{"id":6106,"date":"2011-03-03T08:58:05","date_gmt":"2011-03-03T13:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theseasonforromance.com\/wordpress\/?p=6106"},"modified":"2011-03-03T08:58:05","modified_gmt":"2011-03-03T13:58:05","slug":"the-scarred-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/03\/the-scarred-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scarred Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scarred heroes in contemporary romance<\/strong><\/span> by Kat Latham
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The last week of December, I celebrated my final few days of holiday by dipping into the pile of books I\u2019d bought myself for Christmas. Completely unintentionally, the two books I read were both contemporaries with scarred heroes.<\/p>\n

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Click for review and book details<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first, Edge of Sight<\/strong><\/span> by Roxanne St. Claire, is a sexy, exciting romantic suspense with one of the hottest heroes I\u2019ve read about. He and the heroine have a history together, but in their years apart he\u2019s suffered horrifically and it\u2019s kept him from contacting her. To say anything more would spoil parts of the plot, so instead I\u2019ll quote the back cover copy, which describes Zach as \u201ca Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he\u2019s\u00a0 both courageous and flawed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Click for book details and buy links<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second, NEVER TOO HOT<\/strong><\/span> by Bella Andre<\/strong><\/em>, is a very steamy contemporary single title starring a wounded firefighter. The reader finds out about Connor MacKenzie\u2019s scars in the first paragraph, so I don\u2019t think it\u2019d spoil anything to say his hands and arms were burned and he\u2019s had skin grafts which continue causing him terrible pain and discomfort.<\/p>\n

In Bella Andre\u2019s book, the scars are a mark of heroism but also a sign that the hero\u2019s future plans are damaged beyond repair. Connor is desperate to get back to firefighting because it\u2019s all he\u2019s ever imagined doing, but doing so would mean not having a future with his heroine.<\/p>\n

In Roxanne St. Claire\u2019s, the scars Zach carries are a constant reminder of a decision he made that cost the men who trusted him far more than it cost him. When he is asked to protect his heroine, he has good reason to doubt his abilities.<\/p>\n

Scars are used for so many reasons in romance, but as I think back over my twenty years of reading romance it seems like characters\u2014particularly men\u2014suffer more and more. Back in the early 90s, contemporary heroes sometimes had a scar slashed across their cheeks, probably to make them sexier instead of being a physical manifestation of their emotional torment. Now, contemporary men can be missing body parts, or even sacrifice them while protecting their lover.<\/p>\n

I can only think of one contemporary romance I\u2019ve read recently that featured a terribly scarred heroine: the amazing Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight. (If you love unusual, deeply emotional contemporary romance, please do yourself a favor and read Butterfly Tattoo. It\u2019s one of my favorite books.)<\/p>\n

Although I don\u2019t seek out scarred characters, gut-wrenching contemporary romance is my favorite thing to read so I\u2019d love to know what you think about characters who might make other people stare.<\/p>\n

Are we living in darker times? Do scarred characters reflect the popularity of military characters and the fact that many militaries around the world are engaged in fighting wars right now? Or are authors upping the ante to create more emotional, more gripping stories? Do you feel more sympathetic toward scarred characters because of all they\u2019ve survived?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, any books you can recommend? Comment and enter to win Deirdre Martin’s ICEBREAKER.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Click to read review & book details<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Kat Latham<\/strong> has been reading romance for a couple of decades. With degrees in English lit and human rights, she loves stories that reflect the depth, humor and emotion of real life. When she\u2019s not writing contemporary romance novels, she can usually be found blogging or tweeting overly personal information. She loves meeting other readers and writers online, so follow her on Twitter<\/a> or check out her blog<\/a> and say hello!<\/p>\n\n

\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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