Welcome, welcome! This week’s TTT topic was submitted by Hannah @ Books Life and Other Oddities! What makes you love a character in one of your books? What is it about their character or their personality that makes you pull for them or fall in love with them or want to make them your very own significant other/parent/best friend/etc.? That’s what this week’s topic is all about! I chose to narrow things a little and share what makes me swoon hard and add a character to my long list of book boyfriends. Funny thing is, most of these are things I look for in real life boyfriends as well!
Bookish
There’s just something about a guy who always has his nose stuck in a book. Like Dash from Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares (Cohn and Levithan) or Michael Tyler from Nocturne (James).
Nerdy/Intelligent
I love nerds! Just ask me to quote Big Bang Theory and you’ll know! Logan from The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller comes to mind when I think of nerdy characters I love. Sam from Jodi Meadows’s Newsoul trilogy is also really smart and I love that about him. OH and Thomas Cresswell from Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series!
Unaware of His Hotness
I love it when a guy is confident, but not dripping with it to the point that he thinks he’s God’s gift to the female eye. I know some guys like that in my real life, and gag me with a spoon. Ransom, the Duke of Rothbury from Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare is blind and scarred and has no idea how attractive he is! He’s not so egotistical that he thinks women should fall into bed with him. I don’t want a guy who is so insecure that he whines and moans, but someone who doesn’t think if himself as a present is very appealing.
Hero Complex/Protective
I love a big, protective man who wants to save me from whatever it is that ails me (whether that’s my own anxieties and struggles or something outside of myself). Thomas Cresswell from Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series comes to mind again, as does Rhysand in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Loves Cats
I’m a crazy cat lady, so any guy that can appreciate that is welcome in my books. While I didn’t like Keane from The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis, I could at LEAST stand him because he loved Petunia the cat.
Slightly Mysterious
I like a guy I need to figure out a little bit! Maybe he’s really a jerk and I need to stay clear, or maybe he’s deep or shy or protective of his heart. A little danger is so appealing! Anluan from Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier is a GREAT example of a mysterious character.
Chivalrous/Respectful
I’m super traditional. I like guys who open doors for me and treat me like a lady! What can I say? Kadesh from Forbidden by Kimberly Griffiths Little is very respectful of women, and I loved that. And Finn from Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White is so chivalrous. I love it! Oooo. Nate from The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni is too… Maybe now we know why I love historical romances so much!
Romantic/Thoughtful
Romance. Thoughtfulness. It’s hard to come by. When a character says romantic things, I just melt. Here’s a TTT I did a while back with some great quotes.
Funny/Snarky
I love a great sense of humor. Thorne’s snark in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series comes to mind. I also love Lucien from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Who else… Gideon from Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier… and a certain boy from Kerri Maniscalco’s brain (fine, I’ll stop mentioning him!), Hale from Ally Carter’s Heist Society books…
Sensitive/Intuitive
I love it when a guy shows signs of feelings! And that he notices something is wrong before you tell him! Matt Finch from Open Road Summer by Emery Lord is like this! And so is Duncan from Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Corriell. Oh, and Sean Kendrick from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. OH OH. Wolf from Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles!!
There you have it! A list of reasons why I’m single… I mean. Well.
It’s hard to find guys like this, both in life and in books, so point me in
the direction of bookish or real men you think I’d like! 😂
Bookish! So much yes! Love bookworm characters (because relate!), and nerdy ones too (again, RELATE!). I feel like I’m forever in this “awkward” bookworm phase, so when I meet someone who has that kind of relateable quality, it makes it more fun. Also, love what you say about respectful/chivalrous characters (and in real life, too!).
Rissi JC recently posted…A Few of the Characters (and the Endearing Traits!) I Love
Oh Jana, I would love many of these in my bookish/real boyfriend too! Hence why I am single too! In my own TTT list this week, I went for a more general list of traits I like in characters.
jessicabookworm recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | 8th October 2019
This is such a good top ten idea! I always have a special love for bookish characters, or books about books haha! I think characters that really appreciate books just makes them so relatable, it’s like having a catalogue of friends.
Anika | thebibliofleur.com
I love that you’ve given book and character examples! I may have expanded my TBR haha.
I love reading about bookish characters too.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Cora @ Tea Party Princess recently posted…Top Ten Characters I’ve Read This Year
OOh nice ones! Seeing a few here that I agree with as well but clearly didn’t think of them when writing my post! Lol.
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Great list! I’m always going to love characters (and people in real life) who can make me laugh.
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…On Top Ten Tuesday, we wear pink | My favourite fictional ‘mean girls’
I never think of bookish, but it is an attractive quality. If I find that intriguing mix of sensitive, nerdy, humorous mystery-I’ll point him this way.
Hallo, Hallo, everyone…
Interestingly enough – as it took me six hours to finish my post, there were only about ten people linked to this post at that point in time when I first began to compose it! I have been trying to return back to TTT since July and since I had another post that sort of worked for this prompt – I modified some of that content but then had to write out / flesh out most of what became the final post. I love giving authors boosts of love and getting the chance to focus on 12 authors whose characters make me swoon in joy to read — wells, this post was a labour of love to share! Hope I can inspire some readers to find new authors!
Jorie recently posted…#TopTenTuesday No.8 | Top Twelve Authors Who Deserve More Recommendation (feat. their characters I loved discovering!)
Respectful is a fantastic answer. We need more heroes like that.
My TTT.
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: What I’d Want on a Deserted Island
I like a chivalrous character as well. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Definitely must love 🐱.