5 Book Boyfriends I Have Loved: A Reader’s Confession

Gather round, darlings. It’s time to talk about the most tantalizing variety of guy—the book boyfriend. (Cue the eye-rolls from our real-life beloveds. But really, you knew what you were signing up for when you fell in love with a girl who reads.)

Today, I’m spilling the tea on a few of my all-time favorite book boyfriends. These fictional heartthrobs have stolen my heart in their own unique ways. Here’s my list—feel free to judge or swoon alongside me!

Ah, Archie. My first love. Red hair, freckles, and the dubious honor of juggling Betty and Veronica’s affections. I was seven years old, so cut me some slack! Back then, I hung on Veronica’s every word—how could she steer me wrong? In hindsight, I should have waited for Jughead to grow up, get hot, and dominate the gaming industry, but Archie will always hold a nostalgic piece of my heart.

This dark-haired, razor-sharp editor exudes sarcasm and intellect, masking a tender heart desperate for beauty in life. Emily Henry’s exquisite portrayal of his nuanced personality left me utterly smitten. Charlie’s the guy who challenges you, secretly cherishes you, and sees the world through a lens of raw honesty wrapped in a curmudgeonly exterior. Who wouldn’t fall for him?

Having just re-read the Fever series for my 10th (?) time, I am able to say that Jericho remains my hot fictional guy of choice. Forget alpha male, this guy is in his own category. As in not entirely human. But his intelligence, wit, and intense masculinity, allow him to incinerate any scale of sexiness into ashy hotness. He is the ultimate bad boy; you know if he could only find the right women who is absolutely me, he would look into my eyes and fall in love and then I’d be the luckiest girl in the world. *snort* Kind of. But yes.

A heterosexual drag queen who goes by the name Vivica at night, Nicholas is fiercely compelling. Rampantly sexual, funny, and yet fighting very real personal demons, he is my favorite embodiment of smoldering hot, cocky, snarky, and smart. But what I adore most is how he sees Freda’s beauty and forces her to see it in herself. So many times, with these bad boys, the girls are already pretty kick ass. But Freda is chubby and mouthy and makes cupcakes. She’s absolutely fantastic. And while they seem unlikely lovers, they bring out the best and the hottest in each other. For me, that makes Nicholas even more appealing that he already so highly is on his own.

Slippery in word and deed, Laurent is a plume of water wrapped in a serpent’s skin. (I’m thinking there’s a pattern with liking sharp minded, sharp-tongued men. Lol) This brilliant strategist is always three steps ahead, which makes guessing his motivations a hell of a lot of fun. And when we finally do get his POV? Damn! I was shattered. While the MC—and Laurent’s love interest—Prince Damon is the POV we follow and the typical alpha male, Laurent was the one who stole my heart.

Finally, there’s one more man I want to mention. As you know, I write funny, sexy urban fantasy. And here’s a little secret—first and foremost, I’m writing them for myself. So, I will always have a special place in my heart for my first book boy creation: Rohan Mitra. He is so fierce and funny and broken and yet so full of love. He just needs someone to shake him up and wake him up to all that. Good thing he’s got Nava. 🙂

Meet Rohan in The Unlikeable Demon Hunter.

Let the psychological dissection of my tastes begin!

Share your favorite book boyfriends in the comments. Who knows? They might end up on my list, and we can swoon and argue over them together.

Pin this for later and tag your fellow bookworms—it’s time to dish about our fictional crushes!