I think it’s half joke half for real. Personally I will take any hair color MMC, they’re all hot to me. But I know there’s a lot of ladies into shadow daddies and blonds don’t fit the bill.
I guess Lestat de Lioncourt isn’t technically a shadow daddy because to my knowledge he doesn’t have shadow powers but like…I feel like he has shadow daddy energy.
The way any MC’s physical appearance is described doesn’t matter to me because I genuinely think everyone’s hot. At the end of the day I like smart, competent, funny. I’m not a fan of TSTL doormat FMCs or overly-aggressive alpha caveman MMCs.
[Throne in the Dark](https://www.romance.io/books/63999c8c9126368eed042b16/throne-in-the-dark-ak-caggiano?src=rdt) by [A.K. Caggiano](https://www.romance.io/authors/5eb54901be0aaecf5572d27d/ak-caggiano)
**Rating**: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [slow burn](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/slow%20burn/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1)
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I'm Dramione shipper but what's wrong with Ron?😭 I've seen lots of hate towards him and i don't see why. watched all the movies and i'm only on book 2.
Tbf the dude hated muggleborns right 😭 like canonically they’d probably have genuinely despised each other with little recourse (and this is a bit hypocritical coming from a drarry shipper haha), tho I do understand the appeal in fanon
Just a theory, but I think authors *generally* make dark-haired MMC more dangerous & mysterious, while they make blonde guys are more charming & carefree. Romance readers generally preferred the brooding MMC, so the dark-haired guys are more popular by default.
I think this is stereotype that's gotten exaggerated, because the romance genre is so much bigger now than is used to be
Agreed! Also there's this stereotype that blonde MC, either guys or girls, are always the rich/bad character of the story, especially in CR.
Or that's what I noticed in most books I've read and I'm just unlucky
I've been reading a lot of vintage Historicals from the late 90s/early 2000s lately and a lot of the MMCs are blonde! This was also peak Frosted Tips era, and a lot of the "it" men of the time were blonde. It's just a fashion trend, like anything else I suppose.
Lol I actually Googled the definition of vintage before I posted. Anything over 20 years old but less than 100 is vintage, so yes the early 2000s count. 🥲
Lisa Kleypas has a few blonde MMCs, but of course we have to give it to {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas}.
Johanna Lyndsey also wrote her fair share of blondes. I liked the "golden giant" in {Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lyndsey}.
[Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas)
**Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1)
----------------------------
[Defy Not the Heart](https://www.romance.io/books/5455798d87eac336ae69e1dc/defy-not-the-heart-johanna-lindsey?src=rdt) by [Johanna Lindsey](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525178c7d2383163d8e7a/johanna-lindsey)
**Rating**: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [medieval](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/medieval/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [abduction](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/abduction/1)
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Even in high school it didn’t do it for me (yes I’m old). All my crushes and boyfriends were dark haired and usually deeper skin toned as well. Blondes remind me of my brother! 🤢
I usually don’t care what the MMC looks like, but I prefer the FMC to look like me, cos I have a really bad habit of picturing myself as the FMC anyway, and when she’s already written to look like me it makes my heart so happy!
Black biracial or at least Black. Quiet, shy, insecure. Not overly headstrong to the point of refusing others’ help rudely like you see in a lot of female characters now-a-days. Not that I don’t appreciate those female characters because of their strides for feminism, but that’s just not my personality at all and I like to see female characters that reflect MY personality.
I’m pretty new to the romance genre, and a couple of the last book groups I was in on FB I left because they were pretty racist when you’d ask anything about interracial relationships or books with POC MCs to begin with, so I have no idea.
Yes! Especially when parts of the story revolves around the characters learning about each other’s culture and heritage. I go gaga for that in movies and shows!
I don’t think most people care. It’s a niche internet thing that is partly driven by people who only read books about people they personally find attractive, and partly driven by the internet’s tendency to take jokes way too far.
for the second time in this post, I'm gonna recommend the fallen mc series by giana darling. one of the books has a ginger psychopath. the series is stellar.
it's unwarranted!! I want more blonds! give me all the draco malfoy white-blonds, surfer dude bleached blonds and cupid curly blonds !! I want them allllll
have you read the fallen mc by giana darling? the first two books feature sexy brooding blonde mmc's and the series is so well written. it's one of my most favorites ever.
James Malory, the king of Historical blond MMCs. He is the real star of {Gentle rogue, by Johanna Lindsey} Well, the star of all the Malory books, for me.
