Guest post by Christi Barth
We’re a society who likes to judge others. First impressions pack a punch that can linger forever. You might hit it off with a co-worker, until you see them lunching with the office schlub. Gossip – true or not – can permanently taint an image. We seek acceptance from others, and often find our worth in what others may think of us. This can be good…and bad.
Often in books, this theme revolves around the classic bad boy. He screwed up in his youth, was vilified by the town, or somehow unforgivably hurt the heroine. Perhaps that has led him to a crossroads: should he live down to everyone’s expectations, or try to surpass them?
In my book Act Like We’re In Love, the Hollywood hunk of a hero has a reputation of treating women as disposable. So when Luke asks Linnea to meet his mother, she dismisses his request.
“Luke, I’m having the time of my life, but we both know the expiration date on this relationship is closing night. Your suitcases will be packed and ready to go as soon as that final curtain hits the stage. There’s no need to pretend otherwise.”
Linnea’s words were matter of fact, and her tone light and upbeat. Not what he’d expected. Her offer verged on a friendly business arrangement. It seemed perfect. And yet, like a collar a half size too tight, it didn’t quite fit. Chafed parts of him he couldn’t name.
More uncomfortable with every passing minute, every perfectly reasonable statement she made, he lashed out. “Don’t assume you know everything about me. My reality doesn’t have to conform to anyone’s expectations.”
“Forgive me for being rational,” she said, exasperation pitching her voice louder and higher. “We’re not joined at the hip. You’re under no obligation to introduce me to your mother.”
He picked up the pace, his long legs eating up the pavement. Temper pushed him faster till Linnea practically trotted beside him to keep from being dragged along. She flat-out pissed him off. Couldn’t she see how difficult this was for him? Did he really have to spell it out?
“Listen to me. I don’t care whether Mom wants to see you—which, by the way, she does. Don’t you get it? I want her to meet you. It’s important. Not to be polite. Not to torture you as payback for your parents breathing down my neck every day. But because you both matter to me, damn it!”
Linnea didn’t ask for any ties, had no expectations, and had gone above and beyond in the understanding department. Any man on the planet would do cartwheels in his shoes. Instead, her lack of outrage at his lack of commitment annoyed him to no end. If only he could figure out why.
No outraged father wielding a shotgun demands he commit. Linnea doesn’t ask him to give up his job and stay with her. Public perception is that, just like always, he’ll walk away from her in a matter of weeks. Heck, he’s downright famous for the way he cycles through women. Half of his career depends on his playboy image. It would be so easy for Luke to be defined by the public’s perception. And yet, how much richer could his life be if he put in the effort to rise above what little is expected of him? Spoiler alert – he does decide to knuckle down and work toward true love.
So many great stories abound that harken back to this theme. If Frodo had eschewed adventure to live the life of a typical Hobbit, all of Middle Earth would be overrun with Orcs by now. Scarlett O’Hara put aside society’s perception of her as a simpering debutante and not only brought her family back from the brink of starvation, but opened a thriving business. What are some of your favorite character’s that surpassed the world’s expectations of them?
Christi Barth spent years performing in musicals, singing about love and giving people a happy ending in every performance. Then as a wedding planner she spent every day immersed in romance. Now she writes it! It is exciting to share her love of the theatre with the world through Act Like We’re In Love. For all her fellow Broadway fans, favorite shows include Guys & Dolls, Phantom, and The Most Happy Fella. A special curtain call for Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, the show where she met and first starred opposite the love of her life. She lives in Maryland with the absolutely best husband in the world (sorry ladies, but it’s true!).
So, what’s the deal? Luke is a former soldier turned phoenix with the power to consume himself in flames and be born again whenever he dies. The woman of his nightmares? The ancient Fury who has been unleashed by the gods to torment him. But when Phaedra realizes that her usual methods of torture aren’t going to work on a man like Luke, she decides to drive him mad with desire…
I hope that even if you aren’t ready to buy it, you’ll add it to your goodreads To Be Read pile!
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