reader

Originally we were going to call this theme "disfigured heroes," but the name suggested that the heroes were less than "perfect." Which we know isn't true! When we asked readers for their favorites–no one was exactly sure what really qualified as "disfigurement." One reader suggested a book in which the hero had a club foot. She wanted to know, "Does that count?" This proves that true romantics see beyond the purely physical. Readers who suggested heroes with "psychological" scars don't fret. We will feature them in an upcoming column called "tortured" heroes.

A hero who is physically disabled requires a special kind of love–one that will save him from his own inner demons and will make him forget and most importantly forgive his own "defects." Romance readers know that the love of a good woman can cure any ailment, or save any hero, no matter how lost or how "damaged." There's nothing wrong with a hero who is "perfect," but a hero with a physical disability takes a special kind of loving. Proving once and for all that you can't judge a book by its cover! Listed below are some of our reader's favorite titles on this very popular romance theme.

What's The Appeal?

In a successful romance, the reader may not identify with the heroine, but she certainly wants to be in her shoes. Why? Because of the hero. A romance hero is strong, proud, often mysterious and always resilient. He is every woman's fantasy. Is he handsome? Generally so–but not always. The romance that features the "imperfect " hero is no different. The hero is still every bit as strong and appealing–but on the surface he is emotionally wounded because of his physical disabilities. He doesn't want to love or to be loved.

The "scarred" hero comes to love reluctantly. He feels unworthy of romance and certainly the love of a good woman. But, this fellow's love is worth having! For this reason–the "imperfect" hero is the ultimate challenge. The heroine must heal the hero's wounded soul before his heart is free to love.

For the heroine, emotions are paramount. It is the heroine's gift of love that can save the hero. She is the only one who is able to see past the surface, past the hero's "flaws" and find the wonderful vulnerable man that is underneath. Not only is she able to love him despite his "imperfections," but she is able to make him love himself.

The "imperfect" hero is unique in romance because his physical disability renders him more vulnerable than the "normal" hero. Yet this vulnerability lies beneath the surface of an angry, frightened man who lashes out at everyone he encounters like a wounded beast.

The heroine is a healer, a magician. She is blind (sometimes literally) to the hero's negative qualities. She forces him to fight his inner demons–not succumb to them. It is the heroine's innate nurturing talent that encourages the hero's transformation. He evolves from a victim into a man possessed of love and strength. A "perfect" man who once may have been considered "imperfect." A journey through the dark side for a romance reader–but one that always has a "happy" ending.

