You Gotta Love Broken Heroes
When I first started reading romance novels, I found myself attracted to the broken, emotionally tortured heroes—characters like Sydnam Butler in Mary Balogh’s Simply Love, and Lisa Kleypas’s Lord Westcliff in It Happened in Autumn. They were strong men, outwardly self-assured. However, when alone, they held pain so deeply ingrained.
So goes the broken heroes. There are many ways for a character to end up broken, and usually that journey isn’t the focus of the story, save for flashbacks. We understand that external forces have dealt them apparent insurmountable blows, leaving them unsure, melancholy, and in some cases, on the verge of suicide. Though they might be wealthy, of noble birth, and of extraordinary masculine beauty, only they see the glaring flaws. Flaws they want fixed, but they don’t have the fortitude to tackle the problem on their own. Enter that special person who has all the proper tools and the will to get the job done.
I’ve written my share of broken heroes, but in my newest release, For Men Like Us, I wrote two. Each has their own reasons for the despair with which they live, but their lives are inextricably connected in ways that make it impossible for one to be fixed without the other.
In romance novels, broken heroes can and should be fixed. If not, the misery lives on and makes for a very unsatisfying read. I have always believed that there is one person on this earth for each of us. Someone who is meant to fix the wrongs others have done to our lives, and in turn, we must do the same. That has been my personal experience anyway. While we’d all like to think that we can live for ourselves and don’t need anyone to “fix” things, that simply isn’t my experience. If that were true, we wouldn’t need psychiatrists, would we?
Yes, romance novels are fantasy, and I love them. I suppose loving broken heroes play to my need to fix things. As a mom, I hate seeing my children in need and will do anything to help, if I can. For me, it is a basic human need—to do no harm and to fix harm that has been done.
In For Men Like Us, Benedict Wilmot wants to right the wrong he’d done to Preston and nothing will stop him from his self-appointed duty. During the Napoleonic Wars, a superior discovered Ben and a fellow soldier in the throes of passion. As a result, Ben was tormented by the superior and was forced to commit an act so heinous, he still can’t face himself years later.
Ben is unable to dismiss it as an act of war and it haunts him, throwing his own life into insufficiency. It is Ben’s decency and his human need to fix the wrong that he inflicted, that brings him face to face with Preston. Though he can’t repair that which he destroyed, he wants to make things right, to fix Preston’s life. In doing so, he finds his own pain reflected in Preston, forcing him to examine his methods, and ultimately, to allow Preston to fix him.
In real life, fixing broken souls often entails letting go of old grudges, old relationships, old ways. It’s scary, because we are such creatures of habit. Sometimes even the bad in our lives is “safer” than seeking something different. When you do it, it feels a bit like being set adrift in unfamiliar waters, but sometimes the bad old isn’t as good as the new unsure.
My two characters, Ben and Preston, are very real to me, as I’ve known men like them. No, not in their exact circumstances, but a damaged soul is a damaged soul, no matter the cause.
Ah, the broken hero. For me, it’s the idea that strong, self-assured men can succumb to weakness without it causing complete destruction. When they tear themselves wide open, bare their souls, especially to themselves, is when I love them the most. Then, when the right person comes along and works their magic at filling the empty spaces in the character’s soul, I’m hooked. That’s what makes Sydnam Butler and Lord Westcliff live on in my literary memory.
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I am doing a tour for For Men Like Us, with Coffee and Porn in the Morning as one of my stops. At each stop of the tour, I’ll give away a copy of an ebook from my backlist to one randomly drawn commenter. (For Men Like Us, the newest release, isn’t eligible.) At the end of the tour, I’ll select one person from all of the commenters and that person will win a swag pack, containing *tons* of Brita Addams swag.
So leave your name and email addy in a comment here and then check out my Website/Blog for the tour schedule and other chances to win.
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Brita Addams grew up in a small town in Upstate New York, but has lived in the sultry south for many years. She lives with her real life hero—her husband of many years, a fat cat named Stormee. She’s surrounded by hundreds of paperback books, and has thousands of e-books on her Kindle.
Find For Men Like Us at Dreamspinner.
You can find Brita Addams here:
Email address: britaaddams@gmail.com
Twitter: @britaaddams
Heidi Cullinan
Evaine
Marie Sexton
Shawny
*sigh* Another book for my already overflowing TBR pile. The Broken Hero is my most favourite type. I too have known them in RL and I agree that connecting with the right person can mend so much! Looking forward to reading this one!
Oh yeah, broken is one of my favorites, too. Would love to win a copy.
Hi Maya, Thanks for stopping by. I love broken heroes, as you read. There is something about a guy who has the strength of a lion, but there is something that makes him vulnerable. Ben and Preston certainly have their crosses to bear.
