Moning Maniacs discussion

Hello! I hope I'm posting this in the right section..

I had finished Shadowfever a while ago but am still going through some serious withdrawal issues without my daily dose of Barrons. I was wondering if anyone would have any recommendations for books with characters very similar to Barrons?

I have received some recommendations for books with characters that are similar to Barrons but so far none of them have really come close. Here's the list in case anyone's interested:

Curran (Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews)
Reyes (Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones)
Terrible (Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane)
Bones (Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost)
Raphael (Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh)
Eric (Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris)
Vlad (Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost)
Packard (Disillusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane)
Hunter (Signs of the Zodiac Series by Vicki Pettersson)
Danaus (Dark Days Series by Jocelyn Drake)
Black Dagger Brothers
Christian Grey (Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James)

If anyone has any other recommendations please please please let me know! I would really appreciate it!

So are you looking for the anti-hero type? It'll be hard to compare to Barron's. He is definitely one of a kind.

Yeah I think the anti-hero type but like you said Barrons is one of a kind; he's in a category of his own.

You can definitely check out the Immortal After Dark series by Kresley Cole. Her male characters are very much the anti-heroes and super alpha males! Yes, JZB is one of a kind. Hard to find another like him. But that's not what this discussion is about. It's about characters similar to him. I thought Kresley Cole's Lothaire was very close to JZB's standard. But yes! Do TRY Lothaire !!!

I agree L.Vale! They broke the mold with him! Sigh... :(

Ashley wrote: "You can definitely check out the Immortal After Dark series by Kresley Cole. Her male characters are very much the anti-heroes and super alpha males! Yes, JZB is one of a kind. Hard to find another..."

Oooh I may have to give that a go! Sounds very interesting!

Gulliblei wrote: "Hello! I hope I'm posting this in the right section..

I had finished Shadowfever a while ago but am still going through some serious withdrawal issues without my daily dose of Barrons. I was wonde..."

Try any of the Gena Showalter books! She's an awesome writer and her male characters rock!

L. Vale wrote: "There will never be another hero like Barrons. NEVER! Lol"

I'm not sure. Being barbecued ruined him.

Kelleigh wrote: "I agree L.Vale! They broke the mold with him! Sigh... :("

I totally agree!

L. Vale wrote: "There will never be another hero like Barrons. NEVER! Lol"

Agree!

sigh...I'm in your boat Gulliblei. I love JZB and may simply have to read the series over again.

L. Vale wrote: "There will never be another hero like Barrons. NEVER! Lol"

No LOL about it! Barrons is the BEST. HERO. EVER.

Barrons is hot, and he has definitely ruined many other males for us. But, I can still keep an open-mind. :)

No man can quite compare to Barrons. I love most of the men on the list, but they just don't stand a chance. Not to mention most of them are complete opposites of Barrons. Curran, for example, can be pretty sweet. Same goes for Terrible. Bones calls his woman kitten and luv, which says a lot about his character. Can you imagine Barrons doing somethings like this? Or worse, being all mushy-gushy? Some of the brothers combined can probably create a poor imitation of Barrons, though...

Exactly Julija!

Julija wrote: "No man can quite compare to Barrons. I love most of the men on the list, but they just don't stand a chance. Not to mention most of them are complete opposites of Barrons. Curran, for example, can ..."

I 2nd this emotion!!!

Julija wrote: "Or worse, being all mushy-gushy?"

Uhm, he painted Mac's nails and made that weird barbecue in the end. For someone like Barrons that is very mushy-gushy.

I think having a "romance" (not that I feel them together) in the series was not good for his character.

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "Julija wrote: "Or worse, being all mushy-gushy?"

I think having a "romance"..."


I dunno I am indifferent about this piece. I kinda of like it when he did those things, made it seemed like there is more to him but he doesn't want us to see it.

But I really believe he had a ulterior motive with regards to that bbq!!! I think he was digging for information.

diggin for information at the bbq? Ok I think I'm lost. I know they had a "garden party" at the end of the last book and Barrons was grilling steaks with a disgusted look on his face, and then Mac's mom and dad was there and a few other ppl. What am I missing!?

lol

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "Julija wrote: "Or worse, being all mushy-gushy?"

Uhm, he painted Mac's nails and made that weird barbecue in the end. For someone like Barrons that is very mushy-gushy.

I think having a "romance"..."

I don't really see what's so mushy about barbecuing... Sure, Barrons doing something he clearly dislikes is way out of his character not to mention he's doing it for someone else. But he did enjoy Rainey's cooking before so why not show some gratitude? It's not like making a couple of steaks will kill him or change his character forever. He has done some nice little things for Mac in the past and he's still same old JZB. Also, he just buried his son hence completed his goal. Aren't some changes allowed while he's searching for a new one? And no, I'm not trying to humanize him or anything, but some of his men has shown signs of emotions. Why can't Barrons?

As for the nail polish, he didn't really have a choice. He had to make Mac remember and surrounding her with things she loved was the best way to go. What was he supposed to do, pay someone to do it?

