Julia Barrett's World

and why.

1. Jamie Fraser of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Jamie Fraser is the gold standard. He is the man by which I measure all fantasy men. Is Jamie a nice guy? Let’s think about this. Yes and no. When it comes to sex, he would never resort to force. If you recall…no wait, let’s just say that Jamie believes in saving himself for the right woman/marriage. Yet, he sees nothing wrong with resorting to corporal punishment, aka Claire’s behind, when Claire’s actions endanger their group. He fights and kills when necessary and without hesitation to protect what’s his and the people he loves and he does not suffer any pangs of conscience. Above all else, Jamie is a pragmatist. He’s courageous, competent, complex, cunning and loyal. He’s compassionate, but he’s not nice. One of the reasons Jamie works so amazingly well as a romantic hero is that a man like this could really exist. I know because I’m married to a man like him.

2. John Blackthorne from Shogun, by James Clavell - a work of literary/historical fiction with a poignant, tragic romance thrown into the mix. I know this book isn’t a romance novel, but the relationship between John Blackthorn and Mariko is quite possibly my favorite romance of all time. I cry every single time I read the book. John Blackthorne is another man thrown into life-altering circumstances and he does what he has to do in order to survive. Like Jamie, he too is a pragmatist. Killing leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but he’ll kill without hesitation when necessary. He knew they were all afraid of him, even the Captain General, and that most hated him. But that was normal, for it was the pilot who commanded at sea; it was he who set the course and ran the ship, he who brought them from port to port….At sea the pilot was leader, sole guide, and final arbiter of the ship and her crew. Alone he commanded from the quarterdeck. That’s heady wine, Blackthorne told himself. And once sipped, never to be forgotten, always to be sought, and always necessary. That’s one of the things that keep you alive when others die.

3. Some of my favorite bad boys spring from the mind of Karen Marie Moning - Daegus MacKeltar in The Dark Highlander, Adam Black (oh my god yummo) from The Immortal Highlander, and my personal favorite, Cian MacKeltar from Spell of the Highlander. Each of them is an Alpha Male to the enth degree and by no stretch of the imagination do I consider them nice. These are dangerous men, but they would never harm their women and that combination makes them very, very sexy in my eyes.

4. The last example from romance literature, but not the least, another dangerous man who borders on overbearing in an irresistibly appealing way - Gray Rouillard from After the Night, by Linda Howard. Irrepressibly Alpha, I want to smack him and tangle tongues at the same time. Gray Rouillard is one unforgettable, not very nice, hero.

A few examples of popular alpha males who play not nice guys.

5. Clint Eastwood in nearly every movie he’s been in.

6. Rhett Butler in the movie version of Gone With the Wind.

7. John Wayne in the movie, The Searchers.

I would love to hear some of your favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! I’m taking the day off. Coming Friday - beta/gamma heroes!

And thank you for the amazing comments - they are brilliant!