I love strong heroines, absolutely LOVE them.
This weekend, the hubby and I went to see Resident Evil: Extinction. Each time Alice (Milla Jovovich) came on the screen, I would watch, not flinching a bit, as she battled zombie after zombie. No matter how out-numbered she was, I knew that good old Alice would kick butt and that there would be no reason to fear (or to squeeze my eyes shut in anticipation of a brutal slaughter).
But, when Alice wasn’t on the screen…well, let’s just say I was doing lots of flinching–because I knew folks were gonna be dying (and die they did!).
Kick-ass heroines like Alice (or my old favorite, Buffy) are extremely popular these days–and I certainly hope that popularity continues.
But, a heroine doesn’t just have to possess the ability to knock a man down (or knock a good dozen out), in order to be strong. I think that that the highly intelligent or super street-smart heroines also fall under the strong heading. For this branch, I often think of Lois Lane. Sure, the woman was always getting into trouble–but, come on, if you knew that Superman was going to fly to your rescue, would you really be all that worried about doing some investigating? No matter what, Lois always got her story–she cracked the cases–and the woman got her headlines. All in a day’s work for Ms. Lane.
Of course, heroine’s can be emotionally strong, too. Linda Howard’s Cry No More had a great example of a heroine who was emotionally strong. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, but the heroine went though what I would consider a worst-nightmare-situation. She braved the fire of emotional agony, and she kept going. She got her life on track and even found herself a happy ending. Nice.
What about you? What strong heroines do you enjoy reading about–and why? I’ll be back next Wednesday (that way folks will have plenty of time to post), and I’ll select one winner to receive a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate). I’ll post the winner’s name in the comments section of this post.
Ah, but before I leave, I’d like to do two more things…
First, I’d like to say, “Good luck!” to everyone who has entered the Brava Novella Contest! 
And…I’d like to post the official cover for my May 2008 Brava title, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT:
What do you think? I love him! Um, I mean, I love the cover! (And, just in case you were wondering, the tagline there says, “When night falls, passions rise.”)
I LOVE turn of the century American heroins because they are believable. I like how they show a progression in attitudes towards decorum and acceptible behavior.
I love any heroine who has the strength to stand up to her society’s strictures,whatever the day and age, and decide for herself what she is going to do with her life. It can be as kick-ass as Alice in Resident Evil, or as simple as a woman deciding not to marry the man everyone expects her to because it would compromise the way she feels about herself as a person. That she could put her own self-worth over her family’s expectations/society’s pressures, to me, takes more of a kick-ass attitude than actually kicking ass. And I think the best example of this is Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice, who turned down a marriage proposal not once, but twice, because it didn’t feel right for her. That is true strenght.
I love any heroine who has the strength to stand up to her society’s strictures,whatever the day and age, and decide for herself what she is going to do with her life. It can be as kick-ass as Alice in Resident Evil, or as simple as a woman deciding not to marry the man everyone expects her to because it would compromise the way she feels about herself as a person. That she could put her own self-worth over her family’s expectations/society’s pressures, to me, takes more of a kick-ass attitude than actually kicking ass. And I think the best example of this is Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice, who turned down a marriage proposal not once, but twice, because it didn’t feel right for her. That is true strength.
Sorry that posted twice.
Oh, I forgot to say a great big “YUM” on the cover guy!
Eve Dallas is the first strong heroine that comes to mind. I love the combination of kick-a** toughness and vunerability that makes her such a fascinating character.
I love strong heroines! GORGEOUS cover!! Very nice! I can’t wait to read it.
I love Nalini Singh’s heroines. They are women who are not afraid to fight or die for what is important to them. Truly admirable.
Oh yeah, whether you like any or all the Austen heroines, they are all very strong people, because in a day and age where it is expected to marry, here you have people who wait for nothing less than love. Even if they don’t start out that way, they develop into it- and it’s just surprising sometimes, remembering when they were written that they even were.
Lois
Thanks for all the comments–and I will completely agree with the point on the Austen heroines. Love them.
And thanks for the compliments on the cover!
yes quite a hot cover cynthia. love strong heriones.
