Every reader knows that a good love interest is a precious thing. A good leading man can leave you thinking about him for days, even months after you put the book down! But what makes a good love interest?
Romance is my thing. I consider myself first and foremost a romance author, and I’ve read hundreds of thousands of pages of romance novel texts. That doesn’t mean you and I will find the same things sexy, but generally speaking, we’ll probably find a lot of overlap, won’t we? Some character traits are universally adored when it comes to love interests.
I want to outline a little of what I know about love interests, and then I want to tease out why we love some leading men while others fall flat. Finally, I want to give you the top 10 character traits for a love interest so your leading man can have readers squirming in their seats and drying their eyes.
Also, please note that while I use masculine pronouns in this article, there’s no reason this list can’t apply to all of the other genders of love interests, too! There’s really no real reason certain character traits should be confined to certain genders.
What is a love interest?
When you set out to write a novel, there are some things you’ll need no matter what. You might think it’s obvious, but no romance novel is complete without a love interest. Even non-romantic books should probably have at least one, solid love interest involved.
A love interest is a character in a novel the main character becomes interested in romantically. It doesn’t have to become a relationship, be requited, or even be overtly stated in narration. Love interests should drive character development for the protagonist, but they don’t have to further their goals.
Honestly, it’s generally way more fun to have an inconvenient love interest, one who totally gets in the way of the hero’s carefully laid plans for themselves. The important thing is to involve them intimately with the plot.
Think of your favorite romantic leads. Were they helpful to the protagonist, or did they totally throw a wrench into things? Did they end up together, or does their love only live in Tumblr headcannon?
What makes a good love interest?
A good love interest is more than just a heaving bosom, perky and straining to be free like a set of pet terriers. He’s more than six pack abs, blue eyes, and a crooked smile – whatever that means. What makes a good love interest? Spoiler alert: it’s more than looks.
A good love interest must be involved intimately with the plot of the story. They will help your character grow by challenging them and aiding them. They interact with the themes of your story rather than just stand in the background. Bind the love interest tightly to the plot, conflict, and themes.
I think every great story has a thesis statement. Think of the love interest as either an example of your thesis statement or a great counterargument. No novel is worth reading without conflict, and that includes thematic conflict. Screenwriter Michael Tabb has a really excellent breakdown of what binds a love interest to the story that’s very worth your time. Check it out and let me know what you think.
For example, if your character is an introvert, like my character Olly is in Influencers, you’ll want a love interest that either totally challenges his beliefs like Ford or you’ll want a fellow introvert to help him navigate the conflict. Generally, writers gravitate towards the Opposites Attract trope, but there are many examples of well-matched pairs that work well in fiction.
In Wine Mom, the romance between Rose and Jesse is an Enemies to Lovers romance because of how distrustful Rose is of her boss. Their relationship is intimately involved with the overall plot with the story. Essentially, you couldn’t have the plot without the man, and vice versa! A good love interest will do that for your novel.
What is your favorite fictional partnership, romantic or otherwise? Do they fall into Opposites Attract, or are they a Perfect Pair?
Types of love interest
There are lots and lots of fish in the sea, but every love interest falls into a few broad categories. Here are a few of the different types of love interest you can use in your book.
Opposites Attract
Two characters who couldn’t have less in common but are forced together make up the couple in Opposites Attract. This is super popular right now in media and fiction, and it’s easy to see why. Think Emily Henry’s Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. She’s the queen of Opposites right now, so read it and weep.
Powercouple
Not currently enjoying its time in the limelight is the Powercouple love interest, or the couple who has everything in common. They have every reason to be together, and all that shared experience gives them a bond outsiders can’t touch. The Powercouple tends to isolate from other characters more and only rely on each other.
Best Friend
Best Friend love interest is a great one because the protagonist often never sees it coming, and it’s always fun to figure something out that the hero is totally clueless about. Mia Thermopolis having no idea Michael has always been in love with her in The Princess Diaries series is my favorite example.
