Carrie Lofty does heroes

(sula takes full responsibility for groan-inducing post title)

I noticed yesterday that my post contained a great many words and absolutely ZERO man pics. WTF? What kind of DIK guest am I?

So today I'm remedying my fatal flaw. I'll be discussing my five favorite book heroes, whilst liberally interspersing pics of my fave hot actors.

1. Rupert Carsington from Loretta Chase's Mr. Impossible

How much do I love Rupert? So very much. I find his intriguing blend of idiocy and smarts completely adorable. He's a moron--on the surface. He plays the fool and the fop and the child, mostly so folks don't expect too much from him. And as the fourth son, no one does! Yet underneath it all, he's extremely capable, strong, brave, selfless, and clever. I loved for Chase reveals his depth as the book progresses, making him the perfect foil for brainy scholar Daphne.

"You've got it backwards," Carsington said. "It wasn't her rising to the occasion. It's the occasion rising to her. Egypt and this business with you and the papyrus have finally given her the chance to show what she truly is. She's--she's a goddess. But human. A real goddess, not make-believe. She's beautiful and brave and wise. And fascinating. And dangerous. As goddesses are, as you know, in all the best stories."

"I'll be hanged," Miles said. "You really are in love with her."

The black eyes regarded him steadily. Then they regarded the cabin ceiling. Then the window. Then they came back to him.

"Do you know," Carsington said mildly, "I've been wondering what that was."

2. Wizard in Eve Kenin's Driven

Oh, Wizard. Much like Carsington, there's a certain innocence about him despite the extreme smarts and physical prowess. In fact, both of these men could be regarded as betas if you tip your head sideways. They're capable and they bow to the varied expertise of their women, but they're not entirely sure of themselves. Wizard doubts his ability to interact with people, seeing as how he was artificially created in a lab and tortured through his youth. He expresses himself awkwardly, yet honestly and without games, which is absolutely endearing.

"It was...unacceptable for you to die." His eyes burned into hers. "The possibility of it was..." He gritted his teeth, balling his fists in the light sheet that was drawn up to her waist. "The possibility of your death was painful."

She nodded slowly. "Painful."

"If I lost you, Raina, I would die of grief." He stated it as fact. No melodrama. Barely a hint of emotion in his tone, but in his eyes--oh, God--in his eyes, she read the truth of it. He would not have survived the loss of her.

3. Johnny Cain from Penelope Williamson's The Outsider

How gorgeous is this book? It breaks all the current "rules" about POV and backstory, and the hero doesn't even show up for the first 50 pages. Yet when he does... Johnny Cain is a hideous wreck of a man, a villain who has no intention of being made into a hero. Tenderness, understanding, and gentleness are fearful things. But his innate sense of fair play and his desire to be regarded well by Rachel, a woman raised in an Amish-like community drive him to slowly, slowly atone for his past. Did I mention how much I love heroes in need of redemption? It's a fave theme of mine!

Rarely does he come out and say all of the intense emotions he feels, and when he does, it kicks me in the gut. Here, Rachel must publicly renounce the sin of having made love to Johnny and vow never to see him again--lest she be banished from her community.

"Will you bring me there, to the preaching this morning, and will you promise not to leave until it's over?"

He made a raw, gasping sound, as if the breath had backed up in his lungs, hot and think. "Jesus, Rachel. What do you think I'm made of?"

4. Harland Everard of Olga Bicos's Santana Rose

Yeah! It's a hero no one's ever heard of. That means on DIK, at least I'd have one that no one else has claimed yet. Harland is actually the secondary male lead in this 19th century New Orleans-set novel about voodoo, white slavery, disguise and betrayal. I love this book. It's one of my all-time faves from an author who then moved on to write romantic suspense. Anyway, Harland's a badboy Cajun like Gambit from X-Men or Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) in The Big Easy. He's smooth, charming, young, clever, a bit inexperienced, and seriously hot. If anyone can get hold of this undiscovered 1990s gem, please do!

5. Dr. Spencer Colton from Janis Reams Hudson's Apache Heartsong

Another 1990s fave! Spence is blond, built, and a super brilliant doctor. He has his hands full with LaRisa, the half-Apache half-Mexican woman he's charged with escorting from Alabama to Arizona. And he has recurring malaria, which means he constantly doubts his ability to care for a wife and family because, at any moment, he could be struck down for days with the disease. Unlike most of the American Indian romances to come out of the 80s and 90s, this one is extremely well-researched and accessible--none of that squeamish-inducing rose-colored noble savage stuff, just honest emotion and a hero who would give anything for the woman he loves.

Honorable mentions: Cain D'Alessandro from Megan Chance's Candle in the Dark, Luke MacKenzie from Elizabeth Lowell's Fire and Rain, and Dylan Kennedy from Susan Wiggs's The Mistress.

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Thanks so much to the lovely DIK ladies for letting me play for a few days, and to Sula for being my hostess! Please visit my website for more info about my new release and upcoming projects.