What's The Appeal?
There's just something about a man on the edge. Be he a bad boy, a rebel, a rogue or a loner, for the heroine (and, by identification, the reader), the dangerous hero arouses a new intensity of emotion, presents new challenges and calls forth new problem-solving skills. He's intimidating, physically dominant, sexually virile, aggressive and intelligent.
The dangerous hero's sex appeal lies in his unpredictability. The heroine—and reader—believes anything can happen while he is around. He's surrounded by an aura of mystique and his come-hither glare promises fun, excitement, and a charged atmosphere of anticipation. In a romance, all that is compounded by the sexual tension between he and the heroine makes for explosive reading.
In daring to build a relationship with him, the heroine discovers both skills and feelings in herself that she was unaware of previously. Because she's brave enough to love, she gains victory over the dangerous element in the hero. She wins his love.
The dangerous hero has been attracting risk-taking heroines throughout literature. The "risk" she takes to be with him has certainly changed over the years, however. In the classic 1594 William Shakespeare play, Romeo was a dangerous hero to Juliet, because of her family's disapproval of him.
In 1850, the most widely read periodical for women, Godey's Lady's Book, lamented the vogue for reading books about the working class man who moved upward into the genteel class where he supposedly didn't belong. This type of hero was considered "dangerous" for the threat he posed to the carefully constructed social hierarchy.
The Gothic hero (circa 1950) was sexually dangerous to the virginal heroine. He was often a mysterious, brooding figure that the heroine was attracted to, despite her ignorance and sometimes, fear of the man.
One element, though, has always remained present throughout the history
of the romance novel: the dangerous hero represents the unknown; he's beyond the limits of the heroine's past experience. His wildness challenges her to "tame" him with her love and break through his mysterious defenses, enabling him to be vulnerable. The heroine believes her love can "save" the bad boy hero. The heroine's perception of the dangerous man sets her internal alarm systems jangling, signal life changes, and sparks sexual arousal. Behind the heroine's anxiety about sailing into the unknown, the reader expects the promise that together, this man and this woman can achieve a life of initiative, courage and the highest human wisdom of shared love.
Authors' Thoughts...
Deb Stover
"A dangerous hero is only as appealing as his vulnerability. No matter how
determined, how intense, or how intimidating he may seem, he must have a
special tenderness. I adore books where the hero's vulnerability is exposed
by a heroine whose mission is actually complicating his." For an
"unforgettable" read, Deb recommends Night Fall by Anne
Stuart.
Lisa Kleypas
"To me, a dangerous hero possesses an element of darkness that makes him
unpredictable and somewhat cynical. It is this kind of powerful man that I
most enjoy seeing 'tamed' by his love for the heroine." One of the best
dangerous heroes Lisa has ever read is featured in Connie Brockway's
wonderful novel All Through The Night.
Mary Jo Putney
"A dangerous hero is a man who has suffered greatly, yet has not become
cruel. He can be strong, even lethal when necessary, but is protective to
those who need it even though he expects nothing in return." Mary Jo
recommends two books with dark and dangerous heroes, Laura Kinsale's
Flowers From The Storm and Jean Ross Ewing's My Dark
Prince.
Danger dramatizes romance. Jayne Ann Krentz describes the
dangerous hero as "tough, hard-edged, tormented." Some of his other
qualities include: strong, virile, courageous, determined, successful, a
loner concealing qualities of a leader, fierce, dominant, fair, mysterious,
non-conformist, fascinating, misunderstood, daring, famous, rugged,
intelligent, aloof, caring. The dangerous hero excites thrill-seekers of any
kind; their senses are heightened by even mild danger, novelty and fear,
which explains why people are more likely to fall in love when they're in
danger.
-Constance Martin
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