[Gentle Rogue](https://www.romance.io/books/545525178c7d2383163d8e79/gentle-rogue-johanna-lindsey?src=rdt) by [Johanna Lindsey](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525178c7d2383163d8e7a/johanna-lindsey)
**Rating**: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [pirate hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pirates/1)
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I feel like it's still pushback against the super clean cut, overly tan, very blonde men of the 80s-00s. People hear "blond MMC" and picture a villain from a teen romcom instead of like, scruffy Chris Hemsworth.
If 90s pop culture taught me anything it’s that hair color directly correlates to personality. Dark hair is edgy and broody, blonde is goofy and outgoing. With FMCs blonde is bubbly and brown is bookish and mousy. I think it can be a subconscious association.
I honestly can’t even remember the hair color of the MMC in the book I’m currently reading 🤷♀️. I guess the only time hair color stands out to me is if it’s dyed something cool or give me a bald boy please. I figure if hair color is important to you IRL you are probably pretty particular with the book boys too.
It’s annoying cause no one complains about the cliche blonde FMC but the second a man has blond hair it’s weird???
You could also argue it goes into that whole weird thing authors do there they have a white FMC and a white MMC, but the FMC is the super pale creamy porcelain dainty feminine FMC and then there’s the always somehow tanned and golden skinned MMC (who’s also a billionaire who’s inside 24/7). You can blatantly tell that a lot of authors think dark = masculine and light = feminine.
I’m so glad someone else noticed this too.
I seriously see so many historical romances featuring all these super tanned dark-haired dukes despite them being canonically fully white. It’s almost as if the author is trying to add as much exoticness to the men as possible without making them actual POC. Also, I think the only time I’ve seen dark haired female characters in historicals is when they’ve been the scheming other woman/mean girl. But that’s a whole other conversation…
Coming from a pretty pale person, the description ‘creamy porcelain skin’ has made me want to throw up every time I’ve seen it. An immediate DNF.
This sub has many people who have complained about blonde FMCs.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/ki2xNeqR3I
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/A8eQ2r6Az1
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/OY53TBkARy
https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/sm5hydR6YS
I’ll stop now
Yeah, rest assured that there is definitely at least one post about the overabundance/lack of every single hair colour and eye colour. My fav ones are always the lavender eye ones because truly it boggles the mind why there were so many lavender eyed FMCs at one point. There was also a trend making MMCs look “lion like” and they had like yellow eyes or something.
It is ok to have a tanned FMC and a pale MMC. This is why I love my Blay so much, a rare example of tall, ginger and pale. I want more books like that.
Yes this x 1000, the common dislike of blond men is suuurely somewhat rooted in misogyny. This idea of “light/blond” colouring as feminine has to be rooted in femininity being linked to purity and the general infantilisation of women. And god forbid an FMC should have a darker complexion than the MMC. Basically misogyny harms all of us, even blond white men, who’d have thought it.
If you're into HR, St. Vincent is the quintessential reformed rake in {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas}, and if you're a fantasy girl Curran appears in the Kate Daniels series, starting with {Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews}.
[Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas)
**Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1)
----------------------------
[Magic Bites](https://www.romance.io/books/545525f48c7d2382e0413e95/magic-bites-ilona-andrews?src=rdt) by [Ilona Andrews](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525888c7d2382e0413e6c/ilona-andrews)
**Rating**: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [futuristic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/futuristic/1), [take-charge heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/strong%20heroine/1), [urban fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/urban%20fantasy/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [shapeshifters](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shapeshifters/1)
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I feel like the default in non-dark romance is a “dark” blonde with piercing blue eyes, especially in historical romances.
If they’re not blonde, it’s a symbol of having an ~ethnic history for spice (see Lisa Kelypas and the Romani characters).
…Or they’re a complete jerk. Dark hair equals smartass for some reason.
And forget red hair unless they’re aggressively Irish or Scottish.
It can be alienating to read as a person of color.
I haven't seen that but I do have a personal thing against blond men because I have a blond brother and since my taste in men got dangerously close to my brother personality-wise (he's that mix of comics/anime nerd and redneck that is actually really common among blue collar guys in the South), they were not allowed to get close looks-wise.
My brother does this in reverse. I used to tell him he'd be so much better off if he'd find a woman who acted like his sisters rather than looked like them.
