When Love is Mysterious

When love is mysterious there’s an additional appeal.   There are loads of heroes who fit the mysterious bill.  Let’s go over some categories.

Outcasts/expatriots who are trying to lay low/Bad boy businessmen who are unconventional:

I think most people will agree one of the most memorable heroes in American film is Humprey Bogart in “Casablanca”.  Rick (Bogart) clearly wants to stay neutral, but when he sees Isla (Ingrid Bergman) again all bets are off.  He doesn’t want to love her.  He wants to be angry at her for leaving the way she did.  He doesn’t want to help her and her patriot husband.  Who can forget this scene where he’s arranged for her and her husband to escape the Nazi  Major Strasser in Morroco.  (The following quote came from the memorable quotes page at IMDb.)

: And you never will. But I’ve got a job to do, too. Where I’m going, you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do, you can’t be any part of. Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand that.

Understanding doesn’t make it easier.  Sigh.  I don’t know any woman who hasn’t cried. Yeah, yeah, I know real men don’t cry.  Hmmm.

For those of you who haven’t see “Casablanca”, it’s an experience I recommend.  Make popcorn and have a box of tissues really.

When I think bad boy businessman, I think Han Solo or the Star Wars movies.

If you remember correctly in “Star Wars: A New Hope”, smuggler Han (Harrison Ford) was being paid to take Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker to Alderaan.  Somehow one thing led to another like “no Alderaan” and the Death Star brings out the action hero in Han.  It didn’t hurt that Princess Leia caught his attention.

However, he really got our attention when in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, when he is very honest in his own ruffian way.

HAN SOLO:  You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.

PRINCESS LEIA:  I happen to like nice men.

HAN SOLO:  I’m a nice man.

Okay, I know you giggled at that.  But then we were faced by their betrayal to the Empire by an old friend of Han’s.  Our hearts are breaking when Han is about to be frozen in carbonite.

PRINCESS LEIA: I love you.

HAN SOLO: I know.

He became a hero to every guy in the movie theater in that moment.  I keep hearing how guys are still using that line, so watch out, ladies.  (Quotes are from: http://www.top10-best.com/h/top_10_best_han_solo_quotes.html )

My third bad boy business man became an outcast by fate.  Otherwise, he would have continued his life plundering and pillaging and just having fun with the Norse women in his father-king’s hall.  I’m talking about one hot vampire from “True Blood”–Eric Northman.  While Eric harbors some bitterness over the death of his family and the theft of his father’s crown, becoming a vampire for him was a choice.  Godric admired him and offered him an option to death in battle.   Eric, always the one to embrace opportunity, especially if it offers some form of life agreed.

One of Charlaine Harris’s most endearing book was the fourth in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead to the World.  In it Eric loses his memory.  He’s still a vampire but an endearing one that makes mistakes and hugs Sookie because he doesn’t want to be alone.  So cute and adorable.  He doesn’t remember that he’s the local big, bad vampire sheriff or how he lost his memory.  All he knows is that he loves Sookie, and well, she runs with the idea.  Honestly, wouldn’t you?

Whether you read the books or watch “True Blood” on HBO, Eric has a lot to admire.  Even when he gets his memory back, he turns out to be a man more in touch with his feelings and what truth he can live with.   It isn’t enough to be a vampire for Eric.  Godric, his maker, gave him a standard to live too.  Godric realized a one point that what he thought about vampires and life wasn’t really true.  It didn’t have to be like that, and in his final words he gave Eric a new view of his undead life.  (IMDb Godric quotes)

[in English]




[Eric gets to his feet as Godric rests a hand on his shoulder]



[Eric leaves]

Okay, Eric cried, but a lot of us did when Godric burst into flames and died.  It showed that maybe he wasn’t just taking advantage of Sookie, that maybe Eric was capable of love.

Whew…misting up… lol.  Okay, I think I will find us some good guys to love.  In the meantime, feel free to add your mysterious outcast/bad boy business man/expatriot in the comment box.  It would be cool to get a long, long list of bad boys.  I’d like to say no pun intended, but I’m in a mood and yes it was intended. (Laughing.)

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

P.S.  All my books are available in Kindle. YAY!

Filed under: Characters, Emotions, historical romance, movies, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, science fiction romance, science fiction with romantic elements, Susan Hanniford Crowley, True Blood, vampire books, vampire movies, vampires, What Are You Reading?, What are you watching?