I don't think a character like Barrons would do any of this. He used to be a badass!

I think that's what is so alluring about all of it! That he IS badass...and he loves Mac enough...enough to paint her nails to help her remember who she is/was...and that he'd barbecue for her...something so average...so ordinary so regular...so NOT badass...he'd go out of his comfort zone and leash the beast...BUT ONLY. FOR. HER! That's the point right...he has a heart...look what he did for his son....he just doesn't flaunt it for everyone! At least that's what makes it awesomesauce for me...When I read a book, I am a character...and of course in this book...I AM Mac! So to have JZB bend for lil' ole me...ya...that's the stuff!

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "I don't think a character like Barrons would do any of this. He used to be a badass!"
He's still a badass and he still can send V'lane crying to his daddy any time, nail polish or not. He might be soft on Mac occasionally, but he still obeys his own rules and follows his own set of morales. But really, his badassness is a matter of personal opinion and if you feel like KMM ruined his character, that's your right :)

Kelleigh wrote: "diggin for information at the bbq? Ok I think I'm lost. I know they had a "garden party" at the end of the last book and Barrons was grilling steaks with a disgusted look on his face, and then Mac'..."

"diggin for information" as in he just found out the Mac is a copy of the book... I think he invited over her parents to see if he can get anymore information from them in a nice way hence, bbq.

I don't think he wants anymore surprises with regards to Mac and the book she has beneath the surface.

Man I need to re-read this series, I had almost forgotten that she was a copy of the book! SMACKS HEAD!

I agree with a lot of these opinions! That's why I'm such a Bones fan, because he is a whorish mercenary, but when it comes to Cat, he'll bend for her. I love my fiction to be fiction, but I hate one-sided relationships, there has to be compromise. If Barrons didn't do little things for Mac, I wouldn't want her with him (and I know Sarah doesn't want them together anyway, lol;) It's part of the reason that I'm (still) a huge V'lane fan *covers head and ducks*, because he DID things for Mac (like her hometown, and even in a sick twisted way, saved her from dying after Halloween). I like Barrons just the way he was written, barbecue and all:)

But why do awesome, badass males have to be ruined by being turned into saps? Especially for females who are not worthy of them? I mean really... Mac?!?! If it was at least someone awesome, someone he has chemistry with... But that... Horrible!

I liked him in the beginning but then KMM ruined him.

But I guess someone already answered that. Readers want the illusion that men like that would fall for average women like them. I don't think that's realistic but because authors have no choice, we see all these characters ruined.

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "But why do awesome, badass males have to be ruined by being turned into saps? Especially for females who are not worthy of them? I mean really... Mac?!?! If it was at least someone awesome, someone...But I guess someone already answered that. Readers want the illusion that men like that would fall for average women like them. I don't think that's realistic but because authors have no choice, we see all these characters ruined. "


Uh oh... I gonna take offense to that...lol

I think there are many badasses out there who have fallen for average women!! I definitely don't believe it is an illusion.
These badasses are dicks majority of the time but they have those few moments when they make you feel like your on top of the world!!! Barrons was just having his few moments in between with Mac to make her feel awesome... but I think mac did the most changing and what I love about the 2 of them is they know when to stop pushing the other!!

Barrons slowly but steadily shaped Mac into a woman suitable for him. It doesn't matter if we find Mac worthy his attention or not. She's what he wants and we have no say in it. And it's only fair that he changes a bit around her, too. Why Mac has to be the only one to sacrifice something for this relationship? Let's face it, she already went through enough crap.

Julija wrote: "Barrons slowly but steadily shaped Mac into a woman suitable for him. It doesn't matter if we find Mac worthy his attention or not. She's what he wants and we have no say in it. And it's only fair ..."

Davena wrote: "Uh oh... I gonna take offense to that...lol

I think there are many badasses out there who have fallen for average women!! I definitely don't believe it is an illusion.
These badasses are dicks majority of the time but they have those few moments when they make you feel like your on top of the world!!! Barrons was just having his few moments in between with Mac to make her feel awesome... but I think mac did the most changing and what I love about the 2 of them is they know when to stop pushing the other!! "

Ditto and ditto:) I especially agree with Julija where you say Barrons slowly but steadily shaped Mac into a woman suitable for him.

RL relationships take a little bending on both sides, too. My DH was the typical hotheaded jerk when I met him (and I was so attracted to his bad-assness, lol;) But now, 10 years later, he's still that way, except he can be so sweet and tender with me. I don't think it makes him less of a bad boy, but more of the man I love while keeping true to himself. It's kinda special that I'm the only one who sees that side of him.

I definitely agree with Davena, Julija, and toofondofbooks. You three couldn't have said it any better.

Also...
I don't think KMM ruined Jericho at all. The fact that he changed from being a cold-hearted person to someone who loves Mac, makes the books much more enjoyable. I like change in a character as the book or series progresses. That alone itself can inspire so many great ideas for the series. IMO, it'd be boring if Jericho was just a static character.

