I’m a fan of the show Supernatural. Like, a serious “I only started watching the show last fall but have since caught up to the current (10th) season” kind of fan. On top of that, my Pinterest is covered with pics of Sam, Dean, and Cas and I even created a Twitter account just to stalk follow SPN-related accounts.
Yeah, it’s a problem.
Anyway, I came across this little “tournament” from Eonline, Alpha Male Madness 2015, where TV tough guy hotties go head to head for top Alpha status. Or something. But with all three members of Team Free Will on there, of course I voted. Important stuff, you know? But it got me thinking, sexy or not, these guys are a bit of a mess. Especially my favorite and Alpha Male 2014 title holder, Dean Winchester. He’s hardly the picture of emotional stability, let alone good relationship material.
Dean is dangerous, brooding, and damaged, but he’s also fiercely loyal with major protective instincts. Oh yeah, and pretty easy on the eyes, too. Not unlike some of my favorite heroes in romance. Which brings my back to the subject of this post, something that comes up again and again while discussing the genre with other fans.
Why do so many of us go for the bad boy alphas in fiction, when so few of us would actually consider that a good choice in real life?
I’ve heard numerous reasons, and most seem to circle back to the idea of romance novels as a form of escapism. Books provide the reader a respite from everyday life, and many romances offer the promise of a happily ever after, which for some, can be elusive in reality. While reading, one can “experience” everything from motorcycle club turf wars to vampire attacks to a night in a billionaire’s Red Room, all while safely tucked away with your eBook or paperback. And of course, the uber-masculine hero only has eyes for the heroine as they encounter the story’s trials and tribulations.
So all in all, it’s a good deal. You get the best of both worlds–the risk and passion of fiction, in the (relative) safety of your own surroundings. After all, hot mess book boyfriends and all their baggage belong in books. I’m more than happy just to read about their drama and eventual HEA’s; it’s safer that way!
Rachel Chanticleer 
For some of us, we actually married the book boyfriend, but it takes a certain kind of woman to make that kind of commitment. My family, immediate and distant, is full of Alpha males. My dad is so much an alpha that he had a whole neighborhood gossiping about the federali in the last house on the block…he wasn’t even in law enforcement! We lived in a rough neighborhood, but his status kept me and my siblings safe. i could wander that neighborhood with zero fear because of him. He wasn’t a violent man. In fact, the only fights he ever talks about getting into were ones he “lost” (he lost because he wouldn’t fight back). It is the air of confidence, the way he projects himself, the manner with which he deals with other males that makes him an intimidating Alpha.
And I married an alpha with a lot less discipline than my dad had in his younger years. My alpha won his fights, and dropped out of high school to go work (and made it all the way to retail store manager without his GED). My alpha kicks up dirt and paints his tires with mud, and scares the living daylights out of the neighborhood women who see a threat instead of the man who he is–a man who stops for every broken down vehicle and helps, a man who gives endlessly to help the needy, a man who takes our daughter on dates so that when she does start dating other men, she knows what she should expect.
Oh my, I just went on and one here. I was just going to say that your post was wonderful and made total sense and then I starting thinking, and then you got a stream-of-consciousness comment…sigh
I love the men in my family, even if they intimidate the hell out of others.
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Wow, this made me smile! Thank you so much for sharing–it’s great to hear your perspective. Your dad and husband sound awesome. That’s the stuff alpha male book boyfriends are made of. (Bet they have some amazing stories, too.)
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I have spent my life sitting with my dad, listening to his stories, and now I get to do that with my husband! 🙂 I do so enjoy listening, and yes, they very much influence the book boyfriends I write.
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Oh, Dean ! You forgot to mention his voice ^^ I think you’re right, but like Jen, I chose to live with an alpha – not a bad boy completely, but he rides a bike and does intimidate people who don’t know him. He’s got temper yet so have I, so we’re getting along just fine, I wouldn’t like to live with a sap and he wouldn’t like to live with a doormat, lol 😉
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Hi Iza! There are definitely different levels of “bad boys” out there, and it sounds like you found your perfect match. 🙂
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There was an old country song summed it up. Ladies love outlaws. Most prefer to keep them in our fiction books though.
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Well said. 😉
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