Thread: Do You Read for the Hero or the Heroine?

Misty9 - I actually like it when the hero and/or the heroine have flaws. Jacob MacArthur Caitlin is one of my favorite heroes, and he is pretty flawed (Elizabeth Lowell's "Tell Me No Lies") internally. The heroine, Lindsay Danner, is also flawed internally - but they work together, grow together, and become better people through knowing one another. They don't necessarily "complete" each other. I...

I read it for a good story that draws me in. I usually will love a book with a great hero, more often than a book with a great heroine, but I have a few on my keeper shelves that stood out for the heroine. Like the other posters commented, it's probably a combination. But a Hero to Die for sure does help me love a book. One thing I don't like is completely annoying, mean, argumentative, spiteful heroines who don't learn and...

I like both, but if I dislike one I can't read the story. I think this is particularly true if I dislike the hero. an obnoxious hero spoils the fantasy.

I read for the story but I need to have at least one character to care about and root for. If I really dislike the hero or heroine, I almost always will really dislike the book. I love Crusie's quirky characters. I can see how others might find them irritating, but I think they're funny.

It must be the heroine, I think, because whenever I read a description of a book that makes the heroine sound interesting and unusual I'm the first in line to buy that book.

I read for the story or the characters relationship, but because I choose romance to read, I read for a truly romantic, swoon-worthy, heavy sighs romance.

I don't think I read for one or the other. I read for the story, and the interaction between the characters. I know there's going to be a HEA, but it's the journey that counts. I totally agree that a TSTL heroine or a jerkish hero ruins the book, but the story unfolds on the basis of their behavior. If they are dumb or jerks, the story will reflect that. Besides, true love between a nitwit and a manwh*** isn't believable...

I read for the story. I love when the hero and heroine has great chemistry. I'm a tension lover. I love good tension. I have to admit, a good bad boy will catch my attention.

I read for the story too, although if one of the characters is irritating enough, the best story in the world won't help. That does explain something about Crusie though - she seems to have more than her fair share of irritating heroines ;) Suggestion for her - if you're writing for the heroine, don't make her so annoying the reader starts to feel sorry for the hero for being stuck with her within the first chapter.

A very interesting questiion. Typically when I preview the books I read for the hero and heroine to get a sense of who and what they are. Overall, I read for the story because I've got too many books that are half read once I find out that the hero or the heroine are as stimulating as watching paint dry. I like a good hot romance with good characters and exciting chemistry so much that I don't want the book to end and want to read...