Free Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell

wealth, and a really big house. All major romance attractors, by all the evidence. Especially the house.”
    You could write an entire book on heroism based on Miles alone, I think: a hero that has many, many fans among science fiction and romance readers alike, who is wealthy, titled, surrounded by intense family, and exceptionally short and scarred while the standard of beauty in his world is to be tall and flawless. On the outside, Miles is the opposite of the heroic archetype; inside, he is the quintessential hero, particularly due to his capacity to care for others. As Bujold puts it, “One must also reflect on the possibility that the standard model for a romance hero is just plain wrong, or at least mistaken in what is essential…”
    Author Darlene Marshall sees Miles, his father Aral, and the other characters in Bujold’s series similarly: “They’re human and they make mistakes, but they rise to the occasion and most of the time act with honor, integrity, and a deep and wide ocean of caring for the people around them.”
    That is some heroism right there.
    ROARKE
    The In Death series
    By J. D. Robb/Nora Roberts
    Roarke is one half of a couple whose slowly developing relationship has spanned over forty books in the In Death series by Nora Roberts, writing as J. D. Robb. Roarke is an enigma: a ridiculously wealthy man with power and farreaching influence, Roarke has lived on both sides of the law, which makes his relationship with detective Eve Dallas very tricky at times. Both Eve and Roarke have a tortured backstory that is revealed in tiny bits with each successive book, and Roarke’s determination to care for the exceptionally prickly and independent Eve has created quite a following among romance fans.
    Readers adore Roarke. As Nina-Mary writes, “What woman doesn’t want a man who accepts her as she is, and confronts and understands her demons.” R.J. says that “If Roarke only did one thing to make me love him, it would be how he holds Eve after she has a nightmare. Eve will take solace in his arms for just the bare minimum of time, until she is just barely under control, and then she pulls away. But Roarke doesn’t let her go! He continues to hold on to Eve until she is calm, but also until he himself is calm. He absolutely, 100 percent needs Eve; without her, he is empty.”
    R.J. also points out one of Roarke’s most appealing factors—he changes his life and his motivations because of Eve: “Roarke also makes a similar transformation from being the big man on the opposite side of the law from his love to helping his love who stands firmly on and for the law. The reformed man is seductive, but only when the man makes the choice to change for his love, not when the partner works so hard to change him. The change is possible when the love he has for his partner is stronger than the desire to thieve, when he loves her/him more than he loves his previous life.”
    What is noteworthy about Roarke and also Miles Vorkosigan is that they are heroes in ongoing series with each book culminating with a “happy-for-now” ending, not a “happily-ever-after.” The investment on the part of the reader in the slow growth and character development over what could be a few years’ worth of books is definitely true to life in many respects.
    DAVY DEMPSEY AND PHIN
    Faking It
and
Welcome to Temptation
    By Jennifer Crusie
    Crusie writes great dialogue, and with it men who are smart, confused by women, and yet not eager to embrace any of the stereotypical portrayals of baffled, clueless men. Davy is a con artist, or, as J. B. Hunt says on the website, “a con artist with a heart of gold. Life would never be boring with Davy.” Rudi also likes Davy, in part because she likes the reformed/reforming bad boy, but also because, “I have learnt from my reading that I never really like or trust the bad boy who starts reforming because he’s in love with the girl. He needs to have already taken steps for himself, by