I tend to be very herocentric when it comes to romance novels. I want to know the hero’s weaknesses and flaws, I want a good look at his scars and the chip on his shoulder, I want the worst of him revealed, and I want to be convinced he deserves to be loved in spite of it. Most of my favorite books are favorites because the hero’s role struck a chord in me.
I want the heroine to be fully developed and relatable, of course, but unless she’s so weak I want to slap her into the next zip code, I can accept her as anything from soft and gentle to kickass and abrasive. Maybe I subconsciously feel all women are inherently lovable and therefore don’t need the heroine’s worthiness proven me to the same extent. Maybe I simply find the hero more interesting because of the mystery men represent.
There is one type of heroine, however, who can motivate me to pick up a book even if no other element of the story appeals to me. That heroine is the woman who has never before had a man treat her with the fiery passion that heats up the pages of the best romance novels. I can live without the old virgin widow setup (it’s not a lack of sexual experience I’m referring to, after all, but a lack of experience with passion, which extends beyond the physical aspect of a relationship), but there are any number of other reasons she may have missed out that do work for me.
- She’s a Plain Jane or overweight.
- She’s “one of the guys.”
- She’s nerdy or shy.
- She’s been focusing on her education, career, or family obligations to the exclusion of all else for a period of time.
- She may even be too tough for any of the men she’s known in the past to handle.
No deep introspection is required to tell me why I like that heroine. We have a bond from page one because she’s me in many respects. Of course I’m going to cheer for her when she finds the man who sees her in a way no one else ever has and gives her that long overdue, soul-searing love, without the condition she become something different to earn it. I consider her HEA a triumph (albeit a fictional one) for geeky tomboys everywhere.
Do you have a favorite type of heroine? Is she like you, or is she your polar opposite?
I tend toward the kick-ass, Buffy style heroines, but I’ll stop reading if the heroine is stupid. If she charges into a nest of vampires without a weapon or back-up, then that’s a stupid decision. I don’t care if they have her boyfriend tied to a chair inside. Think girl!
A heroine ruled by smarts instead of emotions is the protagonist for me.
by Laura February 19th, 2008 at 9:52 amI want my heroines to be ‘normal’ women who can pick themselves up and move on no matter what life throws at them. No special heroics. No super powers. Just the ability to get through each day - the sort who can make lemonade out of life’s lemons.
Not stupid. Good at what they do, but they’re not out to save the world–until they find out they just might have to.
At least, that’s how the heroines I write turn out. I have more fun with my heros, but I dump on them, too.
by Terry Odell February 19th, 2008 at 10:00 amBecause the hubby is my one and only (yep, even though we met in our mid 20’s - I didn’t trust easily), I like heroines with limited experience.
They don’t need to be virgins (none of the heroines I write about are) but if they aren’t, I prefer not to hear about the long list of men they slept with.
I like to believe that the act is somewhat special to them (you’re letting someone inside you for goodness sakes, it had better be special). None of this getting busy on the first page stuff.
That said, I prefer not to hear the long list of the women the hero slept with either.
by Kimber Chin February 19th, 2008 at 10:00 amThe heroines I like best are either me or the me I want to be - if that makes any sense.
by B.E. Sanderson February 19th, 2008 at 11:10 amI’d say you and I are a lot alike. I like heroines like that too, because they’re like me. Especially the one who’s been focusing on her career and therefore everything else has passed her by. Yep, that’s me.
by Lone Chatelaine February 19th, 2008 at 11:26 amAs long as the Heroine isn’t Too Stupid To Live, she can be anything.
The Hero, on the other hand, must have what I call ‘Excellent Dad Potential.’ Branden Kel-Paten, hero of Linnea Sinclair’s GAMES OF COMMAND, has EDP
, for example, even though there isn’t a single child character in the story and he never knocks up the Heroine. Read the novel if you really want to know what I mean. 
by Kimber An February 19th, 2008 at 11:42 amMy heroine’s have to be tough and intelligent and never ever let anyone stop them from doing what they want…including the hero. I like kick-ass, but she doesn’t have to be trained in the martial arts or weapons, as long as she can curl her fingers into a tight fist and clock someone in the face without worrying about her nails, then I’m with her to the end.
And yeah, the heroine is me.
I write them that way too. I’ve always thought that my character Kat from Hell Kat, was just Vivi on speed!
by Vivi Anna February 19th, 2008 at 11:49 amI am shocked at the lack of love for stupid heroines. Shocked, I say!
I must add (after a painful weekend reading experience) that if the above-mentioned heroine, the one that’s so like me, the one I’m rooting for against all odds, proceeds to behave in an unbelievably stupid fashion, I hate her exponentially more than any other type of heroine who commits the exact same offense. She ought to know better (because I do), and she’s making me look bad!
by Kerry Allen February 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pmI like my heroines to be down-to-earth, so yeah, I guess I like them to be like me. There has to be something about her I can connect with, whether I’m writing or reading. I just can’t relate to a flawless supermodel or a spoiled party girl with no goals or responsibilities. Unless the author gives her a vulnerability I can relate to or makes her suffer enough to win me over…
by Jill Sorenson February 19th, 2008 at 12:53 pmNo waifs. Cannot stand them.
