They’re mad, bad, and dangerous to know. And we couldn’t live without them. (In fiction, that is.)
From the first moment I was introduced to prototypical Bad Boy Vidal in Georgette Heyer’s Devil’s Cub, I’ve been a sucker for the Bad Boy mystique. Though I recovered from my real life addiction (“tortured” used to be a positive guy descriptor for me in college), nothing fulfills my fantasies quite like a Bad Boy tempting a good woman.
My favorite Bad Boys? Vidal was my first and will always hold a strong place in my heart.
I am currently swooning over Don Draper from TV’s Mad Men, early 60’s ad man extraordinare who has it all and nothing at the same time. Men want to be him. Women want to sleep with him. And he couldn’t be more lost and alone. Hey, it works for me, baby.
In fiction, for the past four or five years, Eric the Vampire from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series (now being brought to life so splendidly on HBO’s True Blood by Alexander Skarsgard) has held top billing. I’ve wavered a bit here and there with flirtations with J.R. Ward’s V, but for quite some time now, Eric has been my guy. Or make that my vampire.
So, here’s the plan. It’s a hot Friday in August. We’re feeling languid and lazy. And what better way to pass the time than by collecting here a list of our favorite Bad Boys of all time? Then, we’ll narrow it down to the top eight or so and poll on the blog next week to name our unofficial favorite AAR Bad Boy.
Sound fun? So, hit me. Who are your favorite Bad Boys?
-Sandy AAR
Lucky Doucet—Lucky’s Lady
Sebastian—Devil in Winter
Lucky Doucet—Lucky’s Lady
Sebastian—Devil in Winter
All time favourite bad boy, Charles in Evelyn Anthony’s The French Bride.
All time favourite bad boy, Charles in Evelyn Anthony’s The French Bride.
Kell Sabin from Diamond Bay by Linda Howard
Derek Craven from Dreaming Of You by Lisa Kleypas
And from the paranormal romances a character whose story I’m most looking forward to is the very bad, very sexy, Jonas Wyatt from Lora Leigh’s Breed Books.
Kell Sabin from Diamond Bay by Linda Howard
Derek Craven from Dreaming Of You by Lisa Kleypas
And from the paranormal romances a character whose story I’m most looking forward to is the very bad, very sexy, Jonas Wyatt from Lora Leigh’s Breed Books.
I have to agree with you about Don Draper when it comes to TV. But when I’m thinking reading and bad boys, Zsadist from Ward’s Lover Awakened easily ranks as number one.
I have to agree with you about Don Draper when it comes to TV. But when I’m thinking reading and bad boys, Zsadist from Ward’s Lover Awakened easily ranks as number one.
Sebastian from Devil in Winter.
Sebastian from Devil in Winter.
I was trying to pick one of Anne Stuart’s dark heroes like Christian from Devil’s Waltz or James Killoran from to Love a Dark Lord.
I was trying to pick one of Anne Stuart’s dark heroes like Christian from Devil’s Waltz or James Killoran from to Love a Dark Lord.
James Durham, Viscount Sanbourne from Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran. Delicious and funny as hell!
Lord Bramwell Lowry Johns from Always a Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch.
James Durham, Viscount Sanbourne from Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran. Delicious and funny as hell!
Lord Bramwell Lowry Johns from Always a Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch.
Oh, another vote for Derek Craven! Also, Bentley Rutledge from Liz Carlyle’s The Devil You Know. And definitely, Hardy Cates from Lisa Kleypas’ Blue Eyed Devil. Wow, need a fan to cool off from just thinking of these bad boys.
Oh, another vote for Derek Craven! Also, Bentley Rutledge from Liz Carlyle’s The Devil You Know. And definitely, Hardy Cates from Lisa Kleypas’ Blue Eyed Devil. Wow, need a fan to cool off from just thinking of these bad boys.
Ash Farrell, from The Second Coming Of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer, and Johnny Harris from One Summer by Karen Robards. Gotta love the bad boy.
And Sandy, I agree with you on Eric. Bad boy vampire who is deliciously cute too.
Ash Farrell, from The Second Coming Of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer, and Johnny Harris from One Summer by Karen Robards. Gotta love the bad boy.
And Sandy, I agree with you on Eric. Bad boy vampire who is deliciously cute too.
Johnny Harris for me too – in fact I just recommended this book on one of the message boards.
Gabriel St. Croix from Broken Wing – Judith James
Derek Craven from Dreaming of You – Lisa Kleypas
Julien Langlois from Absolute Trouble – Michele Albert (Jerrot)
Brandon Carlyle from Darkling I Listen – Katherine Sutcliffe
Those are just a few. And of course television wise – Sawyer from Lost.