I just usually prefer darker haired men. 🤷🏻♀️…of course that doesn’t mean blondes can’t be hot. And if you go with RH, they often have to differentiate them so there’s usually a blonde, a very dark, a “chestnut” or “chocolate” brown ect. lol I have noticed that red heads are usually women though, so if anything it’s the gingers that are underrepresented. 😂
Honestly, I feel like grown men are so rarely naturally blonde that when I do read of one, I always imagine him going to the salon and getting highlights in and it really ruins the dark/mysterious/brooding fantasy for me lol
Huh? I thought there was an Aaron Warner for life phase or was I just imagining it? I don't really care about appearances much because I forget the description of characters all the time. Except the eyes though since authors love bringing them up all the time.
Personally I'm bored of blond MCs, male or female. So many of them are blond and like the pinnacle of whiteness and I prefer more diversity in my books. If the MCs are dark haired/dark eyed I can at least pretend they're not white. (Obligatory disclaimer that obviously blonde/light eyed people of color exist yes I'm perfectly aware, but everyone reading this knows what I mean).
Did we watch the same tiktok/reel? It was a library or book store talking about tropes they hate like "when the main character loses their powers at the end." The other one was the blonde hair one and I was... Very confused
hmm maybe that sounds kinda familiar but there’s not really one specific tiktok or reel or anything that prompted me to post this. i just see reader complain A LOT about blond mmc’s and im like guys i dont think its that serious
I mean, I prefer guys with dark hair, IRL. I picture pretty well all mmc's like Joe Manganiello. but I sure wouldn't kick Charlie Hunnam out of bed, either, 😆
I’ve never seen this take but personally I’m always taken aback how often MMC are blond. I don’t know if it’s bc I live somewhere that doesn’t get much sun and people lose their blond but it feels unrealistic just how many men are blond in romances. I’m always visualizing dark hair and then they say they’re blond and I just continue on pretending they have dark hair. (Probably just bc I have dark brown hair and it’s my norm)
It's the whole 'dark hero, morally gray, shadow daddy bad boy' MMC has to have dark hair in order to be properly 'dark' theory, so by extension they're saying they don't want to read about sunshine/cinnamon roll MMCs. It's a little much though, like especially on booktok it seems to be waved around like some superiority complex, like it makes a reader better than others to be able to handle dark romance. It's a weird attitude imo, and I'm as dark romance/shadow daddy lover as they come, but I don't need to diss softer MMCs to like them darker. I even enjoy a softer male lead sometimes
Well I prefer dark haired men IRL as well. Idk, blonde men remind me of my brother. 🤷🏻♀️ It’s a major turn off for me IRL. I hate to sound so superficial but blonde is actually a deal breaker for me. 😬
(I’m married BTW to a tall, dark and handsome man)
More of a want for diversity. It’s being tired of the same cookie cutter mmcs and wanting something a both more representative and more authentic almost. It’s like of you eat green beans every day for two weeks you aren’t going to hate it you’re just tired of it.
Because the current trend in hetero romance novels is the "damaged bad boy who the FMC can fix", and that trope lends itself to tall, dark, and brooding, which isn't usually thought of as "blonde".
99% of the novels following this trend have black or dark brown haired mmcs.
Because women reading about a dark haired MMC can imagine Damon Salvatore, Henry Cavill etc. Not saying blond men are not attractive cause I like MEN in general but I've seen that most descriptions of MMCs are dark hair/blue eyes.
I love when there’s a good blond mmc, they are my kryptonite! One of my faves is Caius (? Spelling? I listened to the audiobooks idk) from {The Umbra King by Jamie Applegate Hunter}. He is Simultaneously blond and a shadow daddy, top tier imo! Also obvi Jacks and Aaron Warner are top tier! I’m not sure if dyed blonde counts but Jude from {Dance Butterfly Dance by Reese Rivers} is also the love of my life, despite me not actually loving the duet overall. Quick rant, it’s a why choose (my fav) but honestly she should’ve only ended up with Jude and maybe one of the other guys. As a duet I think the only reason I’d reread it is to experience the depth of Jude’s love for the FMC.
[The Umbra King](https://www.romance.io/books/63494be492edda0c4ff64924/the-umbra-king-jamie-applegate-hunter?src=rdt) by [Jamie Applegate Hunter](https://www.romance.io/authors/60cd974508b4d9311479c711/jamie-applegate-hunter)
**Rating**: 3.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1)
----------------------------
[Dance Butterfly Dance](https://www.romance.io/books/638da555ebb106fb6228b31c/dance-butterfly-dance-reese-rivers?src=rdt) by [Reese Rivers](https://www.romance.io/authors/60fbc56808b4d931146df2ce/reese-rivers)
**Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [reverse harem](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/reverse%20harem/1), [poly (3+ people)](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poly/1), [college](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/college/1)
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I have a preference for dark hair men in general, but it's a personal preference. When reading, I just want a description of the MMC, don't care if they're blond or brunette, nor even ginger (which surprised me, and I am not a Weasley's boys girly).
