January 18, 2007 • Print This Post
While paging through a magazine the other day I saw a book called Mr. Wrong: Real-Life Stories about the Men We Used to Love. It was one of those titles I read and then just had to hunt down. The publisher describes the book this way:
Women everywhere will see themselves in these witty, wise, and entertaining personal essays by some of the literary world’s most accomplished and bestselling authors, including Jane Smiley, Audrey Niffennegger, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ntozake Shange, Roxana Robinson, Marge Piercy, and Ann Hood. Readers will delight in the array of Mr. Wrongs encountered in these pages–from harmless and charming to revolting and offensive–and ultimately relish the notion that even if we succumb to the temptation of an utterly reckless romance, we can emerge with our hearts intact.
By turns wry and heartfelt, lighthearted and redemptive, these insightful, uplifting real-life stories run the emotional gamut, from Whitney Otto’s satisfying tale of a Mr. Wrong who receives his comeuppance in an unexpected way, to Robin Westen’s steamy account of lust with a zen master, to Monika Ekk’s rueful “I Married a Wanker!” Some are hilarious, like Marion Winik’s “The Ten Most Wanted,” while others, like Catherine Texier’s “Russian Lessons,” take us to the dark side of love and longing.
For every prince charming there are a million frogs. If you’ve ever trusted a man you couldn’t trust, Mr. Wrong will make you laugh, cry, and shake your head in recognition at yourself and your friends.
Yes, I pre-ordered it. Couldn’t help myself.
The book also got me thinking. I was trying to remember the last time I read a book where the bad guy from a book appears as the hero in one of the author’s later books - in other words, where a Mr. Wrong turned into Mr. Right. I know I’ve read a few. The one that came to me was MaryJanice Davidson’s Under Cover, which is a Brava anthology where the “bad guy” from one novella is the hero in20th) a subsequent novella. Alison Kent’s Ezra Moore from her SG-5 series probably qualifies as well, but he did save some of the other SG-5 heroes, so Ezra’s inclusion in the category as an early “bad guy” doesn’t really work.
Does anyone else know of one? As incentive to get you thinking, I’ll pick someone from those commenting (and offering a book that fits this description) to win your choice of MaryJanice’s Under Cover or Alison Kent’s Beyond A Shadow, your choice and as a gift from me. I own both, but you can’t have my copies. I’ll track down one for you. Winner announced Saturday morning (January 20th). Good luck!
[UPDATE: We have a winner!! Congrats to Jennifer Y. Yay for Jennifer! Email me so I can get that book out to you.]
Posted by HelenKay Dimon @ 5:40 am • Filed under: HelenKay Dimon
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The only one I can think of is Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, the hero of The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. He actually kidnapped the heroine in the previous book, It Happened One Autumn.
I agree with Maureen. Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent is the only one I could think of too.
This is sad but Sebastian was the only one I could come up with as well. Never read Under Cover or Beyond a Shadow so can’t say I know what you mean about those.
As I was reading Ezra Moore was the first that came to my mind. Sebastian is the only other one I could come up with too.
Maybe you can fix that in a future book.:wink:
Ezra was the first person to come to my mind as well, as I have been waiting for his story forever…and I am reading it right now!!
But I also thought about Judd Morgan, the villian in Iris Johansen’s “No One to Trust” who was the hero in “Dead Aim” and Nick Gentry who was the villian in Lisa Kleypas’ “Lady Sophia’s Lover”, but was the hero in “Worth Any Price”.
I did it in one of my Atlantean’s Quest stories. I took the guy who almost killed my hero in Exodus and gave him his own story in Redemption. (Hence the clever name. *ggg*)
I can’t think of a book that was not already mentioned. Not many authors write up a “bad guy” as a hero.
I think there are more hero bad guys in movies than books but they usually are killed off in the movie anyways, lo.
Nope can’t think of another book right off the bat than the ones already mentioned.
This was really hard but I came up with something. Do any of you remember Sweet Valley High, a pre-teen book series by Francine Pascal? Well there was a character, Bruce was his name, and he was the school ‘player’ breaking lots of girls’ hearts until he fell in love with a girl called Regina. Thank God for a long memory!
I kind of did this once. The “bad guy” in ASK FOR IT is the hero in PASSION FOR THE GAME. However, whether I pull it off or not remains to be seen. *g* He’s not redeemed in PftG, he’s still a criminal.
