u/JessicaTrent

Okay, not literally. But that's how they described the character of Riley Finn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and he was always my big crush on that show. I just always had disdain for the bad boy archetype (Spike from Buffy, Jess from Gilmore Girls, Damon from The Vampire Diaries) and was more interested in the boy scout. Riley Finn is basically the perfect example of that (you know, before the character assassination). If he's matched with a heroine who pushes his buttons and gets him to act out of character, even better.

I am a little wary about posting this request, because I think it's mostly going to turn up recs that I'm not too interested in: cozy, fluffy, small town romances. I'd much prefer the MMC to live in a less wholesome and less idealized world than that. It doesn't have to be dark by any means, just not cutesy.

Some examples off the top of my head:

{Demon Angel by Meljean Brook}

{Deliver by Pam Godwin}

{Corinne by Rebecca Morrow}

These aren't perfect examples, because I think the boy scout character should be a little sweeter than these MMCs, but it's the best I've got for now. {Unclaimed by Courtney Milan} also comes to mind, but I'm not really looking for a pious or virginal MMC per se. I'm not opposed to it in theory, but that type of MMC might end up being too strait-laced.

For years, my answer to this question was Heated Rivalry, but I've come to the conclusion that the search is futile. Looking for a hockey romance, or enemies to lovers, or a rivals to lovers romance won't get you close to what you're looking for. Rachel Reid's recipe is its own thing and can't be replicated.

The other book I always think of is Pictures of You by Leta Blake. If I told you this story had me in the pits of despair, it still wouldn't convey how much of the main charater's heartbreak I felt as if it were my own. It never came across as manufactured angst; it's real, it's human, and it's achingly grounded in reality. I even felt sympathy for the person who was the cause of so much anguish for our main character. I understood his choices, selfish as they were, and I ended the series wishing that I could read about a grown-up version of him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it happens one day.

Which MM romances make you feel this way?

In a lot of RH romances, there's at least one guy who takes an extreme dislike to the FMC, even if the rest of the harem is into her. He's mistrustful or just downright sadistic. Mistreatment, mental torture, maybe even physical violence ensues. Eventually he's going to end up on the same page as the rest of the harem, but first he's going to be an asshole about it. You know the drill.

What I'm looking for is a female main character who wasn't able to brush off his treatment of her, and she's still scared of him even after he has a change of heart and tries to woo her. It's not about wanting him to grovel, wanting revenge, or giving him a taste of his own medicine. Her mind and body are still in survival mode around him and all she knows is that he's dangerous to her safety. Maybe explorations of PTSD? It would also be great if at least one of the other MMCs supports her through this.

Any sub-genre is fine. With or without MM is fine. I'm less thrilled about pregnancy, but it's not a dealbreaker as long as it's not a major part of the book.

Thank you!

Or hypothetical year book quote if you want to be less morbid.

I thought this was going to be easy, but I've been sitting here flipping through my copy of Lord of Scoundrels and finding it impossible to choose. Please entertain me with your selections.

I'm trying not to DNF as much anymore, but these authors aren't making it easy.

I've already looked past the FMC saying shit like "I. Am. Here. For. It." (I just know she wanted to use the clapping hands emoji)

I've decided to ignore the fact that her internal monologue has its own internal monologue.

I'm supressing my gag reflex every time I have to read the words "shadow daddy" because, hey, you do you.

However.

This is where I draw the line:

> A spicy scene from one of my favorite why choose books pops into my head

I recoiled so fast I'm surprised I didn't pull a muscle. The first-person narration already feels like I'm reading someone's social media feed instead of prose that's actually crafted. Trying to go meta on top of that? I can only think of it as an unfortunate series of mistakes stacked on top of each other. We're only at 5%, babes, how much worse is it going to get? 😭

For example, if the MMC is courting a particular woman, the FMC fabricates a story about him secretly being broke, and the woman or her family lose interest in him as a suitor.

Her motivations for doing this don't matter. Maybe she wants him for herself, maybe she's just looking for revenge, I'm happy with whatever (though revenge is more fun).

I specified Historical Romance because reputation would matter a lot more to the characters, but I'm also open to other genres.

Thank you!