That’s an awkward way to ask, but it’s more like…
OK. I’m a guy, and I typically don’t know how to feel about relationships in books because I want to see more where the POV character is approached/courted by dominant women, and they exist in a society/environment where this isn’t seen as an oddity, and the this isn’t viewed as a challenge for the POV lead to overcome/dominate the damsel.
I’m not even going to specify that the lead be a straight male. Because while that might help me identify more, I’ll gladly take the lead being female/NB/other if that means I get more/some options.
So yeah! Basically I want more stories (could be fantasy, could be Sci fi, could be alt history, so long as it’s character and story focused) where the lead, no matter how powerful or meek or dominant in the story they are, get involved with feminine love interests more aggressive or leading than them. Romance doesn’t need to be the point of the book per se, but I want to see more of these types of romantic relationships
……..
I’ll list some specific ideals I wouldn’t mind seeing as well, but the only reason I separate them is because the more I list out the more it sounds like I’m asking for hyper specific erotica, where it’s not even like that, I just want options to see what actually enthralls me
-Sensitive male lead, maybe physically small(er than the romantic partner)
-Dominant women love interests
-Full figured or heavy set love interest is valued and not shamed (skinny model figures not pined for and not seen as an ideal)
-Love interests are proactive in any courtship.
-Some/any of the love interests are socially higher up than the lead
-Some/any of the love interests are more powerful than the lead (physically/magically)
-Some/any of the love interests are physically larger than the lead (in height, muscle, weight, or all)
-Society doesn’t have to be a matriarchy, but I’m not against them either for the setting. I DON’T want an overbearing patriarchal tone.
-If it is a matriarchy, this is not viewed as dystopian/evil and this is not viewed as something to be overthrown as the point of the book.
by Infamous_Q
5 Comments
While I know/heard more about these as matriarchal societies where it might have some interesting relationship dynamics inside, I have just started ‘Daughter of the Blood’ by Anne Bishop.
I heard about ‘The Gate to Women’s Country’ but a matriarchal dystopia isn’t so much what I’m looking for. In a similar vein I picked up ‘The Power’ by Naomi Alderman but had to drop halfway through as the pacing was awkward for me and the way some of the characters were written didn’t jive with me (the audio book ‘accents’ of some of the characters, provided by Naomi, didn’t help)
The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher (Furies of Calderon) has a very strong and direct female love interest, but I would characterize the relationship as more balanced, less dominant.
I’ll be interested in seeing if others in the sub have recommendations.
*Unnatural Magic* by C.M. Waggoner has a 2 main plot lines, where one of which there is a romance between a female troll and a rather meek human.
Maybe “Natural Law” by Joey W Hill. Bdsm erotica, includes sex scenes. Male protagonist is submissive. Female love interest is in charge in bed and outside of it.
Granted, dude is tall and muscular, lady is petite (however, she is athletic and even trained in martial arts). And neither protagonist really pursues their partner, because both are mutually attracted since their first meeting. And dude is not shy.
‘Call Me By Your Name’ by André Aciman is a book I find myself recommending for its beautiful prose and exploration of desire. The summer romance between Elio and Oliver in Italy is a profound meditation on the intensity of first love and the marks it leaves on our lives.