Romance Recs Wanted: Amazing Alphas

StoryofWoe said:

I've been writing erotica and romance for a few years now, and it's come to my attention that the majority of my heroes are of the beta variety. Nothing wrong with betas; they're sweet, stand-up guys, but I'm starting to think I might not have it in me to write a convincing Alpha, and that makes me sad. Maybe it's all the hyper-realistic romance I'm used to reading, but I often find myself rolling my eyes at the overly-jealous, stalkerish, HULK SMASHing heroes I've encountered. At the same time, I can't get enough of the broody Mr. Rochester, so it's highly possible I'm just not reading widely enough.

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There's definitely a wide spectrum when it comes to alpha males - from the Christian Grey loathsomes to the kind of heroes who are tough on the outside but gentle and respectful with their women. One of my favorites in the latter category is Hugo Marshall, from Courtney Milan's novel The Governess Affair. This is a historical romance, so I don't know if that would work for you, but I enjoyed it and I'm a picky romance reader.

And if you don't mind my mentioning one of my own books, the one in my avatar, The Beast Prince, features a hero who's desperately trying to maintain a powerful, controlling alpha facade because only the heroine's belief in his superior powers (which he no longer has) keeps her from shooting him dead.

Also, if someone could point out the difference between Alphas and Alphaholes, that would be very helpful.

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Oh, interesting topic!

To me, an alpha is someone intense, confident and take-charge. He holds a position of some status or authority, and even if most of the attention directed his way is negative (e.g. he's a "bad boy" or social black sheep) people can't help noticing him and reacting to him. He's sexually assertive and usually experienced. He doesn't open up easily, but this is a case of still waters running deep. He's very protective of the people he cares about.

An alpha-hole is someone who's domineering and sexually aggressive. He uses his position or power to manipulate and control unwilling people, or demonstrate his superiority to them. He goes beyond possessive and into intense jealousy. Often amoral and self-centered, he may express attraction and love through verbal, physical and sexual abuse.

If you're curious about heroes who straddle the line between the two (and usually tilt towards the wrong side at the start, but tend to be compelling anyway), check out Anne Stuart's Ice series. These are romantic suspense, and although I gave up after book 3, she's a good writer and the books work for her fans.

For me, one of the most reliable ways to make an alpha hero appealing is to pair him up with a heroine who's just as strong and competent and independent, and who takes no shit from him. That's one reason 50SG and its ilk leave me cold. I can't enjoy a man who needs a woman to be weak and helpless and subservient to him, or who deliberately puts a woman into such a state (e.g. drugging her, overriding her wishes, arranging her life for her, etc).

Marian Perera said:

Oh, interesting topic!

To me, an alpha is someone intense, confident and take-charge. He holds a position of some status or authority, and even if most of the attention directed his way is negative (e.g. he's a "bad boy" or social black sheep) people can't help noticing him and reacting to him. He's sexually assertive and usually experienced. He doesn't open up easily, but this is a case of still waters running deep. He's very protective of the people he cares about.

An alpha-hole is someone who's domineering and sexually aggressive. He uses his position or power to manipulate and control unwilling people, or demonstrate his superiority to them. He goes beyond possessive and into intense jealousy. Often amoral and self-centered, he may express attraction and love through verbal, physical and sexual abuse.

If you're curious about heroes who straddle the line between the two (and usually tilt towards the wrong side at the start, but tend to be compelling anyway), check out Anne Stuart's Ice series. These are romantic suspense, and although I gave up after book 3, she's a good writer and the books work for her fans.

For me, one of the most reliable ways to make an alpha hero appealing is to pair him up with a heroine who's just as strong and competent and independent, and who takes no shit from him. That's one reason 50SG and its ilk leave me cold. I can't enjoy a man who needs a woman to be weak and helpless and subservient to him, or who deliberately puts a woman into such a state (e.g. drugging her, overriding her wishes, arranging her life for her, etc).

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Indeed, it IS an interesting topic. One reader's dreamy alpha is another reader's alphahole. Take, forex, Jamie Fraser of Outlander--the books, not the TV show. A lot of people object to many of the things he does. I, on the other hand, suspended disbelief for historical time/place, even though several of his actions crossed the line of what I'd accept in a contemporary. What some read as rapey, I didn't get that vibe. Not to say other readers are wrong at all. A reader's entire background of experience, reading, watching, come into play for every character, and a writer really can't write to accommodate all potentials.

I think in writing an alpha, the best thing a writer can do is go with what they can and would tolerate. EL James has proven there's plenty of readership for a jerk of an alpha some would consider an alphahole, and Marian has proven there are plenty of readers for a gentler, more respectful alpha. If you were to try to write an alpha of the style you loathe, it would likely come off as inauthentic. I also agree wholeheartedly with Marian that the heroine (or in M/M, Hero II) can make or break how the alpha comes across. I suspect this is a lot of the problem for FSOG, since I've read plenty of domineering alphas who didn't leave so many readers feeling he was abusive. Wounded Alpha Because *Reasons* alone isn't enough to accept over-aggressive alpha-ness, for me anyway. The heroine's perspective on matters of behavior, consent, equality all matter to me as well.

