Do you have a favorite that stands out to you? What do you like about that character?

I want to answer this but I fear I talk about If You Deceive too much already...

Dear, you can never talk about this book too much, or Ethan MacCarrick. He made quite an impression me with his bad self. :)

my problem is I have a list.

Samuel Gerard from The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale. He represents so many of my favorite types of characters:
tortured, virginal, warrior, principled, somewhat alienated. I could hug him.

Ethan MacCarrick from If You Deceive by Kresley Cole. He's quite an antihero. He's very bitter and rather dark, and love comes into his heart and changes his whole being.

Sebastian Lord St. Vincent from Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. He's such a bad boy. He's sexy like a big panther. I like how he's really selfish, but when he gets married to Evangeline, his really puts his energy into taking care of her and making sure his needs were met. It was like he spent his whole life looking for his sense of purpose and he found it when he married Evie.

Simon Hunt from Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas. I love how fixated he was on Annabelle. He didn't give up on her and he tolerated her flaws of being rather stuck on social strata. He wasn't a perfect guy, but he did love her a lot. I love self-made men.

Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. He's the archetype for the modern historical romance novel hero. Dark, enigmatic, flawed. He falls in love with Jane and really doesn't know what hit him.

I'm sure I'll think of more...

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Dear, you can never talk about this book too much, or Ethan MacCarrick. He made quite an impression me with his bad self. :)"

Alright then, I'll go.

I loved Madeleine from If You Deceive. Most romance novels that have leading ladies that either bitch all the time or are contrived bad asses. I liked Madeleine because her life sucked and kept sucking harder and instead of being all dramatic or pridful she just worked with what she had. The only reason the story was as sad as it was meant to be was because she was actually relatable, unlike most leading ladies.

Ethan was funny too.

I loved Madeleine too, for those reasons you mentioned. Great analysis.

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "my problem is I have a list..."

That's a great list, Danielle. Rochester, Samuel, Simon, Sebastien... Really awesome heroes. I haven't read "If You Deceive" yet (on my TBR list), but I'm anxious to now. :)

I guess my favorite Victorian heroes would be, excepting Danielle's list:

James Stoker from "Sleeping Beauty" by Judith Ivory. He was so...adorable, I guess. Really sort of naive and innocent, which I thought was an interesting twist. And once he decided to go after Coco, he did, full-throttle - the naysayers be darned.

Charles Smithson from "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles. As a hero, Charles was handsome and smart, but also lazy and content with marrying for money. He was really charming, though. Really, really charming, and he went after Sarah with incredible persistence once he realized that he loved her - and at extremely great consequence to his reputation.

I know there's more, but I am drawing a blank right now!

Thanks for posting, Diana. I'm still trying to think of some more.

OK - I can't stand it. I've just ordered the first in the MacCarrick brothers series. I like to read book in order so hope I enjoy this enough to want to continue on with If you Deceive :)

I liked them, but my friend could NOT stand the second one so I summed it up for her so she could read Deceive.

We can do the same for you if need be.

Some people don't care for the first one and dislike Annalia. She didn't really bother me. Jane from If You Dare got on my nerves because she was (excuse the term) a big tease, and poor Hugh was so in love with her, he would have cut his heart out for her.

Ya, that's true. The story was a little boring too...

He spent so much time either trying to resist her, or putting her on a pedestal. She was a woman, not a goddess.

That would have been a good twist though...Or if she was a dude!

I hated the first book, was okay with the second, and enjoyed the last one, in Cole's MacCarrick Brothers trilogy.

Was it the hero, the heroine, the story, or a combination that made you dislike the first book, Yz? Did you read the historicals by KC first, or the IAD?

I hated both the hero and the heroine...the heroine was too grating for my taste (I hate heroines who really despises the hero), and the hero was a bit one-dimensional. Of course, I was coming from reading IAD, so my expectations were a little high...LOL!

Still, I finished the trilogy, and I agree, Ethan's book was the best of the three, although I though Hugh's book was sort of cute, too.

I think I loved the first MacCarrick book because I read that before I read the IAD books and I had no expectations going into it. Court was my Hot Scot! I think KC showed promise as a writer then, but she has improved greatly in her IAD books.

LOL...no worries...you can have the Hot Scot!

And yes, I noticed the emerging style that will sort-of-become her signature with IAD...which I would also say, I wasn't wild about the first two books either..LOL.

I did not really like the novella in Playing Easy to Get and I wasn't that impress with the first novel either (again I found the heroine weak and the hero too overbearing), but I love the rest of it, especially Sebastion and Cade.