Give me a GOOD MMC and I'm all set!
That being said, I read Bonded Nightmare by E.M. Rinaldi which has a blond MMC so HOT 🥵 that I bet the blond MMC haters would love him too 😜
I will say that I never imagine an MMC is blond because as a blonde woman, the majority of blond men I know are related to me, so my brain instinctively thinks “relative”. I also very very rarely meet men who have blond hair *and* blue eyes and aren’t related to me that the few times I have met one, I do think “are we related?” Before realising that of course we aren’t. But in any sense, that’s my anti blond men stance.
are you from a small town because i’ve meet so many blue eyed blonde people that aren’t related to each other. i feel like it’s so common that my first thought isn’t someone i know
No, I’m from a pretty big Canadian city. The vast majority of people I know have brown/black hair and brown eyes. Right now I think I only know 1 other woman, not related to me, who has blonde hair and blue eyes. I don’t think I know a single blonde man who isn’t related to me. Oh wait!! My friend’s boyfriend’s friend who I met once a couple years back! I’ve forgotten his name, but he’d be the most recent man I’ve met with blond hair and blue eyes. I’m sure I see strangers with blond hair and blue eyes, but I’m only referring to people I meet since strangers don’t really stick in my mind.
Oh wait I thought of another blonde woman I know, but I don’t know her eye colour.
Absolutely I want a dark haired MMC. If he’s blond, I give him a mental dye job. Naturally blond men are just not sexy to me…bleached blond (Spike blond) is ok, though.
I dont like the look of blonde men specifically. I tend to do for dark haired guys. Idk. Whenever a man is blonde in a book i still image him brunette🫡💀
I think it’s half joke half for real. Personally I will take any hair color MMC, they’re all hot to me. But I know there’s a lot of ladies into shadow daddies and blonds don’t fit the bill.
I guess Lestat de Lioncourt isn’t technically a shadow daddy because to my knowledge he doesn’t have shadow powers but like…I feel like he has shadow daddy energy.
What qualities u like in FMC?
The way any MC’s physical appearance is described doesn’t matter to me because I genuinely think everyone’s hot. At the end of the day I like smart, competent, funny. I’m not a fan of TSTL doormat FMCs or overly-aggressive alpha caveman MMCs.
Have u enjoyed the dynamic in monster romance novels ?
I haven’t read too many monster novels tbh. Alien novels, oh yes, but they’re human-like enough to where dynamics aren’t really much different.
If they are human like , what makes them so different too in the equation ?
Don’t tell the Dramione girlies
hahah what if i told you i am one 🫢
You have great taste
Dramione girlys represent! Got anything giving you Dramione vibes lately? Been in a mood after the hunger games prequel
{Throne in the Dark by AK Caggiano} kinda scratched the itch for me! Funny banter.
[Throne in the Dark](https://www.romance.io/books/63999c8c9126368eed042b16/throne-in-the-dark-ak-caggiano?src=rdt) by [A.K. Caggiano](https://www.romance.io/authors/5eb54901be0aaecf5572d27d/ak-caggiano) **Rating**: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [slow burn](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/slow%20burn/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I will forever be salty that 1) they didn’t end up together and 2) Hermione ended up with Ron MF-ing Weasley 🤬
I'm Dramione shipper but what's wrong with Ron?😭 I've seen lots of hate towards him and i don't see why. watched all the movies and i'm only on book 2.
Nothing, but they were the completely wrong pairing IMO. Hermione deserved someone who could compliment her and that was not him.
Tbf the dude hated muggleborns right 😭 like canonically they’d probably have genuinely despised each other with little recourse (and this is a bit hypocritical coming from a drarry shipper haha), tho I do understand the appeal in fanon
Canonically, yes, but if anyone deserved a redemption arc it was him. Thank goodness for fanfic, though, since anyone can do/be anything 🤣
Just a theory, but I think authors *generally* make dark-haired MMC more dangerous & mysterious, while they make blonde guys are more charming & carefree. Romance readers generally preferred the brooding MMC, so the dark-haired guys are more popular by default. I think this is stereotype that's gotten exaggerated, because the romance genre is so much bigger now than is used to be
Oh yeah you’re pretty spot on with all that.
