Annoying Alphas

What is it about those infernal alpha males that keeps us reading? Do we love to hate them? Are we waiting for them to redeem themselves? Waiting for the heroine to open a can of whop-ass? What is it?

I'm reading a book right now with an alpha hero who I have nicknamed "dickhead". He is a vampire, a dark prince, with a massive attitude from centuries of being treated as if every word out of his mouth is verbal gold. No one disputes any of his demands they just go off and do his bidding, even if they don't agree. He is egotistical, selfish and jaded. A total jerk!

The heroine is the exact opposite. She is compassionate, giving and naive. He bound her to him without getting consent, turned her for selfish reasons, and every time she asks him questions about what he's done to her or about his people and their beliefs, dickhead changes the subject to avoid answering. She's very independent, accustomed to being alone, and still she stays with him. Grrrrrr!

I want to cuss him out, smack him upside the head with this heavy book. I want the heroine to get a backbone and kick hiss ass! I want nothing more than to feed the pages, one by one, into my paper shredder while laughing maniacally. Yet I keep reading, devouring every word, simultaneously captivated and annoyed.

Why? Because it’s fabulous! Any book with the ability to draw such intense emotion from a reader is priceless. I love it when a book can increase my heart rate and get me so wound up in the story that I feel invested in what happens. And he does have redeeming qualities, other than being a dark, sexy, alpha vamp.

Here in lies the real magic—balance. There is hope for dickhead. He is a man worth fighting for. A man worth keeping.

His actions prove that he wants to keep her safe, even when she messed up and puts herself in bad situations. His internal dialogue gives the reader a glimpse of the endless love and devotion he feels for the heroine. This is a man who would die for her and literally kept her alive through the sheer power of his will. Oh, and he’s beyond good in bed. *g* When he makes love to the heroine…whoo-damn! He’s still all alpha—primal, dangerous and exciting. And he’s not a total bully with her. Even though he wants to encase her in bubble wrap and keep her locked away safely in his home, he doesn’t.

I read one book which made me come close to throwing my precious ebook reader at the wall. The hero, a dragon, took the heroine as his "primary mate" but still has "lesser mates" who he would turn to in order to increase the dragon population. Just after claiming the heroine, one of the lesser mates shows up and he is all over her, right in front of the heroine. OMG! I was so angry my chest got tight and I broke out in a cold sweat. And I didn't even like the heroine. She was a slut at the beginning of the book. But my feelings of outrage were so strong they affected me physically. I have a love/hate relationship with that story. Eventually, I came to grips with the fact that in the hero’s culture this was the expected behavior. He changed for the heroine, wanted to do so to please her, and in doing so, he won me over by the end of the book.

What about you? Have you experienced books that brought out intense, conflicting emotions? Are there alphas characters who you have a love/hate relationship with? That's what it all boils down to for me. A part of me wants a semi-alpha man like in the books. One who will desire only me and would sacrifice everything for me. One whose first priority is taking care of me and who puts me first. Strong, capable, dominant but not domineering. Someone who can get me riled, in more way than one. Yup, I want the fantasy! Doesn't every woman?

Always on Sunday ... Ciana and Alpha Males

Well, as you know, I’m a sucker for an Alpha Male with a heart. Show me a man with those traits, toss in a sense of humor, the ability to not take things too seriously and a talented musician and I’m in 7th heaven.

And it just so happens that I know a man who fits the bill, and being a generous Hussy by nature, thought I’d share a little about this very special man with you.

Meet Jesus.

A man who’s “fun on wheels” (Literally) , not serious very often (but when the occasion demands can stand toe-to-toe with the best philosopher), would take a bullet for any of his friends and give his last breath for his children or family. In fact, his biggest passion is for his children, followed by his music. Trust me, when he picks up a guitar he can send you to heaven. And those hands are just as magical touching things other than a guitar J

And ladies, this is a man who doesn’t have to pretend to be an alpha male. Trust me, he’s the real deal and in an oh-so-delightful-and-sexy way. If you ask him what makes a woman sexy to him, he’ll tell you there are so many things that make a woman sexy it’s hard to name them all. Or in his words:

“..Ci, you know I could go on all day about the sexiness of your species … from the most minute details, like the way you smell and the noises you make during love making and/o r passionate animal sex … down to your fingers (I find a woman’s hands sexy) and your necks … there are just too many things about women that make them yummy.

So what does it for Jesus and what kind of woman will be lucky enough to entice this alpha male?

The most important thing to him is a submissive woman. Now we’re not talking about a weak, needy or insecure woman. Women who allow themselves to be abused emotionally or physically and think they deserve no better have no place in the life of this alpha male.

But a woman who knows what an alpha male likes and lets that man be strong and in charge, gets his motor reved. Any baby, when his motor is reved, well all I can say is Hot Dayum!! Jesus says this about what he likes in a woman:

“I like a woman that can let her armor down and feel comfortable and trust me not to hurt her or her feelings. I absolutely love to see a woman “get off”. It’s my all time favorite thing in the world. And, of course, I love to be the cause of it.”

Of course you know that I could NOT let such a delicious man go unnoticed. And yes, he’s quite the inspiration. In fact, the hero of my latest work in progress is modeled after Jesus. (And yes, I am having such a wonderful time writing this book! Of course, I do keep plenty of ice and a fan on hand just in case of overheating!!)

I asked Jesus if he could give me his best “sweet nothing” line that he’d whisper in a lover’s ear, but being the unique man he is he reminded me that “ Now Ci, you know I can’t do that. I’m a very spontaneous guy and I never use “lines” on a woman. It cheapens the experience and I’d never want a woman to think “boy if I had a nickel for every time I heard that!”. I don’t want to be lumped into a handful of other general/standard experiences that will soon be forgotten or melded.”
No danger of that, Jesus. I can vow that you’re a man that will never be forgotten. Dreamed and fantasized about. You bet’cha. But forgotten? Nope, that won’t happen.

My thanks to Jesus for agreeing to let me share a little about him with you. Jesus, if you want to whisper a sweet nothing in my ear, I promise not to blab!!

If you want to see more of Jesus, visit his MySpace page at (insert url here). This is Ciana wishing you a glorious day! Until next time remember, life is the journey, not the destination, so enjoy the trip!!