Johnny Harris for me too – in fact I just recommended this book on one of the message boards.
Gabriel St. Croix from Broken Wing – Judith James
Derek Craven from Dreaming of You – Lisa Kleypas
Julien Langlois from Absolute Trouble – Michele Albert (Jerrot)
Brandon Carlyle from Darkling I Listen – Katherine Sutcliffe
Those are just a few. And of course television wise – Sawyer from Lost.
Hm. I think of Don Draper as a Bad Man, not a Bad Boy. Maybe I’m being biased by the title of the show :) but I think there’s a difference. With Bad Boys, I expect some degree of recklessness and indifference to consequences (Vidal is a good example), whereas Draper is so clearly Establishment. He just seems too… well, too mature to be a Bad Boy. By contrast, Ward’s vampires, however old they are, act like teenagers and therefore always strike me as Bad Boys.
Hm. I think of Don Draper as a Bad Man, not a Bad Boy. Maybe I’m being biased by the title of the show :) but I think there’s a difference. With Bad Boys, I expect some degree of recklessness and indifference to consequences (Vidal is a good example), whereas Draper is so clearly Establishment. He just seems too… well, too mature to be a Bad Boy. By contrast, Ward’s vampires, however old they are, act like teenagers and therefore always strike me as Bad Boys.
Kristie…LOL…We must be on the same wave length this morning. You and I must have posted about Johnny and One Summer at the exact same time. You know what they say about great minds…… :)
Kristie…LOL…We must be on the same wave length this morning. You and I must have posted about Johnny and One Summer at the exact same time. You know what they say about great minds…… :)
Nana, Don’s willingness to bail on his family and leave everything behind at the end of season one was definitely boy-ish by your definition. And, yes, he is a man. As is Eric. (As we just saw in True Blood, don’t ever call him baby!)
And love the list. Keep ’em coming. I so agree on Derek Craven and Lucky Doucet, two of my absolute favs.
Nana, Don’s willingness to bail on his family and leave everything behind at the end of season one was definitely boy-ish by your definition. And, yes, he is a man. As is Eric. (As we just saw in True Blood, don’t ever call him baby!)
And love the list. Keep ’em coming. I so agree on Derek Craven and Lucky Doucet, two of my absolute favs.
Dain from Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels
and Kleypas’s Craven (Dreaming of You) and St. Vincent (Devil in Winter)
Vidal (Heyer, Devil’s Cub)
Zsadist (Ward, Lover Awakened)
Sean O’Banyon (Jessica Bird’s Billionaire Next Door)
Spike (Bird’s Man in a Million)
Wrath (Dark Lover), Rhage (Lover Eternal; what can I say, Ward’s writing works for me…)
Philip (the Falcon) from Chase’s The Sandalwood Princess
(I know I’m not thinking of some obvious ones….)
(Maybe another time do a poll of favorite bad boys in movies?)
Dain from Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels
and Kleypas’s Craven (Dreaming of You) and St. Vincent (Devil in Winter)
Vidal (Heyer, Devil’s Cub)
Zsadist (Ward, Lover Awakened)
Sean O’Banyon (Jessica Bird’s Billionaire Next Door)
Spike (Bird’s Man in a Million)
Wrath (Dark Lover), Rhage (Lover Eternal; what can I say, Ward’s writing works for me…)
Philip (the Falcon) from Chase’s The Sandalwood Princess
(I know I’m not thinking of some obvious ones….)
(Maybe another time do a poll of favorite bad boys in movies?)
Spike, of course.
And what about Rhett Butler, AND Han Solo?
Literary bad boys…John Smythe for me (from the Vicky Bliss books) and also Roarke.
Spike, of course.
And what about Rhett Butler, AND Han Solo?
Literary bad boys…John Smythe for me (from the Vicky Bliss books) and also Roarke.
Don Draper, definitely. Yum.
(If you haven’t seen “”Don Draper’s Guide to Picking Up Women”” that aired when Hamm hosted SNL, google it immediately! Hilarious. The key to picking up women is basically to look like Don Draper, apparently.)
As far as romance novels go . . . maybe Sebastian from TO HAVE AND TO HOLD by Patricia Gaffney. A bad, bad man.
But Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent is a “”bad boy”” who isn’t really as bad as he thinks he is, and is a lot more fun.
Don Draper, definitely. Yum.
(If you haven’t seen “”Don Draper’s Guide to Picking Up Women”” that aired when Hamm hosted SNL, google it immediately! Hilarious. The key to picking up women is basically to look like Don Draper, apparently.)
As far as romance novels go . . . maybe Sebastian from TO HAVE AND TO HOLD by Patricia Gaffney. A bad, bad man.
But Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent is a “”bad boy”” who isn’t really as bad as he thinks he is, and is a lot more fun.
Oh…If I keep thinking on this subject, I will get nothing done today. So…one more try..
Dain from Lord Of Scoundrels
And while I am not a fan of the Lymond Chronicles…not yet anyway, I would have to suggest, Francis Crawford Lymond qualifies as a Bad Boy.
Christian from Lady Gallant and Cash from Slow Heat In Heaven, although he skitters along the fine line of Bad Boy to sort of a jerk.
Oh…If I keep thinking on this subject, I will get nothing done today. So…one more try..
Dain from Lord Of Scoundrels
And while I am not a fan of the Lymond Chronicles…not yet anyway, I would have to suggest, Francis Crawford Lymond qualifies as a Bad Boy.
Christian from Lady Gallant and Cash from Slow Heat In Heaven, although he skitters along the fine line of Bad Boy to sort of a jerk.
Another vote for Dain in Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels! Also in the Historicals, Billy Blade in Gaelen Foley’s ‘Lady of Desire’ and Sid Malone in Jennifer Donnelly’s ‘The Winter Rose’ (both gangsters, so tortured…lol).
But above all I must agree with you about Vidal- I love his relationship with Mary in Devil’s Cub!
Another vote for Dain in Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels! Also in the Historicals, Billy Blade in Gaelen Foley’s ‘Lady of Desire’ and Sid Malone in Jennifer Donnelly’s ‘The Winter Rose’ (both gangsters, so tortured…lol).
But above all I must agree with you about Vidal- I love his relationship with Mary in Devil’s Cub!
I agree with Nana’s point about Don being a more a Bad Man than a Bad Boy (though as Sandy says, he definitely has impulsive, boyish moments). Which may be why, while I loved Vidal as a teenager, he annoys me more as a I get older. I still like the book, and I even like him, and I believe in the happy ending. But I’m more inclined, on rereads, to say “”oh, for heaven’s sake, grow up.”” Don, by contrast, is a grown up, flaws and all. And though some of his behavior is arguably worse than Vidal’s, he’s more likely to intrigue me than to annoy me.
I think my favorite literary Bad Boy is Damerel in Heyer’s “”Venetia.”” Like Don, he’s really more a Bad Man. Like Don, Damerel has a great deal of self-awareness about his own flaws.
I agree with Nana’s point about Don being a more a Bad Man than a Bad Boy (though as Sandy says, he definitely has impulsive, boyish moments). Which may be why, while I loved Vidal as a teenager, he annoys me more as a I get older. I still like the book, and I even like him, and I believe in the happy ending. But I’m more inclined, on rereads, to say “”oh, for heaven’s sake, grow up.”” Don, by contrast, is a grown up, flaws and all. And though some of his behavior is arguably worse than Vidal’s, he’s more likely to intrigue me than to annoy me.
I think my favorite literary Bad Boy is Damerel in Heyer’s “”Venetia.”” Like Don, he’s really more a Bad Man. Like Don, Damerel has a great deal of self-awareness about his own flaws.
Off the top of my head: Roarke (of course), and Luc from Rachel Gibson’s See Jane Score. I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting.
As for TV, I’m with KristieJ in voting for Sawyer. Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Off the top of my head: Roarke (of course), and Luc from Rachel Gibson’s See Jane Score. I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting.
As for TV, I’m with KristieJ in voting for Sawyer. Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Actually, one of the reasons I liked Gaffney’s “”To Have and To Hold”” so much is that Sebastian is truly a bad man at the start of the story and we get to watch his transformation. I definitely count him as one of my favorites.
Another is Nardi from Judy Cuevas/Ivory’s “”Bliss””. Anyone who is introduced while vomiting into a piano due to an overdose of alcohol and ether is definitely a Bad Boy. He certainly retains aspects of that in his character, but he charmed me totally by the end.
Lord Edmond Waite from Mary Balogh’s “”The Notorious Rake”” began as a selfish cad but is quickly flummoxed by his love for a woman who makes him see beyond himself for the first time in years.
Johnny Cain from Penelope Williamson’s “”The Outsider””. Abandoned and abused as a child, he grew into exactly what you’d expect someone with that life story to grow into: a cold-blooded gun for hire with no ties to anyone or anything. This is such a beautiful book, because it creates fully realized characters who are such opposites yet so perfect for each other, and Williamson makes you believe in them and their HEA.
I don’t actually see Derek Craven as a Bad Boy but simply as a working class guy in a genre filled with aristocrats. He ran a gaming hell, but that alone doesn’t make someone bad unless the management engaged in cheating, pandering, drug pushing, and other nefarious deeds, and I don’t remember that. Perhaps I’m forgetting the details, however, as I read the book a long time ago.