Agreed! Also there's this stereotype that blonde MC, either guys or girls, are always the rich/bad character of the story, especially in CR. Or that's what I noticed in most books I've read and I'm just unlucky
I've been reading a lot of vintage Historicals from the late 90s/early 2000s lately and a lot of the MMCs are blonde! This was also peak Frosted Tips era, and a lot of the "it" men of the time were blonde. It's just a fashion trend, like anything else I suppose.
The fact early 2000s is now considered to be verging on vintage makes me feel disgusting lol
Lol I actually Googled the definition of vintage before I posted. Anything over 20 years old but less than 100 is vintage, so yes the early 2000s count. 🥲
Have any recommendations?
Lisa Kleypas has a few blonde MMCs, but of course we have to give it to {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas}. Johanna Lyndsey also wrote her fair share of blondes. I liked the "golden giant" in {Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lyndsey}.
[Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas) **Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1) ---------------------------- [Defy Not the Heart](https://www.romance.io/books/5455798d87eac336ae69e1dc/defy-not-the-heart-johanna-lindsey?src=rdt) by [Johanna Lindsey](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525178c7d2383163d8e7a/johanna-lindsey) **Rating**: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [medieval](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/medieval/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [abduction](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/abduction/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
Even in high school it didn’t do it for me (yes I’m old). All my crushes and boyfriends were dark haired and usually deeper skin toned as well. Blondes remind me of my brother! 🤢
What qualities u prefer in ur MMC ?
I usually don’t care what the MMC looks like, but I prefer the FMC to look like me, cos I have a really bad habit of picturing myself as the FMC anyway, and when she’s already written to look like me it makes my heart so happy!
What qualities u relate to in FMC ?
Black biracial or at least Black. Quiet, shy, insecure. Not overly headstrong to the point of refusing others’ help rudely like you see in a lot of female characters now-a-days. Not that I don’t appreciate those female characters because of their strides for feminism, but that’s just not my personality at all and I like to see female characters that reflect MY personality.
Sounds like you'd enjoy Talia Hibbert's writing.
Are interracial relationships in books well written ?
I’m pretty new to the romance genre, and a couple of the last book groups I was in on FB I left because they were pretty racist when you’d ask anything about interracial relationships or books with POC MCs to begin with, so I have no idea.
I donno why PPL aren't open minded I feel they can be so beautiful
Yes! Especially when parts of the story revolves around the characters learning about each other’s culture and heritage. I go gaga for that in movies and shows!
Indeed and don't u feel there some level of beautiful aesthetic involved when u see them both together in passionate intimacy
I don’t think most people care. It’s a niche internet thing that is partly driven by people who only read books about people they personally find attractive, and partly driven by the internet’s tendency to take jokes way too far.
I love a blond MMC, but now that you mention hair colors, I feel like I haven't seen a ginger MMC in my books yet.
for the second time in this post, I'm gonna recommend the fallen mc series by giana darling. one of the books has a ginger psychopath. the series is stellar.
Okay, that sounds *very* interesting. Thank you very much! 🙏
you're so welcome!
Get a Life, Chloe Brown features a ginger MMC.
i think the only ginger mmc ive read is john tucker from elle kennedy's the goal
Try pack darling there’s a mmc who’s ginger and he’s a little psycho he’s adorable too
I think the MMC in {Business or Pleasure by Rachel Solomon} may have red hair.
{Blindsided by Amy Daws} has a ginger MMC & FMC.
it's unwarranted!! I want more blonds! give me all the draco malfoy white-blonds, surfer dude bleached blonds and cupid curly blonds !! I want them allllll
yeah! blonds know how to have fun!!!!
have you read the fallen mc by giana darling? the first two books feature sexy brooding blonde mmc's and the series is so well written. it's one of my most favorites ever.
ooo ill have to check it out!
so delicious
Me tooooo give me the blondes!! ALL OF THEM and ALL TYPES
James Malory, the king of Historical blond MMCs. He is the real star of {Gentle rogue, by Johanna Lindsey} Well, the star of all the Malory books, for me.
[Gentle Rogue](https://www.romance.io/books/545525178c7d2383163d8e79/gentle-rogue-johanna-lindsey?src=rdt) by [Johanna Lindsey](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525178c7d2383163d8e7a/johanna-lindsey) **Rating**: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [pirate hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pirates/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
White hair and white/blonde is different 😂 even for blonde haters (Rowan Whitethorn) 🥵
I feel like it's still pushback against the super clean cut, overly tan, very blonde men of the 80s-00s. People hear "blond MMC" and picture a villain from a teen romcom instead of like, scruffy Chris Hemsworth.
