Book Boyfriend: Curran

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, one that gives us the opportunity to introduce our latest literary crushes and match up their descriptions with a few pictures of a gentleman we think fits the bill. Curran (aka the Beast Lord of Atlanta) from Illona Andrews's Kate Daniels series is one of my all time favorite male characters – not only is he gorgeous, but he has a snarky streak a mile wide and his interactions with Kate are the highlights of every book for me. Hope you enjoy him!

A brief description of Curran when Kate first meets him:

A couple of inches taller than me, the Beast Lord gave an impression of coiled power. Easy, balanced stance. Blond hair, cut too short to grab. At first glance he looked to be in his early to mid-twenties, but his build betrayed him. His shoulders strained his T-shirt. His back was broad and corded with muscle, showing the power and strength a man developed in his early thirties. (pg 55 of Magic Bites)

I actually picked a character with blond hair this week! I almost always pick a character with dark hair and then make him blond in the pictures, but I think I found a good fit this this time without having to change anything. Daniel Goddard fits the image of Curran I have in my head pretty well. Curran's hair is often a bit longer in later books and that's the way I picture him - with a bit of a shaggy mane of hair since he's a lion shapeshifter and all – so I have pictures of Daniel with both long and short hair.



"His Majesty needs a can-I girl anyway. And I'm not it."

"A can-I girl?" Andrea frowned.

I leaned back. "'Can I fetch your food, Your Majesty? Can I tell you how strong and mighty you are, Your Majesty? Can I pick out your fleas, Your Majesty? Can I kiss your ass, Your majesty? Can I...?

It dawned on me that Raphael was sitting very still. Frozen, like a statue, his gaze fixed on the point above my head.

"He's standing behind me, isn't he?"

Andrea nodded slowly.

"Technically it should be 'may I,'" Curran said, his voice deeper than I remembered. "Since you're asking permission."

....

He put the chair next to me, back first, and saddled it like a horse, crossing his arms on the top of the back to show off carved biceps.

Why me? (pg 42 of Magic Strikes)



Curran smiled.

"What's so funny?"

"Your panties have a bow," he said.

...

"What's wrong with bows?"

"Nothing." He was grinning now. "I expected barbed wire. Or one of those steel chains."

Wiseass. "I'm secure enough in myself to wear panties with bows on them. Besides, they are comfy and soft."

"I bet." He almost purred.

...

I tried to get off the bed. Everything was under control until my weight actually hit my legs and then the room decided to crawl sideways. Curran caught me. His arm hugged my back, his touch sending an electric shiver along my skin. Oh no.

"Need some help, ass kicker?" (pg 92 of Magic Burns)



This wasn't happening.

"I worry about you." He dipped his head and looked into my eyes. "I worry something stupid will happen and I won't be there and you'll be gone. I worry we won't ever get a chance and it's driving me out of my skull."

No, no, no, no...

We stared at each other. The tiny space between us felt too hot. Muscles bulged on his naked frame. He looked feral.

Mad gold eyes stared into mine. "Do you miss me, Kate?"

I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out. I could lie and then we'd be back to square one. Nothing would be resolved. I'd still be alone, hating him and wanting him.

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. "Do you miss me?"

I took the plunge. "Yes." (pg 175 of Magic Bleeds)

And just because it's Curran, one more picture for good measure (just ignore the huge necklace):

Book Boyfriend: John Matthew aka Tehrror

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, one that gives us the opportunity to introduce our latest literary crushes and match up their descriptions with a few pictures of a gentleman we think fits the bill. Since I'm on a Black Dagger Brotherhood kick due to the release of Lover Unleashed last week, I thought I'd share one of my very favorite characters with you. John Matthew shows up in book two of the series as a pre-transition vampire who doesn't know anything about the vampire world and has grown up on his own. He was born without a voice box, so all his responses in the below passages are either signed or mouthed. I hope you enjoy him as much as I do!

A brief description of John Matthew:

With his size, he absolutely dwarfed the three room shop–to the point where it was like he came from another planet. In contrast to his pre-trans state, the guy now had the muscle mass of a pro wrestler, although because his skeleton was so big, the weight was stretched out on long bones, giving him a more elegant look that those swoll'd up humans in tights. He'd taken to buzz-cutting his dark hair and this made the lines of his face seem harsh rather than handsome–with the dark circles under his eyes giving the hard-ass look some serious backup. (pg 12 of Lover Mine)

I tend to ignore the hair color in these descriptions and just go with a default dirty blond, I can't seem to help it! John is in a bad place in the above description and is a long way from his happily ever after, but he's one of those characters who finds their way under your skin and refuses to budge. I think William Levy fits the John Matthew I have in my head, he's got a smile that's all innocent but he's also oozing sex appeal. Not a bad combination if you ask me;)



And then suddenly all she saw was John's face.