Dorome, thank you for your comment. For Men Like Us isn’t included in the giveaway, but any of my other writings are. Sorry.
Hugs to you both.
I think we all love broken heroes–I know I do. For Men Like Us has gone straight to the top of my need to read list.
Wow – For Men Like Us looks interesting; all spent out this month but I think I’ll be buying it in the future
Thank you Virginia. I do hope you like Preston and Ben.
Hi Sarah, It’ll be there when you’re ready. Hope you enjoy it.
Just read a *rave* review of this on Guilty Pleasures…it sounds great! I usually go for more lighthearted stories, but there’s something very powerful about two broken people finding solace in each other.
vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Hi Trix,
Casey’s wonderful review certainly made me smile. For those who haven’t read it, here is the link: http://www.guiltypleasuresbookreviews.com/2012/09/review-for-men-like-us-by-brita-addams.html#more-18277
For me, it’s all about reading how the broken hero meets the heroine and their journey to finding happiness together. Plus finding out, that his brokeness wasn’t as bad as he thought and made him more loveable.
Ben has some serious issues. You’ll have to read the story to see how they are resolved. He’s a “hot mess” as my dear Poppy Dennison would say.
theponylady @ ymail . com
I was just checking that out at Dreamspinner yesterday. Your other books made my wish list, too. Looks awesome!
I am so happy you found something you liked. Enjoy For Men Like Us and thanks for stopping by.
This book sounds really good,adding to my list.
Enjoy, Cornelia. Thanks for coming by.
Had to WL it before I commented. My Bday is this Month…. thinking this would be the Perfect Prezzie for Myself. I love Tortured/Broken Heroes Especially when they can Find and help Fix each Other.
Ladystyx @spatialfrustration.com
Happy Birthday, hon.
Please count me in. Thanks!
Done. Oops, we don’t have an email address for you Giselle.
Yeah, I’ll admit to being a sucker for this kinda guy. It’s one of the reasons I love Harper Fox so much. I’m looking forward to checking out your new book. Please enter me, thanks!
I hope Preston and Ben please you. We need an email address from you so we can enter your name in the drawing.
Dang, the email is included in the details I have to type in when I post — I didn’t know you couldn’t see it!
amazondoc at mindspring dot com
Thanks!
Oh, sounds good, love historicals and MM historicals are even better – though like you, Sydnam Butler did have that certain something for me!
Backlist lists looks good too.
Suze
Littlesuze at hotmail dot com
Hi Suze. Another Sydnam fan! Excellent. He has stayed with me forever. I hope you find something that pleases you in my writings. Pres and Ben are a good place to start.
I love the cover! Please include me in the drawing.
tmadamski(at)msn(dot)com
Anne Cain did an excellent job on that cover and I love it too. When you read the story, you will understand it better. Thanks for stopping by.
Congrats on your new release! Sounds like my kind of story. Like you, I love reading about the broken hero and that one special person that can make his life meaningful again.
Thanks for the giveaway!
lkbherring64(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Lisa. Thank you for your congrats and you are most welcome about the giveaway. I totally agree with your thoughts on broken heroes. There is something about them that is super compelling.
I love the broken hero. I’ve not read any of your books, yet, but I will look for you on Dreamspinner. jillw@att.net
Thank you Jill.
Count me in please
penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com
You are in!
Sounds like a book I would love.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
Hi Sherry. I hope you like the book.
I like a good broken hero….at least as long as he gets his HEA at the end.
chellebee66 at gmail dot com
Hi Michelle. After all they go through, they deserve a happy ending, don’t they?
This sounds so good. Put it on my wish list already.
7crows.a.journey@gmail.com
Thank you Debra. Hope you enjoy it.
Yeah~ I like hero’s that are a bit broken in the beginning. it makes the end that much sweeter when they get their HEA or HFN.
Thank you for the contest! I’ll be checking out the blog tour from here on out. =D
Judi
arella3173_loveless(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hi Judi. Hope you enjoy the tour. I’m having great fun with it.
I’m game and always up for finding and reading a new author (to me, at least a new author). I’d love to be introduced to your work and if I like it…well, broken heroes certainly can be appealing.
- Sandra
isisrising08 (at) gmail (dot) com
Hi Sandra,
I think I’ve written something for just about everyone. Hope you find something you like.
I have selected the winner of a backlist book. ladystyx@spatialfrustration.com, you have won!
I will email you.
Thank you again, everyone, for coming by to leave your comments. Thanks to Evianne, Heidi, and Marie for having me spend some time here. I do hope you’ll have me back.
Hugs all around.
Oh, yes. Broken heroes. Definitely fit the ones I like best. Definitely going to have to find this one.
I added this to my wish list earlier this week, sounds great ! Please count me in !