To wrap up (maybe) our discussion questions for today, an inspiration has come from Lisa’s wonderful heroes. Yes, we’re back to heroes, but let’s face it ladies, without men in our lives things could get rather boring. Boring is not a word ever used to describe a Kleypas hero. Why is that do you suppose? Hmm. . .
I’ve heard Lisa say she doesn’t like writing the “traditional” historical hero. What would be a traditional hero? Is he wealthy, titled, a rake and redeemed only by the heroine’s true love? In many historical romances those things can usually be used to describe a hero. Not that I don’t enjoy those heroes myself, but should that be the norm?
Or can you have, say, a gypsy? A self made man? A man who has his problems but redeems himself on his own before he meets his heroine? Couldn’t he be a traditional hero as well? Complexities and complications make a hero what he is, deep down. Perhaps it’s more realistic to have those “different” sort of heroes to root for, to admire, and to wonder about rather than the titled rake who reforms for his lady love.
Seduce Me at Sunrise has Merripen, a gypsy, an orphan and someone who has made himself what he is. Not that different from Cam Rohan. But neither of these heroes is the same sort as St. Vincent, a titled man who is redeemed by Evie. Or Westcliff, a peer who is very well respected, and very opinionated but balance by Lillian.
Where would this then put Leo? He’s going to get a book eventually, at least that’s the hope. What kind of hero would he be after Mine ’til Midnight? After the Seduce Me at Sunrise even, though I haven’t read it yet . . .
It’s more than the hero then, isn’t it? It’s not that he’s traditional or different, but perhaps his heroine is there to. . .that’s where it all falls on you. . .
What is it about these heroes that make them tick? Traditional or otherwise. . .
The reasons why I’m drawn to LK’s books is because she writes the kind of historical heroes that I absolutely love. The heroes that are considered “common” but are anything but. The self made man who came from common background but worked hard for his wealth.
I absolutely love these kinds of heroes.
I love that she can take an ordinary man and make him this rock star of a hero that many women can’t help but fall in love with. I mean, she’s a genius at writing those bad boys we loathed in one book and totally turn his character around to be an upstanding hero that we know, love and respect all without changing the things that make that hero who he is. I loved how with Sebastian (even though he’s not my favorite hero) she stayed true to his character all the while telling his story. She didn’t feel the need to change him to get us to like him. She told us his story and made us fall in love with him warts and all.
And that’s why her books absolutely rock! I have no doubt that she’ll turn Leo’s character around by making us understand why is he what he is and why he is the way that he is and I, for one cannot effing wait!
It gets old, reading about perfect heroes with perfect backgrounds and wealthy rich men…it’s good that LK shows the other guys who are just as hot but not as noble get some love.
Well, I’m glowing now. Thank you, Rowena–you have made my week!
I completely agree with Rowena. Lisa Kleypas has a genuine gift for making us fall in love with heroes we normally wouldn’t fall in love with. Why? Because she gives them charm and personality and, Lordie be, heroes like St. Vincent (could you tell he’s my fave?). I really, really like Cam because he’s not your sterotypical hero and not a traditional one. I love that Ms. Kleypas ventures outside of the box. As Rowena said… Genius!
I love Lisa’s heroes but part of why I love them is because they seem to be paired up with the perfect heroine. I shall use my favourite – I’m sure you all know who I mean although Hardy is pretty high up there too. Derek is pretty much perfect for me, nobody has toppled him since I read Then Came You followed very quickly by Dreaming of You many years ago now, but it’s his pairing with Sara that makes him so perfect. It’s such a wonderful book of opposites, this jaded, hardened gambling hell owner who has done some very questionable things paired with a stubborn innocent country miss who brings out the protector in him.
(And now of course picturing him as Richard Armitage only makes him doubly or triply perfect!)
I think Leo is going to be like Gideon in Again the Magic so damn sexy but so damn tortured and all you want to do is help him (and maybe do a little more! he he:) ).But he really has to face that battle alone and thats what Olivia made him realize that he has to fight he’s demons for his own well being not for someone else because that can start a relationship off on an indebted foot which can lead to resentment
Kristie(J) – I love that you picture Richard Armitage as Derek! Great call.
Personally, my fave of Lisa’s heroes is Westcliff and I always kinda imagined him as Gerard Butler.
