The Allure of the Alpha

Do you love alphas or hate them? Are they a turn on or trigger? Do big strong domineering, demonstrative men give you hives or make you hot? Either way, everyone has a visceral reaction to them. Since I lose my mind over sexy Scottish lairds, I’m firmly in the “loving alpha men” category. But the book ones, right? An alpha man in real life I’d probably have killed. There’s a bit of independence I’d have to give up that I doubt I could. But they’re really fun to read.

When most people say alpha they mean the Romance one, the werewolf king who will sacrifice anything for his mate without question. That’s the one we all love to read. But since we can’t all live in a paranormal universe with vampires and shifters like Anita Blake, we get our alpha men in the form of military men, all the guys who carry badges, secret agents, firemen, private detectives, craftsmen, and conversely there are mobsters, thieves (think Robin Hood), and criminals who do bad things for good reasons. Normally, these guys are a bit jaded, growly, grouchy, gorgeous and mono-syllabic. There’s a lot of grunting, squinting, scowling and barking out orders or bickering with the love interest. But we love them. We adore them because they are always ready to step in and take care of the situation with brain or brawn, they will shield the person they love from all harm if at all possible, and they love deeply and desperately and are all in—once they fall—until their dying breath. It makes them ridiculously hot and romance novels are, not surprisingly, full of them.

A true alpha is still always a gentleman but once permission is given…it’s all over. There’s care and love in an alpha but also quite a bit of bossiness. Normally their mate has to work around them, gently, until the alpha comes around and agrees that talking is better than punching or shooting. Most of them are armed in one way or another. He’s the kind of guy you love to read about or watch in movies, but living with one might not be the easiest thing in the world. But this is romance after all, not real life. I love the alpha guy, love to write them, love to read them and so here are some wonderful examples.

Jamie Fraser from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Can you say kilt?

Kane Morgan from Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford
Mesmerizing!

Jack Turner from The Soldeir’s Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian
Scandalous!

Nathaniel Hawkins form My Fair Captain by JL Langley
Take me to Englor!

Sloane Brodie from Hell & Highwater by Charlie Cochet
Growly, brooding and so hot!

Alec Kincaid from The Bride by Julie Garwood
Be still my heart!

Gaidres from The Gladiator’s Master by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe
Swoon!

Iain McLaren from Men In Kilts by Katie MacAlister
That brogue!

Wrath from Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
The ultimate alpha!

Mary Calmes has a freebie out right now! Go here to grab it .

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, you’re all invited to spend some time with my marshals. I put a short novella on Instafreebie of Miro and Ian having dinner with their boss Sam Kage and his husband, Jory Harcourt. What could possibly go wrong?

I hope you all enjoy it and I hope you all have a wonderful, shmoopy, candy and flower filled day.

And her next release, book four in her Marshal series, Twisted and Tied, releases March 13. 

Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones finally has everything he ever wanted. He’s head-over-heels in love and married to the man of his dreams, his partner Ian Doyle, he’s doing well at work, and all his friends are in good places as well. Things are all tied up nicely… until they’re not.

Change has never been easy for Miro, and when situations at work force the team he’s come to depend on to break apart, and worst of all, his and Ian’s individual strengths put them on two separate paths, he’s pretty certain everything just went up in smoke. But before he can even worry about the future, his past comes for a visit, shaking his world up even more. It’s hard to tell what road he should truly be on, but as he learns some paths are forged and others are discovered, it might be that where he’s going is the right course after all. If he can navigate all the twists and turns, he and Ian might just get their happily ever after. 

Helyce is a huge fan of Mary’s and you can read some of her reviews here. Head to Mary’s website for more information.