He'd somehow managed to turn her around in his arms and they were nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye, his hands digging into her sides and her hips. With the sight of that institutional corridor replaced with his blue stare, the grab of the past was broken and she was caught by him.

He didn't say a thing. Just stayed still and let her look at him.

It was exactly what she needed. She locked onto his eyes and used them to turn her brain off.

When he nodded, she nodded back to him and he started moving forward again. From time to time, his stare flicked away from hers to check where they were going, but it always returned.

It always came back. (pg 174 of Lover Mine)



You are so beautiful, he mouthed.

But of course she couldn't see his lips.

Guess he was going to have to show her.

John took a step forward and another and another. And it wasn't just him going toward her. She met him in the middle, halfway between her point A and his point B, her form encased in the shadow thrown by his body and yet nevertheless the only thing he saw.

As they came together, his chest was pumping and so was his heart. I love you, he mouthed in the dark slice he'd cut out of the light. (pg 303 of Lover Mine)



It was hard to explain. But what was between them went further than a mating ceremony or a back carving or a witnessed exchange of commitment. He couldn't put his finger on the why of it...but she was his missing puzzle piece, the twelfth of his dozen, the first and last pages of his book. And at some level that was all he needed.

All I want is you. However that comes.

She nodded. "Well, I want the whole deal."

He kissed her again, softly, because he didn't want to hurt her. Then pulled back and mouthed, I love you. And I'd love to be your hellren.

She blushed. She actually blushed. And didn't that make him feel like he was the size of a mountain. (pg 482 of Lover Mine)

Book Boyfriend: Owen Grayson

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, one that gives us the opportunity to introduce our latest literary crushes and match up their descriptions with a few pictures of a gentleman we think fits the bill. This week I've picked Owen Grayson from Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin books, a fabulous urban fantasy series I just cannot get enough of. There are three books out at the moment, and the fourth, Tangled Threads, releases on April 26th.

A brief description of Owen:

He had a thick head of hair that was a glossy blue-black, while his eyes were a light violet. A white, thin scar slashed diagonally across his chin. It offset the crooked tilt of his nose. Those were the only two flaws in his chiseled features, which somehow added even more character to his face, rather than detracting from his good looks.

He cut an impressive figure. Striking, confident, aggressive, forceful. Someone who demanded attention. (pg 32 of Web of Lies)

So, per usual, I have completely ignored the dark hair description and gone in favor of my sudden attraction to blonds. However, I wanted to pick someone who seemed to capture the feel of Owen, exuding that confidence mentioned above and I think Chris Hemsworth has that striking swagger to him. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite Owen moments!



Owen speaking to Gin:

"...Curiosity is a trait of mine, I'm afraid. But I was much more interested in just holding your hand."

"What are you? Twelve?"

Grayson flashed me another smile. "Sometimes the most sensual pleasures are the simplest ones."

I looked at him a moment. Then I threw back my head and laughed. "Wow. That was lame. Do you try that line out on all the ladies? Or just me?"

Instead of being insulted, Grayson's smile deepened, and his violet eyes glowed with warmth. "Just you, Gin. You're the only one who's ever called me on it."

...

Grayson's thumb traced over the circle embedded in my palm, the center of the spider rune that marked my skin. A little tingle of interest sparked to life in the pit of my stomach. A small sizzle of awareness, of potential, of possibilities.
(pg 55 of Venom)



"No problem Mr. Grayson. Just taking out a bit of trash that got onto the riverboat this evening."

Trash wasn't the worst thing I'd ever been called. Hardly enough to make me roll my eyes. But the word made Owen's gaze simmer like violet fire. For a moment, I felt a blast of cold emanate from his body...Owen's face remained smooth, except for the scar under his chin. It whitened under the strain of his clenched jaw.

"Ms. Blanco is my date for the evening," Owen replied in a mild tone. "She's hardly trash. I suggest you let go of her arm. Most ladies don't like to be manhandled."

"Only in bed," I quipped. "And even then, I still like to be on top."

His mouth quirked at my flip remark, and our eyes met and held. Gray on violet. Desire simmered in Owen's eyes underneath his anger, and I knew he could see the emotion reflected in my gaze. But there was something else, another emotion in his cold face that surprised me–concern. For me.
(pg 208 of Venom)



"I don't judge you for what you've done, Gin. Why are you judging me for another man's mistakes? Because Donovan Caine did make a mistake," Owen said in a soft voice. "Letting someone like you go."

"Someone like me?"

Owen got to his feet and moved until he was standing in front of me. "Someone strong and tough and smart and sassy and sexy as hell. That's why I'm interested, Gin. Because you're all of those things and more..."
(pg 254 of Venom)

And just in case you wanted to see the muscles that accompany that pretty face, this is a screen capture from the upcoming movie Thor. You're welcome:)




TANGLED THREADS (Elemental Assassin #4) from Goodreads:

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. . . .