Tuesday, October 24

The Alpha Sliding Scale

I couldn't decide in which order to list the different type of Alphas but decided to start with the best and work down..

  • Strong/Protective--Doesn't stomp all over the heroines independence.
  • Strong/Protective/Control Freak--Likes to be in charge, but adjusts.
  • Strong/Anti-hero--Think Anne Stuart heros.
  • Strong/Protective but condescending--Likes to be in charge, smirky with a pat the little lady on the head attitude.
  • Controlling/Jumps easily to conclusions--different from the control freak because causes unneeded misunderstandings.
  • Alpha Jerk/but trainable--Strong and protecting, control freak, condescending... but learns to control the negatives, grovels nicely.
  • Alpha Jerk--Obnoxious bully, revenge seeking, needs to grovel and often.

Do those work?? Are additional categories necessary--Let me know.

Here's my original list and the rest were left in the comments, where would you put them on the Alpha Scale?

  • Clayton--Whitney, My Love, Judith McNaught
  • Rolfe--The Conqueror, Brenda Joyce
  • Graelem--Firesong, Catherine Coulter
  • Wolf, Joe, Zane Mackenzie--The Mackenzie books, Linda Howard
  • Lucky--Dark Wager, Mary Spencer
  • Richard Tiernan--Night Fall, Anne Stuart
  • Dane--Dream Man, Linda Howard
  • Sam Donovan--Mr. Perfect, Linda Howard
  • Cian MacKeltar--Spell of the Highlander, KMM
  • Dageus MacKeltar--The Dark Highlander, KMM
  • Pick any one/all of Julie Garwood's heros
  • Lachlain MacRieve--A Hunger Like No Other, Kresley Cole
  • Baran--Jane's Warlord, Angela Knight
  • "Lucky" Doucet--Lucky's Lady, Tami Hoag
  • Any and all of JR Wards heros
  • Any and all of Shannon McKenna's heroes
  • Prince Nicholas--My Dark Prince, Julia Ross
  • Lord Warrick--Prisoner of My Desire, Johanna Lindsey
  • James Mallory--Gentle Rogue, Johanna Lindsey
  • Actually pick and Lindsey--LOL.

I've read everything with the exception of Shannon McKenna and I don't remember Prisoner of My Desire, but am pretty sure I read it--back then I read Lindsey faithfully. Sometime today I'll post them to the different categories, but I'll put them in comments.

12 comments:

Tara Marie said...

Strong/Protective:
Wolf, Joe, Zane Mackenzie--The Mackenzie books, Linda Howard
Sam Donovan--Mr. Perfect, Linda Howard

Strong/Protective/Control Freak:
Dane--Dream Man, Linda Howard
Any and all of JR Wards heros
Prince Nicholas--My Dark Prince, Julia Ross

Strong/Anti-hero:
Richard Tiernan--Night Fall, Anne Stuart

Strong/Protective but condescending:
Pick any one/all of Julie Garwood's heros
James Mallory--Gentle Rogue, Johanna Lindsey

Controlling/Jumps easily to conclusions:
Clayton--Whitney, My Love, Judith McNaught
Lucky--Dark Wager, Mary Spencer

Alpha Jerk/but trainable:
Graelem--Firesong, Catherine Coulter (it takes 4 books, but he eventually turns into a pussy cat)
Lachlain MacRieve--A Hunger Like No Other, Kresley Cole

Alpha Jerk:
Rolfe--The Conqueror, Brenda Joyce

I read these, but don't really remember the heros well enough to classify:
Cian MacKeltar--Spell of the Highlander, KMM
Dageus MacKeltar--The Dark Highlander, KMM
Baran--Jane's Warlord, Angela Knight
"Lucky" Doucet--Lucky's Lady, Tami Hoag
Any and all of JR Wards heros
Lord Warrick--Prisoner of My Desire, Johanna Lindsey

Never read:
Any and all of Shannon McKenna's heroes

Bev (BB) said...