Sebastian and Cade are definitely favorites out of the IAD series for me as well.

Yz wrote: "I wasn't that impress with the first novel either"

I loved the dude simply beacause he took his leg off.

I lol'd.

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "my problem is I have a list.

Samuel Gerard from The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale. He represents so many of my favorite types of characters:
tortured, virginal, warrior, principled, some..."

Danielle,
We like so many of the same books and characters! I think we were maybe separated from birth! I also love Ethan and Madeline from "If You Deceive" and I don't think that book gets talked about enough in the romance genre. Kresley Cole is fantastic and it would be great if she continued writing romance books (although, I don't want her to give up her IAD series either). I would have to add Sterling Harlowe ("Devil of Devonbrooke") and Laura Farleigh to that list. I really liked Teresa Mederios' "A Kiss to Remember" and they ranked up there as two of my favorites.
Ally

THanks - I'll keep you posted when I get the book if I can get through it or not!

A Kiss to Remember is in my tbr pile. I'm anxious to read it now. We definitely have some similar tastes, Alexis! I hope she writes more historical romance too.

I liked that book less than Bride and the Beast, but I still enjoyed it. My favorite part was that little murder crazy girl.

It seems as though Teresa Medeiros manages to stay just under the radar. I think she's a really good author.

I agree. If nothing else, her stories are never boring or dry.

Teresa Medeiros is one of my favorites and I have read almost all of her books. She has such a witty sense of humor and I think her "Fairy Tales" series is especially good. I haven't read her newest Kincaid Highland books yet and am sort of waiting because I know her next book won't come out until next September.

I think her stories can come off as "lite," as in quick reads. They're not really meaty, exactly. They're simple on the surface but still with a lot of substance than a lot of comparable books (e.g. I think Yours Until Dawn was so true to life with the feelings/conflict b.w. the h/h, imo.)

She is one of my favorite authors, too. However, One of her more recent books I found just OK. I was disappointed because most of her books are just wonderful. Especially the books where the hero is blind and stumbling around his house - can't recall the title. That was a great read.

^ Yours Until Dawn?

I liked that one a lot too. The ending wasn't a shocker but it was a good idea.

Yes, I think that is the one. I really enjoyed reading it and loved the hero.

I still haven't read that one, but it's in the you know where. :)

Aren't they all?? :)

Yup. Pretty much. I have been sucked into Christine Feehan, so I'm getting a lot of hers read. I actually haven't read as many Victorians lately. I'm hoping that will change. Paranormal romance kind of took over my reading life, so I'm slowing easing back into the historicals.

I love Adrian and Lilly from The Dangerous Gentleman by Julia London (which also happens to be my favorite book!). Adrian is what I like in a hero most: proud, hurt from his past, brooding and unwilling to show any emotion -yes, I actually like that:)- but I find these men fall hard in the end. Lilly, is not a silly, stupid girl, nor an unlikable bitch: she's caring, sweet tempered by also strong and practical when she has to be.

My most favorite heroine must be Penelope from Romancing Mister Bridgerton. I do have a fondness for wallflowers with a hidden strength. She's quiet but strong, steadfast in her feelings, caring for her friends and witty.

Other favorite heroes are Anatole St Leger from The Bride Finder, another taciturn and brooding hero who hides a broken heart, St Vincent from Devil in Winter, a golden hearted rake, Michael from Just Wicked Enough, another tortured soul who kept trying to please his demanding wife, Marcus from After the Kiss by Johnston, who turns from a handsome, carefree rake to a brooding, scarred man, Adam from The Secret Pearl, another scarred, wounded man.

Anyone can see a pattern here????

What a great list of characters, Fani. I just love St. Vincent. I have got to read The Bride Finder. I've heard nothing but great things about this book. I just love After The Kiss. That is such a great book.

I definitely see a pattern. I can tell you're a real romantic. I'm one of those too.

My favorite heroes: Colin from Julie Garwood's Castles; Ian from Julie Garwood's The Secret; and Heath Champion from Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Match Me If You Can

My favorite heroines: Annabelle Granger from SEP's Match Me If You Can; Willa Trent in To Wed a Scandalous Bride was hysterical!; and Daphne Bridgerton.

I loved Willa too, Isodel. She was something else.

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "my problem is I have a list."

I love all those guys, except I've never heard of The Shadow and the Star - it will definitely be on my to read list!

I adore Ethan and Maddy too. What a great book. I haven't read the pirate ones that Kelsey Cole wrote, my library doesn't have them. I'm looking forward to reading them though.

I haven't read her pirate duo yet either, Linds.