I like heroines who have faced adversity and come out a better stronger person like Scarlet in Gone With the Wind.
Love reading about strong heroines. I like reading the strong heroines in Jaci Burton’s Demon Hunter series. One from the movies is Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
Bronwyn from Candace Havens’ Charmed series is a strong heroine, she can save her charges and still find time to have a girls night.
The cover is yummy, I caught myself just staring into his eyes.
I love Eve Dallas from fron JD Robbs Death series. She is strong and smart, but all woman around Rourke.
Great cover!
Another Eve Dalls fan here, plus I like the strength that LKH has in both her Merry and Anita Blake series.
The strong heroine that comes to mind for me is Vicki Nelson from Tanya Huff’s Blood book series which is what Blood Ties the TV show is based on.
Oh, Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear – she turned into a wonderfully strong woman – physically and emotionally. (actually it’s been a 6 book series – Earth Children – with one more to go I believe). It’s a wonderful story and probably my favorite.
Cover is gorgeous.
Wow…I love that cover! I think it’s going to jump right off the shelf and into the reader’s hand. He’s hot! lol
I’m a big fan of Eve Dallas. She’s tough and she makes me laugh, too.
Awesome cover!
I love strong heroines who stand up for themselves and what they want and believe in. I like the ‘kitty’ series by Carrie Vaughn as she learns to be more independent and true to herself.
I love strong heroines. Have you checked out Shelly Laurenston’s book. She had a new one released recently. Yum her kitties are to die for.
Strong heroines with principles and values are what matters. I admire Eve Dallas in the series by Roberts.
i lik e suzanne rnoch herione samantha , she holds her own.
Oh, yes, I love those stories about Eve! Great heroine!
Awesome cover, Cynthia.
Probably the reason Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts have remained so popular through all these years is because their heroines are strong (and so are their heroes, and they have great writing too, lol). I wouldn’t like to read a book with a wimpy heroine–unless she changes throughout the book and becomes strong.
But if I have to pick one, I’m going with the others who said Elizabeth Bennett.
Gorgeous cover! My favorite strong heroines include Sydney from Alias. She is not waiting to be saved by the hero, but getting out there and taking all the risks. I love Alyssa from Suzanne Brockmann’s SEAL series. I love how the heroines are equal partners not on the sidelines.
Love the new cover, Cynthia! And I adore strong female characters. Anything Nora as mentioned above, and Laura Croft made me nod. That gal could survive alone anywhere! So YAY for strong women everywhere!
I really enjoy series books. It gives such depth of characters and even after finishing one book you keep reading about how the characters are doing in later books.
Love your cover!
I love strong heroines. A couple that come to mind are: Keri Arthur’s Riley Jensen and Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer. They lead very dangerous lives and do what they have to in order to survive.
I love the cover. It is hot.
Oh, definitely a woman who can live without a man in her life, but when she finds the one, she grows even stronger.
Eve Dallas naturally comes to mind. She is the strong heroine type. She doesn’t need Roarke, but she is a better person with in her life as he complements her.
That is one sizzling hot guy! He absolutely smolders! Mmm…mmm!
Anyway, I adore women as alpha characters who can kick butt! Can you tell I have read a lot of them?
I love that cover! How gorgeous is he, I mean it, the cover that is!
Like some others, I too loved Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
I’ve just finished the second book in Jaci Burton’s Demon Hunter Series, Hunting the Demon. I think she writes really strong, capable heroines.
Hugs, Zara
For some reason I have trouble remembering the heroines, it’s the heroes that stick out in my mind lol
there is an excellent book by Catherine Anderson about a wheelchair bound heroine. Her name is Bethany. She was a champion rider and injured in the ring as a young woman. The book is called Phantom Waltz and it is part of the Coulter family series.
I really like strong heroines… some give us courage… I read one a very good book by Sally Mandell which had a heroine with a degenerative disorder and had to fight to be respected.
Yep… that cover is nice with a dark, handsome hero!! You must be thrilled
I’m back!!!
And ready to announce the winner…
Estella, you’ve won the gift certificate! Congratulations! Just in case you forget to check here, I’m going to send you an email with your prize details.
Thanks, everyone! Have a great week!
wtg estella