I have to admit, I’m totally looking forward to reading Sex and the Single Earl. Did I also mention it’s The Season’s May Book Club Pick? Well yes, it is.

I love Vanessa’s post today. I’m definitely the one who would call the hero an alpha male and not a jerk. It’s fiction so I can say this, because it’s not true for real life, but I love a hero who many might consider a bit of a jerk if you defined jerk: arrogant, sarcastic, cocky, brooding…and sexy.   Vanessa thanks a bunch guest blogging today and the fabulous topic. I’m looking forward to reading the responses.

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Is One Reader’s Alpha Male Another One’s Jerk?

I’m so happy to be here at The Season, celebrating the release of my Regency-set historical romance, Sex And The Single Earl.  With a title like that, it’s pretty obvious that my hero, Simon St. James, is going to be that special kind of guy, the Alpha male.  Personally, I love the Alpha hero, the stronger the better.

The defining characteristic of the Alpha male—hero or villain—is confidence.  He has a calm conviction that he can and will overcome any problem, no matter how difficult.  And he’ll do it, too, with a combination of physical strength, intellectual smarts, and unwavering determination.  He’s a natural leader who generally expects everyone to fall in line with his plans.  If you get in his way, watch out!  He’ll either go around you or over you, whichever is easier.

And therein lies the rub.  Confidence can easily bleed over into arrogance, and it doesn’t take much of that to turn off a reader, especially if that arrogance is directed too forcefully at the heroine.

In Sex And The Single Earl, my hero is an uber-alpha.  Simon is supremely confident and sometimes more than a little arrogant.  Not that he means to be a jerk—he doesn’t.  But as the head of the family, he’s used to both calling the shots and taking care of everyone else, and over time he’s grown convinced that his methods are always best.  He especially feels that way about the heroine, Sophie Stanton.  Simon has basically grown up with Sophie, and he’s very protective of her.  But since he has known her for so long he’s not in the habit of treating her with kid gloves—especially since Sophie never has any trouble giving Simon the gears whenever she thinks he needs it.  Which is often.  In fact, when she was a child, she never thought twice about giving him a good kick in the shins whenever he annoyed her.

Sophie hasn’t changed much over the years, at least when it comes to Simon.  Given that he’s an Alpha male, Simon doesn’t like that.  He’s not above laying down the law in the hopes that Sophie will finally do what he wants her to do.  And it’s exactly that kind of bull-headed determination that can come off as arrogant.

How, then, to keep the Alpha hero from being so arrogant and controlling that he comes off like a jerk?  The answer lies in emphasizing his heroic qualities.  The true Alpha hero, of course, has a strong need to protect those he perceives as weaker than he is, or those needing his care.  The heroine usually brings out his tender qualities, even though he often resists this part of himself (a great source of conflict, by the way).  He may be manipulative at times or come off as a little domineering, but it stems from his desire to protect those he loves.

Most importantly, the Alpha hero has to learn that the heroine is a strong, independent person in her own right.  He has to learn to respect her.  That’s certainly the case in Sex And The Single Earl.  Simon would love it if Sophie did everything he wanted her to, but there’s not a hope in hell of that happening.  They clash frequently over that which, by the way, often leads to interesting situations in the bedchamber.  But, ultimately, Simon will learn to respect her judgment, and realize that Sophie is every bit his equal.  Even more importantly, he comes to realize that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Readers often have very different reactions to the Alpha male hero.  For some, the more outrageously masculine and arrogant the hero is, the better they like him—as long as that core quality to defend and protect the heroine is always present.  I’m one who believes that there is nothing sexier than a powerful, overly-confident man brought to his knees by love.

For other readers, though, that same Alpha male might come off as a jerk—too manipulative and too controlling to be attractive.  It’s truly a matter of personal taste, and sometimes that line between hero and jerk can be very thin, indeed.

How about you, dear readers?  Do you like that ultra-confident, slightly swaggering Alpha male, intent on bending the world to his will?  Or does he give you a rash, making you long to take refuge in the arms of a Beta hero? All commenters will be entered to win an autograph copy of SEX AND THE SINGLE EARL.