Do All Alpha Male Romance Heroes Have to Be Jerks?
No. But it helps.
Here's all you need to know about possessive, aggressive, sometimes obsessive alpha male romance heroes:
Alpha male romance heroes aren't monoliths. Or, they shouldn't be anyway. Some can be fierce, and others can be pretty sweet. What they tend to have in common is that they need to be in charge, and they are fiercely protective of their heroines.
So what about the Jerks?
When I wrote the Jerks of Miami, I wanted to create a collection of standalone dark romance stories with intense, sometimes uneven power exchange, suspense, sizzling scenes, and hard edges. That meant these Jerks had to be on the meaner side of the dark romance spectrum. But they all vary.
Mark Finley in Bound to the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book One, is a bit of an alphahole. But he has a protective, nurturing essence that ultimately wins over his unwilling bride Katrina Sanchez. That's after they go through many misunderstandings, angst, and friction, leading to loads of steamy, edgy scenes.
Erik Rowland in Sinning with the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book Two, is a bit of a sadist. That's just right for our heroine Cynthia Lopez who is a masochist. This book is a Persephone retelling, so Cynthia faces a trip to hell and back. Still, Erik does have some surprising redeeming qualities, and after dispatching their enemies, they get their HEA. This book has many triggers (self-harm, violence and human trafficking) so be forewarned.
Patrick Black in Temping for the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book Three, is the ultimate grumpy boss, an intimidating, muscular Conan of a man with zero sense of humor. That is how he gets involved with our heroine Ana Rosa Silva, expert grump tamer, in the first place. Her attraction to him is undeniable, but is it reciprocated? Though there's some humor in all the Jerks books (more on that later), this one was expressly written as a very steamy, sizzling rom-com.
Antonio Prince in Hounded by the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book Four, is a privileged prick and a bit of a stalker, but our savvy heroine Josie Whitty has his number. These childhood friends turned enemies turned lovers go through some very hard times in this book but come out the other side as better people.
Lucas Torres in Faking with the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book Five, is an inscrutable and insufferable alphahole, on the surface. Our independent and feisty heroine Charlotte Taylor keeps scratching until she finds the gold buried underneath all that coal in his heart.
Juan Ruiz in Sheltered with the Jerk, Jerks of Miami Book Six, is a grump and a killer. This special forces man has no patience for nonsense. Jenny Banks is a party girl who is nothing but trouble at the worst possible time—just as hurricane Hank descends on South Florida. Their age gap and personal differences make any relationship impossible—or do they? This book has rough scenes and covers some difficult topics. Trigger warnings for death and mental illness.
Dark romance and dark humor.
My Jerks series features unreliable narrators. They are confessionals written entirely from our heroines' point of view, as if you heard a story from a girlfriend.
As one Amazon reviewer wrote about Bound to the Jerk:
Rosario M. Barrera 5.0 out of 5 stars, Back to high school
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 26, 2021
Katrina and Mark’s story is actually very funny. Told from her point of view, you just know she’s got some things a little bit skewed, but well… then. Mark is funny, so is his grandfather, Tuck. It was a great read. Recommended.
That's all my fault, I'm afraid. I have a dark, twisted sense of humor that shines through in these books. So when you read my books, you'll be shocked, you'll cry, you'll be turned on, you'll be turned off, and you'll be laughing—not necessarily in that order.
These aren't my only alpha male heroes, of course. All my books feature men who like to take charge and women who like to test their limits. But I confess, I love these Jerks. I had a great deal of fun writing them.