Creating an utterly delicious romantic lead is always a challenge for a romance writer. Either the hero is Alpha or Beta but each male type must possess heroic qualities. He must be handsome, humorous, honorable, adventurous, smart, loving, romantic, and must have the ladies conjuring up sinful thoughts.
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He could be the rake who dances with the wallflower at Almack's, a cowboy who swoops up the heroine and rides into the sunset, the solider who defends his nation and looks dishy in his uniform.
He's the man that wouldn't let anything stand in the way of protecting his lady love. He'd profess those three little words, albeit after a struggle, but his love is never in doubt to the heroine.
Now people say that a man like that doesn't exist and never could outside the pages of a romance novel. I disagree. The retort would no doubt be, "Name one."
Patrick Swayze. 
He was a hero--whether in Ghost, North vs. South, Dirty Dancing or The Outsiders, and in real life, loving one woman for 34 years, he was the perfect romantic lead.
I certainly fell for him when I first saw him in The Outsiders. I never finished reading the book because my pre-teen self knew that the book didn't have all the cute boys. I, much like other girls, wished I was Baby. I wept in Ghost and cheered when he protect his love. Though, those characters are memorable, the greatest thing about Patrick was his realness--his charms that outweigh his flaws. And when others speak of their love for Patrick Swayze, all I can say is Ditto.
Do you have a romantic hero in your life? And what do you look for in the perfect hero--flaws and all?
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