Getting back to the topic though – using Marcus as an example, I love that Lisa made him out to be somewhat ‘traditional’ on the surface (rich, titled and sort of repressed). However, he also had many wonderful qualities that were obvious to begin with. He was the epitome of what I think is a real man. Despite the past hurts inflicted by his parents and his privileged upbringing he didn’t become a jaded rake in need of reforming. Instead, he’s a mature, overly responsible man, who was a little too stern but who would do anything to protect his loved ones and just needed Lillian to accept him and bring love & laughter to his life.
Sigh, I think I might have to read IHOA again!
I enjoy the diverse backgrounds of Lisa’s heroes, especially the self-made ones. Even when titled and wealthy, her heroes are in a distinct class of their own with their trademark sensuality, larger-than-life personalities, their hidden depths and the way love transforms/redeems them.
I think Leo will be a hero who’s slowly taking on the responsibilities of the family, handsome but remote, with a tortured, untouchable inner core that’s waiting for the right heroine to melt it.
Oh you’re totally welcome Lisa! I’m a fan through and through. I absolutely loved your Wallflowers series and look forward to reading A Wallflower Christmas, an American historical hero? Ooh I can’t wait!
I can’t wait for Merripen’s story either, great great things to look forward to!
Good point KristieJ, Marcus was on the surface traditional but he had depth and a caring nature that was easy to see.
“I think Leo will be a hero who’s slowly taking on the responsibilities of the family, handsome but remote, with a tortured, untouchable inner core that’s waiting for the right heroine to melt it.”
Ooh, I like that Jennybrat!
Lisa, thank you so much for dropping by today and answering our questions and giving us ideas of what’s in store for us in your books. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope to have the same opportunity in the future. Good night!
I think Rowena pointed out something that makes a hero really pop for me, and that’s consistency. Whether a jaded rake, an uptight lord, a self made man, or a Gypsy, the reader can get a really good sense of who he is, through his words, actions or other little details. My number one pet peeve is that “fake rake” phenomenon, where the reader is told things about the hero, but it doesn’t match what we are shown of him.
Heroine also makes a big difference. If I can’t see why she loves him and he loves her, it just doesn’t work.
Lisa is a very dependable author for this reason. I always get into the romance.
I know what you mean Devon…so often we meet guys who are a bunch of Billy Bad Asses when they’re secondary characters but the minute they get to star in their own books, they turn into whiny babies and you’re left wondering, what happened to Billy Bad Ass?
The reason Lisa Kleypas’ heroes are so unique is their wonderful ability to steal a part of my mind and soul. That little piece in me that deep down yearns for some type of matching truth in my own reality. She writes heroes who seem otherworldly and yet could be living right next door. It’s amazing to see her men transform and learn right before your eyes. In the journey her characters take, there always seems to be some type of wonderful magic and love communicated. It’s quite a joy to read. That means more to this average reader than any “great American novel” ever could.
Personally, my fave of Lisa’s heroes is Westcliff and I always kinda imagined him as Gerard Butler.
I always picture Derek looking like Gerard Butler. 🙂
I think for me is the fact, and I’m kind of answering this obliquely, is that Lisa can make even the traditional hero rather nontraditional and seemingly new. I love, love, LOVE Marcus, Lord Westcliff, but he is titled/wealthy/etc. But there’s just something about him, his characterization and his interactions with Lillian, his own family, that makes him stand apart from other historical romance heroes that have those same wealth/title/etc. I cannot quite put my finger on it frankly, but Lisa just has a way of making her men stand out. And while I love her female characters buckets, more often than not it’s her adroit characterization and seemingly flawless ability to create these flawed, sexy, bold heroes that keep me coming back to her stories.
Personally, my fave of Lisa’s heroes is Westcliff and I always kinda imagined him as Gerard Butler.
I always picture Derek looking like Gerard Butler.
Ha, well I guess I can share Gerard with you Monica 😉
Sarah, it’s good to see another Westcliff fan about – St Vincent and Derek who?!
I think the “traditional” hero has wealth, power, and position. He’s a duke – or an earl richer than a duke… and also emotionally stunted. He’ll effectively be a jackass until 40 pages before the end, where he realizes what a jerk he’s been for 300 pages and that he luuuurves the heroine.
Or at least, that’s the old school hero, maybe not “traditional.”
