Almost every book has a boy that fits the profile: attractive, faithful with a lot of love to give and great sexual abilities.
But there’s a catch: they are men written by women for our delight.
Just a few tweaks in personality and a change of appearance among stories, they still fulfill women’s fantasies in less than hundreds of pages. But are they real?
“You’re mine, Sunshine. You’re never touching another man unless you want him six feet in the ground,” Alex Volkov said in Ana Huang’s book “Twisted Love.” He’s a millionaire with a perfect body, revenge in mind and an obsession with his love interest, Ava Chen. Volkov is a pattern almost followed in every of Huang’s books in the Twisted Series continuing with Rhys, Josh and ultimately, Christian.
And though I think these books are entertaining, they are a bit unrealistic.
“It’s like I am reading the worst bio ever written,” a user said on a “Twisted Love” review in Goodreads.com.
Yeah, you might think finding a man like this is better than the fish pics many criticize. Still, the possibilities to encounter a man like this are one to zero (not impossible but kind of). And often, I am glad they are almost impossible because of quotes like this:
“Remember,” Rhys Larsen said to the future queen of Eldorra, Bridget, in “Twisted Games.” “In public, you’re my princess, but in private, you’re my whore.”
I just know how I would react if a man told me this.
Believe me. It would not be pretty.
And though some might consider it sexy as this series is half smut, others prefer an altogether fantasy.
“I don’t mind sexy descriptions, I love sexy descriptions, of guys, girls and whichever else. But you gotta craft a compelling character to back it up,” a user said in a thread.
“The Deal” by Elle Kennedy might be one of those attempts in combining essence with women’s deepest desires. Still problematic, yet a #BookTok favorite, the book deals with the bad boy-good girl trope.
Garrett Graham is a college hockey superstar who gets a bad grade in a Philosophy paper. This leads to Hannah Wells tutoring him in lessons that end up being everything besides philosophical theories (if you know what I mean).
With problems on their own, both characters ultimately complement each and bring out the best of each other.
‘You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you, Garrett?
A lump the size of Massachusetts lodges in my throat. I swallow hard and try to speak past it.
“Never.”
The book talks about trauma and the marks that a good love story can imprint on you. Though not perfect, Garrett Graham has what all the girls want: personality, sincere feelings and a devotion for Hannah.
And let’s be honest, we don’t ask for much. Some things shouldn’t be the minimum standard. However, we must still think about reality and the different ways of love and communication instead of just focusing on myths. Not all men are the same, just as not all women ask for the same.
Still, some things are better staying trapped in the world of fiction.