Actually, one of the reasons I liked Gaffney’s “”To Have and To Hold”” so much is that Sebastian is truly a bad man at the start of the story and we get to watch his transformation. I definitely count him as one of my favorites.
Another is Nardi from Judy Cuevas/Ivory’s “”Bliss””. Anyone who is introduced while vomiting into a piano due to an overdose of alcohol and ether is definitely a Bad Boy. He certainly retains aspects of that in his character, but he charmed me totally by the end.
Lord Edmond Waite from Mary Balogh’s “”The Notorious Rake”” began as a selfish cad but is quickly flummoxed by his love for a woman who makes him see beyond himself for the first time in years.
Johnny Cain from Penelope Williamson’s “”The Outsider””. Abandoned and abused as a child, he grew into exactly what you’d expect someone with that life story to grow into: a cold-blooded gun for hire with no ties to anyone or anything. This is such a beautiful book, because it creates fully realized characters who are such opposites yet so perfect for each other, and Williamson makes you believe in them and their HEA.
I don’t actually see Derek Craven as a Bad Boy but simply as a working class guy in a genre filled with aristocrats. He ran a gaming hell, but that alone doesn’t make someone bad unless the management engaged in cheating, pandering, drug pushing, and other nefarious deeds, and I don’t remember that. Perhaps I’m forgetting the details, however, as I read the book a long time ago.
Man, boy, whatever, send Don Draper over to be a bad influence on me anytime! And yes, great call KristieJ, Sawyer is the epitome of bad boy!
The mention of Michelle Albert got me to thinking of another favorite bad boy:
Bobby Halloran-Off Limits by Michelle Albert
St. Vincent-Kleypas (God I loved watching him fall!)
A recent addition to my bad boy list: Jerricho Barrons- the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I can’t quite tell what his deal is…
Man, boy, whatever, send Don Draper over to be a bad influence on me anytime! And yes, great call KristieJ, Sawyer is the epitome of bad boy!
The mention of Michelle Albert got me to thinking of another favorite bad boy:
Bobby Halloran-Off Limits by Michelle Albert
St. Vincent-Kleypas (God I loved watching him fall!)
A recent addition to my bad boy list: Jerricho Barrons- the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I can’t quite tell what his deal is…
Dain – Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase
Tucker Longstreet – Carnal Innocence – Nora Roberts
Rafe MacKade – Nora Roberts
Roarke – JD Robb
Nathaniel Finn – The Ring on Her Finger – Elizabeth Bevarly
Nick Gentry – Worth Any Price – Lisa Kleypas
In the movies/on tv: Richard Armitage as Sir Guy in Robin Hood, Sean Bean as Sharpe
Dain – Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase
Tucker Longstreet – Carnal Innocence – Nora Roberts
Rafe MacKade – Nora Roberts
Roarke – JD Robb
Nathaniel Finn – The Ring on Her Finger – Elizabeth Bevarly
Nick Gentry – Worth Any Price – Lisa Kleypas
In the movies/on tv: Richard Armitage as Sir Guy in Robin Hood, Sean Bean as Sharpe
p.s.
I just saw a wonderful production of “”The Music Man”” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland with my friend Penny Williamson (who wrote “”The Outsider”” and would be thrilled by Susan’s words). Penny and I agreed it was a very romantic production. Harold Hill’s transition from Bad Boy to man who stands up and faces the consequences was beautifully done. The changing emotions flitting across the face of the actor (Michael Ellich) in the last part of the play as he realizes the heroine really does love him, knowing full well the sort of man he is, were wonderful.
p.s.
I just saw a wonderful production of “”The Music Man”” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland with my friend Penny Williamson (who wrote “”The Outsider”” and would be thrilled by Susan’s words). Penny and I agreed it was a very romantic production. Harold Hill’s transition from Bad Boy to man who stands up and faces the consequences was beautifully done. The changing emotions flitting across the face of the actor (Michael Ellich) in the last part of the play as he realizes the heroine really does love him, knowing full well the sort of man he is, were wonderful.
I just finished reading Eloisa James’s A Duke of Her Own. I think
Leopold Dautry, the Duke of Villiers, fits the definition of bad boy.
Vere Mallory from Loretta Chase’s The Last Hellion.
And less well-known, but a great bad-boy, Tamnais Nathrach, the sexy former dark mage goblin in Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares books.
I just finished reading Eloisa James’s A Duke of Her Own. I think
Leopold Dautry, the Duke of Villiers, fits the definition of bad boy.
Vere Mallory from Loretta Chase’s The Last Hellion.
And less well-known, but a great bad-boy, Tamnais Nathrach, the sexy former dark mage goblin in Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares books.