Heroes -- Alpha, Beta or Somewhere in Between?

What's your favorite kind of hero? For some, it's the strong, powerful, wealthy, self-made ALPHA male and for others it's the understanding, patient, compassionate boy-next-door BETA male. For some, it's the man in-between that fits their perfect fantasy.

Miriam Webster defines Alpha: socially dominant especially in a group of animals . In romance novels the alpha hero is often self-made, a man who runs an empire and has all the answers. He's a man in control of his emotions. He knows what he wants. He's cool and confident and appealing. He's a man full of sexual prowess, but choses his women with decretion and an expert eye. Often his dominant personality is his greatest asset and his greatest flaw. It's sort of that love to hate him and hate to love him, that keeps the story unique and compelling.

The alpha male rarely shows his vulnerable side and he's usually very hard on the heroine, though he's never outwardly cruel. Sometimes he's misunderstood, but makes no excuses for his actions. I must admit that sometimes when I read an alpha male who's a little over the top, I get frustrated and want to toss the book across the room. He can be extremely infuriating. Writing an alpha hero can be a huge challenge for an author to get the traits right but still give the man an ounce of humanity and keep him real. But with the stakes so high, an alpha hero story can be filled with loads of sexual tension and conflict. The reader waits throughout the story to see him soften and allow the heroine to touch his life. He's vulnerable only to her now and there's a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in that.

In my November Harlequin, Bodine's Bounty, - the man with one name- is just that kind of alpha hero. He's a self-made, successful bounty hunter on a mission to find his brother's killer, yet first he's duty-bound to protect the runaway heroine as she ventures on a wild-goose chase to find her outlaw father. Bodine is hard as nails. He's led a difficult life. He wants nothing to do with Emma as his future is all laid out before him and she doesn't fit into his plans. But Emma, a small slip of a girl with a wonderful gift slowly breaks him down, not so much by showing him her vulnerabilites but, her strength.

On the other hand, the BETA male might have all the same appealing physical characteristics as the alpha male, but he's not J.R. Ewing in the oil business or Dr. McSteamy in the hospital setting. Often he's the boy next door, or the heroine's friend, or a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He's not afraid of his emotions. He doesn't always hide them away. He can be Joe Average, an ordinary man struggling for success or a man happy with his lot in life. The Beta hero may have a tender side. He's the father trying to raise his teen-age daughter, or the mechanic who loves what he does for a living. Maybe he's not James Bond, but he definitely has qualities that appeal to the heroine and for the reader -- he's a man you can fall in love with.

I usually write Alpha hero stories, but I've read some really great romances where the hero is Beta. The one that comes to mind right now is Erin McCarthy's, Heiress for Hire. There are some really poignant and touching scenes between the hero and heroine and between the hero and his young daughter which earned that book a place on my keeper shelf.

I've come up with a list of traits for the Alpha and Beta hero. See if you agree.

The Alpha Male is always:

Confident

Cool

In control of his emotions

Self-made

Dominant

Shows his vulnerable side rarely

Sexually appealing

The man every woman wants

The Beta Male is often:

Understanding

Patient

Vulnerable at times

Caring

Boy next-door type

Shows his emotions

A man worth knowing and loving

Traits they share:

Often misunderstood

Sexually appealing

Capable/skillful

Comfortable in their own skin

So what traits do you most admire in a hero? And here's the hard question - if you had to choose one and you couldn't combine the "between" traits, whom do you prefer to read about, alpha or beta and why?

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Charlene

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