I love the tale of Beauty & the Beast except for one thing: when the beast turns into a wimpy little pretty boy prince at the end.
The thing is, I liked reading about a dark, physically unappealing man and how he woos his lady love. She doesn’t have to be a beauty either. In fact, I’ve noticed that making heroines “plain” or “not beautiful” by society standards is quite common but how often do we have plain or downright ugly heroes? Not often at all, and my recent reading and conversations with Mandi here at Smexy have inspired me to write about my love of the ugly hero.
Once she’d thought he was ugly; he still was ugly, she supposed. She just didn’t give a shit. He was who he was, and her heart fluttered in her chest and wouldn’t stop.
That is a quote from the Downside series by Stacia Kane, the heroine talking about Terrible – a mutton chop and pomade hairdo, scarred, huge, incredibly ugly man who is also the head enforcer/security/leg breaker and money collector for her drug dealer. When I started this series, I was excited to see an unattractive man as the clear hero of the piece. It’s hard not to love Terrible as you spend time with him in this series. While I think he deserves better (let’s not even get into that!) – it’s great just to see him there. A big ‘ol ugly lump of a man that would make most women scream and run in the opposite direction should they come across him.
I understand the appeal of the handsome man, the beautifully sculpted, perfectly toned, hero. Some of my favorite characters are indeed handsome. Here’s the thing though, recently I’ve read a number of books both historical and contemporary where the hero’s dreaminess is his best quality, what defines him. He doesn’t have to work hard, he doesn’t have to make us swoon with his actions because he is a hunk, and that’s all he needs to do. I’ve known men like this in real life, and while they might take your breath away at first, once you talk to them, get to know them, one of two things happen. Either they are 100% studly and their appeal increases, or more likely, the shine wears off. Getting to know or sometimes simply hearing him talk makes him less attractive, more flawed, not as appealing.
That’s why I am writing today, to give three cheers to the ugly hero.
I have limits on my ugly hero love. I’m not talking about the potato chip eating pot bellied couch potato hero here. I’m talking about the man who has had life kick his ass, the man who was not handed the golden ticket of good looks, the hard working man, and the man who’s actions and personality end up making him more handsome as you get to know him.
One of my all time favorites is the Marquis of Dain (Sebastian) from Lord Of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Here is a quote from the prologue:
His mother had bought him a number of handsome picture books. None of the people in the books looked anything like him – except for a hook-nosed, humpbacked devil’s imp who perched on little Tommy’s shoulder and tricked him into doing wicked things.
Teased and alone, Dain goes from crying boy to bully and never looks back. He laughs everything off and lets no one near, until a slip of an English bluestocking captures his attention. Here’s from their first meeting:
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed his reflection in the glass.
His dark face was harsh and hard, the face of Beelzebub himself. In Dain’s case, the book could be judged accurately by the cover, for he was dark and hard inside as well. He was a Dartmoor soul, where the wind blew fierce and the rain beat down upon grim, grey rocks, and where the pretty green patches of ground turned out to be mires that could suck down an ox.
Anyone with half a brain could see the signs posted: “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE” or, more to the point, “DANGER, QUICKSAND”
Equally to the point, the creature before him was a lady, and no signs had to be posted about her to warn him off. Ladies, in his dictionary, were listed under Plague, Pestilence, and Famine.
He was Lord Beelzebub, wasn’t he? She was supposed to faint, or recoil in horrified revulsion at the very least. Yet she had gazed at him as bold as brass, and it had seemed for a moment as though the creature were actually flirting with him.
Jessica is utterly in lust with Dain at first sight. His large muscular body makes her dizzy with wanting him, and she never once thinks him ugly. What is interesting in this book is that I believe he grew out of his “ugly duckling” phase but he never realized it, and by only living a life of ruin, of being with whores only, of having no expectation and such low self esteem he keeps himself safe from attachments or emotional pain. Here’s another quote for you:
Sweet, was he? He was a gross, disgusting pig of a debauchee, and if she thought she’d get off with merely one repellent peck of his polluted lips, she had another thing coming.
There was nothing sweet or chivalrous about his kiss. It was a hard, brazen, take-no-prisoners assault that drove her head back.
For one terrifying moment, he wondered if he’d broken her neck.
But she couldn’t be dead, because she was still flailing at him and squirming. He wrapped one arm tightly about her waist and brought the other hand up to hold her head firmly in place.
Instantly she stopped squirming and flailing. And in that instant her tightly compressed lips yielded to his assault with a suddenness that made him stagger backward, into the lamppost.
Her arms lashed about his neck in a stranglehold.
Madonna in cielo.
Sweet mother of Jesus, the demented female was kissing him back.
He has no idea what to do with Jessica’s interest, or his response to her. It makes him howl like a beast and to see him come around and get to a place of happiness in his life – well it makes this one of my all time favorites that’s for sure.
