A question popped into my mind the other day: Why do Harlequin Mills and Boon books only exhibit a certain type of hero? It came to me after reading an interesting post at Romancing the Blog, ‘Let’s hear it for the blonds’:
http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2007/05/10/let%e2%80%99s-hear-it-for-the-blonds/
Basically, the writer of the blog, Alyssa Hurzeler, is asking why we don’t often get to read about the blond hero? It got me thinking she’s got a point. Most of the Harlequin Mills and Boon heroes I read about are tall, dark and a little arrogant, like modern day Mr. Darcys.
Currently we have titles like:
* The Greek Tycoon’s Virgin Mistress
* The Sicilian’s Hot Revenge
* Kept by the Spanish Billionaire
All Mediterranean men, all in positions of power.
We never get to hear titles such as:
* Seduced by the Swede
* Bought for the Dutchman’s Bed
* In the Arms of the Austrian
Or what about the books where the hero’s profession is prominent:
* The Italian Doctor’s Perfect Family
* The Soldier’s Seduction
* The Runaway and the Cattleman
* The Bodyguard Contract
We never get to see titles like:
* The Dane’s Dysfunctional Family
* The Prodigal Plumber
* Swept off her feet by the Dustbin man
* The Runaway and the Bricklayer
Of course, you’ve gathered by now that the alternative titles I’ve suggested are very much tongue-in-cheek!
But why do almost all the British Harlequin Mills and Boon books at the moment only appear to have Mediterranean heroes?
British author, Betty Neels, broke the mould with her Dutch heroes. [Betty was a nurse who married a Dutch doctor]. But even when Betty’s books were in print they didn’t mention anything about a Dutchman in the title. They were usually titles like:
Sister Peters in Amsterdam or Nurse in Holland, but more frequently, her books would have titles like A Christmas to Remember or The Promise of Happiness. You’d have to peek inside to discover the Dutch connection
Sadly, Betty died in 2001, and although she broke the mould herself with her writing, I think she was pretty unique. All the books I’ve read that were written by her, have only included the heroine’s point of view and yet they seem to work. Nowadays, we usually get the hero’s point of view as well. Her books are still in print today, a testament to how loved as an author she was and still is. See here:
So, what do you think? Would you like to see a different sort of hero in a Harlequin Mills and Boon book, or are you more than happy with Modern day, Mediterranean Mr. Darcys? And if you would like to read about a different sort of hero for a change, what sort would he be?