No one comes to mind either.
I have the Kent book on my tbr and have read Undercover quite awhile ago; But if I win, would love to have the book sent to my friend.
I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one who struggled to come up with possibilities. The baddie-turned-hero idea is very appealing to me as a reader and totally intriguing to me as an author because I understand how hard it must be to pull this off.
I have to admit that I’ve never read Kleypas (don’t throw anything!!!) but this may be a good time. And, now we have a few others choices from Sylvia and Jordan - yay!
Jordan - He almost killed the hero and you redemmed him? That’s what I’m talking about. I think that’s so cool.
Sylvia - I love the fact your hero still a criminal. So many possibilities for a Bad Boy with that. And, PASSION FOR THE GAME has the cover I love so much. Can’t wait to get my hands on it
Maria - You win the long memory award. That was impressive.
This probably doesn’t cut it, but one of my favourite books has a hero who goes from ‘bad guy’ to fabulous in the book. It’s Francois in Darkest Longings by Susan Lewis.
I don’t remember the title, but this happened in one of the Dark Hunter novels by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Yes I want to say that the book was Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I think the characters name was Zarek, but not sure!
i can’t remember right of the top of my head
Nick Gentry, the villian in Lisa Kleypas’ Lady Sophia’s Lover, but the hero in Worth Any Price is the first one I could think of as well. Also, Andrew in Kleypas’s Because You’re Mine redeems himself as the hero in “I Will” (in anthology Wish List).
Also, Lachlan MacGregor kidnaps the heroine in Johanna Lindsey’s Man of My Dreams, but gets his own story in Love Me Forever (which is one of my favorite Lindsey books). I haven’t read Man of My Dreams though, so I am not sure how “bad” he actually was.
Also, in The Pirate Next Door by Jennifer Ashley, James Ardmore is the villian, who becomes the hero in The Pirate Hunter. And in The Abduction of Julia by Karen Hawkins, Nicholas Montrose is a bad guy who becomes the hero in The Seduction of Sara.
That’s all I can think of right now.
Oh pooh, someone took my Nick Gentry answer. LOL
Well, I don’t have any others that I can think of, but soaps they do it all the time — and there, it’s obviously first and foremost need to keep it different, but hey, people in real life can change from good to bad, bad to good. But bad’s sometimes way more fun! 
Lois
I thought of Alison’s Ezra immediately. Then you had to mention him and say no.
Lisa K’s Sebastian is the only other villian turned good guy that I can think of.
i read the story.,”‘the pirate and the pagan” was a great story and well the good guy WAS the bad guy too, but it was very intersting and 1 of the books can read more than once and still find GREAT
Oh man! I have read so many books and can’t remember any bad guys that turned into good guys. Darn! How about a geek turns out to be the hero? Ha, ha! I thought that might fly but I guess not. I was thinking of all the Vicki Lewis Thompson books of Nerds that I read. I guess I am having a senior moment!
Kudos to Jennifer Y. for remembering so many!
Just thought of an old classic, Wuthering Heights, with Heathcliff. He could have been a villain turned to hero or it could be visa versa. Gone with the Wind also had Clark Gable in a role where he could be called bad and then classified as a hero. Well, that’s all my memory is going to allow for right now, ha!
I happened to have those books on the shelf here and browsed it before commenting. I didn’t realize I had so many.
I was really stumped by this one. So badly that I had to find an example in another genre.
Okay, this is not a romance novel, but it is something in line with the topic being discussed. In “Silence of the Lambs”, Hannibal Lecter was the bad guy, but in “Hannibal” the story ends with Hannibal and Clarice as a couple.
You guys are good! I couldn’t think of even one.
How ’bout Thea Devine’s “Satisfaction” and “Sensation”? If I remember right, the character in the first book is good and then turns bad in the second book.
I can’t think of one right now. I have read Man of My Dreams but don’t think I have read Love Me Forever.
Rochester in Jane Eyre was a definite example of what a bad guy who does repent.
I dont know if this is really a romance book; but how about His Little Black Book by Thea Devine. He was a real bastard in my book.
Max de Winter in Rebecca fits that description well.
Just finished Iris Johansen’s Stalemate and it looks like Montalvo could be a good guy in her next book.
Congrats, Jennifer Y.
Thank you so much!
Way to go Jennifer! You did an awesome job of listing a lot of books. Enjoy your prize!
Michele