Ava, and may tolerate a wee bit overmuch than others in an alpha, lol. =)
You are not an alpha male/bad boy worthy of "redemption" unless your heroic quality is part of your core humanity and is visible through action to the heroine. And it can't be wishful thinking on the heroine's part, "Oh, I just know there's some good in him somewhere and I'm the only one who can bring it out of him." Bullypucky! That's when I want to take out my .57 magnum and shoot them. It's not enough to be alpha or a bad boy he must be a HERO. And I won't ever pick up a writer again who doesn't show the heroine and me what makes him a hero. No blind faith.
I would also like to point out that as writers that are pursuing getting paid for our stories we aren't writing for ourselves.
I hear ya, Red! :)
Jass, I agree. The hero has to be a hero. That's a really good point. I also think, though, that the hero can have a character arc--i.e. maybe he could become a hero as the book progresses. Hm...I wonder if that made any sense :)
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