Beyond Alpha Males-- Unredeemable Characters?

[Kylara]

In other words, is it just me or was Ewan McCabe not an Alpha Male, but a total douchebag or does he have redeemable qualities.

I would like to say first, that I couldn't finish this book. I got maybe 150 pages in before I had to quit. Why put yourself through reading a book when you can't stand the main characters.

I know the whole alpha male thing gets talked about a lot. Too much in my opinion. So yes, most guys in romance novels are Alpha Males. Usually, we love them anyway and they tingle our lady bits. There is usually some redeemable characteristics or vulnerabilities that make us connect with the character. Or perhaps it's the relationship that we connect with. Yes, he is protective, but it ends up being a partnership or a love match and he ends up lifting up his partner in some way and she is able to lift him up. At the very least he respects the main woman.

Maybe it's just because I didn't finish it, but Ewan and Mairin did not lift each other up and Ewan was really beyond an alpha male. He was a jerk. He didn't respect Mairin at all. I don't know if it's my perception of him, the way the author wrote him, or really just his character. Let's look at his traits a little closer.

I will say that he is a great warrior (sexy?) and a fairly honorable man. However there were several things that just put him over the top. He was super angry all the time. Yes he suffered a lot and the whole fact he's out for vengeance is the point of the story, but all he does is scowl and yell at everyone.

Also, yes he's a warrior, but I found it kind of weird that multiple times he so cavalierly told Mairin, if you were a man I would have killed you for disobeying me. Does he often so casually kill his own men for being disobedient? Especially when they are only doing waht they think is right, not betraying anyone? I get that the author has to characterize his warriorness somehow, but I'm just not into a guy who kills so casually.

Number two, and this really bothered me. Ewan did not treat Mairin with respect. Here is a woman who just spent the last 10 years living with nuns and He keeps entering her room with out knocking. He just barges into her room when she's taking a bath and stares at her. It's so rude. and inappropriate. You would think an honorable man would treat her with respect. Also before she even agrees to marry him, he kisses her just to shut her up. Is this what honorable highland lairds do? Is this the author trying to be realistic or build a romance? I don't think it was realistic or romantic, but maybe I am being too much of a "prude."

Thirdly and I really do think this is me. I hate it when people try to tell me what to do and obedience makes me twitch. I hate every time Ewan tells Mairin to obey. Mairin was right. Ewan shouldn't tell Mairin she has to trust him; he needed to earn her trust. Also, he kept getting so angry at her for disobeying. Really, if he wanted her to stay by the guard protecting her, he should explain to her, that there are people trying to kill her and that she needs the protection. Tell her what's going on, just don't ask for blind obedience. Argh, it just really annoyed me. I don't know if it was the author trying to be historically accurate or just the character. I don't think it's sexy at all.

The first painful sex was horrible in and of itself, but it was understandable. Some one really should have warned her what to expect though.

Anyway, what have I missed? Does Ewan have any redeemable characteristics or is he really just a douche bag. Is the author trying to be realistic or romantic? Did she succeed or fail horribly? What did everyone else think of Ewan?

[Amy]

My short review I did on this was about the same thing. Both Ewan and Mairin drove me crazy. She was painted as the brash woman that couldn't be tamed, which to this author meant stupid, quick to anger, and completely out of control of herself. Ewan was the alpha male on steroids. I know you quit reading, but I soldiered through and they do fall in love...to a point, it certainly sounded more lusty than anything.

I will say this, if he equated her to "spitting like a kitten" one more time I was going to throw my tablet at the wall.


The long and short of it is that they fall in love, but neither character gains many more dimensions and both stay infuriating to the end.

[Leah]

Ewan is an inconsiderate dick-hole...

[Jute]

Well, to say a bit to the other side...

Here's a man who was willing to go to war with his King if he wasn't allowed to stay with her. Here's a man who backed her up against his men when she made them do women's work to show how hard it is.

Oh and don't forget she watched him naked before he watched her!

Women at this point in history had no rights but those a man were willing to give them. In some places in the world they still don't today.

The whole thing was just completely unrealistic in my view. Obviously the author has never been beaten or talked to anyone that has. That woman would have died several times, so what's one more bit of unrealism?

I didn't care for the book for a lot of reasons, but man, people are really all up in arms about some things here that are pretty specific to this kind of book.

--- on an amusing note---

My husband always laughs at me when I make posts like this..he calls it 'trying to win the Internet'. I completely understand that you guys don't agree with me and that posting this is hopeless... I don't even expect to 'score' in this round.

[Snarktastic Sonja]

Jute wrote: "My husband always laughs at me when I make posts like this..he calls it 'trying to win the Internet'. I completely understand that you guys don't agree with me and that posting this is hopeless... I don't even expect to 'score' in this round. "

On the other hand, it is always nice to read a well thought out rebuttal. :D Discussions are absolutely no fun when everyone agrees.

[Kamil]

Sonja wrote: "Jute wrote: "My husband always laughs at me when I make posts like this..he calls it 'trying to win the Internet'. I completely understand that you guys don't agree with me and that posting this is..."

but it wouldn't be bad if everyone aggreed on something, just to shake things a little bit

[Kylara]

I am glad that some points were made to redeem his character, but as for the realism of the way Ewan treats Mairin, I'd rather read an unrealistic book that is enjoyable, than a realistic book that I can't stand.

Maybe I haven't read enough romance novels...I mean I've read a lot...just not a lot of historical romance novels, but even among all the alpha male ness, I've never come across one as bad as Ewan.

[Leah]

Kylara, that is exactly how I felt about Ewan, too.