For the top of the list: Strong/protective & looking for an alpha heroine as partner - pick any/all of Stephanie Laurens heroes. Actually, just use Devil in Devil's Bride as the template for the whole lot. ;)

Yeah, I know, nobody is going to agree with me that it should be at the top but I can argue well. ;p

I'm also not sure I agree with "condescending" for Garwood's heroes. Oh, sure, there's a touch of that, at least in the beginning, but not always all the way through. What you do have on both sides is not a whole lot of understanding between the sexes in her books. :D

Kyahgirl said...

You know, as I think about the alpha heroes in books, I realize that I would really butt head with any of these guys if I met them in real life except maybe the first category.
I can't stand being around really alpha men or women for that matter!

vanessa jaye said...

Alpha's are my weakness. Even the Alpha-assh*les. lol ::shame:: I'll take an Alpha anyday over a Beta for the most part.

I agree with Kyahgirl, though, in real life the only type of Alpha I could stand is the protective one.

Tara Marie said...

Bev, I agree Laurens heros are protective, but they might have a little bit of the control freak and condescending thing going on--LOL.

Kyahgirl, I'm married to an alpha you definitely butt heads--LOL.

Jaye, my next blog will probably be about loving all those damned alphas even the Alpha Jerks--LOL, not all, but some still work for me. And, honestly the only one I could get along with in real life is the strong/protective type.

Rosie said...

TM, I think I'd put the MacKeltars and Lucky Doucet in the Strong/Protective category that's how I remember them...as they relate to their women anyway. Shannon McKenna's alphas are not a one size fits all. I think one or more of them would fit in each of your categorys.

My two cents.

CindyS said...

Okay, I'm just going to touch on the ones I've read. I would almost put Richard Tiernan from Night Fall as an Alpha Jerk - maybe trainable - he had a great reason for treating the heroine the way he did but I think the Alpha Jerk thing wouldn't leave him.

Dane from Dream Man - S/P but condescending - he will always pat his woman on their head.

J.R. Ward heroes - probably the first category although I can't tell if they are alphas or betas wearing alpha skins ;)

Lachlain MacRieve A Hunger Like No Other - this one is hard - would he be the one to jump to conclusions or would he be the jerk who needs to grovel. Interesting.

Oh and I'm adding Lucas Hunter from Slave to Sensation as a S/P Alpha - yeah, I loved him ;)

CindyS

Anonymous said...

part of me thinks that almost all romance heroes are alpha and we just need to pick one in each category that best exemplifies that persona.

Bev (BB) said...

Bev, I agree Laurens heros are protective, but they might have a little bit of the control freak and condescending thing going on--LOL.

Oh, I agree about her earlier heroes but the later ones are much better at being obvious "partners" with the heroine. Sharing lots of the same interests helps, too. Thing is, even Devil and Honoria had that but it was just buried a lot under their "titles" of Duke and Duchess.

But if you don't want to use her, then what about one of Krentz's heroes for showing strong/protective but partnership? Now to actually choose just one . . .

Anonymous said...

Ooh ooh, I was practically weaned on Johanna Lindsey!! And Kathleen Woodiwiss.

But I have a question for you.. and forgive the massive contradiction before I state it... but .. erm..

*takes a deep breath*

Can an alpha be Strong/Protective without also being any of the other bits, if he's "captured" his heroine.

Literally, I mean. Like smack off the street. In the middle of the night?

Ok..now that I see it in writing, it looks nutty.

*edges slowly toward the door..*

Tara Marie said...

Bev, just tell me which heros fit in which category and I'll list them I haven't read Laurens or Krentz in years, but both write great alpha heros.

Jane, I agree one per category will be enough but which one???

Isabella,

Can an alpha be Strong/Protective without also being any of the other bits, if he's "captured" his heroine.

Sure, but it would depend on why he was capturing the heroine and how he treats her after she's caught.

Anonymous said...

Tara Marie - Phew, I was getting scared for a minute there. ;)))