Good Boys: The Underrated Romantic Resource

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bad boy, good boy, paranormal romance, romance, topic post

I have noticed lately in romance novels that Good Boys have been losing out in favor of their antithesis. Note I am speaking chiefly of YA paranormal as it is the main romance genre I read, but I believe this conversation could be applied across adult genres as well. This observation made me wonder—why? While I understand that there is a certain appeal in a damaged leather-studded rocker, I find myself with a rather soft spot for the likes of Sam Roth from Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver and Edward Ferrars of Sense and Sensibility.

There seems to be a highly popular base storyline in romances which can be widely recognized. It involves an innocent young girl becoming involved with a not-so innocent man which culminates in him realizing that he would rather have her than any of the scores of women he’s had. While I have no problem with this story and many of my all-time favorite love stories follow this formula, I do wish we could see more romance literature about honest young men finding love with girls who appreciate them for who they are.

To me, the ideal romantic hero is the type one would want in real life—humble, forgiving, intelligent, respectful of women (not just his ladylove), considerate of others, and (this one is going to be unpopular) chaste.

While Jace of The Mortal Instruments is endearing in his own way (not sure he squarely fits the Bad Boy archetype, just an example of cockiness), I do not find arrogance to be an appealing trait in characters any more than in real life people.

Yes, revenge tales can be riveting, but the truth is that this world would be a far better place if more people learned to stop counting wrongs.

Intelligence is a given trait for heroes in general as beauty without brains makes for a buffoon (The Big Bang Theory’s Zack being a perfect example).

Bad Boys by their nature tend not to respect women, usually employing a “use and lose” policy toward their partners until they meet the One. This is usually in part the result of not thinking about the emotions of others—who they hurt, etc.—a form of selfishness.

And finally—I know some might consider this one extremist—it seems for the most part male characters must have at least one requisite relationship prior to that with the love of their life. In YA, the girl is almost always untouched while I would say that about two-thirds or more of the time the hero is not. The heroine doesn’t get to be the hero’s first nearly as often and that hardly seems fair, does it?

I hope to see more of the Good Boys in future, though I do enjoy a Bad Boy love story every now and again. So what do you think? Do you go for Bad Boy or Good Boy heroes? Do you think we could use more of one than the other? Do you have a favorite story with a Good Boy hero?

He got the superpowers—again

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no lists, paranormal romance, romance, superpowers, topic post

So, in spite of the fact I had been laughing at them for…well, ever, I finally caved and started reading YA paranormal romance books. They range from Alex Finn’s Beastly to Gracie Ray’s Falling Slowly, to Maggie Strietfver’s Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. After having read a few, I am faced with this question: Why do the guys get the superpowers?

In Erica Steven’s Captured, it’s Braith who’s the vampire. In The Goddess Test, Henry is the god. In Thirteen Days to Midnight, Jacob’s the immortal. Even in pop culture, Superman is the alien. And their love interests are pretty much normal girls. Yes, all the ladies have something special or unusual about them, but you have to admit, they’re a bit human.

I know that there are series where this isn’t true. In Nikki Jefford’s Spellbound Trilogy, Raj might be a warlock, but Graylee’s also a witch. Then there’s Rachel Morgan’s Creepy Hollow series. Vi’s the one who’s a faerie and Nate’s the human. And I know that there are others.

But enough with the exceptions! I’m talking about the generalizations.

So why is it that the guy usually gets to be the supernatural being and the girl gets stuck being human? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good vampire love interest. But I wonder why the werewolf girl couldn’t fall in love with a human boy more often. (Yes, I know there’s a series where that happens, too.)

Is it that teen girls relate more to an MC who’s a normal teen and falls in love with a fallen angel than a fallen angel who falls in love with a normal teen boy? (Oh wait…that’s been done too, hasn’t it?)

I do see why it would be hard to write the female love interest as the near-invincible beast while her boyfriend is a fragile mortal. (A guy always needing protection isn’t considered a particularly attractive trait.) When it’s the guy who’s the protector, you can get away with more dramatic rescues because men are supposed to protect women anyway. (My dear feminist friends, please do not take offense. I am, after all, exposed to high levels of Arthurian lore on a daily basis.) And I admit dramatic rescues can be kind of awesome when done right…

In Fanged Princess I made Hadassah, or Haddie, the vampire and her boyfriend human, in part because I wondered about this subject. But then in the Argetallam Saga, I am guilty of making Saoven the elf and Janir the one who often needs him to save her.

What do you think? Do guys get the superpowers too often? Or is the way things are just perfect?