19
Nov162010
‘Books We Love’ with Rebecca from Dirty Sexy Books
by Carolyn • Posted in Books We Love
Books We Love is a regular feature here at Book Chick City. It’s where we discuss our favourite books; the books we absolutely adore, would recommend over and over again, and will keep forever on our bookshelves. I hope you enjoy and find some new-to-you authors and books to read. You can view the full schedule HERE
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My guest today is Rebecca, the very funny and articulate chick who runs the fantastic blog, Dirty Sexy Books. I absolutely adore Rebecca’s blog – it always makes me chuckle, has lots of fab reviews from the urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy genres, and a few discussion posts too. If you haven’t been to DSB yet, I urge that you do – you will love it!
I have all the books Rebecca talks about today although haven’t read any of them yet except the first book in the Joe Pitt series by Huston. I really like the sound of the Void City series – even if the hero is a ‘tool’ LOL 
So, please give a warm welcome to Rebecca…
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Books We Love (Where the Hero Is a Tool)
I love Gone With The Wind, despite the fact that Rhett Butler is a complete tool. Yes, he’s a tool. He strands Scarlett in the middle of a war zone because he has a sudden attack of conscience, and yet, I still love the story. Maybe it’s because Scarlett is a tool too, and they deserve each other.
When Carolyn invited me to write a post for her favorite books feature, GWTW was the first book that popped into my mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it features two of the most unlikable leads I’ve ever encountered. That got me thinking about other great stories with hard-to-like heroes, so I hope Carolyn doesn’t mind if I highlight three series that appeal to me because the hero is distinctly UNappealing at times.
By some strange coincidence, all three heroes are also vampires. I’m not sure why this is, but hey, let’s go with it.
Okay, first up is Eric in J. F. Lewis’s Void City series. If you’re unfamiliar with this one, here’s a my synopsis for book one, Staked:
Eric is a powerful, lazy-ass vampire who owns a strip club on the seedy side of Void City. He turns his stripper girlfriend Tabitha into a vamp after she nagged him for years, just because it was easier than arguing. When Eric kills a werewolf, their entire pack swears revenge, and Eric is more annoyed than anything when his beloved vintage Mustang is totaled as collateral damage. Meanwhile, Tabitha’s sister, Rachel, is tempting Eric with her cinnamon-scented flesh, and Eric can’t bring himself to dump Tabitha, or cool things down with Rachel. Yeah, he’s a jerk, but what’s new?
He kills people, he cheats on his girlfriend, and he’s a lousy father. He doesn’t sound like hero material, does he? All I can say is that it’s a kick in the pants to follow this crazy bastard around, and I end up liking Eric despite myself.
Okay, next on my list is Ian Ducharme from Marta Acosta’s fabulous Casa Dracula series. It’s never a good sign when the guy’s nickname is “The Dark Lord,” so that right there let’s me know that Ian isn’t your typical good guy. Over the course of the four Casa Dracula novels, Ian tempts our beloved heroine, Milagro, with promises of hot sex, but he also repels her with his questionable morals.
After I read the first novel, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, I did not like him at all. I mean, what guy takes a woman back to his place, only to find that he has another woman there who is supposed to be dessert? Well, it sort of makes sense with the whole vampire thing, but moments like that make Ian hard to love. I will say that things change over the course of the series, and by the end I love Ian, but there’s no denying that he’s a tool half of the time.
After I read the first novel, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, I did not like him at all. I mean, what guy takes a woman back to his place, only to find that he has another woman there who is supposed to be dessert? Well, it sort of makes sense with the whole vampire thing, but moments like that make Ian hard to love. I will say that things change over the course of the series, and by the end I love Ian, but there’s no denying that he’s a tool half of the time.
My third hard-to-like hero is Joe Pitt from Charlie Huston’s series of the same name. This one is super dark and gritty, so if you don’t like stuff that’s heavy on the horror, then stay away. Joe has a retro code of honor, and I like those throwback characters who find themselves in this less glamorous day and age. He’s also the quintessential conflicted soul; a vampyre who tries to live as a man. Joe has a poignant relationship with an HIV positive woman named Evie, and those are the moments that make Joe so compelling. He’s a monster who tries to protect the innocent, even from himself. When he’s not chewing out someone’s eyeball, that is. Yep, I said it was gross, and I meant it. Stay away, squeamish readers.
So here are three series that I absolutely adore, but I’m the first to admit that the hero is not always easy to like. Why do I root for the jerks sometimes? Because guys in white hats can be boring, and if I want to walk on the wild side, then I’ve got to be prepared for some unpredictable behavior from these heroes. Even if they are complete tools sometimes.
So here are three series that I absolutely adore, but I’m the first to admit that the hero is not always easy to like. Why do I root for the jerks sometimes? Because guys in white hats can be boring, and if I want to walk on the wild side, then I’ve got to be prepared for some unpredictable behavior from these heroes. Even if they are complete tools sometimes.
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19 Comments
I'm glad I'm not the only one with a penchant for heroes who need a kick in the behind!
I'm especially patrial to heroes who have to grovel at the end of the book…
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Of course, I can usually spell better than in my above post…
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I haven't read the last two, but Eric from the Void City series is hilarious! I'm with you – I love him for his flaws.
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Hi Zosia – Oh yes, groveling is good, although now that I think about it, I can't think of a single instance where any of these guys say "I'm sorry." Apologies aren't really part of their package, but hey, they'll usually threaten, maim and murder on the heroines' behalf. That's sort of romantic… in a creepy way.
