AAR

[Lynda X]

For some reason, I love asperger heroes, probably because it's a plausible problem between the hero and heroine, plus, it hasn’t been overdone. I just love that the hero is trying so hard, is overwhelmed with new emotion for the heroine as she instinctively comes to know and figure him out. I have three all-time favorites.

The best, of course, is THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE by Jennifer Ashley. Partially because of his aspergers, he was shut up in a madhouse as an adolescent, so people are wary of him. Now the brother of a duke, he is wealthy and now obsessed with ancient Asian pottery masterpieces. When he sees the heroine, engaged to a bounder, he is instantly smitten. Figuring out that for him to bed her for the length of time he desires, he must marry her, a goal he pursues logically. Initially taken aback, Beth quickly falls under his spell. I love this book because Ian does not know until the end that he actually is in desperate love with Beth, but we witness it almost immediately. Lovely, lovely romance, one of the best written in the past five years. grade: A

A lot of people really like books by Tessa Dare, but she’s never been my cuppa. However, after reading comments here about ONCE DANCE WITH A DUKE, I downloaded the first few chapters and was smitten. As the book opens, Amelia is heartsick because her ne’er-do-well brother has come AGAIN, in a gambling debt, this time, thus having to rent her beloved cottage for the summer, preventing the highlight of her year of spending two months with her family. Furious with the winner, she insists on a dance with the mysterious Morland who always comes to parties at midnight, dances silently with one unmarried woman and departs. Pudgy Amelia considers herself on a shelf, having already gone through one season. We figure out pretty quickly that Morland is enamored with her, but she doesn’t. The major flaw IMO with this is that she defends her family, especially her brother, long after she should have transferred her loyalty to her husband. However, if you like a hero who is often confused by people, especially the woman he loves, this is the book for you. Grade: B+

If you want a VERY erotic book (BDSM), you’ll probably like Delphine Dryden’s e-book, THE THEORY OF ATTRACTION. Camilla lives in an apartment house with lots of computer and science geeks, so she is used to their limitations. She’s been lusting after her next door neighbor, astrophysicist Ivan, as she watches him daily in his rigid routine. Nervous about a party where people can fund his next project, thus securing his job, he asks Camilla if she will give him social lessons. Because of her attraction, she agrees. I loved the eroticism of this book, plus how Ivan grows in both his social awareness and in his love for Camilla. He becomes more aware of his quirks that drive people away (true to the asperger syndrome) as he addresses them, with Camilla’s help. Although this is a short e-book, only about about 120 pages, it’s delicious. Grade: B+

So, I’m looking for more heroes like these. Any great suggestions?

[willaful]

I don't remember anything suggesting Aspergers in ODwaD -- what put that on the list for you? I kind of collect these books because my son is an Aspie, though I confess, I DNF'd Lord Ian.

Water Bound by Christine Feehan is the best depiction of an autistic adult in a romance I've encountered. (It's also the heroine, which is pretty rare.)

I don't really like Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan all that much, but it's been praised for its understated portrayal.

All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins has an undiagnosed hero -- he's described as having "a touch of Aspergers" -- and I liked it a lot.
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"I say, don't read the classics -- try to discover your own classics; every life has its own." -- Rudolf Flesch, _How to Make Sense_

[Salaisuus]

I wanted to second Water Bound by Feehan. I thought it was really well done.

[Lynda X]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be sure to follow them up. I haven't read anything about the hero in ONE DANCE WITH A DUKE and aspergers, but I thought he had a touch of it. He is not comfortable with people, often does not understand what is going on emotionally, and didn't seem very aware of how others see him. I liked his struggle a lot.

[Nana]

I debated posting this suggestion because I don't want to offend anybody by suggesting that Aspergers makes a person like a robot, but you did say that one reason you like the type is that the hero is "overwhelmed with a new emotion." In Linnea Sinclair's Games of Command, the hero is partially cybernetic and supposed to be emotionless, but is nevertheless completely, secretly, and awkwardly in love with the heroine. He spends most of the book trying to figure out how to convey this to her in appropriate ways.

So I'm not saying that he's an Asperger's character, just that the book might also provide what you're looking for, for different reasons.

[willaful]

Ooo! Games of Command was on my short list for this month's TBR challenge and I think it just flew to the top!
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"I say, don't read the classics -- try to discover your own classics; every life has its own." -- Rudolf Flesch, _How to Make Sense_

[Nana]

[Trish B]