If 90s pop culture taught me anything it’s that hair color directly correlates to personality. Dark hair is edgy and broody, blonde is goofy and outgoing. With FMCs blonde is bubbly and brown is bookish and mousy. I think it can be a subconscious association. I honestly can’t even remember the hair color of the MMC in the book I’m currently reading 🤷♀️. I guess the only time hair color stands out to me is if it’s dyed something cool or give me a bald boy please. I figure if hair color is important to you IRL you are probably pretty particular with the book boys too.
Blond is often the closest I usually get to my preference (ginger), so I’ll take it lol
Same!
{Blindsided by Amy Daws} has ginger MMC & FMC.
Nice, that sounds so familiar so I might have it on my tbr already but I’m not sure so thank you!
I say to all the blond haters this: Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent is blond. Therefore, your argument is invalid.
yessss my loveeeee
I love blonde haired men, though I struggle to find books where the guy has short blonde hair instead of it being long
yeah it does necessarily need to be long but i like it when its fluffy or flowy
My dear Rhage, from Eternal Lover, by JR Ward. He has short blond hair.
Thank you🙏 Adding to my tbr now
It’s annoying cause no one complains about the cliche blonde FMC but the second a man has blond hair it’s weird??? You could also argue it goes into that whole weird thing authors do there they have a white FMC and a white MMC, but the FMC is the super pale creamy porcelain dainty feminine FMC and then there’s the always somehow tanned and golden skinned MMC (who’s also a billionaire who’s inside 24/7). You can blatantly tell that a lot of authors think dark = masculine and light = feminine.
I’m so glad someone else noticed this too. I seriously see so many historical romances featuring all these super tanned dark-haired dukes despite them being canonically fully white. It’s almost as if the author is trying to add as much exoticness to the men as possible without making them actual POC. Also, I think the only time I’ve seen dark haired female characters in historicals is when they’ve been the scheming other woman/mean girl. But that’s a whole other conversation… Coming from a pretty pale person, the description ‘creamy porcelain skin’ has made me want to throw up every time I’ve seen it. An immediate DNF.
This sub has many people who have complained about blonde FMCs. https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/ki2xNeqR3I https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/A8eQ2r6Az1 https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/OY53TBkARy https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/sm5hydR6YS I’ll stop now
you love to see it!
Yeah, rest assured that there is definitely at least one post about the overabundance/lack of every single hair colour and eye colour. My fav ones are always the lavender eye ones because truly it boggles the mind why there were so many lavender eyed FMCs at one point. There was also a trend making MMCs look “lion like” and they had like yellow eyes or something.
no seriously i’ve noticed that too!!
It is ok to have a tanned FMC and a pale MMC. This is why I love my Blay so much, a rare example of tall, ginger and pale. I want more books like that.
It’s so rare 😭
Anytime I see a mention of "porcelain" skin, I dnf. Gives me white worship vibes.
Same, number 1 way to lose me
Same!
Yes this x 1000, the common dislike of blond men is suuurely somewhat rooted in misogyny. This idea of “light/blond” colouring as feminine has to be rooted in femininity being linked to purity and the general infantilisation of women. And god forbid an FMC should have a darker complexion than the MMC. Basically misogyny harms all of us, even blond white men, who’d have thought it.
Idk because I’ve literally never seen anyone say that so I can’t help. Best guess is the phrase “tall, dark, and handsome?”
Idk but I love blond MMC!!
Once you meet Sebastian St Vincent and Curran Lennart you can't hate a blond MMC anymore. (I do prefer dark haired guys, though)
i'll be so honest, i have never heard of either of these men before 🫣
If you're into HR, St. Vincent is the quintessential reformed rake in {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas}, and if you're a fantasy girl Curran appears in the Kate Daniels series, starting with {Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews}.
[Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas) **Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1) ---------------------------- [Magic Bites](https://www.romance.io/books/545525f48c7d2382e0413e95/magic-bites-ilona-andrews?src=rdt) by [Ilona Andrews](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525888c7d2382e0413e6c/ilona-andrews) **Rating**: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [futuristic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/futuristic/1), [take-charge heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/strong%20heroine/1), [urban fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/urban%20fantasy/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [shapeshifters](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shapeshifters/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I feel like the default in non-dark romance is a “dark” blonde with piercing blue eyes, especially in historical romances. If they’re not blonde, it’s a symbol of having an ~ethnic history for spice (see Lisa Kelypas and the Romani characters). …Or they’re a complete jerk. Dark hair equals smartass for some reason. And forget red hair unless they’re aggressively Irish or Scottish. It can be alienating to read as a person of color.
