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Kati asked a very interesting question over on her blog. Now I can't remember it word-for-word, but she was basically asking if we prefer heroes who figure out the heroine is theirs relatively quickly or if we prefer the story to focus on the heroes figuring they're in love at the end of the book.
I was going to respond, but comments wouldn't work for me, so I decided to talk about it here.
My thoughts on that are a bit complicated. In some ways I do prefer the hero to know almost immediately that the heroine is the woman for him right away, because as Kati said, we can focus on the relationship as it evolves. However, there are times when the story works best that the hero doesn't figure it out until the end. I've got some thoughts on both.
For me, one of my all-time favorite books is Years by LaVyrle Spencer. It is the coming-of-age story of Linnea Brandonberg and her tempestuous relationship with Theodore Westgaard. Throughout the first half or so of the book, there is an attraction between the two of them, but Theodore fights it tooth & nail. He has legitimate reasons as to why he feels that way & he refused to act on his attraction to her. It's not until a pretty significant turning point that he realizes that she is the right woman for him and that's when the story really heats up.
And then there are books where the hero knows immediately that the heroine is his. Kati mentioned Lucas from Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation. Basically all of the changeling heroes in Nalini's books know that their women are theirs immediately. It all has to do with smell and instincts. In some ways I find that very sexy. It's the women who fight the attraction and don't want to admit there's something there.
I always appreciate the give and take in a relationship. It's what makes reading about the relationship so fun, in my opinion. It's the witty repartee, the looks, touches and other things that make you realize there's more going on under the surface.
Sometimes those immediate "You are mine" stories work the best, but sometimes the "I don't love you, but I want you" books work even better. It's a sticky conundrum, but one I love. :)
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1 comments:
I'm not sure if you saw my comment on Kati's blog, I quite like the early imprinting of the hero. I'm a definite fan of the soulmate storyline :) Saying that, just because a couple both realise and acknowledge their connection doesn't mean the development of the relationship will be easy. The couple won't 'know' each other, at least initially, so something I like to see is that development from 'one plus one' to 'two' (if that makes sense).
Nalini's Changeling heroes are a good example. They know, as you said, by scent and...instinct?...which woman is their mate. However, the heroine doesn't. (FYI - I'm interested to see how Nalini has writen Mercy in Branded By Fire as you would think Mercy's imprinting would also be instinctive...) I like to see how the heroine's relationship with the hero develop. I need to see those steps towards acceptance, trust, love. If the heroines just goes 'yup', that I don't believe. While I love the soulmate storyline, just because a couple are soulmates doesn't mean everything is perfect. Hopefully, all of the above makes sense :)
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