For me, the alphahole designation is generally dependent not on the hero's behaviour in general, but on his behaviour toward the heroine. If he's a domineering, assertive jerk in general but treats the heroine with genuine respect, I'm okay with him. It's when he's domineering and over-assertive toward the heroine that I have trouble with the romance and loose respect for the hero and the heroine.

So - overall dominant and aggressive but can turn it off = alpha; dominant and aggressive with everyone including heroine = alphahole. Sometimes a hero can morph from an alphahole to an alpha over the course of the book, but for me I need to see the heroine demanding this change. Otherwise it just feels like his whim and I can't trust that he won't slide back to alphahole when he feels like it.

StoryofWoe said:

Thanks for your input, Captcha. I'm definitely seeing a pattern of expectation when it comes to the hero's treatment of the heroine. I agree, it's hard to respect a heroine who puts up with a jerk, which is why I have such a hard time connecting with most NA and dark romance, with a few exceptions. I can see the shift from alphahole to alpha being potential character arc, but I wonder how long readers who can't stand alphas would put up with him before his transformation. I'd imagine there would have to be signs of his potential redemption early on.

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I think I cheer for the heroine in the earlier stages of alpha-not-hole romances - I need her to stand up to him and then I give her my sympathy. And then my sympathy for the hero develops as he morphs.

A lot of the time authors give alpha heroes tragic pasts or some other "reason" for being jerks. Especially in NA, maybe? I generally don't find these compelling, but some readers seem to love them.

Captcha said:

A lot of the time authors give alpha heroes tragic pasts or some other "reason" for being jerks. Especially in NA, maybe? I generally don't find these compelling, but some readers seem to love them.

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I have to say, one of my favorite tropes is the alpha hero who's got some trauma in the past, which is never used as an excuse for abuse.

Marian Perera said:

I have to say, one of my favorite tropes is the alpha hero who's got some trauma in the past, which is never used as an excuse for abuse.

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Yeah, I think I'd like that variation - pain for him, but he doesn't spread it around to others. That's a hero!

*waving hello* I adore Alphas but they have to be honorable--guys who are the way they are because they want to protect, to care for others.

Here are a few contemporary romance stories with alphas I liked a lot:

*Chasing Smoke by Nora Roberts- Gulliver isn't an out loud Alpha, but he calmly does everything he can to make life easier for those he loves.

*Nora's Born In series- all three of the MMCs in these stories are strong yet completely devoted types...I adore them lol.

*Maisey Yates' Copper Ridge series- full of fantastic Alphas who...you know what I'm going to type now, right? 'do everything they can to make life easier for those they love'

*JD Robb's In Death series- Roarke is swoon-worthy, I tell ya!

*And, then, there's always Jill Shalvis' stories--her guys are balls to the wall adventurous and their Alpha badges are worn loud and proud.

*Is it bad form to suggest my own book-Bridges of Starlight? It really fits here! My MMC, Ford, is an Alpha who struggles to fit his sense of what's right/what he must do with the compromises he has to make with his wife. He made decisions he thought were for the best without consulting her and they almost cost him their marriage. I think it's a great example of an Alpha who means well but has to learn to communicate and include the one he loves in decisions that affect their entire world.

So many good ones out there *sigh* I adore Romance. This was such a great thread!

ElaineA said:

...One reader's dreamy alpha is another reader's alphahole. Take, forex, Jamie Fraser of Outlander--the books, not the TV show. A lot of people object to many of the things he does. I, on the other hand, suspended disbelief for historical time/place, even though several of his actions crossed the line of what I'd accept in a contemporary.

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I adore Jamie Fraser and the Outlander books--he's the top Alpha I've ever read, however that's within the historical context. I think keeping the book's context/setting as well as what the character has gone through(whether implied or told) so far is critical to enjoying a story...y'know?

Captcha said:

Yeah, I think I'd like that variation - pain for him, but he doesn't spread it around to others. That's a hero!

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Amen!

Pardon my ignorance, but I thought the term "alpha" was based on a false understanding of the social structures of wolves in the wild and that in reality the social structures of both humans and wolves are a lot more complex than the term implies. I do know that eventually it became in vogue with pick-up artists and trickled through the rest of society from there.

So why is the term used in fiction? Does that not create a risk of making your characters two dimensional?

Megann said:

Pardon my ignorance, but I thought the term "alpha" was based on a false understanding of the social structures of wolves in the wild and that in reality the social structures of both humans and wolves are a lot more complex than the term implies. I do know that eventually it became in vogue with pick-up artists and trickled through the rest of society from there.

So why is the term used in fiction? Does that not create a risk of making your characters two dimensional?

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I don't know the exact path of the word from wolves to humans, but I think the word is a useful shorthand for a fairly recognised "type" of romance hero. And I would argue that a significant number of alpha heroes are two dimensional. The good ones, of course, are the ones where the author takes the type and does something new and interesting with it.

Any of the many terms we might use to describe types of people could produce two-dimensional characters (innocent child, mentor, crone, etc.) but can also produce really rich, interesting characters. The test is in the execution, not the labelling.

Alpha males are the manly man, the dominant ones who like to take charge. Betas are the men who are more willing to compromise and listen.