I was just wondering if anybody has read any books with the hero being a little on the shorter side. Or maybe with hair that is not the normal fair or black. Or one who is not bulging with rippleing  muscles?Not that I don't like the tall ones, it just occured to me that I have not read any with a short hero.So I thought I would ask if any one else had.

I can't think of any off the top of my head...no, they're usually 'perfect'. Now I'm perplexed:)

It seems like (at least to me) that Suzanne Brockman's heros aren't usually that tall, but they are supposedly gorgeous. I remember one of Jane Ann Krentz's heros that was redheaded, but he was also filthy rich. Lori Foster has a book coming out where the hero shaves his head. I guess they're all perfect in one way or another.

I read a book years ago titled The Masqueraders where the two main characters (brother and sister) each had a love interest and the woman was described as "stately" and the man as"compact". He was actually shorter than his sister! It was by Georgette Heyer and it was great! But then, I'm a sucker for her stuff!

I've read a few but unless the author repeatedly describes them I change them to suit my mood! and, um, horizontal, height isn't that big of an issue...

but Suzanne Brockmann has at least one, ? skelly, trying to remember the book that was his story but it's in the silhouette ones and he's with the sister in every day average jones...the one with the adopted kid who's a teen in this story.

another is an intrigue title seems like and the hero is scarred and I think short and stocky.

and aother story that I wish I could remember the author /title but had it in the late 80's or 1990 cause was in college at the time and the hero had a short neck and very stocky and 'ugly' is the impression I got.

like I said, I don't pay much attention to the description if I can sub  what I want! I do get tired of the skinny perfect women though and I'm only 5'4" so anything over that is tall enough!

The hero in SUMMER BREEZE by Anderson was short..I've read quite a few with a short hero but that one stands out

Hannah Howell's Beauty and the Beast has a leading man that's huge, but not very good looking.  Of course since the woman is attracted to his inner self, she never even notices.

they're usually tall and muscular, not always dark, though.  Haven't encountered a short one yet.  Average, perhaps.

I posted this in another thread, but in case you don't  read it, this has a listing of all kinds of characters, situations and plots for romances.  Each catagory (Less Than Perfect, for example) is divided into general time periods (Medieval, Regency, etc).  I've used it to find something to read many times.

www.likesbooks.com/intro.html

Ride the Wind Home by Christina Kingston is one of my favorite books with an atypical hero.  It's the last in a series of four, but I read it first by mistake.

The hero is definitely short, although, I think he has dark hair. :-)  When he first meets the heroine, he is very overweight, and yet he still makes an impression.  He rescues her and she always remembers him after that.  In fact, when she meets him again, she doesn't recognize him at all.  She resists falling in love with him because she remembers his larger self and that's whom she still wants.

Thanks for this topic! I have just started reading some romance, and the stereotypical tall hero is really getting on my nerves.  Probably because my preferred body type for men is considered short.  (Viggo Mortenson, Naveen Andrews, Jon Stewart, my DH.)

I will have to check some of these out!

Cindy, thanks for the link.  Lots of great information:)

The Brockmann one I remember in particular is Night Watch, and I remember the hero Wes being described as on the short side.

I think maybe they need to expand a bit on the looks of leading men!  I can hardly think of any either! 

Ring of Fear by Anne McCaffrey (one of her few non-fantasy books) has a short male lead.  Heck, other than that, I can barely think of any shorter than 6 feet! 

LaVyrle Spencer tends to have attractive but more normal lead guys.  They seem like they're probably good looking, but not so gorgeous I'd trip over my own tongue trying to talk to them.  :P 

Thanks you guys. I am curious does any one know if Jude Deveruex ever came out with a sequel to Black lion? There was a breif mention of another cupple in that story that the male was described as a "troll".The heroin was described as beautiful.  That story always sticks in my mind and I wonder from time to time if They ever got thier own book.

I stopped reading Stephanie Laurens partly because ALL of her heroes were tall, muscular, and handsome.  Mary Balogh's Bedwyns are mostly described as "would have been handsome, if not for the nose), while one of her heroes is very disfigured.  I don't like perfection in a hero much anymore.

I like Jane Ann Krentz, and her other names, she tends to write about heros and heroines who aren't typically perfect looking.  Some are but a lot of them aren't. 

the hero "Beauty Like the Night" is described as average height.  Good book by Liz Carlyle.

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