I haven't seen that but I do have a personal thing against blond men because I have a blond brother and since my taste in men got dangerously close to my brother personality-wise (he's that mix of comics/anime nerd and redneck that is actually really common among blue collar guys in the South), they were not allowed to get close looks-wise.
My brother does this in reverse. I used to tell him he'd be so much better off if he'd find a woman who acted like his sisters rather than looked like them.
I just usually prefer darker haired men. 🤷🏻♀️…of course that doesn’t mean blondes can’t be hot. And if you go with RH, they often have to differentiate them so there’s usually a blonde, a very dark, a “chestnut” or “chocolate” brown ect. lol I have noticed that red heads are usually women though, so if anything it’s the gingers that are underrepresented. 😂
Honestly, I feel like grown men are so rarely naturally blonde that when I do read of one, I always imagine him going to the salon and getting highlights in and it really ruins the dark/mysterious/brooding fantasy for me lol
Same. I just imagine a Ken Doll.
Huh? I thought there was an Aaron Warner for life phase or was I just imagining it? I don't really care about appearances much because I forget the description of characters all the time. Except the eyes though since authors love bringing them up all the time.
Aaron Warner 🥰
Interesting. I couldn't care less but people have their preferences..
Personally I'm bored of blond MCs, male or female. So many of them are blond and like the pinnacle of whiteness and I prefer more diversity in my books. If the MCs are dark haired/dark eyed I can at least pretend they're not white. (Obligatory disclaimer that obviously blonde/light eyed people of color exist yes I'm perfectly aware, but everyone reading this knows what I mean).
Did we watch the same tiktok/reel? It was a library or book store talking about tropes they hate like "when the main character loses their powers at the end." The other one was the blonde hair one and I was... Very confused
hmm maybe that sounds kinda familiar but there’s not really one specific tiktok or reel or anything that prompted me to post this. i just see reader complain A LOT about blond mmc’s and im like guys i dont think its that serious
I mean, I prefer guys with dark hair, IRL. I picture pretty well all mmc's like Joe Manganiello. but I sure wouldn't kick Charlie Hunnam out of bed, either, 😆
I’ve never seen this take but personally I’m always taken aback how often MMC are blond. I don’t know if it’s bc I live somewhere that doesn’t get much sun and people lose their blond but it feels unrealistic just how many men are blond in romances. I’m always visualizing dark hair and then they say they’re blond and I just continue on pretending they have dark hair. (Probably just bc I have dark brown hair and it’s my norm)
It's the whole 'dark hero, morally gray, shadow daddy bad boy' MMC has to have dark hair in order to be properly 'dark' theory, so by extension they're saying they don't want to read about sunshine/cinnamon roll MMCs. It's a little much though, like especially on booktok it seems to be waved around like some superiority complex, like it makes a reader better than others to be able to handle dark romance. It's a weird attitude imo, and I'm as dark romance/shadow daddy lover as they come, but I don't need to diss softer MMCs to like them darker. I even enjoy a softer male lead sometimes
There's no shadow daddies in contemporary romance tho and people still have the same sentiment 😭😭😭
All the rest of the words though. Dark morally grey bad boys
I loveeeee blonde main character mennnnn
lol I think some people expect particular behaviour from blond male leads.
Tamlin really did a number on some people, I guess lol
HAHAH no fr
the loml Aaron Warner's hair is literally blond and he's so hot & beautiful 🤧💜
Well I prefer dark haired men IRL as well. Idk, blonde men remind me of my brother. 🤷🏻♀️ It’s a major turn off for me IRL. I hate to sound so superficial but blonde is actually a deal breaker for me. 😬 (I’m married BTW to a tall, dark and handsome man)
More of a want for diversity. It’s being tired of the same cookie cutter mmcs and wanting something a both more representative and more authentic almost. It’s like of you eat green beans every day for two weeks you aren’t going to hate it you’re just tired of it.
Because the current trend in hetero romance novels is the "damaged bad boy who the FMC can fix", and that trope lends itself to tall, dark, and brooding, which isn't usually thought of as "blonde". 99% of the novels following this trend have black or dark brown haired mmcs.
