Romance heroes haven't changed much in all these years

Pamela Hearon, author of My Way Back to You (out now!), explores what makes a romance hero truly a hero in these modern times.

Pamela: In the romance genre, a main character who is male is labeled as the hero. He's referred to in that manner because, no matter how big a scoundrel he may be at the beginning of the book, by the end he must have made a change for the good by acting in a heroic manner.

I was around in the '60s and '70s and witnessed first-hand the rise and acceptance of feminism and equality of the sexes. I was, also, a huge fan of the romance genre throughout those decades — and still am. An interesting thing I've noted is that, while the heroines of our stories have evolved from damsels in distress waiting to be rescued to kick-ass women who take control of the situation, the characterization of the heroes has changed very little. He is expected to behave in a chivalrous manner just like the knights of old.

A common definition of chivalry, as defined by Webster's New World Dictionary, is: the noble qualities a knight was supposed to have, such as courage, honor, and a readiness to protect the weak and protect women.

It doesn't seem to matter to readers that the heroines of today are perfectly capable of protecting themselves; readers want the heroes to have the desire to protect the person they love. We no longer demand stories where the knight rescues the woman from the dragon — the heroine now slays her own dragon — but we love the hero who fights valiantly beside her.

In fact, we love the hero who is there for — not protection — but whatever the heroine needs from him. He's there to assist her, not only in the major challenges, but through life's everyday frustrations, as well.

In my latest release, My Way Back to You, my hero and heroine have been divorced for 15 years, yet Jeff still has a keen perception of Maggie's emotional needs, as he shows in this conversation:

Her heart stuttered. "You think my dad is going to die?"

"No, of course not." He stole a quick glance her way. "Open-heart surgery is an everyday occurrence now. But it's going to be an emotional time. You've acknowledged you're upset. And your mom won't be in any shape for you to lean on her. You need somebody."

"And I appreciate that. But, can you imagine all the talk it'll stir up? Mom and Dad are already upset. Dad's heart will blow, for sure, when he hears you're staying with me. He's liable to drag out his shotgun."

"Like he did the first time?"

Maggie snorted at the old joke. "This time, he'll be running you out of town."

"Just listen to me." He brushed the back of his finger down her cheek. "Take away all the stuff that stems from other people. Do you want me to stay with you?"

She considered that. "Well, yeah, maybe. I mean, you're right that it's not going to be an easy time to be alone."

He shrugged. "Then where I stay is nobody's business …"

Having Jeff to lean on doesn't weaken Maggie's character — who doesn't want emotional support during a crisis? And Jeff's chivalrous offer confirms to us that he's hero material because he understands her needs and he's got her back.

In Something to Prove by Kimberly Lang (June), hero Ryan shows us that no action is too small for the call of chivalry.

Ryan seemed surprised to see her. "You're back early."

She dropped her purse into a chair and kicked off her shoes. "Yeah." She had to shimmy past him to get to the kitchen, but she needed that drink. "Excuse me."

The words came out sharper than intended, and Ryan's eyebrows went up. "You're in a bad mood. You and Tate get in a fight or something?"

Argh. "Shut up." Condiment bottles rattled in the fridge door as she jerked it open. She looked inside, then cursed. Why was there no alcohol in her fridge?

"Whoa. I was just kidding."

"I'm not in the mood." Oh, thank God, there was a bottle of Chardonnay in the vegetable crisper. She grabbed the corkscrew as if her life depended on it.

"Obviously," he said quietly.

She sent the corkscrew in crookedly, and the cork split and broke. "Damn it!"

"Would you like some help?"

The need for the wine outweighed everything else. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Please. I'm a little ham-handed at the moment."

Ryan reached for the bottle, unscrewed the corkscrew, and examined the damage to the cork. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked casually. Too casually, actually. What was he getting at?

"The evening didn't quite go as planned."

Ryan got the cork out, poured a good-sized glass of the wine, and handed it to her. "Would you like to talk about it?"

A hefty bank account can't buy character, so even the richest hero must earn his chivalrous status and win the heroine's — and the reader's — heart. In this excerpt from Dani Wade's latest release, The Blackstone Heir, her millionaire hero proves that, despite his money, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty.

