Welcome to the Australasian Christian Writers Tuesday Book Chat, where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Who is your favourite Christian romance hero?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
When I first read this question, I thought hmm… how can I possibly answer this question? I’ve published ten Christian romances and I’m half way through writing book #11. It’s kind of like asking a parent with two or more children to name their favourite child.
I’m in the process of preparing to indie publishing my out-of-print back list books. My favourite hero will be the hero in the back list book I’m currently working on.
If I don’t like the hero, I will stop reading before I reach the end of the Amazon sample. While I read the book, it’s the hero in the story who will become my new favourite hero. I’ve never really understood the whole ‘book boyfriend’ thing, which is probably a consequence of being married to my real life hero for more than half my life.
What do you think? Who is your favourite Christian romance hero?
And don’t forget: if you’d like to participate in our weekly Book Chat by posting the question and your answer on your blog, drop us an email via our Contact page and we’ll send you the list of questions for 2019.
This is like asking which cat I like best. (I know its neither when they wake me early or break things).
I have had a few really stand out. Lori Wick’s the California series had a hero Marshall who I really Identified with and to this day remember him well. He also had a brother Gilbert to while a secondary character I felt a connection with. I love the name Gilbert and was always going to name a child this. Everyone assumed it was from Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables, it wasn’t it was from this character.
There have been others but I don’t remember names like I do Gilbert and Marshall.
Hi Jenny, The reason I’m late in replying to comments is due to the cat we adopted last weekend. She’s settling in really well and I’ll share photos in my Inspy Romance ‘Sunday Edition’ blog post on the weekend. Getting back on topic, if you can remember the hero’s name, then he’s a keeper and I’ll reread those book. 🙂
Congratulations on all those books, Narelle. I didn’t realise you’d done that many. Well done.
If I could draw a broad umbrella over Christian fiction, I’d choose Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. They make several references to God and Christian things in the book.
If I had to choose someone from a specifically Christian romance, it would be a toss-up between Adam and Marcus from Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series. Actually, Jack and Stephen from that series are pretty good too. They all love their women unconditionally (in spite of the things those women put them through!) and would protect them even to the point of laying down their lives for them. They’re perhaps a bit too perfect, but it’s nice to dream.
I agree about Gilbert Blythe, Nola, and the Christian faith element is as strong in those as in many contemporary CF novels.
Hi Nola, The first 6 were rapid released within 15 months. Many of the classics included string fiction themes because Christianity was part of their lives. I don’t remember thinking the Anne books were Christian when I was growing up. If I reread the books now, I’m sure I’d see the faith elements in the story. Dee Henderson’s O’Malley books had those larger than life and dynamic heroes who are much loved by fans of romantic suspense books. 🙂
Hi Carol, Yes, I think we can forget just how close Christianity was woven into the fabric of society a few generations ago.
Gilbert Blythe is one of my favourites as well.
I’m not a big romance reader, but I was a sucker for Jack Thornton in When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke.
Hi Elaine, yes, I think Jack’s character is a big reason why When Calls the Heart is popular. 🙂
It’s definitely a tough question! Narelle, I’m someone else who has been married for more than half my life, so I don’t get into the idea of “book boyfriends” either. But that’s not to say there aren’t some great examples in Christian fiction …
My pick is Michael Hosea from Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. He’s another man who is a shining example of unconditional love. There is a reason Redeeming Love is the top-selling Christian novel of all time 🙂
Also, Redeeming Love is about a marriage, not just a courtship. That’s what makes a great hero—the ability to stick around when things get tough. And that’s something that only comes with time.
Hi Iola, yes, Redeeming Love is a powerful love story, and also a book that polarises readers (the best books usually do this).
In real life, if a man put up with all the pain and anguish that Michael experiences in the story, we’d question why he tolerates her behaviour. But in ‘Redeeming Love’ we can suspend belief and go with the logic behind Michael’s decisions in the story. This fits the analogy of God pursuing us in the same way Michael pursues her. 🙂
Looking forward to your new book, Narelle! A favourite Christian romance hero? I agree that the O’Malley men are pretty good, especially Marcus. And I love Matt Jarreau from My Stubborn Heart. And Susan May Warren has some nice heroes in her various series. And Dillan Foster from Sally Bradley’s Kept is pretty cool. Um, I guess I don’t have a favourite!
Hi Carolyn, yes, I agree! Dillon’s character in Kept reminded me of Michael Hosea in Redeeming Love. Kept by Sally Bradley is a great example of contemporary Christian romance that’s more edgy. It’s not explicit in regards to content shown ‘on-stage’ but it’s realistic in terms of the reader knowing what’s going on behind the scenes. For those readers looking for ‘real-to-life’ Christian Romance, Kept will deliver on this, big time! I also have a book recommendation for Kept on my blog. 🙂
Congratulations on all those books Narelle. Well done!
Before I saw Carolyn’s answer I thought of the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson. Probably as I’ve read it very recently. I too favoured Marcus, possibly because my eldest son has the same name, but he was lovely and my idea of a ‘book hero’. As for non-contemporary I have always loved Gilbert Blythe. My real life hero of course, is my beloved husband.
It is wonderful to see what other people have read and enjoyed, and to discover authors I haven’t read yet. I have several of Susan May Warren’s books on my Kindle App, so this is a good reminder to get moving reading them. I also have some of Pepper Basham’s and Autumn Macarthur’s books. Any thoughts on those?
Hi Josephine-Anne, yes, definitely start reading those authors! I think I have bought on Kindle all of Autumn Macarthur’s books, and most of Susan May Warren’s (SMW) and Pepper Basham’s books. I have SMW print books on my shelves as well. In Solo Tu, there’s a scene Autumn and I co-wrote that is in Sienna’s viewpoint in Solo Tu (Book 7) and Rachel’s viewpoint in Autumn’s Dolce Vita (Book 8) in A Tuscan Legacy series. 🙂