Hi Brandi – I think Eric is one of those love him or hate him characters, because I've heard from readers who couldn't stand him at all, but I think he's fabulously atypical.
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"but hey, they'll usually threaten, maim and murder on the heroines' behalf. That's sort of romantic… in a creepy way."
I have to admit that – especially in a paranormal book – I can definitely go for that!
I'm planning on starting Marta Acosta’s series soon.
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Hi, Rebecca! Thanks for mentioning Ian Ducharme. I'm pretty sure he does apologize in Haunted Honeymoon. How funny that you also mentioned Eric from J.F. Lewis's series! I'm reading that right now and I do like that he's one shambling, screwed up hot mess, but also truly awesome.
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Love this post, Rebecca! I really enjoyed Happy Hour at Casa Dracula…and I agree, sometimes the "white knight" figure gets so old.
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I got inspired by your guest post and made my Vampire Wire gratuitous videos of the day a tribute to heroic characters who are also major tools.
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Rebecca, I have to agree – GWTW is one of my favorite books where neither protagonist is particularly likeable. Despite that, I adore Scarlet, she is a survivor – because of her actions, however self-serving, her family survives the Civil War and the post war nightmare. Rhett's an ass, and when he's suddenly stricken with a case of the guilts and abandons Scarlet, I'd like to kill the SOB. But at the same time, I can't help but love the rake!
But I gotta be honest, the bad boys and girls have a special place in my heart. Mel, from GWTW, drove me insane with her goodness, and Ashley Ashley was a user. Married Mellie and dangled Scarlet on the side. Far worse than Rhett, IMO.
Haven't read the other books.
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Lol great feature & I have not read any of these books, but they look fab!
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Oh, I have to mention someone I think is a major tool, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and no one ever seems to notice that his redeeming quality is…that he eventually stops being such a snob to Eliza. Yeah, he helps her family, but it's not that hard for someone so wealthy.
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Marta beat me to it – Mr Darcy is a major knob that I love. Yes, he helps out the Bennetts but I often wonder how much of his change of character is more a product of Lizzie's change of heart than an actual change on his part.
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Yep. Eric big time. I'd forgotten about Ducharme. Patch from HUSH HUSH is another contender…ohh you should turn this into a top ten list.
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Great post Rebecca. The only one I've read from your list is book 1 of the Casa Dracula series ( thanks to the DSB book club =D ) and I agree that Ian is a bit of a tool.
Thanks for the interesting take on BCC's Books We Love post.
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Since I have vampires on the brain and I am currently reading Interview With The Vampire, I would have to say that Lestat is also one of those heroes you love to hate. He's completely selfish and follows his own set of twisted rules. I wouldn't say that I love him but he always entertains.
In the romance category I would have to agree about Ian and Darcy, and they are both on my favs list. Now I am going to be stuck trying to think of more names:)
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Hi Marta – So it only takes Ian four books to admit that he's wrong? That's not bad! I'm glad you're trying Lewis's series. Eric is seriously messed up, isn't he?
I will have to come check out your videos. I can think of several big screen candidates right now. I think my favorite would be Robert Downey Jr.'s IRONMAN. His character is such an obnoxious, lovable jerk. It's kind of incredible.
Hi Julia – Ashley is such a pussy! Since I read GWTW when I was a young girl, I fell under the same spell as Scarlett, and I thought he was this untouchable, pure, white knight, but by the end I was disillusioned to find that he was just your typical horndog trying to cheat on his wife. He's a much bigger jerk than Rhett, but far less obvious. Ashley is a sneaky tool.
Hi Marta/GB – Yes, I agree, Darcy is a tool, but he does a pretty good job of redeeming himself in order to worm his way back into Lizzie's good graces. I mean, the poor guy tracks down Wickham, he lays down a load of dough, he makes him marry the sister, and then he gives his cowardly friend the blessing that he needs to marry Jane. That's a tall order of "I'm sorry," even if he never said the words.
Hi Abigail – I'd give Patch a place at this table. He was a jerky kind of hero, and I'm curious to see if he stays naughty or nice in the next installment.
Hi Jen – I didn't intend to write about unappealing heroes, but when I started thinking about it, I was like, these guys are jerks! Why do I like them?
Hi Anna – Lestat is a character that I love to hate as well. I don't see much that redeems him, but he's also the heart of the story and I find him fascinating.
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Hello,
Thanks for posting this. Already Dead seems like a type of book that I would like to read. As for the anti-hero in books, you should check out Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, he can be a real tool.
Cheers!!!
http://j9books.blogspot.com/
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Rebecca, agh, you're making me remember what I wrote. Okay, Ian does say he's sorry to Mil in book 2. as well as punish someone who hurt her. He never apologizes for having affairs, being violent, or liking fresh human blood. He's quite comfortable being a vampire. Mil is really the one jerking him around in book 3 and she never apologizes.
I still don't think Darcy's redemption is so great. The money he spends is a drop in the bucket of money he never earned, and, yeah, he kinda fixes up his best friend's relationship after he totally destroyed it and almost destroyed his friend.
I also think E. Rochester is a major douche. It's not just that he tries to marry Jane when he's already married, but that he's emotionally tortures her for fun. Yeah, I love the book though.
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Alright Marta, you're gonna make me eat my words that Ian never says "I'm sorry." The fact that he sends her thoughtful, quality gifts "just because" puts him high in my regard and totally makes up for his toolish moments though. That's so classy.
Edward is one of the cruelest bastards I've ever encountered in print, but I love that book too! Why? Why are so crazy about that story? He is absolutely horrible to Jane, and he is damn lucky that she comes back for him. He didn't deserve her.
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