Hey there, book lovers! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week we’re discussing Character Traits I Love, which sounded really easy at first but ended up being a little trickier than I thought. I mean, it was easy enough to think of character traits I loved, but do you think I could come up with books to match? Thank goodness for Goodreads!
Wit & Sass
I’m a sucker for characters who indulge in witty banter and can deliver a sassy line with the best of them. The drier, the better! Two characters who particularly stick in my memory are Alex Sinclair from Save the Date (Jenny B. Jones) and Ti Russo from Begin Again (Crystal Walton).
Still Waters Run Deep
On the other end of the spectrum, I also love characters who make you work to get to know them. They don’t talk a lot, they tend to be on the serious side, and sometimes they can even come across as gruff and abrasive. But when you take the time to look beneath the surface, you find a pot of gold. I’m talking characters like Torin Monaghan from Four Dreams of You by Sondra Kraak and Rhett Crawford from The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright.
Kindness
A little bit of kindness goes a long way, they say. And really, so many characters could be described as kind. But two characters in particular came to mind when I thought about this quality: Riley Mae Floss (Amy Matayo’s The Aftermath), who opens her rather damaged bakery for a few hours each day in the wake of a devastating hurricane, just so people have a place to come and find community and a listening ear. And Marshall Hawkins (Now and Then and Always by Melissa Tagg), who finds himself offering to help a complete stranger restore a bed & breakfast that neither of them actually own.
Persistence
Persistence is a great trait in any person (unless you’re one of my children asking me for the millionth time when I’ve already said no!), but I particularly love persistence in a hero who’s pursuing his lady love who, for whatever reason, is reluctant to open herself to a relationship. Two of my favourites from recent memory (from two VERY different style reads) are Drake Elton from Roseanna White’s The Number of Love and Will Whitaker from Bethany Turner’s Wooing Cadie McCaffrey. (Which just happens to be on sale for $1.99 in eBook form right now!)
Integrity
There’s something very compelling about characters who are determined to do the right thing, regardless of the cost to themselves. The two characters I’m mentioning here do that in completely different ways and in completely different circumstances, but I’m not going to say any more than that. The first is David Galloway from No Less Days by Amanda G. Stevens and the second is Sara Witherspoon from The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce.
Sacrifice
Love is all about putting others first. Sometimes that can be as simple as allowing someone else’s preference to override your own, but sometimes that sacrifice exacts a far greater cost. I’m not going to say too much more because I want to avoid spoilers—in fact, I’m not even going to mention character names—but Not a Word by Chautona Havig and How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim definitely exemplify this character trait.
Humility
We all make mistakes, but some mistakes are easier to come back from than others. And it takes a certain strength of character to consistently live out your humility when you’re trying to prove yourself to someone who has every right to want nothing more to do with you. Enter Chad Richardson, from My Unexpected Hope by Tammy L. Gray and Josh Dixon from Just One Kiss by Courtney Walsh.
Devotion
Devotion is a close kin to love, but in this instance I’m talking about a daily commitment to walking alongside someone with specific needs, either physical or emotional—or both. And I can’t go past Brock Kelly from Jennifer Rodewald’s Red Rose Bouquet and my newest favourite hero, Shadrach Jones from Carry Me Home by Dorothy Adamek.
Protective
I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t need much introduction. Yep, I’m one of those hopelessly old fashioned women who thrills to the idea of a protective hero—not necessarily because I’m weak or dependent (just ask my husband!) but because I’m precious and worth protecting (just ask my husband 😉 ) Now, it’s a tough choice for this one, considering I have pretty much every single Ronie Kendig hero to choose from, but I’m giving a shout out to Cole “Tox” Russell from her Tox Files series, and Tate Marshall from Susan May Warren’s Montana Marshalls series.
Flirty and Charming
There’s something very potent about a man who flirts with purpose. And by that, I mean a man who is very intentional about flirting with one woman in particular. SWOON-Y! And, well, Ty Porter from Becky Wade’s Meant to Be Mine sets the bar pretty high when it comes to flirting with intent, but Alex Murdock, from Pepper Basham’s Charming the Troublemaker also has “enough charm to create his own Disney movie.”
I think we are just now beginning to realize the importance of persistence in characters. It’s wonderful seeing characters get back up and try again.
I love the still waters run deep sort of character, too.
My TTT.
Thank you for including Shadrach in your beautiful list. I’m so glad you had a fun time meeting him and Finella. xo
Thank you so much, Katie!!
Hallo, Hallo, Katie,
Even though I posted my own TTT a bit early in the morning (round 7a!) – I didn’t get the chance to visit with anyone until late in the night! lol I went a bit of a different way this week on the theme / question of choice – rather than discuss the attributes about what I find wicked alluring in characters, I decided to highlight the characters I most love reading by authors I felt need more recommendations; the authors I feel sometimes get a bit overlooked in the reading community.
I am loving how you interconnected the attributes you are showcasing today for TTT with stories, authors and characters; as that is something I did myself. I didn’t list the attributes but I took time to list the stories, characters & authors — my 12th entry might be on you’d enjoy as it encompasses a lot of the lovelies you’ve listed: the Spinster Chronicles by Rebecca Connolly? I’m a hybrid reader (mainstream & INSPY) – I’ve been living inside her world for a week now and I cannot get enough of it! They are dearly persistant, full of wit & peppering of sass plus all of the Spinsters have a heap of intergrity, too!
Other stories you’ve mentioned of favourite reads of my own – such as The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce whilst others are on my TBR for INSPY Lit. Such a good list!!!
Wonderful list, my friend!!! I’m drooling over the titles I’ve not had a chance to read yet! I just went with one trait because I’ve been looking for an excuse to share it!
You picked a good one! I thought of including A Flight of Arrows myself, but I had to set a limit somehow! 😘
So many great books here. And what a wonderful list of traits. Many of my favorites too. I’m a sucker for a broken hero. I think it might be my fave.