Thursday, January 21, 2016

Bad boys and alphaholes #1

I've been reading a lot of alphaholes recently and have fallen in love with them, and then I read a bad boy and I thought about how my dear friend Bambi (whom I talk about way too much!) loves a good bad boy. I've always been alphahole over bad boy, but Bambi says otherwise. Of course, I couldn't resist and had to ask her to answer some questions for me about the bad boy phenomenon.

So many romance readers love a bad boy, as evidenced by all the bad boy books out there. If you search "bad boy romance" on Amazon, you get search results for 9,500+ books returned to you in the search. That's a lot of books!

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Photo credit: nettsu via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Here's what Bambi had to say:

Why do you love a bad boy?
Bambi:  It's all about the fantasy. The forbidden. Due to my job, I am really no longer a candidate for a bad boy. So it falls in line with that whole "you want what you can't have" scenario. When I was younger, other than the forbidden aspect, I liked the bad boys because they tended to be a bit more "tough guy" - and that has always been who I am attracted to.  I like a man's man: alpha, dominant, protective, possessive, etc.

Why not a nice guy instead?
Bambi:  In my experience, nice guys tend to be less-dominant personalities. Pushovers. I would consider myself a Type A personality or an alpha female, if you will. So I need to be paired with that strong personality to keep me from walking all over them. I don't want to rule the relationship. Once I am done working, I am ready to give up the "in charge" persona.

Do you think a bad boy is the same as an alphahole?
Bambi:  No.

If not, what's the difference?
Bambi:  An alphahole is an alpha male who is an asshole. He treats people (and his woman) like crap. A bad boy can be "bad" in many different ways, but it doesn't require him to be an ass to everyone. He could be a biker, a tattoo artist, a musician - its about the perception and his persona. Bad boys are rebels, they don't conform to society's perfect square box. But just because they have tattoos or drive bikes doesn't mean they are alphaholes. Take Kristen Ashley's bikers - none of them are alphaholes, but all are alpha males with dominant personalities. They aren't alphaholes because they treat their women right and are loyal to their brothers.  Compare that to Caleb in Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. Caleb is a bad guy, part of a human trafficking ring, that treats the heroine horribly at every turn. He is the definition of alphahole to me. (Though I still loved the story - I just wouldn't want a Caleb in my life.)  Then you have some stories that cross the divide like King and Lawless by T.M. Frazier.  Her heroes start out as alphaholes but go through a transition or redemption by the end.


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So for you, bad boy or alphahole?
Bambi: Bad Boy.  I don't know why anyone would seek out an alphahole.

Would you want a bad boy in real life?
Bambi: Maybe. As I said before, my job keeps me from certain types of bad boys now. None that play fast and loose with the law are going to be welcome in my life. But a tough-as-nails biker or a rebel tattoo artist would be fun.  Of course, I would also welcome a cop, an athlete, or a country boy. As long as they are manly and have a dominant personality, I am all in.

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Photo credit: @Tuncay via Visualhunt / CC BY

Have you had any experiences with them?
Bambi:  Yes. I have had plenty of bad boy and alphahole experiences. They are in the past for a reason.

Who are your favorite bad boys (in the books you've read)?
Bambi:  Tack in Motorcyle Man by Kristen Ashley, Luke Stark in Rock Chick Revenge by Kristen Ashley, Deacon by Kristen Ashley, Raid by Kristen Ashley, Cameron in Crow's Row by Julie Hockley, Alexsandr in The Professional by Kresley Cole, Tate in Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley, All the guys in the Chaos MC series by Kristen Ashley.





What would your mama say if you brought home a bad boy?
Bambi: She is pretty used to it, so it would depend on the type of bad boy I brought home.


The next installment of this series is going to be about alphaholes from an author's perspective. Stay tuned!

So what do you think? Do you love a bad boy? Or do you prefer an alphahole?



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2 comments:

  1. Now this has me in the mood to read another bad boy... but I don't think I have any scheduled until next week. Gah!

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