Favorite men in literature

I'm so glad I discovered the sci-fi and fantasy section of the bookstore, because once I started with Stephen Donaldson's Mirror of Her Dreams, I was hooked. I'll pretty much read anything in the fantasy section that's got an interesting cover or is about vampires. As far as books go, I definitely judge a book by its cover, expect for those occasions where a book has been recommended to me by someone, or I have heard about it somewhere else. And I'll read ANYTHING that features vampires. Vampire-lit has grown into a pretty big genre and a lot of it isn't the greatest writing you'll ever read, but I don't care, I still love it. Romances involving vampires/paranormal activities are especially popular, reinforcing the allure of the dangerous man/bad boy with a deep emotional maturity and longing for commitment (ahhh, fiction). The vampire/werewolf/mystical man has replaced the dashing duke/rogue in the romance genre as the it man. (I recognize that my overuse of slashes is probably annoying)

I remain tempted by both. I have always loved a really trashy period-romance, as long as the dialogue is fairly believable and not too cliche-riddled. The wickeder the man, the better. The more of a rake, the better. The fact that he changes his philandering ways just for one special woman is a powerful fantasy. I don't know why, but there is just something so hot about a man in breeches and those boots that fold down at the knees, riding around on a horse and getting into duels. I always picture these men as having collar-length hair that is perfectly wavy and unkempt. I don't particularly like really long hair on men but I wish more guys would grow their hair out a little. This probably explains my love of British period dramas (as mostly seen on PBS), which showcase the most beautiful male actors Britain has to offer. The only thing that bothers me about these is that the majority are based on Victorian novels, so you never get any really good romantic scences, everything is just hinted at.

The vampire/paranormal allure is the fact that he is an outsider in society, and through love this woman is going to bring in him, save him from himself and his loneliness.
Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the top writers in the the vampire/paranormal fantasy genre. Her Anita Blake novels are numerous and highly addictive. This series plays into a huge variety of female fantasies (and apparently male, too, because I have met male fans of her). She sets up the two main male characters to be a dichotomy of the ultimate male. First, we have Jean-Claude, vampire, master of the city, and businessman, bad boy. Then we have Richard, werewolf, junior high science teacher, outdoorsman, all-american male. Of course, both of these men are breathtakingly beautiful. Who should Anita choose? The dangerous, powerful man or the moral, stable man? The author doesn't make Anita choose, not really, and she gets to have relationships with both. Actually, she not only gets to have relationships with these two, but with a host of other men: all beautiful, all possessed of a number of desirable qualities. What makes this idea so evocative is not many women have had the experience of a number of males jockeying for her attention, and most women have not explored the idea of having multiple partners at the same time, all equally enticing. Not only that, but the majority of men are completely ok with sharing her, and they are monogamous to her, for the most part. The main trouble I've come across in this series is that Anita is sometimes too much the alpha female. She never really lets the men be the total badasses that they're made out to be. Anita is always the one who has to save the day. I'd like to see the men step it up a little and kick some ass instead of hanging out on the sidelines while she saves the day. Don't get me wrong, I like how strong Anita is, but I don't think it threatening or in any way diminishing to have the guys get to save her every once in awhile. Her last book in the series, Blood Noir, was a bit ridiculous and disappointing. But the first 8 or so books in the series are definitely worth checking out.

There are a lot of other writers who have created great male leads that I could go on about at length but I will list a few more here for fun:

Jamie Fraser and Lord John Grey (Diana Gabaldon)
Acheron (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
Joscelin Verreuil (Jacqueline Carey)
Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher)
Jack Shaftoe(Neal Stephenson)
Mr. Darcy (duh)
Horatio Hornblower (but I haven't read the books, just seen the films, but wow.)