In romantic suspense it isn’t uncommon to have a military leading man with some kind of huge scar, a missing hand or foot, or some other visible reminder of the heroic life he’s led. That said, usually the man is also deadly handsome and has the heroine instantly. In Cindy Gerard’s BOI series (which I highly recommend) more than once a female meeting the BOIs comments that you must have to be incredibly good looking to be on the team. I wish she’d put a tall, dark, and ugly man on the roster.
In contemporary romance I can think of a number of romances where the man is nerdy or brainy, but he’s still always attractive. Likewise I can think of the dark brooding hero who is good looking but scary or off-putting in some way.
There is another favorite book of mine with a very ugly – actually he’s missing an eyeball and makes children scream so he avoids everyone and anyone- hero. It’s To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt, and here’s a scene where the heroine and her kids meet the man who they hope will employ her (as a housekeeper) and keep her hidden from the man (she’s a mistress) who is threatening her.
At that moment, lightning forked across the sky, close and amazingly bright. It lit the man and his familiar as if he was on a stage. The beast was tall and gray and lean, with gleaming black eyes. The man was even worse. Black, lank hair fell in tangles to his shoulders. He wore old breeches, gaiters, and a rough coat better suited for the rubbish heap. One side of his stubbled face was twisted with red angry scars. A single light brown eye reflected the lightning at them diabolically.
Most horrible of all, there was only a sunken pit where his left eye should have been.
Perhaps what I love most about the ugly hero is not only that it gives me a break from the physically perfect people, but it forces the author to explain more why there is such a true love connection here. It requires great character development and showing us little details over time on why he’s not so bad, in fact why once you get to know him he’s downright loveable.
Is it because I like to root for the underdog? Because I want to see more inner beauty? Or am I just twisted? It’s probably a little of all of the above, but I do love an ugly leading man. I would really like to see more of them, as well as an actual UGLY (not just plain) heroine now and again. I know it’s fiction and all that, but I will always love a well done ugly character more than the perfection of the pretty face and every girl’s dream kind of man.
I agree!!! Oh and please don’t forget Zadist from JR Ward’s BDB
you have me looking him back up, I always pictured him as bald + scary… but not ugly…
Oh, May, this such a great post… Ugly, hideous- those are some of my favorite, too. And how can someone not fall in love in awesomeness that is Terrible? Enforcer for a drug lord who looks like nightmare with heart of gold and impeccable manners. I dig him so much… I love Elizabeth Hoyt’s heroes exactly because they’re not always perfect- I have to mention Edward from The Raven Prince here also.
I share your love for underdogs. ::sigh::
Bring us more of them, please…!
I need to read the Raven Prince, I don’t think I have!
The Raven Prince is first book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Princes Trilogy and it’s awesome. In this book both hero and heroine aren’t usual romance book material, so that makes it all interesting. I love all of her books but this is special. Hope you’ll like it…
+1 for The Raven Prince!
Yup, The Raven Prince is fantastic. Edward is pock-marked and not pretty at all, which is one of the reasons he’s such a great hero.
But they aren’t truly ugly, right? I mean, they aren’t handsome or gorgeous, but they are powerful and interesting, and that doesn’t make them ugly, in fact, it makes them even more appealing. This is the same issue I have with nerdy heroes, just like the regular nerdy hero is hot, the regular ugly hero is also, in a way, hot, you don’t have to be pretty to be attractive and that’s my problem with these “ugly heroes”. I would love to see a hero that’s fiscally unattractive (not powerful-looking, not scarred, just plain), because in those examples you quote -and in every “ugly hero” book I’ve read- the heroines are attracted to the hero, fiscally attracted, and I would love to read a book where the hero is really, truly ugly, and the heroine has to actually get to know him in order to fall for him and see beyond his natural imperfections. So I’m with you, I prefer ugly heroes because they are realistic and make the romance more believable, but I will take it a step further and say that I want a hero that isn’t a gorgeous guy in disguise, I want the real deal, and if that means a potbellied couch potato, then bring it on! (Let’s get rid of the couch potato, though, he has to have inner qualities and being a couch potato won’t help him get the girl!)
*I meant physically, not fiscally…
Two of the examples I gave in my article I define as UGLY. No heroic qualities right up front, very unattractive (esp. faces). You would have to get to know them to find them handsome. Perhaps we have different standards of ugliness. LOL.
I do want my heroine to find him attractive – otherwise it wouldn’t work at all! But I like that with the man who is not pretty, not breathtaking or attractive to the heroine at first, there is more development there. She learns about him and he becomes attractive in his own ways… THAT is what I love about an ugly hero story.
I think we do have different standards because I think the missing eye is hot! LOLOL
I think I just want a different type of ugly. But I absolutely prefer the ugly hero, whether he is scarred or cursed or whatever, than a pretty, golden boy!