-Kate Ryan

Medieval Historicals
CAPTIVE HEART
Phoebe Conn (Zebra)
Body scars
CANDLE IN THE WINDOW
Christina Dodd (Harper)
Hero/heroine both blind
THE BOND OF BLOOD
Roberta Gellis (Harl.)
Club foot
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Hannah Howell (Leisure)
Mask
LORD OF SHADOWHAWK
Lindsay McKenna (Harl.Historical)
Club foot
TAPESTRY
Karen Ranney (Zebra)
Disfigured face
THE FAERY BRIDE
Lisa Ann Verge (Zebra)
Disfiguring rash
Regency Historicals
AN UNACCEPTABLE OFFER
Mary Balogh (Signet)
Blind
MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH
Christina Dodd (Harper)
Crippled
THE GUARDED HEART
Barbara Hazard (Signet)
Pretends to be crippled
THE RAKE AND THE REFORMER
Mary Jo Putney (Signet/NAL)
Alcoholic
SURRENDER
Amanda Quick (Bantam)
Limp
THE DEDICATED VILLAIN
Patricia Veryan (Fawcett)
Injured (Georgian)
THE GAMBLER'S HEART
Gayle Wilson (Harl. Historical)
Facial scars
HEART'S DESIRE
Gayle Wilson (Harl. Historical)
Crippled
19th Century Historicals
THE ENCHANTMENT
Kristin Hannah (Fawcett)
Crippled
SEEK ONLY PASSION
Deana James (Zebra)
Eye patch
PHANTOM
Susan Kay (Dell)
Born deformed
THE PRINCE OF MIDNIGHT
Laura Kinsale (Avon)
Vertigo
19th Century Historicals (Cont'd)
ONCE A PRINCESS
Johanna Lindsey (Avon)
Facial scars
DEVOTION
Katherine Sutcliffe (Jove)
Head wound leaves him disabled
Frontier/Western Historicals
THE TIGER'S WOMAN
Celeste DeBlasis (Dell)
Crippled
SNOWFIRE
Jessica Douglas (Dell)
One eye
VIOLET
Leigh Greenwood (Leisure)
Amputee
THE FLIRT
Rachelle Nelson (Berkley)
Blind
OUTLANDER (Time-Travel Scotland)
Diana Gabaldon (Dell)
Body scars
ANGELIQUE (17th Cent. France)
Sergeanne Golon (Bantam)
Facial scars/limp
FLOWERS FROM THE STORM (Hanoverian England)
Laura Kinsale (Avon)
Stroke victim
NEVER CALL IT LOVING (Stuart England)
Gail Link (Leisure)
Scars
A ROSE IN WINTER (Hanoverian England)
Kathleen Woodiwiss (Avon)
Phantom of the Opera
THE DEVIL'S LAUGHTER
Frank Yerby (Dell)
He's disfigured, she's blind
Mainstream Contemporaries
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Sandra Brown (Silh.)
Eye patch/limp
ADAM'S FALL
Sandra Brown (Bantam)
Wheelchair bound
NIGHT AND DAY
Patt Bucheister (Bantam)
Scars
GENTLE PIRATE
Jayne Castle (Dell/Candlelight)
Hook for a hand
AFFAIR OF RISK
Jayne Castle (Dell/Candlelight)
One eye
DANIEL AND THE LION
Margot Dalton (Harl.)
Wheelchair bound
LEFT AT THE ALTAR
Justine Davis (Silh.)
Amputee
MORNING SIDE OF DAWN
Justine Davis (Silh.)
Double amputee

BACK TO TOP


Love and War #186 October/1999 new	The Frontier #186 September/1999	Runaway Brides #185 August/1999 Medieval Knights #184 July/1999 Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers #182 May/1999 The Second Wife #181 Apr./1999 Psychic Abilities #180 Mar./1999 Virgin Heros #179 Feb./1999 Love & Laughter #178 Jan./1999 Love on the Job #177 Dec./1998 Childhood Sweethearts #176 Nov./1998 Regency #175 Oct./1998 Pretend Marriages #174 Sept./1998 Gothics #173 Aug./1998 Bad Girls #172 July/1998 Romances Set in Scotland #171 June/1998 Feuding Families #170 May/1998 Time-Travel Romances #169 April/1998 Undercover Agents #167 Feb./1998 Mail-Order Brides #168 March/1998 Pirates #166 Jan./1998 No Theme #165 Dec./1997 Romances with Animals #164 Nov./1997 Viking #163 Oct./1997 Romances Set in Texas #162 Sept./1997 Terms of the Will #160 July/1997 May and December Romances #161 Aug./1997 Beauty and the Beast #159 June/1997 Rags to Riches/Riches to Rags #158 May/1997 Doctors and Nurses #157 April/1997 Revenge #156 March/1997 Presumed Dead #155 Feb./1997 Bad Boys #154 Jan./1997 Twins #153 Dec./1996 Vampires #152 Nov./1996 Secret Babies #151 Oct./1996 Ghosts #150 Dec.1996 Nursing Back to Health #149 Aug./1996 Disguised as a Male #148 July/1996 Imperfect "Perfect" Heroes #147 June/1996 Kidnapping #146 May/1996 Amnesia #145 April/1996 Marriage of Convenience #144 March/1996

For hard-to-find selections, check out the Book Search Services in the RT Classifieds, drop in the RT Boutique, or Contact Us for the name of a bookstore in your area that specializes in used romance novels.

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