I need a Hero...

...and he's gotta be: Smart. Layered. Flawed. Funny. Sexy. Alpha. Sweet. Magnetic (I won't put gorgeous because looks, bah, they come, they go).

Flawed? You might very well wonder why I included that on my list. Yes, I know I am talking about romantic fiction, but I don't care whether there are dragons flying overhead shooting flames out their butts, the characters have to remain grounded in some sort of reality in order to be relatable.

Just finished a book and the Hero was perfect. Absolutely, annoyingly perfect. He was handsome. Rugged. Skilled. He always said the right thing. Always stepped up to save the day in a timely and capable manner - and I HATED him.
More so, because in order to make the Hero perfect, the author did so at the cost of the heroine. She was supposed to be his match, his equal. Yet she kept losing control, which generally resulted in her saying or doing completely the wrong thing. So now I'm stuck with a TSTL heroine, and a Hero who more often than not is forced to come to the damsel's (she was supposed to be kick ass - grrr) rescue, when either her mouth or her actions get her into silly trouble.

And this perfect male got me to thinking. And the Bonnie Tyler song got stuck in my head. So here I am writing this blog about Heroes.

The perfect fictional man, IMHO, should not be perfect.

Ever read a book with a nice-guy hero? They can be a refreshing change. But nice guy would quickly become sickly sweet if he failed to have a little edge. Maybe a witty sense of humour. A take charge attitude in the bedroom. Layers... people, that's what we want, what we should be demanding.

Just as the opposite is true, the asshole hero. Now this is a fine line for many readers. Not many authors can get it right. Sometimes his backstory makes it acceptable. Damaged. Betrayed. Maybe a little OCD. Caught him on the worst day of his life - we've all had those.
But a hero must be allowed to have asshole tendencies (because if female characters can dip their big toe into the bitch pool, then guys should be allowed to also) but it has to be balanced with a whole lot of other characteristics. Witty. Smart. Loyal. Determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost. I know I am sounding like a broken record, but layers. Just like a real person. No one is perfect all the time, and fictional Heroes should be representing that fact.

I like an Alpha male as much as the next romance reader. But, for me, he can't be too much of a know it all. And he needs to use his words (with the heroine at the very least) Sure, I like the occasional mono-syllabic enigmatic Hero. But on the whole, I want him to communicate his thoughts, his feelings. Especially in his interactions with the heroine. If he starts spanking instead of talking - excepting for mutual bedtime fun - then I am out of there.
So a dollop of sweet mixed in with all that masculinity - well, it kind of melts my heart. When he's thoughtful. Caring. Even if he can't express himself in words then he darn well better step up and show the heroine his softer side.

Magnetic - not handsome. Hotness is in the eyes of the heroine - and by extension, the reader. I'm not much for pretty boys, unless they have a edge or a wicked sense of humour.
We females appear to be genetically designed to admire flawed beauty in the male of the species - scars, injuries - bring it on I say. (And the same should go for the heroines - let's not make them all beauty personified - if nothing else, it's boring)
When a Hero and heroine are attracted, it shouldn't just be about their looks. I love it when they are a perfect match on every level - humour, goals, sense of duty.

Now, if I have achieved nothing else today I have at least got you humming Bonnie Tyler's I need a hero song for the rest of the day. Huh, join the club.

Happy Reading - may all your Heroes be not so perfect.