Couch potatoes and all other kinds deserve love stories too.
it forces the author to explain more why there is such a true love connection here.
Exactly. I’ve always rather have an interesting hero who, through development, becomes sexy then beautiful hero who goes through the motions.
yes, and I see too often “he’s sooooo good looking….” as if that’s enough. UGH.
well it can be if he is mute. ;)
ahahaha
this is true. As I was recently horrified to learn what the voice of a smexy man @ gym sounds like and I wish I could unhear it and his words (so bad… so bad…)… yeah.
I couldn’t agree more May. Some times you need the Ugly. After getting to know a leading hero, for me the Ugly disappears and I can see beyond the looks, and can understand why the heroine, fell in love.
Also can To Beguile a Beast, be read as a stand alone?
absolutely on stand alone!
What a awesome post May! Totally agree with you, pretty heroes are overrated! I’ve read the first two books, now I need to add “To Beguile a Beast” to my library, thanks!
I really like ‘beast’ – I hope you do toO!
Love this post.
I find the dynamics between the H/H so interesting when he is not physically drop dead gorgeous. It’s not – omg he has the hottest abs, let’s make out. What is it about the hero that catches the heroine’s eye? That makes her take pause?
It’s a little sad that I’m struggling to think of another example besides the ones you listed.
Stan in Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series is described as unattractive but he’s one of my favourites of her heroes. Great post. No one (fictional) holds a place as near and dear to my heart as Terrible, though. I think the comment made above that it forces the author to give a better love story than just insta-lust turned love is why I love the ugly heroes.
..I really wanna read the Chase book!
Anyway so true, plain heroines yes, but ugly heroes are not many.
Fantastic post! I love Terrible as well, I know he is meant to be ugly, but because I really adore his character I find it hard to picture him that way when I am reading.
I am definietly putting those books on my wishlist, I like the sound of the one eyed hero! The only other ugly or atleast plain heroes I can think of has already been mentioned: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt and Stan from the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann. Actually there is also Lucian from the Lords of the Underworld series, he is hideously scarred.
Thanks for the post!
Suzanne @ Under the Covers
Me too. Actually, sometimes I picture Terrible looking like Channing Tatum with a pompadour and really crooked nose.
Tatum is too pretty and not massive enough, not nearly… but I am cracking up picturing him like that!
This is an awesome post, May! I love an ugly hero, and not just ones that are really attractive but have a scar on their cheekbone that they think renders them hideous. Heroines, too. Maybe because the ones that aren’t coasting by on their looks have more personality? I think you’re right, though, it seems easier to find physically imperfect people in historicals than in contemporaries. I’ll keep checking in to see any more book recommendations that pop up.
The not coasting by is why I like the middle-aged stories, I think. They’re not hideous, but they don’t hide the fact life happened and their body followed along. Not everyone is going to be Carol Brady. And I like that.
I think it’s why I like the heroes (and heroines) who have a definitive physical feature that set them apart. A crooked nose that’s been broken a time or two, or a creaky knee after a tumble down the stairs as a teen. Something that shows experience and overcoming. Or burns on a face without the aid of Dr. 90210.
Great post! Don’t forget Sydnam from Mary Balogh’s Simply Love. He has been horribly disfigured after being tortured in the war. Half of his face is destroyed, and he lost an arm, etc. (which is an awful fate for an artist). That’s one of my all-time fav Beauty and the Beast books.
YESSSS. I love ugly, oxlike, beastly brute heroes. Really enjoyed Hoyt’s Raven Prince and To Bequile a Beast. Also Brockmann’s Stan, that’s another good one. Ugly men try harder! Ha.
Victoria Dahl has a historical with an ugly hero but I haven’t read it.
Now I want to read the Chase book. I’ve only tried one of hers.
Love this post. I like when a hero isn’t all that attractive because then it opens so many doors for the hero that wouldn’t be possible if his looks were the backbone of his character.
Fabulous post, May. You are speaking to my soul with this. lol.
I could truly care less about whether the hero is cast as attractive or not, since that tends to blur in my mind as I read, but I seriously crave a well developed hero. It seems like more and more I’m not finding that. You’re absolutely correct that with the ugly hero the author has to take time to build a convincing connection between the h/h to show the reader what about their personality was enough to hook the heroine. They can’t just have the heroine gush about the hero’s good looks and expect us to swallow that as a convincing reason for love.
I think this is exactly why I like the guys who start off as asses (like Dain). Just like with the ugly heroes, the author has to work harder to show why the heroine would fall in love with the hero. There has to be (or should be) character growth on the hero’s part by the end of the book, at least in regards to his attitude toward the heroine.
Those are the books I love. I wish they weren’t so hard to find sometimes.
