Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is books that we'll never read. My picks for this one are quite similar to my post for Random Ramblings' "Top Ten Male Literary Characters" here, but I decided to shake things up a bit and make a couple changes.
So, in no particular order:

1.) Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice

Okay, so I had to include him. Who wouldn't? He's the ultimate romantic interest who starts out as an anti-hero and then makes some major changes in his attitude to better himself for Elizabeth's sake. Sure, he's proud and snooty at the beginning, but Elizabeth has her faults too, and I'd argue the greater character development is on Darcy's side. How can you not love the guy who pays off all the debts of the wicked villain who's run off with your vapid sister?

2.) Geric of The Goose Girl

Yes, I know The Goose Girl always seems to make it onto these lists, lol. Geric is part of the reason for that! He's gentle and kind-hearted and a little unsure of himself, and the romance is very sweet. I only wish the book had more of him! :D

3.) Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre

Yes, the brooding Byronic hero makes an appearance here. He's intriguing, cynical, passionate, and secretive in a way that makes us long to know more. Perhaps I wouldn't really care to hang out with him in real life - at least not until his attic had been cleared of all wives - but in fiction, hey, why not? And in the end, he really does get thoroughly punished for all the lying he did to poor Jane.

4.) Jesse of the Mediator series


He's a ghost, but he's a good-looking one. Also he's all chivalrous, even when Suze, the main character, refuses his help (and then he gets her out of trouble anyway, because he's awesome like that). Love the way he sometimes talks like he's still living in the nineteenth-century!

5.) Thomas Schofield of Sorcery and Cecelia

The odious Marquis of Schofield is such an appealing character. He has just the right balance of good and bad qualities, and his sense of humour is wonderfully sarcastic. Most importantly, you can count on him to always come through when others depend on him (and you can also count on the fact that he will gloat about it later!)


6.) Mendanbar of Searching for Dragons

 Mendanbar's the king who doesn't really enjoy kingship - the social niceties, the administrative duties, the schmoozing with delegations. He's smart, diplomatic, and likes to think things through rather than making a snappy but poor decision. Mendanbar's actually rather modest for a ruler, which is nice for a change, and he doesn't mind admitting when he's wrong (well, at least, not much). The one thing he is proud about is his connection to the Enchanted Forest - and why shouldn't he be? He understands it better than anyone else can. Cimorene has such a strong personality, which Mendanbar counters well with his more understated one - but he's not afraid to speak his mind when necessary.

7.) Taran of The High King (and the other Prydain Chronicles, but this one's my favorite)

I love seeing the confident, mature, intelligent Taran in this novel (as opposed to previous books in the series, where he is sometimes quite foolish). It's great seeing his character develop, of course, but the end result is even better! He's loyal to his friends, he understands compromise and loss, he's got a big heart, and he is a fabulous leader. What's not to like?

 8.) Mr. Tilney of Northanger Abbey

Well, I'm an Austen fan, so more than one Austen character was bound to pop up. There are too many to choose from, but Tilney's one of my favorites. He's got an eye for irony as well as muslin, a charming manner, and he's willing to stand up on the dance floor (unlike Mr. Darcy...). All right, so he's flawed - he makes fun of Catherine's wild imagination, although it must be said he does have a bit of a point - but so are the best characters, right?

 9.) Matt of Twenty Boy Summer

He won't end up one of my all-time favorites but I just read Twenty Boy Summer recently and I really liked his character. Matt's dead at the beginning of the book and throughout the whole book I kept hoping (totally irrationally, I know) that he would somehow make an appearance. The glimpses of him we do get in Anna's memories give the reader a sense of his personality – he loved books (that already bumps him up in my standings!), the ocean, music, and Anna. I just wish we could have gotten to know him better, because he seemed like a very sweet guy.


10.) Zane of Hawksong

He comes across as a little dangerous – you don't want to get on his bad side – but he's fiercely protective of the people he cares about. He can be vulnerable at times, even if he doesn't like to show it, and he has a good sense of justice, duty and compromise. I love the way his romance with Danica evolves.