Hello Kristie sweetie!!!! (I owe you a couple of emails btw)
I think I told you before that Hardy Cates has some shades of Derek Craven in him . . . I think beyond the self-made aspects, it is the qualities of earthiness and rough masculinity . . . Derek and Hardy are remarkably tough, occasionally crude, but completely enthralled by their heroines . . . that idea has always made my toes tingle, that a huge powerful brute could be so completely under the spell of a woman.
You know, before you “cast” RA as Derek (which is perfect) I thought maybe Clive Owen would be an interesting choice. It’s hard to think of any other actors who could capture the simultaneous toughness and yearning.
Love to “see” you dear! 😀
Dear nne,
I was always sorry that I didn’t “save” Gideon and Livia for their own full-length novel . . . I loved that couple. And there are absolutely qualities that Leo has in common with Gideon, although Leo isn’t nearly as classy. Leo is so hard to describe–wait til you see more of him in SMAS! As Sybil and I have discussed, he also has shades of St. Vincent. But to me, he is more tortured and impassioned, deep down inside, than either of them. He is also funnier. And maybe a tiny bit twisted.
Jennybrat, Goodnight to you too, dear, and thank you for helping me to have such an interesting and enjoyable day!
Dear Devon,
I don’t like fake rakes either! Let them do bad things! Let them be lascivious and sneaky and charming and devious and selfish! It’s no fun if they turn out to be nice guys in Chapter Two *g*
Dear Ashley . . .
what a wonderful post . . . that really touched my heart. Thank you! And you have such a beautiful way with words.
Dear Josie,
WOW, what a great idea about casting Gerard as Westcliff!!! I could so easily see him as an upright, starchy, avid sportsman type who turns into a passionate lover in the bedroom . . .
(Lisa, fanning herself)
Thank you, Sarah dear . . . I’ve said before that if I could actually marry one of my heroes, it would probably be Westcliff. I could be so happy with him, having great sex and living in his big country estate . . .
Dear Monica,
I can also see Gerard as Derek . . . which means Gerard is just your basic hero material no matter what kind *g* . . .
Coming out of lurkdom to say that I love Lisa’s heroes, because they are men. Meaning sometimes I read romance and I think to myself, guys I know would never say that or think that. Lisa’s romances celebrate men as they are at their best; when they are becoming what their women need them to be. Often Lisa’s men have their own issues to overcome, even if they seem relatively stable like Cam or Marcus. They too must transition, and there doesn’t seem to be the imbalance of power that can exist in romance, where only the woman needs to change and the men just stand there until they are done. So what I love, more so than her heroes’ non-traditionality is the realism, with which she displays mens struggles. Even heroes I believe I won’t like, like Hardy or St. Vincent or in the future Leo, are redeemed once we get to experience them. She really celebrates the best in men and reminds us that, even though some guys are jerks, there are others that are worth it. That’s what makes all of them tick for me.
Love LK hero’s because we can see them evolve during the coarse of the book. I loved St Vincent because his redemption felt real. He redeemed himself but he didn’t act OOC, which is what Ive seen happen. She stays true to her characters.
I’m a relative newbie to LK – I am making my way through her backlist – but I love the self-made hero. It is not usual to read about that hero in historicals but LK has does it so well.
Clive Owen has always been my choice for Derek. RA would make a great Westcliff, IMO.
I can see Gerard as Derek…that’s a good match.
Wow, whenever I think of St. Vincent, I think Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black with that lovely blonde hair. YUM!!
As for Leo, I wonder if he will be the Beta hero that needs saving from himself and his circumstances. I can’t wait for his story because I love the “lost love” angle. Maybe he’ll meet a girl just like her…
My absolutely all time favorite heroes are Derek and Nick. I like heroes that don’t fit into “normal or tradional” schemes. That’s why I am so looking forward to read Merripen’s story. He is absolutley captivating.
The thing I like so much about Lisa Kleypas’ heroes is the emotions and feelings they have for the heroine. So many of her heroes seemed to have gotten to the point in their life where they aren’t affected by much and then Bam the heroine appears in his life and a dam opens and the poor guy can’t control his feelings at all.
I like Lisa’s heroes because they are all complex with their own issues, no matter how different, titled or uncommon, with an emotional need no matter how successful they may have become, recognized or not. They still need that personal, emotional satisfaction to be completely happy, and embrace it with that special woman for them when they finally find her and acknowledge that want and need, yet still remaining their basic selves.