Today's guest is the very Desirable Jennifer Lewis! Not only is she talking about one of my favorite subjects (alpha men!), she's giving away a signed copy of Seduced For The Inheritance. Just leave a comment on this post to enter the draw (winner will be announced in the comments). Naldo de Leon is the most arrogant hero I’ve ever written. Since his book Seduced for the Inheritance is out this month, I’ve been thinking a lot about alpha males, and when Nalini asked me to guest blog, I thought it would be a fun subject to tackle.
(Anyone who’s read Nalini’s books knows she’s an expert in alpha males :::Jen fans self::: )
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, alpha males have been around since the beginning of time and in romance novels they’ve dominated the genre since it began. In real life, a gentle, considerate Beta man who always wants to do what you like might seem appealing, but in romance?? Not so much. Though sometimes you may want to slap them, there’s something about an alpha male that calls to us at a primal level.
What is the appeal of the alpha male?
I think it can be summed up in one word: Confidence.
The alpha male knows he’s right. He doesn’t have any doubts. If he sets out to do something, he’s sure he’ll achieve it.
Of course this can be incredibly annoying, as my heroine Anna discovers when she inherits a small cottage and one acre of land in the middle of Naldo’s vast citrus estate. Naldo is determined to buy it back and keep his estate whole—as it has been since his conquistador ancestors first set foot there—regardless of what Anna wants.
Then again, there’s an appealing side to this confidence. Do you want to hang around with a guy who says, “Uh, honey, I think I can snag a rabbit or two, but why don’t you collect some berries anyway…’kay?” Or the one who says, “I’ll be back soon with the buffalo! Keep the fire hot!!”
I know which one I’d want to depend on in a crisis :)
This self-confidence can make it hard for alpha males to see alternative points of view (or reason, depending on how you look at it…). But when they do start to listen to the heroine, or to show their soft side, I find that very moving. An alpha male might never come out and say “I was wrong”, but I had fun with Naldo showing his gradual awaking to Anna’s point of view in how he confesses things he’d rather keep secret, and in how he defends her—and his relationship with her—to others.
Ultimately Naldo finds he’s met his match in Anna. I’ll be discussing her—and other strong, proud, unsinkable women—in a guest blog I’m doing tomorrow on ‘alpha females’ over at the Fresh Fiction Blog
Do you like alpha males or do you prefer a more accommodating and easy-going male in your romance novels? What alpha traits do you like or dislike? Who is your favorite alpha male? Which one would you most like to spank???
Thanks Nalini for letting me stop by!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
