Archive for the ‘Swoon-Worthy Heroes’ Category

Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero: Chase McKee from WILD AT HEART by T.J. Kline

Have I mentioned how much I love a friends to lover’s story? Well, I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy of the fourth book of the Healing Hart’s series, Wild at Heart. In it, we get to fall in love with Chase McKee and Bailey Hart. Bailey is the youngest cousin in the Hart family, and Chase is her older cousin, Justin’s friend. Although these two have always had feelings for each other, they have never admitted their attraction…but now, with Chase back in town and Bailey set to leave for L.A., he’s got to take a chance or lose the woman he loves without a fight.

First of all, when T.J. Kline told me that her inspiration for Chase was Jensen Ackles, I was immediately sold on this book (plus, she’s my friend, so I always read her stuff. ;-)) But then Chase’s back story tugged at my heart and made me want to reach through the pages and give the guy a big old hug. Instead of following his father’s life plan, he enlisted in the military and became a MP. When he got out, he became a cop in Oakland and when he lost his partner, he moved back home to lick his wounds. The poor guy suffers from survivor’s guilt and blames himself for his partner’s death, which is enough to break my heart into a million pieces.

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Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlights: Jace Montgomery From Jude Deveraux’s Wishes

As a young girl who struggled with her weight from the time she was ten, I remember picking Jude Deveraux’s Wishes when I was thirteen. I felt an intense kinship with Nellie Grayson-the heroine who had a pretty face, but because she was overweight, it didn’t seem to matter. I held onto the dream that a guy would come along and love me for me, which is why I think I’ve held onto Wishes for twenty years and continue to read it again and again. Because Jace Montgomery was everything I fantasized about.

*The unofficial Wishes book trailer I found on YouTube.

If you haven’t read Wishes, it is a Cinderella tale about a selfish woman who gets to purgatory (or The Kitchen in this case) and, because of how nasty she was in life, can’t advance to Heaven until she has completed a type of fairy Godmother deal. Although she at first likes Nellie’s little sister, Terel, she grants Nellie three wishes…wishes that benefited everyone but Nellie because of her selfless and giving nature. When the Godmother finally tries to fix things, she realizes that she really does need to change. But even during all the frustrations and wanting to slap Terel and shake Nellie, there was Jace.

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Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlights: Turner from Julia Quinn’s The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

As a long time Julia Quinn fan, I have many favorite books by her, but The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever is at the very top of the list. Mostly because it’s one of my all-time favorite tropes. The heroine, Miranda, has had a crush on Turner, her best friend’s older brother, for the longest time. Because of the age gap between them, he marries another at a young age thinking he’s in love, but becomes a bitter, angry man once he finds out that she was unfaithful to him. When she dies, Turner is determined to never be at the mercy of love or a woman again.

Now, we all love a good tortured hero and Turner definitely falls under that category. Although he can come off as rude, and several mistakes he makes with Miranda had me cursing him, underneath all the outrageous behavior and snark, is still the amazingly kind man that Miranda had a crush on. As the story goes on, that man begins to emerge, Turner becomes a hero you can both fall for and wish to shake some sense into, depending on where you’re at in the book.

But overall, Turner is as Swoon-Worthy as they come and here’s why.

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Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlights: Christmas Edition by Codi Gary

Like any other romance nut, one of my favorite kinds of romances is a Christmas one. Thus, when I saw the cover for Guess Who’s Coming for Christmas on Feeln, I was intrigued. First of all, a hot guy with a guitar was on the cover…need I say more?

Trailer:

Actually, yes I should because I haven’t even gotten to who this mysterious guitar holding guy was…and why he completely stole my heart in this movie.

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Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlight: Dylan Kershaw from In Your Eyes

Those of you who know or follow me, y’all understand that I adore all that is Whedon (Joss Whedon, to be exact.)

However, the first time I ever watched In Your Eyes, I had no idea it was a Whedon creation. I fell in love with the movie without that knowledge, but the hero of the movie, Dylan Kershaw, stole my heart. I have watched this movie over and over since discovering it on Netflix, and have to admit, that it’s not just the amazing story telling (and romance) that has me coming back again. It’s also Dylan’s awesome heroness that draws me back.

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Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlights: Christopher of Blackmour from Lynn Kurland’s THIS IS ALL I ASK

Lynn Kurland has written some of my favorite heroes (who I will probably share in the near future) but the Dragon of Blackmour holds a special place in my heart.

No, he isn’t actually a dragon. He doesn’t actually drink blood or gobble up six maidens daily.

The Dragon is just a man, a great lord from 1249 England, who has been the cause for so many disturbing rumors. It isn’t until his new bride, Gillian of Warwick arrives, terrified out of her mind, that she realizes that nothing about her new husband is accurate.

Is Christopher a cross, angry soul that tosses around shouts and threats to all around him? Yes. Is he tall, fit and intimidating as hell? Uh huh.

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Guest Post, Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero Highlights: Bellamy Blake by Codi Gary

For me, every good T.V. show gives me a couple to root for in the first episode. Two characters who so clearly connect, their chemistry so undeniable that I am frothing at the mouth every week just to watch them spar or have each other’s back.

Okay, the frothing might have been a bit unsettling, but you get the idea.

However, the problem is, for any great couple to last, the show will keep them apart for as long as possible. There is a delicate balance between too soon to “hurry up before I start taking my frustrations to Twitter.”

But despite all the will they won’t they drama that may be unfolding, you have to continue to love the hero. Even in a teen Dystopian drama set in space and ravaged Earth in the future, no matter that the two characters you’ve shipped for two seasons haven’t even begun to explore feelings for each other, you still have the hope and dream of them.

And you still get to watch Bellamy Blake come through and save the day. In fact, you hardly remember the Bellamy who condoned a “do what you want ” society and caused so much chaos that people died needlessly.

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Guest Post, Swoon-Worthy Heroes

Swoon-Worthy Hero: Kiernan MacLean

Today kicks off a new feature for us on EverAfter, Swoon-Worthy Hero Spotlights! Each week author Codi Gary will be sharing her favorite Swoon-Worthy Heroes across multiple mediums. First up is Kiernan MacLean from Lost in Your Arms by Christina Dodd!

Kiernan MacLean from Lost in Your Arms by Christina Dodd

Swooning over fictional heroes is my favorite pastimes. Before I could read, I would watch cartoons, and I fell hard for such heroes as Robin Hood the Fox from the Disney Cartoon and Justin the Rat from The Secret of NIHM. They were my very first crushes on fictional characters, and I will never forget them.

But then I discovered the written word. I consumed children’s and YA so fast my mother kept threatening to stop buying book if I didn’t slow down. Nothing seemed to satisfy my romantic soul, until I started reading Sweet Valley Middle School, Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High. All of these books had Todd Wilkens, my first book boyfriend, and I fell hard.

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