Alpha-male vs. Alpha-hole romance heroes: Why one of them HAS TO GO

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ot too long ago, I asked for recommendations of reads with great alpha-male heroes. I was shocked to get some recommendations for books that’d I’d actually read and 1-starred. Those books contained what I call the alpha-hole—a curdled, sour blend of a regular alpha-male, and an asshole. What’s the difference? Glad you asked.
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What’s an alpha-male romance hero?
An alpha-male romance hero is a strong, confident, take-no-shit kind of guy. He’s protective and utterly focused on taking care of the woman he loves (in every way possible, if you get my meaning. Wink-wink). He might get a little jealous from time to time, but he’s never disrespectful of his lady because he’s just as protective of her heart as he is her body. Alphas might not be the greatest verbal communicators in the world which can cause some frustration in their relationships, but they demonstrate their love clearly through their actions.

Kristen Ashley, Devney Perry, and Melanie Harlow write great alpha male romance heroes, for example. I’ll throw some links out later on for my favorites. You’re welcome.

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What’s an alpha-hole romance hero?
Alpha-holes come in many shapes and sizes. Here are a few of my least favorites:

• The obsessive stalker. This guy will pursue the heroine with a single-minded determination that would be scary if it happened in real life. He refuses to go away, even when she tells him to. He basically wears her down until she lets him into her life.
• The moody, super-quick-tempered dude. This guy runs super hot and cold, and can fly into a rage at any moment.
• The controlling guy. This asshat tells the heroine what she can wear when she goes out, how she can do her hair, and how much makeup she can wear. He might insist that she skip going out with friends so that she can spend more time with him. He sometimes even tells her to give up on her “silly little career goals” because they’re getting in the way of the life she could have with him. I want to punch “controlling guy” in the nuts, quite frankly.
• The manwhore who has consistently treated all other women in his life like cheap paper napkins that can be easily discarded after he’s done with them. He usually doesn’t even remember their names because no woman has ever mattered...except the heroine, of course.  
• The violent, jealous guy. The guy that punches someone out for daring to talk to “his woman”? Yeah, that guy’s a total alpha-hole.

I’m not going to name-and-shame on this one. Creators and lovers of alpha-holes...you know who you are. That is all.

So, it’s my contention that the alpha-holes in romance NEED TO GO. They’re a boil on the butt of Romancelandia. These guys are NOT relationship material. They’d cause nothing but heartache in real life, and they’re WAY too problematic for me to enjoy in fiction.

But enough about me…

What do y’all think?
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And for pure yummy alpha male goodness, try these: