We talk often about what makes a good romance hero. And honestly, who doesn’t love it? I could go on for hours about what makes the perfect book boyfriend.
For the sake of this discussion, what about the female lead? What is that something special about her that makes you want to buy into the story and keep reading? Strong motivation is absolutely vital, but I’m thinking more about personality. How does this person approach a challenge? What does their self-talk sound like? How do they treat others and what tack do they take when they interact with people?
Should they be sweet, smart, or sexy? From the hero’s POV, there’s no doubt they are all that and a bag of chips. But like it or not, as readers (and yes authors, but that’s a whole other kettle…) we feed into that equation. What draws a reader to fall in love with a character? Who do we enjoy or identify with? This is such a subjective thing, let’s do this – I’ll tell you my favorites if you tell me yours…
For the most part, I prefer what I call kick-ass with a heart of gold. Yes, they are considered “Strong”, but they are so much more IMO. Occasionally I love a funny, sweet, kind of ditzy character, yet I find myself consistently drawn to these serious types with a hint of darkness more often than not.
- Eve Dallas from the In Death series.
- Anita Blake from the Vampire Hunter series (mostly the earlier ones).
- Claire Fraser from Outlander.
- Alexa (Lex) Parrino from the Beyond series.
- Beth from the Black Dagger Brotherhood.
At the moment I’m having fun with May Wexler from Wrong Number, Right Guy. She’s just funny, all the way around.
So now it’s your turn. Who are some of your favorite female lead characters, and why?
