Military romance is a whole subgenre of romance, featuring strong alpha males (Navy SEALs, Marines, Special Forces, etc etc). In general terms, what distinguishes a military romance in our minds is that the protagonist’s military service becomes central to the plot. Perhaps the hero and heroine have to work out what being in love between deployments looks like, or the hero draws on his Special Forces Skillz to defeat the bad guy.
Beyond Military Romance
However, military heroes and heroines show up in all sorts of different subgenres of romance, and therefore also come in different molds beyond the super-alpha super man.
Here are some of our favorites.
A Good Soldier
If you are looking for someone who is not necessarily a leader, you might like Ewan Mostyn from Third Son’s a Charm. He’s strong and muscled, but doesn’t think highly of himself. He’s fierce and loyal, but not particularly clever.
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A Typical Regency Military Man
Alleyne Bedwyn from Slightly Sinful is dashing and charming and courageous. This book gets bonus points for amnesia and deception and a brothel.
A Naval Officer
If Captain von Trapp makes you swoon, then Captain Philip Dacre of It Takes Two to Tumble might be just what you’re looking for. He is all about the discipline, which of course means that he has no idea how to handle his extremely undisciplined children.
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A Veteran with Major Survivor’s Guilt
Some veterans, especially in Regency Romance, suffer from survivor’s guilt, and Jamie Montcrief (who was unable to save his brother on the battlefield) of I’ve Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm is a prime example. If you like some well-deserved angst in your romances, Jamie has that in spades.
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A Veteran Who Remembers the Military Fondly
Reverb’s David Altet first found his place in the world through serving in the military. Though his military past does not play a huge role in the novel, David makes clear that his identity was positively shaped by the experience. Bonus points for excellent LGBTQ rep.
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An NCO
In Regency romances, military heroes tend to be Lords – and therefore officers. In contemporary romance, military heroes tend to be the afore-mentioned Navy SEALs. That’s why the eponymous Aaron of Dear Aaron is so refreshing. He might have some alpha protective tendencies, but he’s not played up for being super brave. He’s just a regular guy who happens to be in the army.
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A Military Heroine
This list wouldn’t be complete without a military heroine, which brings us to Joey Diamonte from The Pilot and the Puck Up. Joey is a bad-ass who the author doesn’t soften – the hero appreciates her for the skills she has, rather than her feminine potential.
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Looking for more? Here’s a link to all the books featuring military and veteran heroes that we’ve reviewed.
Who are some of your favorite military heroes and heroines? Let us know in the comments!
In the United States, today is Veteran’s Day. In addition to reading about veterans finding love, consider honoring the veterans in your life by making a donation to the National Veterans Foundation.
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