Which Book Characters Have You Fallen For?

I like to break up my author guest posts and giveaways with the odd discussion post. Sometimes it's hard coming up with a topic, but today was an easy one.

Falling in love with book characters.

Have you ever done it?
Do you think it's important that you do?

Personally, I think you get so much more out of a book if you end up swooning (even just a little) over one of the characters. And what's even more important is that you go all mushy over the love story within the book.

If I go through the list of books I've read this year, the ones that jump out at me first are the ones where I fell in love with the characters and the relationships they were in.

The books that come to mind are:

The Greystone Series by Taylor Longford. The beauty of this series, for me, is that I ended up loving the entire family of gargoyles so it made it easy to devour the books. I have enjoyed each book more than the one before and I can't wait for Taylor's next release! Each love story was so easy to root for and I know the rest of the series will be the same.

The Hunting Lila Series by Sarah Alderson. I TOTALLY fell in love with Alex. It was hard not to fall for him! It was easy to imagine I was Lila and swoon :D I know Sarah has a few more stories planned with these two. It's going to be awesome!

The last book that comes to mind is Impossible by Komal Kant. I was smitten with Luca by the end of the book. He was such a great character and perfect for Ashton. I loved the scenes with the two of them together, they were hot and intense. The passion between those two was fantastic!

Have you read any books lately with great romances in them?
Who have you fallen for lately?

Love Triangles

Do you like reading a book where you have to guess which guy the heroine will end up with? AKA the love triangle?

Of course the modern love triangle is Bella and her werewolf and vampire. For me there was never any other choice for her but Edward but having Jake there, kept things interesting and kept us wondering. It adds to the tension, which is always a must for a good read.

Other stories just have the one guy and one girl with the question, will they or won't they?

Personally I think the love triangle breeds more tension and interest but at the same time I would hate that in my own life, having to choose between two guys. HARD.

What good love triangle books have you read recently? What made them a 'must read'.

By Zealous Girl

Love scenes in YA Novels

When I was at school there was one book that was read more than any other in the library. It was 'Forever' by Judy Blume. And there were a couple of pages in particular that were quite worn... you guessed it, the pages about sex. 

Personally I don't actually love graphic sex scenes in novels. I prefer the author to leave it up to the readers' imagination as to what's happening, but when it comes to kissing I prefer full emotional and physical details! Do I have double standards? I don't think so. I actually think that making love is a very personal and emotional experience that gets thrown into too many books, just because. I like it to be there for a reason, not just a page filler. 

I also think movies have too much sex without enough of the responsibility. Do the characters ever use contraception? I think we, as authors, have to promote safe sex at least. Unless getting pregnant or a STD is part of your story. 

Anyway what are your thoughts? 

Have You Ever Fallen For A Character?

I am in the throes of planning my next book, Betwixt, at the moment. I had a scene dancing in my head yesterday and I was thinking about the MC's reaction, which then got me thinking about the kind of character she was falling for, which then got me thinking about the kinds of characters I fall for in books.

It is so tempting for me to write a similar love interest. There are certain things I look for in a guy and I can't help pulling it into my writing. I have to fight the urge to write the same personality type each time.

If you're a writer, do you fall into that trap?

I guess I like to fall in love, just like my MC's do. I like to get emotionally drawn into a story.

It's the same when I read a book. I LOVE reading books where I fall in love. So what kind of love do I look for in a book? I love it when the guy is a strong commanding character. He might come across as grumpy, but this does not frighten the female. She is feisty and can counter whatever he has to throw at her. He quietly loves this and finds it very attractive, which makes him care deeply for her. He is the kind of guy that wouldn't hesitate to risk life and limb to protect his love. He also displays moments of tenderness, which make you realize that in spite of his tough veneer he would be lost without her.

There are SO many examples of this type of love that I can think of, but I'll just go with the two that are dancing in my head right now...

First is Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (I know it's not YA, but how can I not mention Jamie and Claire!!!)

And the second is Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis from Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

Ooo! And I just thought of another one - again not technically YA, but I read this book as a teenager and LOVED it. Atretes and Rizpah from As Sure As the Dawn by Francine Rivers.

Now - ironically - Harrison (male lead from Time Spirit Trilogy) is not actually like the male lead I just described. He is a sweetheart and has no problem bearing his soul. He is still commanding though and doesn't mind taking charge. I really like that about him. He also cares for Gemma more than anyone else and would do anything to protect her. I LOVE that about him :) They are a strong couple who fight the toughest odds to be together.

So - what do you look for in a romance?

Which characters have you fallen in love with over your reading years?

Do you think it's important to fall in love when you're reading?