I have a low tolerance for TSTL in any genre and for characters of any gender, but it does seem pretty rampant in UF. I've only dabbled in the fringes of the genre, found nothing to suit my tastes and moved on.
But my distaste towards UF and paranormal romance isn't just the cardboard TSTL women, but the lack of diversity in the leading males. As I admitted earlier I've not read much UF or PR because I found nothing to entice me deeper, but from what I've seen, the ALPHA MALE co-lead or love interest is a must. Whether he must be more powerful than the woman lead or rescue her or not, the love interest, it seems, must be Alpha.
I really enjoyed Patricia Brigg's Mercedes Thompson character and the writing, but dayumn there was an obnoxious amount of testosterone in this, and many other paranormal books. Leading heroine aside, the cast is entirely meat-headed Alphas, jocking with each other, vying for attention, being so damn butch and dripping with machismo that I could almost smell dirty jockstraps while reading.
Sheez, authors. Are there no demure boys in your world who get some hetero love? Are there no sensitive artists among the chest-beating warriors? In this series and the Parasol Protectorate, there were some non-Alpha males to be found, but they were always A) Single or B) gay, or both. They are never happily coupled in a heterosexual relationship, perpetuating the myth of the hetero beta male.
I just don't enjoy reading alpha males, particularly in a romantic context. So like a lesbian reader forever on the hunt for a relationship that looks like hers, I'll give UF and paranormal romance a pass until I see some men who aren't alpha macho stereotypes.
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But my distaste towards UF and paranormal romance isn't just the cardboard TSTL women, but the lack of diversity in the leading males. As I admitted earlier I've not read much UF or PR because I found nothing to entice me deeper, but from what I've seen, the ALPHA MALE co-lead or love interest is a must. Whether he must be more powerful than the woman lead or rescue her or not, the love interest, it seems, must be Alpha.
I really enjoyed Patricia Brigg's Mercedes Thompson character and the writing, but dayumn there was an obnoxious amount of testosterone in this, and many other paranormal books. Leading heroine aside, the cast is entirely meat-headed Alphas, jocking with each other, vying for attention, being so damn butch and dripping with machismo that I could almost smell dirty jockstraps while reading.
Sheez, authors. Are there no demure boys in your world who get some hetero love? Are there no sensitive artists among the chest-beating warriors? In this series and the Parasol Protectorate, there were some non-Alpha males to be found, but they were always A) Single or B) gay, or both. They are never happily coupled in a heterosexual relationship, perpetuating the myth of the hetero beta male.
I just don't enjoy reading alpha males, particularly in a romantic context. So like a lesbian reader forever on the hunt for a relationship that looks like hers, I'll give UF and paranormal romance a pass until I see some men who aren't alpha macho stereotypes.