Reunited with Her Blue-Eyed Billionaire by Barbara Wallace
It began with a conversation about Prince William. Or more specifically, William’s receding hairline. A group of us were chatting online when someone remarked that they thought William was better looking when he had a full head of hair. (Sorry, your highness.)
“He’s still got that ‘going to be king’ thing going,” someone replied. “That’s kind of hot.”* The conversation then shifted to how power and confidence in a man can be a very attractive quality.
The exchange got me thinking. Very often, in romance novels, the hero has impossibly board shoulders and/or strong, chiseled features. I know, because I have written those heroes. (Hey, I don’t have Matt Bomer and Jensen Ackles photos saved to my hard drive for nothing.)
Granted, authors do this because romance novels are supposed to be a fantasy. Readers want to be swept away in the rush of falling in love with someone who is sexy and romantic.
But, as you and I know, sex appeal isn’t all about looks. Moreover, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I mean, most of us aren’t in committed relationships with cover models. (If you are, I give you a slow round of applause.) And yet, we all (hopefully) find our partners attractive.
That’s because, while we may have looked at a pair of beautiful blue eyes, we fell for the whole package, including what was on the inside.
So, I decided to create a hero who wasn’t romance-novel handsome. Whit Martin, the hero of Reunited with Her Blue-Eyed Billionaire has a receding hairline, wears glasses and has a dodgy back, courtesy of a polo accident. He’s also rich as sin, smart, charismatic, competent, confident and extremely comfortable with his appearance. Oh, and he runs a charity for the underprivileged.
If a man with those qualities walked into the room, people would notice. Even if he stood next to Matt Bomer, people would notice.
Why? Because, like I said, confidence is sexy. A man who knows what he wants is sexy. (Of course, poor Whit comes with a little baggage, but he wouldn’t be a romance hero if he didn’t brood a little bit.)
Still not convinced? Well then, let me offer a real-world example.
Consider if you will, Daniel Craig. James Bond himself. Have you ever taken a good look at his face? He’s not really handsome. Rugged and dangerous? Sure. But handsome? Not really. Certainly not in the way Pierce Brosnan is. In fact, his hairline is receding slightly, too. Yet how many of you saw him wearing a tuxedo in Casino Royal and said “Damn!”? I know I did.
For that matter, I wouldn’t necessarily call his oft-touted successor, Idris Elba, traditionally handsome either. (Elba-ites, don’t go throwing rotten fruit at me. I said he wasn’t traditionally handsome, I never said he wasn’t sexy.) Like Craig, he has an intensity about him that’s magnetic, only instead of ice blue eyes, you have hot brown ones. They are both the kind of men who can melt a woman with just one look. Trust me, that kind of intensity is way hotter than any set of cheekbones.
The past few years, there’s been a push for normal looking heroines. Heroines who aren’t model thin or have legs for miles. It’s a trend I applaud. I prefer reading about women with whom I can identify. Why not, then, push for more normal looking heroes as well. Maybe it’s because I’m the mother of a balding, near-sighted man but I say let’s make our romance characters accessible on both ends. Bring on the normal looking people!
Forget my opinion though. What say you? Do you need your hero to be perfect looking? Or can you handle a Prince William/Jude Law mash up? (Which, by the way, describes Whit Martin perfectly.) Let me know.
** Paraphrased. I don’t remember the exact words.
Amazon UK : https://amzn.to/36LZwrw
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3nrXFxH
Mills & Boon: https://bit.ly/36IolnV
Harlequin: https://bit.ly/2GBGhGg
Barbara
Wallace is the best selling author of over two dozen romance and cozy
mystery novels. Her books can be found world-wide, including the UK,
France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Australia.
A native New
Englander, Barb lives in the suburbs with her husband of thirty-one
years. Their only son is married and lives on a farm in the middle of
nowhere. When she's not writing, you'll find her hard at work at her
other job, that of an unappreciated caretaker to two demanding rescue
cats. For some reason they seem to think laps are for petting, not
laptop computers.
Website: www.barbara wallace.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbwallacewriter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarawallaceauthor/
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