Books with physically unattractive heroes are so hard to find. I read ones all the time that are supposed to be Beauty and the Beast type stories and they usually always cop out on the physical characteristics. I do think Zzadist qualifies though, he really is supposed to be a brute, maybe not ugly, but definitely not handsome.
The Victoria Dahl book A Little Bit Wild features a hero who is rough and not “genteel” and who agrees to marry the heroine after she is compromised with another man. Personally I really liked it. He’s totally in love with her, but she’s kind of shallow (although not mean or anything) and doesn’t see past his exterior through most of the book. The only other one I can think of is Simply Scandalous by Tamara Lejeune. I wasn’t wild about the book because it was one of those Regency farces and I didn’t find it all that funny, but I loved the hero. He was red-haired, not gorgeous, and not all that bright either.
That’s all I’ve got. For those of us that love imperfect heroes, that’s a pretty short and sad list, isn’t it.
“(let’s not even get into that!)”
Why is that? is this series (Stacia Kane’s) a love triangle? because I was going to put it in my TBR but now I don’t want to, I hate love triangles.
M.J-
SPOILERS (sort of) it isn’t really a love triangle per se, but the heroine is a hard person, a drug user who is not going to change and she does get involved with someone besides Terrible (in a physical sense only) as a result of her drug use. I can say unequivocally if you like Urban Fantasy, and want to read something different this is one of the best UF series I have ever read. The MC’s are real people with real problems that you know from the outset will not be solved in the course of the series, but you love them BECAUSE they are so real. Wonderful, gritty, realistic writing.
I would say while Chess (heroine) does love Terrible (hero) there is another man that she often has confusing feelings for. So it is a love triangle of sorts.
Thanks, confusing feelings in heroines are not my cup of tea, especially when you have a worthy heroe. And I’m kind of tired of Team A and Team B, so overrated, I don’t know, it’s not my dream to have two guys fighting for my affection, so I don’t like to read about it either.
That is a great point to bring up.
To be perfectly honest, I’m often wary of stories of ugly heroes or heroines because authors tend to make them dwell so much on it. Like when a heroine complains that she’s so fat so much so that she needs constant validation to be happy. I admire characters that ugly or no, are confident in themselves and **** the rest of them cause what they got can’t be bought.
As long as they embrace being unique and are true to themselves.
I love when the characters aren’t physically attracted to each other at first. Plain, scarred, missing an eye, whatever. Because when they realize the intimacy between them in conversation and more and how they seem to fit, it’s so much sweeter. An unlikely pair is my favorite kind of story. I totally agree that it’s a stronger connection b/c you get these perfect moments & you just know they’re meant to be. Something like this:
“She had the advantage; the dim light of the room framed him, and she remained mostly shadowed as she studied him. He doubted she had the lovelier view.
“You should see your expression,” she said softly.
“The duel one?”
“No. It’s more like . . . when a snarling dog is swatted across the nose by a kitten. Surprised and affronted. As though the natural order of things has been subverted.” He blinked. Bloody hell, but he was charmed speechless by the analogy.”
What book is that excerpt from? I like :)
What I did for a duke by Julie Anne?
Oh, Beauty and the beast tropes are among my favorites. I love damaged heroes – physically, emotionally. I loved beguile a beast for just that reason!
Great, great, great post!! And that Chase book just shot up to the top of my TBR!! I am another Terrible fan here. In my mind, he’s a really beefy, muscular Elvis impersonator… but he is one of my top heroes of all time.
Great post. Love the ‘ugly’ heroes. You’re absolutely right, the writer has to work harder to prove to the reader that the romance is real instead of the shallow, ‘He’s hawt, so I love him’.
That’s true for movies, too. I often find the ‘sidekick’ character to be much more attractive than the hot MC because I think they work harder to show depth of character as opposed to the MC who gets by on looks alone.
Nancy Madore has a great set of fairy tales for adults and in it is a B&B. I loooooved it because Beauty is actually lamenting that she wants the Beast back because the Prince is kinda boring in comparison. LOL
Heyyy finally somebody shared my equal passion! Currently I’m so Beauty and the Beast themed books. BUT I DID NOT LIKE THE THING TOO
THAT THE BEAST TURNS INTO A HANDSOME BOY AT THE END:-(
I mean whyyyy?
I can’t bring myself to love that handsome boy tbh. I love scarred heroes. And I’m looking for recomendation then I found this. THANK YOU:-)
You guys should deffiently read land of the beautiful dead by Rlee smith. Hero is very ugly and is physically damaged with gaping wounds on their body btw they’re not human. He is very confused when he realize the heroine is attracted to hI’m.
I adore Land of the Beautiful Dead! Azrael and Lan are the best. But I have to admit, just because of his personality, I found Azrael incredibly sexy. I love Ugly heroes, but I do have a limit. I don’t exactly want a hero to be balding (unless he’s the phantom) or have a pot belly like some girl said above. That just means he doesn’t take care of himself psychically.