But I do like heroines that are not goddesses; see Jayne Ann Krentz. Her heroines are attractive enough but no man is going to walk into a wall because they saunter by.
I also like a girl who has a bit of revenge in her. Heroines usually try to convince the hero to turn the other cheek; I’d love to see her just smack the beyotch for once!
by Robyn February 19th, 2008 at 2:30 pmI have to say I connect with the heroine and that is how I come to care for her. I have to connect in some way, something in our personalities have to click. She can be the person I wish I was or she can be the person I use to be as long as I can connect with her in some way.
by Sarai February 19th, 2008 at 2:42 pmI hate the TSTL females because I have never been that way. However, if they have one moment of TSTL then I can live with that because let’s face it we’ve all had at least on moment of TSTL in our lives.
I like heroines who have come to the end of themselves…the ones who thought they had it all together, only to realize that they need other people, love, help…all the things that make for great relationships. Then, it’s easier for me to believe that she’s capable of the big feelings, like passion.
by Trish Ryan February 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pmOh, man. I think you just described every heroine I’ve ever written.
Never thought about it that way before, but to me part of what makes a romance really sing is that “I’ve never experienced this before” passion. Thanks for giving me some food for thought!
by Charlene Teglia February 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pmI’m kinda like you - as long as the heroine doesn’t completely get up my nose, I don’t much care. I do still appreciate an exceptionally interesting heroine, like say Anne from To Love and To Cherish.
by Wendy February 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pmI like a wide variety of heroine types — tough or gentle, capable or klutzy, brave or shrinking, whatever. My one requirement is that I have to like her. I hate stupidity, although I can deal with ignorance if she works on fixing it through the book. I hate bitches, stuck-up or otherwise. I hate selfishness, nastiness, etc. I don’t at all mind if she’s self-confident, sure of herself, or even if she eyerolls and thinks nasty, sarcastic thoughts about another person if the other person deserves it (IMO — people who are themselves nasty, smugly stupid, willfully ignorant, etc. — YMMV of course), but if this isn’t a person I’d enjoy having for a friend, I don’t want to read about her.
The one negative example I’ve remembered over many years is Shanna, in Woodiwiss’s book of the same name. Shanna is a treacherous, self-centered bitch, period, and I was rooting for the guy all the way through, and cheering whenever anything bad happened to Shanna.
It’s a great book if I see Roark as the hero and Shanna as the villain, although I have to kind of sigh when they get together in the end. That’s the sort of romance character I can’t stand, though, whether it’s male or female.
Also included here are guys who make a major hobby out of teasing, taunting or otherwise tormenting the girl, just for the fun of seeing her get pissed off and lose her cool. These guys are asshats and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to even have a one night stand with someone like that, much less declaring him to be a soul-mate and marry him. Ick.
Just about anything else goes, though, and I actually prefer a variety rather than the same sort of characters over and over and over again.
Angie
by Angie February 19th, 2008 at 7:45 pmOoh, I like those setups, too. As for me, I like a heroine–and a hero–with a sense of humor. It’s crucial in my friends, and it’s a welcome bonus in my reading material.
by Caryn February 19th, 2008 at 7:48 pmI need a heroine to be strong, smart and independent. I can’t stand needy. I like it when the hero is confused by this wonderful woman who doesn’t ‘need’ him but wants him anyway. I like when he has to work hard to deserve her.
by Susan Kelley February 19th, 2008 at 8:45 pmI like a wide variety of heroines, as long as they seem multi-dimensional and real. I like them flawed, which is one reason the kick-ass heroine is not my favorite… what, her only problem is that she’s aggressive and knows what she wants?
That’s not enough for me. I like heroines to have problems, even big ones, and to eventually deal with and grow through them. I actually–really–don’t mind if a heroine is TSTL if she *realizes* it at some point [and it's believable]. Hey, I’m stupid sometimes, we all are, and if it works in the story it’s okay for me.
Interestingly, my editor told me readers generally are less forgiving of heroines than heroes in romances. I think that’s probably true, and I wonder, why are we so hard on ourselves?
Kate
by KateHewitt February 19th, 2008 at 11:30 pmI have to chuckle at that one. Women are vicious. Think about it. If we aren’t tearing ourselves down, we are tearing each other apart because we are insecure about what WE are doing.
Which is why my favorite heroines are the ones who are inherently good people who stand up to bullies, or anyone acting nasty instead of fading into the wall and crying about it.
by Chessie February 20th, 2008 at 11:52 amI agree with you, Chessie, but it is kind of sad, isn’t it?
by KateHewitt February 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm