Can Some Authors Hero(es) Be Unlikeable?

[Arch , Mod]

Yes, some heroes can be unlikable. For me the hero has to be likable from the start, if not, then I am not reading about him.

I like a good dangerous bad boy. Notice, I have said good dangerous bad boy. That means to me that he will not do anything to hurt the heroine. The chemistry and tension will be present. You can see that he's in love with her. This doesn't mean he would reframe from getting in her face. He would if he has to.

If a hero is the "I'm the gift" type of guy, then yes he will not be liked by me.

The gift = I can treat the heroine any kind of way and she is going to be mine. The "We are getting a HEA" ink has already been dried.

[Fiona]

The important thing in a romance is that two people meet, get to know one another, then if they both want, they each change so that together they create a whole. I don't like static characters who stay the same all through the story.

I have a book where the hero is a jerk at the beginning of the story. He really is, in the first couple of chapters. He's not suffering from his addictions--he enjoys them. But he's taken out of his usual element, and has to learn to adapt to a new environment--a much quieter one. For the first time in his life, he has the time and motivation to think about what kind of man he is, and he realizes even he doesn't like himself. By the end of the story, he's changed, and the woman he falls in love with decides she can trust him to continue to strive to be a better man. There are 3 more books in the series, and you can watch him continue to become a better person. That makes reading about this originally unlikable hero so satisfying.

[M.F.]

Yeah...the 'I am the gift' guys and the high-maintenance gals in romances rub me the wrong way. I'm all for them flying off a cliff in a flaming bus.

[Arch , Mod]

M.F. wrote: "Yeah...the 'I am the gift' guys and the high-maintenance gals in romances rub me the wrong way. I'm all for them flying off a cliff in a flaming bus."

Lol