Twenty minutes later, Jacob was finally on the road with his lead foot and a fried chicken dinner for two. When he arrived, he could hear Carter crying from the porch, which gave him pause.

Then he shrugged. He could play the big, bad man too macho to handle crying babies, or he could play the man big enough to step in where he was needed. Even if he didn't know what he was doing. Pride be damned.

Walking through that door was a tough step, but he did it. When he crossed into the living room, shock gave him pause.

He couldn't believe that a woman holding a sick, crying baby could be so darn cute. Pink sweatpants and a tank top, her hair haphazardly pulled up in one of those clip things, she looked frazzled and concerned. One arm bouncing Carter gently, the other patting his back. He would have smiled and kissed her if she didn't look on the verge of tears as the noise paused long enough for Carter to cough.

If it weren't for the crying baby, he'd muss her up even more with some roaming fingers. But he had a feeling if he reached for her now, he'd be pulling back a bleeding nub.

She opened her mouth, but he plowed forward before she could argue.

"What do you need?" Might be better to head this discussion off at the pass.

Occasionally, even the most independent heroine finds herself in need of a helping hand — literally. When that happens, the hero is called to action by one of the main tenets of chivalry — protecting what he holds dear, even when he doesn't understand just how dear, yet. Kira Sinclair's hero must do exactly that in this excerpt from Under the Surface.

Holy hell, she hadn't been lying.

What on God's green earth was she doing heading up a dive team if she couldn't swim?

Jackson was used to compartmentalizing responses in order to tackle the priorities in front of him. Getting her out of the water was his first point of action. Making sure she was still breathing his second. After that he could decide whether or not to verbally take a strip from her hide.

Later, someone else could take the pound of flesh from his ass for what he'd done.

It had taken him about thirty seconds to realize she wasn't coming up. A few more to convince himself she wasn't playing him for a fool. Another thirty to rocket down to her, snatch her around the waist and start hauling her up to the surface.

Plenty of time. She would be fine.

Because he couldn't live with himself if she actually drowned.

The minx was a thorn in his side, but she didn't deserve to die for that.

Breaking the surface, Jackson shoved her up onto the dock. It was not a good sign that her limbs flopped around uselessly. If she'd passed out, water was definitely in her lungs.

Hauling himself up after her, Jackson rolled her head sideways to clear the water from her mouth and nose. Then he sealed his lips to hers and started mouth-to-mouth. Within a few breaths her chest heaved and she started coughing, water sputtering out. Jackson rolled her, pounded on her back to help get out whatever was left in her lungs.

Her body convulsed with the force of her need to expel the seawater. After several moments, she quieted. Her forehead rested on the rough surface of the dock. Her hand spread out beside her head, hair tangled through her fingers. Her legs were twisted together, as if she didn't have the energy to move a single muscle.

Jackson stopped pounding on her back, instead rubbing up and down in a slow, soothing gesture. He wanted to offer her comfort. But he also kept touching her to reassure himself that she was really breathing.

And what would a look at chivalry today be without a glimpse of the closest thing to the knights of old in contemporary romance — the beloved cowboy. Cynthia D'Alba's Reno Montgomery is the personification of chivalry in this excerpt from her latest release, Texas Bossa Nova:

When they got back to the barn, he leapt from his horse to hurry around to help her down.

"What are you doing?" she asked, frowning at him as he stood beside Layla with his arms outstretched ready to catch her.

"I'm going to help you down." He frowned. "You should have told me before now," he scolded.

"Why? I'm not even sure. It's just that I'm never late and…" She shrugged. "And now I am."

"You should have told me because you don't need to be riding a horse in your condition."

She followed him into the barn. "We don't even know if I'm pregnant."

"We'll get married," Reno said. "As soon as possible."

That stopped Magda dead in her tracks. "Excuse me?"

"Marriage. I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

We've all heard that chivalry is dead, but I think that those who believe it to be true simply haven't been looking with the right perspective. As a romance writer, I strive to make my characters as realistic as possible. Read any of the above excerpts again, and you'll find that the exact scenario could be playing out anywhere at any time. True heroes are all around us. Chivalrous acts abound — we simply need to be focusing with our hearts as well as our eyes.

Find out more about Pamela and her books at www.pamelahearon.com.