Mortal Enemy
Some people think of Mortal Enemy and Opposites Attract as the same, and they often go together, but the Mortal Enemy love interest is specifically a rivalry that draws characters together rather than purely their differences. Think Harry and Draco from Harry Potter or Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks from You’ve Got Mail.
Different Leagues
You usually see this love interest type coupled up with a plot about fake dating or anytime a Cinderella-type transformation is going to come into play. The protagonist is an ugly duckling who catches the attention of someone totally out of their league. This love interest type is always good for a little fantasizing. Titanic is a great example, as is literally any story about royalty falling in love with commoners.
Obviously, it’s hard to boil down the entirety of human sexuality and romantic attraction into a few categories, but this is my best effort. Let me know which tropes I missed. Is your favorite on the list?
10 best character traits for a love interest
So, now you’ve got a good idea of the kinds of love interests you could have in your novel. Let’s talk a little bit about the character traits you’re going to assign them.
There are a million billion character traits under the sun, but I’m isolating the 10 best character traits for a love interest. I’m talking the sexiest, swoon-worthiest character traits that will have readers fawning and questioning their real life romances.
1. Confident
Confidence is the most important trope on my list. A love interest who knows what they want and goes after it is the sexiest character trait out there. It’s swagger without arrogance, a knowledge of themselves that is a strong as their love.
2. Loyal
Loyalty comes in at number two for the best trait for a love interest. A loyal love interest is one who will never stray from the hero’s side – even if they want to. Their love or duty binds them to the hero, and they’d sooner die than betray them.
3. Funny
Funny love interests are the best love interests, and I don’t mean just cracking jokes. A character with a sense of humor is a joy to read, and it means the dialogue will never be boring. Funny characters are a little spontaneous and prone to novelty. They’ll surprise the hero with an incredible date or a heartfelt gift.
4. Sensitive
Sensitive love interests are the only love interests for me, frankly. I’ve done the brooding hero thing, and you just can’t beat a love interest who knows how to confess their love and bear their soul. Give me a man who will cry when the hero goes too far in the argument, who will be the first to confess his feelings.
5. Passionate
A passionate love interest is a no-brainer, although I know lots of girls love going for the brooding type, the one who won’t express his feelings unless you pry them out of him. No, for me, a love interest needs to have passionate character traits. Give me dramatic confessions filled with roses and crying, eyes that scorch you with a touch, all from a man who would rather die than live without the hero.
6. Reserved
Brooding heroes deserve a place on our list because it’s undeniable how tempting they are. Reserved characters, the stronger and more silent the better, will always get a reader curious. We know they’re hiding their true passion, and the hero will bring it out in them.
7. Generous
Generosity is a prized trait among romantic heroes. It doesn’t mean they need to be out donating to charity, but a generous character will sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, especially the hero. Who says nice guys finish last?
8. Talented
A talented romantic hero is a must, in my opinion. He doesn’t need to be good at everything, but isn’t it more fun to swoon and pine for a romantic hero who regularly impresses the other characters with his aptitude?
9. Respectful
Now, here’s one I think we really can’t ignore. A romantic hero must be respectful, in my opinion. In stories where villainous characters get the girl, you often get a disrespectful romantic hero. I think there’s no bigger turn-off than a romantic hero who insists on getting his way and undermines the hero. He can be stubborn sometimes, but having respect for the hero at his core is such a must-have trait for a romantic hero.
10. Opinionated
Last but not least, one of the very best traits for a romantic hero is being opinionated. He can’t go along with everything the hero wants. He needs to have depth of his own and show his passion when something is important to him.
So, that’s my list for the best character traits for a love interest. Which ones resonate with you the most?
10 Best Traits for a Love interest – Final thoughts
Like people, good characters have a wide variety of different character traits. For a love interest, that’s no exception. There are some character traits, however, that rise to the top as being the best traits for a love interest.
What do you think? Who are some of your favorite romantic leads, and did their defining character traits make the list?
