When the vampire craze first happened, I kept clear of it for about ten years. Although I happily devour almost all forms of genre literature, something about those ridiculous covers and over-the-top titles turned me off. A book called Dark Lover? Or True Blood. Really?
Eventually I decided to dip my toe in the water simply because I didn’t think I could be a professional within the romance industry and remain ignorant of a genre that was burning up the bestseller lists. So I started with Karen Marie Moning’s Darkfever.
Oh my. After reading Darkfever, I get it. I got it so much I spent about a year devouring a ton of paranormals, from vampire to shape shifters, werewolves to time travelers. They were wildly different in setting, tone, and sophistication, but one thing was almost constant. The hero was always smoking hot.
He was dark, rugged, and masterful. These guys represent unbridled emotion, packaged in a dangerous, powerful man whose confidence leaps off the page. More often than not, the heroes of these novels have an inexplicable weakness for the heroine, which is another bonus. Even when the hero’s fascination with the heroine seeps over into stalkerish territory (and I’m talking about you, Edward Cullen) there is something terribly appealing about bringing a powerful man to his knees. Having the local kid at the 7-11 worship you? Meh. Having the stormy, powerful vampire willing to die for you? Yes, please.
With the exception of urban fantasy, most of these paranormals feature a dominant hero paired with a fairly innocent, naive heroine. These women are inevitably overwhelmed by their other-worldly heroes, who barge forward and take what they want without saying ‘please.’ The reader forgives him because it is a fantasy. The rules are simply different for these guys. By his very nature, the paranormal hero is untamed. Wild. He is force of nature that has no respect for rules or politically correct etiquette.
Although some readers are repulsed by these ultimate Bad Boys, most are willing to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. We are willing to accept behavior from a paranormal hero we would never tolerate in a novel that aims to be more true to life.
What does this say about us as women? I suppose I should feel guilty for my occasional foray into the paranormal world, but nope…. I don’t. I am a big fan of suspending disbelief for a few hours.