#THE LOSERIEST LOSER IN LOSER TOWN

[mermaidsirennikita]

Happy Valentine's Day.

To me, a lot of the best romances humiliate the heroes at some point. Like, I don't want these to be powerful bastions of dignity, I want them to be filled with SHAME. Almost finished rereading When the Duke Was Wicked, and Lovingdon, one of my favorite romance heroes of all time, as:

--admitted to himself that he's too drunk to perform

--kissed a sex worker that like, HE SUMMONED, only to be like "I'm sorry you're lovely but you don't smell like roses and lavender so I can't make it work"

--gotten scammed at cards

--gotten shot and fainted

--gotten all squirmy and panicky in a carriage while failing to figure out how hummingbirds hum because Grace is ~caressing him~ through his pants

--had his marriage proposal turned down by Grace while he's literally naked in bed, which results in him like struggling to put his clothes on in a HUFF like "I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE NICE!!!" when really he's dying inside

--had his request for her father's blessing turned down COLD, which results in him attempting and failing to huff out with dignity AGAIN, all "WELL. SOME PEOPLE WOULD BE THRILLED I ASKED." when really he's dying inside

--had his mOM call him a sad loser, basically

--spent the entire book being like "well Grace, if a man loved you, he'd do exactly what I'm currently doing, including risking his life to save yours... sadly, I am incapable of love"