I’ve always found it fascinating how fiction influences our lives – even down to our choice of mate.
On Facebook there are plenty of memes about ‘book boyfriends’, the men we fall in love with between the pages of our favourite stories.
When I was 18 and heart-broken because my boyfriend broke up with me, a wise adult gave me some great advice – ‘describe your future husband, what he looks like, what he does for a living, what his likes and dislikes are’
For the young and unattached, reading romances and watching the romantic dynamic between a movie or TV hero and heroine is a way of compiling that checklist – honing, even at a very young age who ‘The One’ would be, so I’d recognise it when I saw him.
And for the attached, these stories are the opportunity to experience falling in love afresh.
So, in laying my soul bare, I’m going to list some of my ‘book/TV/film boyfriends’ and address their good and bad qualities.
And I’d love it if you’d leave me your list in comments below:
Ned, why the long face?
Frankie Thomas as Ned and Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew in the 1939s film series
Ned Nickerson – Nancy Drew’s boyfriend
Good: He’s not phased by Nancy’s independence.
Bad: He’s not really interested in Nancy’s sleuthing.
Although he was second in charge, Joe was never above sharing his opinion.
Joe Asakura (a.k.a Jason) Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets
Good: He knows how to drive a hot car and he’s kick-ass fighter. He’s mysterious, brooding and gets all the glib one-liners
Bad: He ‘dies’ and ends up being a cyborg (long story) which really puts a damper on potential romance.
I soooo wanted to be Laura Holt back in the 1980s
Pierce Brosnan as Remington Steele
Good: Handsome, urbane, witty and rocks a tuxedo. He’s definitely the type you’d bring home to meet mum.
Bad: His thieving and con artist past (but seriously mum, he’s *reformed*!)
Who wants to believe?
Fox Mulder from The X-Files
Good: Smart, steady job, quick with the one-liners, dedicated.
Bad: We’ll give that line to Scully: “He’s a jerk. He’s not a jerk. He’s, um… he’s obsessed with his work.”
I think these two really really do like one another.
Rick O’Connell from The Mummy
Good: Handsome, brave and believes in true love.
Bad: Umm, nope can’t think of anything, he’s the perfect romantic hero.
Sex appeal: Elementary, my dear Watson
Benedict Cumerbatch as Sherlock Holmes
Good: Brains, good looks, loyal to his friends.
Bad: See: Fox Mulder.
Sir James Mitchell, the type of man it would be easy to fall in love with.
Sir James Mitchell from Moonstone Obsession
Good: He’s very much like the Rick O’Connell romantic hero archetype except he has been wounded by love in the past. I was inspired by the scene in Hitchcock’s Rebecca (which I rewatched recently) when Maxim reveals to the second Mrs de Winter the level of Rebecca’s perfidy.
Bad: No bad – he’s a keeper.
Baron Sebastian de la Croix from my latest book Warrior’s Surrender.
Good: Strong, capable, determined to get what he wants. Somewhat of a romantic.
Bad: If Sebastian has a fault at all is that he could share his burdens more with those he loves.
I know, I know, it’s Michael Fassbender.
The Honourable Damian Ridgeway, hero of my current WIP Moonstone Conspiracy, the sequel to Moonstone Obsession
Good: Take a pinch of Remington Steele, a dash of Fox Mulder, a sprinkling of Joe Asakura (minus the cyborg thing) and a handful of Rick O’Connell.
Bad: He’s my most complex character to date but underneath his razor-sharp sarcasm and impetuous nature beats the heart of a chivalrous man.
Last but certainly not least…
Mr Carter – husband to Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Good: Take all my romantic heroes and book boyfriends, mix together up all the best bits.
Bad: He may not be a perfect man, but he’s perfect for me. Nearly 20 years married with many more wonderful, crazy, romantic years to come.