Nora Roberts Groupies discussion

Who is the Nora hero you don't like and why?

I don't have a specific character, but I do not like her 'absent minded professor' men that she writes. I am not attracted to this kind of beta hero. I know I've said this before, but I don't like the bumbling nerd much. Some examples are Mac from Three Sisters Island, Booke from In the Garden, and Carter from vision in White. They are interchangable to me.

Max from A Love for Lilah. The professors don't bother me, in fact I like all the ones Kim posted about above, but for some reason I didn't like Max.

I've not read the Calhouns, yet. Why didn't you like him?

I agree w/ Kim. Kim, Max and Carter are basically the same characters, IMO.

I agree with you all about Max but I reallllllly liked Carter...I thought he was just adorable!!

I really liked Carter too.

I'm about 2/3 through VIW, and I do like Carter. He's grown on me. :)

I didn't like Mitchell from Black Rose or Doug from Hot Ice. I thought Mitchell was boring and I just didn't feel the chemistry between Doug and Whitney.

My least fav is Duncan Swift from High Noon, when I read that book, it seemed that Duncan was Phoebe's minion, (and no that's not a word I use every day but that's what I was thinking), she shared her family, her money troubles...everything, except herself, she kept that locked away. No, I didn't care for Duncan Swift, I didn't have much respect for him.

Huh...I'm drawing a blank on this one. I can't think of any heroes that just didn't work for me.

I agree about Max from the Calhoun's...but other than that, the heroes each work for me, just on different levels.

Megan, Less than a Stranger. She was annoying.

Tucker from can't rememeber! He was just lazy. And I went off Carolina Moon's characters after I got the dvd from the library and Oliver Hudson was the hero. Just not right

SherryD wrote: "My least fav is Duncan Swift from High Noon, when I read that book, it seemed that Duncan was Phoebe's minion, (and no that's not a word I use every day but that's what I was thinking..."

Ditto to not liking Duncan and also Ryan Boldari from Homeport bothered me...I couldn't get past him being a thief... and the fact that his mother was proud of him for using his "gifts".

That's one of my least favorite titles; it seemed that Phoebe was also preaching about "accepting me as I am", yet she refused to accept Duncan as he was. She kept him at arms length, even though it was okay to help with her Mom and other burdens; but she compromised nothing in and of her inner self; Duncan was doing all the compromising. It's just hard for me to respect an individual who doesn't draw the line somewhere. And I really didn't care for Phoebe, I thought and considered her a user; well-meaning and thoughtful, not being mean on purpose; but still a user.
Maybe it was because her first marriage ended so badly then she lost her husband to the killer, (or bomber), that made her so aloof and shielded.

I know missmuffet; it's like she had no understanding of the word "compromise".....well; she did as long as it was the other party doing the compromising and not her.....

The artsy type Colin Sullivan from Sullivan's Woman - just couldn't see myself going for him, presented as conceited, rude, a bully, not to mention much older than her which isn't a problem by itself but did make them an awkward couple.

I agree about sullivan, I didn't really like the overbearing jerk. I did like Phillip, eventually. the first two books didn't really build a good impression but his book (which I happen to be rereading right now) really brings his charecter to life and he is much more lovable. I still like him the least of all the quinns though.

I don't like very much Preston McQuinn from The perfect neighbor (he passes from indifference straightway to love), Mitchell from Black rose (he's impersonel) and Bo Goodnight from Blue smoke (what a miracle, he's in love at first sight!) and I don't like at all Delaney Caine from Cordina's crown jewel and Jared MacKade from The pride of Jared MacKade.

Mitchell from Black Rose, I just didn't feel the connection between him and Roz.

Simon in The Search. I didn't like his domineering attitude.

I don't think there's one I didn't like...even though some were kind of forgettable.

I don't think I've met a Nora Roberts male character I didn't like:) She knows how to create appealing men.

I think all of Nora's men are appealing, and even likeable. I tend to lean more to the bad boy type.

If i had to choose a type that's not my fave, i would have to say the privileged rich golden boy type. There's just a snotty arrogance about them. Josh from the Dream trilogy, Rogan from Born in trilogy, and Brad from the Key trilogy come to mind. The only golden boy type that I really liked was Del from the Bride Quartet.

i'm pretty in love with most of the lead characters except

those whose names are a mouthful and i just can't get beyond the mothballs and pretensiousness of it- like Jedidiah Skimmerhorn or MacAllister Booke

or the thieves, Ryan Boldari, Roxy/Callahan, or Phillip Chamberlain/Adrienne - I just can't root for this type of hero. ... although i like the Cheasapeake Saga boys, theirs is a different matter, they turned their lives around and became strong men despite the odds of their youth..

Oh, Leica really? In the beginning a was reluctant, too, about how I could like this type of hero, but I liked very much Ryan Boldari and I honestly loved both Philip Chamberlain and Adrianne; Sweet Revenge is one of my most favorite books! I believe that as NR develops these characters makes it a lot easier for the reader to relate with them....

Wow! You guys are good! I know I've read all these books you are talking about but I don't remember them in that much detail. I guess I can start rereading them now. LOL!

I didn't like Linda a.k.a. "Scary Linda" Elliot, Seth DeLauter Quinn's momma from Rising Tides, or even the villian from Black Hills either. I really didn't like the villian from Scared Sins and Brazen Virtue. Couldn't stand the villian from Birthright, she got to b super duper annoyin'! LOL!

I'm probably the only one who feels this way, but Cooper Sullivan from Black Hills.
He leaves then forcefully pushes his way back into Lil's life. Lil is portrayed as a extremely strong and competent woman with plenty of other people willing to be there for her. People she actually wants around her. After, what the hundredth rejection, Cooper 'finds' himself in her house and refuses to leave. He needs to protect her.
I remember thinking 'I'd have called the cops by now.' I get that he loves her and deep deep extremely deep down she knows she needs him there.
But the way he shows it? That's not love. That's stalking.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rant.

Taylor Reynolds is an overbearing, sexist, controlling pig as far as I was concerned. I detested him throughout the entire book. Most male characters in other romance books may start out like real jerks, but mellow and you find out they do have a real soft heart. Not this one. It had so much potential, but I just felt angry though the whole thing and couldn't wait to finish it. I love Nora Roberts and have read so many of her other masterpieces. For me, this was not one of them. Still lover her work and will continue to read her great books. 2 stars

You really have to - not understand, exactly, but consider the era the book was written. A lot of 80's and early 90's stuff is like that, a lot of authors wrote that way. I, personally, just don't like that treatment and don't understand whatever made an author think that was romantic.