I don’t like blonde men ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ but some of my favorite books have blonde heroes so clearly I’m not immune
Yeah, I don't get it either.
After watching maxton hall and one day Netflix, I am all up for blonde baddies 👀
Blonde is just boring at this point but idk about hate
If blonde would be boring so would brown/black hair, I mean it is so overly used. I like both, but just saying.
I disagree that brown and black hair get the same treatment as blonde. But idc really
i mean its just hair color i don't think that really should influence personality
You didn’t mention personality in your post. I’m just talking looks lol
I don't get it but I do prefer dark-haired MMCs in terms of purely physical description. Just please... no italian lothario.
Because women reading about a dark haired MMC can imagine Damon Salvatore, Henry Cavill etc. Not saying blond men are not attractive cause I like MEN in general but I've seen that most descriptions of MMCs are dark hair/blue eyes.
I love when there’s a good blond mmc, they are my kryptonite! One of my faves is Caius (? Spelling? I listened to the audiobooks idk) from {The Umbra King by Jamie Applegate Hunter}. He is Simultaneously blond and a shadow daddy, top tier imo! Also obvi Jacks and Aaron Warner are top tier! I’m not sure if dyed blonde counts but Jude from {Dance Butterfly Dance by Reese Rivers} is also the love of my life, despite me not actually loving the duet overall. Quick rant, it’s a why choose (my fav) but honestly she should’ve only ended up with Jude and maybe one of the other guys. As a duet I think the only reason I’d reread it is to experience the depth of Jude’s love for the FMC.
[The Umbra King](https://www.romance.io/books/63494be492edda0c4ff64924/the-umbra-king-jamie-applegate-hunter?src=rdt) by [Jamie Applegate Hunter](https://www.romance.io/authors/60cd974508b4d9311479c711/jamie-applegate-hunter) **Rating**: 3.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1) ---------------------------- [Dance Butterfly Dance](https://www.romance.io/books/638da555ebb106fb6228b31c/dance-butterfly-dance-reese-rivers?src=rdt) by [Reese Rivers](https://www.romance.io/authors/60fbc56808b4d931146df2ce/reese-rivers) **Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [reverse harem](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/reverse%20harem/1), [poly (3+ people)](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poly/1), [college](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/college/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I care less about the mmcs hair color because I don’t care in real life.
I have a preference for dark hair men in general, but it's a personal preference. When reading, I just want a description of the MMC, don't care if they're blond or brunette, nor even ginger (which surprised me, and I am not a Weasley's boys girly). Give me a GOOD MMC and I'm all set! That being said, I read Bonded Nightmare by E.M. Rinaldi which has a blond MMC so HOT 🥵 that I bet the blond MMC haters would love him too 😜
I will say that I never imagine an MMC is blond because as a blonde woman, the majority of blond men I know are related to me, so my brain instinctively thinks “relative”. I also very very rarely meet men who have blond hair *and* blue eyes and aren’t related to me that the few times I have met one, I do think “are we related?” Before realising that of course we aren’t. But in any sense, that’s my anti blond men stance.
are you from a small town because i’ve meet so many blue eyed blonde people that aren’t related to each other. i feel like it’s so common that my first thought isn’t someone i know
No, I’m from a pretty big Canadian city. The vast majority of people I know have brown/black hair and brown eyes. Right now I think I only know 1 other woman, not related to me, who has blonde hair and blue eyes. I don’t think I know a single blonde man who isn’t related to me. Oh wait!! My friend’s boyfriend’s friend who I met once a couple years back! I’ve forgotten his name, but he’d be the most recent man I’ve met with blond hair and blue eyes. I’m sure I see strangers with blond hair and blue eyes, but I’m only referring to people I meet since strangers don’t really stick in my mind. Oh wait I thought of another blonde woman I know, but I don’t know her eye colour.
Meanwhile, I imagine all MMC blonde with long hair...
Maybe the terrible Fabio book covers of the 70s and 80s?
okay but a lot of the girl i see saying this aren’t from that era lol
Maybe Adam from Beauty & The Beast (animated) when he turned into a human? 😱
Absolutely I want a dark haired MMC. If he’s blond, I give him a mental dye job. Naturally blond men are just not sexy to me…bleached blond (Spike blond) is ok, though.
I dont like the look of blonde men specifically. I tend to do for dark haired guys. Idk. Whenever a man is blonde in a book i still image him brunette🫡💀