Tag: alpha males

To view film trailer for The House on Black Lake go to website home page.

Ramey Sandeley, the alpha male antagonist in The House on Black Lake has it all. It has been said that “God gave him too much, as so he has a price to pay”. Born with astonishing good looks and enormous wealth, he proceeds to become educated at the finest universities, to learn how to ride a horse like a native, hunt wild game all over the world,  and become a highly successful international entrepreneur. He has never known failure, and that is what makes him highly vulnerable. His power and wealth do not protect him from personal tragedy.  Eventually his gilded life becomes a claustrophobic prison, and he, in turn, becomes little more than the animals he brands with his hand-made tools.

When he first meets Alexandra Brighton he realizes she is his soul mate, yet he is married with a wife carrying his child, and she is also committed. Their union would carry great sacrifice, and so they proceed with their lives. However, a vow at a shrine leads Alexandra back to confront the attraction that brought them together, and the battle for their souls to unite creates a struggle that threatens to destroy them and all they hold dear. This is the nature of the alpha spirit.

There is also a gamma male in the mix. Ramey’s first cousin, the supremely narcissistic rock god, Georgie La Pointe. A sociopathic master of seduction, he is a master class in why this kind of male needs to be avoided at all costs, no matter the level of social status and desirability.

My newest novel, THE CHAMBER OF CURIOSITIES,  features many alpha males, struggling to be top dog, in an ancient carnival in the land of Tressaria.

I have compiled a list of the 30 top alpha male heroes taken from romance novel communities. Add your own, and submit to forums and book clubs for your pleasure.

1. Alexander Belov, from  The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons

2. John Medina,  from All The Queen's Men by Linda Howard

3. Jerico, from  Fever Series  by Karin Marie Moning

4. Domenico, from  The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys

5. Lucan,  from  Midnight Breed Series by Lara Adrian

6. Jaime, from  Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

7. Wolf Mackenzie, from Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard

8. Wrath, from Dark Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

9. Lucas Hunter, from Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

10. Raphael, Guild Hunters Series by Nalini Singh

11. Hohn Huntington, from  Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice

12. Iain Sinclair, from Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood

13. Ian Mackinnon,  from Surrender Book One of Mackinnon's Rangers, by Pamela Clare

14. Hunter of the Wolf,  Comanche Moon by Catherine Anderson

15. A Hunger Like No Other, Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley cole

16. Darius, Lucian, from  Immortals After Dark Series, by Christine Feehan

17. Bones, Night Huntress series Jeaninne Frost

18. Adam from  Mercy Thompson Series[/amazon_link] by Patricia Briggs

19. Lucky Douchet, from  Lucky's Lady[/amazon_link]by Tami Hoag

20. Drustan, Dageus, Cian,  from Kiss of the Highlander Series[by Karen Marie Moning

21.  Zadist,  from  Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, by JD Ward

22. Julian Darcagelo,  from  Hard Evidence by Pamela Clare

23. Damion de Jarnoc, from The Last Knight[,  by Pamela Proctor

24. James Diaz, from Cry No More by Linda Howard

25. Takashi O’Brien,  from  Ice Blue by Anne Straight

26. Drake, from  Dangerous Passion by Lisa Marie Rice

27. Rolfe the Relentless,  from  The Conquere by Brenda Joyce

28. Tegan, from  Midnight Breed Series by Lara Adrian

29. Gregori Daratrazanoff,  from Dark Magic book 4 of the Carpathian Series, by Christine Feehan

30. Sean Culhane,  Stormfire by Christine Monson

It is well acknowledged that JR Ward and Linda Howard are masters of creating provocative alphas. It’s generally better to read about one than to have a serious relationship with an alpha. But then again . . . . They are fun to play with, as their egos make them highly vulnerable, and that’s why they make great romantic heroes. Dominance makes the game all the more fun, as it raises the stakes for the woman and creates an exciting emotional adventure. Also, they're usually wildly physical in all aspects of their lives.

And, of course, one must not foget the number one, most alpha male – Rhett Butler, from Gone With the Wind. But the story ended before she twisted him around her finger one more time.

What would it take to tame his hunger, and take him as your own?

Hunger Untamed from Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors Series.

Readers have requested I offer  page number and a taste of grovel scene in "The House on Black Lake". The scene is near end of book, on page 226. It shouldn't be read by those who prefer to not know what's coming - go straight to Amazon link.

Excerpt from Chapter 29 - "The Struggle Before Dawn":

           “Will you remain still if I move off you,” I hear Ramey ask me. My eyelids flicker open to view him slide off and move to the edge of the blanket, where he lowers his head to his knees and covers his face with his hands. Woozy and light-headed, I lie still and wait for the dizziness to pass. A strange choking sound issues from him, and I open my eyes to a sight I would never have thought possible, not in a thousand lifetimes.

             Ramey Sandeley is crying.

          “Did you bring me to the lake to kill me?” I ask him in a hoarse whisper.

          “I’m sorry if I frightened or hurt you. Please forgive me; forgive me for everything. I never meant to harm you. I only wanted to stop you from leaving me", he says, and lifts his head to look at me through streams of tears.  “The first time I saw you was the first time I felt myself come alive. Your eyes pierced through mine like fucking razor blades and I saw in you all the wonders of the universe. I felt I’d found my mate, someone I could share all the crazy fantasies, ideas, and dreams. And in the darkness, every night, I wished you close to me, to stave off the monstrous evils that dogged me. It was you, only you . . .” 

          He wipes his tears with the back of his hand, takes a deep breath, and pushes himself up from the ground. His face contorts as he appears to struggle against an insurmountable force.   “Sacrifice means nothing unless you are willing to give up something you can’t live without. I brought you here for a purpose. But things have changed . . .”