The best heroic female book that I've read to date was the Illona Andrews Magic series. Although, I'm not sure I can rec it to you - the male love interest is an alpha male and a bit of a jerk. They work. But if you don't like alpha male characters...it may get on your nerves. That said, it's urban fantasy but not that romancy, actually a lot of the romance novel readers have issues with it - because it's not romancy enough for them.
According to the reviews Nalini Singh is a bit too alpha male, damsel female for my taste. I read a few of the spoilery reviews on Good Reads and Amazon. These are tough/edgy guys with a dangerous streak and kittenish females. Not my thing. (I don't mind alpha male, but the female has to be alpha too - or it is not going to work for me. Just like I don't mind beta - as long as they are equals. Strong female/weak male? eh...doesn't turn me on, which may explain why I was never a Bander fan. Strong male/weak female? ew.)
Actually, I think the reason I delved into urban fantasy - was hunting for a strong female/heroine's journey. The romance novels sometimes twist it into a hero's journey, which is grating. (ie. it becomes all about the love interest, or the guy and what makes him happy or what makes him tick.)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-07-03 10:41 pm (UTC)The best heroic female book that I've read to date was the Illona Andrews Magic series. Although, I'm not sure I can rec it to you - the male love interest is an alpha male and a bit of a jerk. They work. But if you don't like alpha male characters...it may get on your nerves. That said, it's urban fantasy but not that romancy, actually a lot of the romance novel readers have issues with it - because it's not romancy enough for them.
According to the reviews Nalini Singh is a bit too alpha male, damsel female for my taste. I read a few of the spoilery reviews on Good Reads and Amazon. These are tough/edgy guys with a dangerous streak and kittenish females. Not my thing. (I don't mind alpha male, but the female has to be alpha too - or it is not going to work for me. Just like I don't mind beta - as long as they are equals. Strong female/weak male? eh...doesn't turn me on, which may explain why I was never a Bander fan. Strong male/weak female? ew.)
Actually, I think the reason I delved into urban fantasy - was hunting for a strong female/heroine's journey. The romance novels sometimes twist it into a hero's journey, which is grating. (ie. it becomes all about the love interest, or the guy and what makes him happy or what makes him tick.)