Vanilla-Flavored Alpha Males

 

by Candace Blevins

As someone who only enjoys BDSM, and not vanilla sex, the male heroes in most mainstream fiction do nothing for me. There are some exceptions -- Curran from the Kate Daniels series, Roarke from the In Death series, several of the alpha males in the Psy-Changelings series, and Vlad in Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress / Night Prince series. Actually, there are a whole lot of vampires who get my blood pumping, but since most of them feed when they have sex – tying pain into sex –- this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Roarke and Eve may not have a power exchange relationship, but they’re both very powerful – at times one chooses to let the other lead, while at times one of them forces the issue and leads whether the other likes it or not; not too often, but they both have a temper, and they’re both used to being in control. Best of all, both enjoy rough sex, where Roarke occasionally comes out with an Irish "You'll take what I give you, then," as he takes her.

As for Kate and Curran... both are powerful as well. I think sometimes Kate scares Curran with what she can do with magic, but this is balanced out when he has to rescue her and then see she’s put back together again. It's also a bit of a see-saw with them as to who will call which shots and who’ll take the back seat. Or, maybe with this couple it's more tug-of-war than see-saw. It works, though, and I find myself fascinated by Curran in so many ways.

Nalini Singh’s alpha males in the Psy-Changelings series are the perfect mix of caretaker and bossy alpha Dom. Best of all, her women are just as strong, but in a different way. Come to think of it, the women are strong in all of the series I like best. Guess it’s no surprise I enjoy writing strong women who submit to even stronger men, right?

You can visit Candace on the web at www.candaceblevins.com and www.kinkyeverafter.com.

Discuss her Safeword series on our blogs in the Dungeon.

The Safeword series is available at Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.com.

Contest Time:  Win an Ebook: winners choice of either of the Davenports! (Click Here for an Excerpt)
 Candace has posted a great discussion question.  Every post counts as an entry, so come back and post as often as you like.  Names will be chosen by an online name randomizer.  Be sure to leave contact info so we can tell you when you win.  Drawing closes at midnight Friday, February 8th (Central Standard Time). 

Are there any vanilla Alpha Male characters in mainstream fiction who especially work for you?

What do you think makes a mainstream character attractive to those of us normally only attracted to Doms?