And hey, who says he can't be badass AND loving at the same time? I think he's more than capable to handle two roles. :)

I am giggling to myself over here...thinking...Barrons would be appalled at all of us for even trying to justify his actions; for even remotely thinking we 'understand' ...because he doesn't care what we think...at all:) That's why he's Barrons:) and Yes! I'm talking about him like he's a real person:) . . .and coming from the home of an author...I bet if you asked KMM...she didn't ruin him or anything else...because it's probably JZB that wakes her up in the middle of the night and tells her what to write about him...she has no choice...Jericho is who he is...and I'd venture KMM has no say in the matter of what he does anymore...she just tells his story, thankfully, to us!

Oh wait a minute! This discussion is about stuff "similar to Jericho Z. Barrons" and here we are discussing strictly about JZB. Suddenly I feel like we're neglecting the person who started this thread. Recommendations! We need recommendations!

April wrote: "I am giggling to myself over here...thinking...Barrons would be appalled at all of us for even trying to justify his actions; for even remotely thinking we 'understand' ...because he doesn't care w..."

WELL SAID!!! LOL

My new favorite series is Bones and Terrible... they helped with my waiting for my next Barrons fix

Well, the recs are hard to give, because she listed so many decent ones at the top of the thread. Personally I loved Terrible almost as much if not more than JZB, and really liked Curran. The similarity may be more of the fighting-along-side-and-occasionally-WITH-your-love trope. See also, awesome sexual tension.

Only others that come to mind are Roarke from Eve Dallas/In Death series; and Ethan from Chicagoland Vampires.

Davena wrote: "April wrote: "I am giggling to myself over here...thinking...Barrons would be appalled at all of us for even trying to justify his actions; for even remotely thinking we 'understand' ...because he ..."

Agreed Davena! Unfortunately I read about Bones before the Fever series - so my only refuge was reading about Terrible and Chess - But it still helped.

:)

Julija wrote: "Barrons slowly but steadily shaped Mac into a woman suitable for him. It doesn't matter if we find Mac worthy his attention or not. She's what he wants and we have no say in it. And it's only fair ..."

*Round of applause* Well said!!!

Wicked as they come Crimeny Stain rrrrrr blud man by delila s. Dowson

What to write about JZB well he is JZB and that is that

Shelly wrote: "Ashley wrote: "You can definitely check out the Immortal After Dark series by Kresley Cole. Her male characters are very much the anti-heroes and super alpha males! Yes, JZB is one of a kind. Hard ..."

Immortals after Dark is a fun series...but the writing and characters are NO WHERE near as good as Fever. And I like PR, but Immortals After Dark is (lets face it) More about the After Dark than the Immortals...LOL

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "But why do awesome, badass males have to be ruined by being turned into saps? Especially for females who are not worthy of them? I mean really... Mac?!?! If it was at least someone awesome, someone..."

Well, The Illusion hasn't been ruined on Ryo Yet Sarah. Ryo is still a hard ass,hot as hell psycho. Give it a couple books, KMM will ruin that for you too. Soon he'll be brushing Danis's hair for her, lol

OMG! I just threw up in my mouth. Thank you for that image... not! :-P

Julija wrote: "Barrons slowly but steadily shaped Mac into a woman suitable for him. It doesn't matter if we find Mac worthy his attention or not."

KMM tries to sell that. It doesn't mean it is believable.

April wrote: "because it's probably JZB that wakes her up in the middle of the night and tells her what to write about him...she has no choice..."

Sorry but your post is kind of scary. LOL

But oh well, Barrons isn't even one of my faves (anymore thanks to all this) so I'll just cross fingers, toes and everything else that Ryo will stay awesome and a true badass character.

Sarah ♥ Vutch forever ♥ wrote: "But oh well, Barrons isn't even one of my faves (anymore thanks to all this) so I'll just cross fingers, toes and everything else that Ryo will stay awesome and a true badass character."

yea....You got one painting fingernails and the other wooing a 14 year old. LOL
Sorry, I had too.

L. Vale wrote: "There will never be another hero like Barrons. NEVER! Lol"

:) Ryodan promises to be even better :)

I've found a character very similar in a good way to Barrons! It is in the book Uprooted by Naomi Novik. The character Sarken is very very similar to Barrons. Check it out guys - that book was amazing!

I have serious withdrawal symptoms right now. More books with characters like them please!

Thx Crystal, I'll have to check that one out. I've NEVER found anything close to 'the' Barrons but a few others I've liked recently
The Knight Series by Genevieve Jack
Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter

You've prob already read them but my other favs;
Darynda Jones -Charley Davidson/Reyes Farrow
Illona Andrews-Kate Daniels/Curran & Hidden Legacy series
Sterling (mageri)-Danika Dark
The Chicago Land Vampires-Chloe Neill

again...n-o-t-h-i-n-g- = JZB

well, i may add Broken... I really felt the Nathan character to be very similar to Barrons. It's a contemporary romance one however...

Megha - who is the author of Broken?

Its A.E.Murphy... available on Amazon... trust me, amazing and fabulous book it is...