Untouchable

Idk this is the second Sam Mariano book I've tried, and so far I can't really get into her heroes. Funny thing is I think I've seen most reviewers complain about the heroines being naive/dumb? I guess my tolerance for that is pretty high, and I even kinda enjoy this trope most of the time.

My problem is when a hero's entire personality is being so cocky and confident that he is just completely unbothered by everything the heroine does. Like I get that's part of the gig right, the male hero has all the power and is able to manipulate the heroine into doing whatever he wants, but my problem is even when the main couple seem to get close, and this doesn't really change. And throughout the book, there is no real sense that the hero is emotionally effected by the heroine. I'm not even asking for the heroine to get a win or get one over on the hero, just some indication to let us know that this whole endeavor of ruining her life actually means something to him. If he already gets everything he wants, and this is just one more thing, then this isn't be fun for him nor the reader?

I think the whole point is this is supposed to be implied. Like when he says “I've never thought about a girl like this, no one else has ever kept my attention for this long” yada yada yada. But I want both. I want the hero to say this, and then also seem somewhat emotionally distressed by this fact?? Like if its true that this is the first time it's happened shouldn't the hero kinda be fucked up over it? Idk.

I'm gonna go ahead and blame Sam & Angel for their Royals of Forsythe Series. I think they've just made me have unreasonably high standards for bully trope books lol. Killian Payne is the perfect example of what this type of hero should be, in my opinion. He can get anything he wants, he really wants the girl, he can't have her and trying harder pushes her away. He does some messed up shit, but its almost like he is as emotionally distraught, frustrated and introspective over the whole interaction as she is. Like he wants it to be as easy as everything else in his life (or maybe he doesn't?), but it can't be. He also realizes that he doesn't want her to just say she belongs to him, but he really wants her really and entirely.

I don't know, after writing all of this, I think I'm realizing I just want character growth for the hero? I don't think a “Killian Payne” is the only way to achieve this, but Mariano's heros definitely miss this mark for me...