Why We Love the Brooding Hero – From Castles to Curses

There’s something about the brooding hero that captures our hearts—and refuses to let go.

He’s the man with a haunted past, the one who keeps his feelings locked tight behind a stormy gaze. Whether he’s the master of a windswept estate, a wounded soldier returned from war, or a cursed immortal hiding in shadow, one thing is always true: we want to be the one who finally makes him feel.

But why is this archetype so timeless—and so irresistible?

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He Keeps Secrets… and We Want to Know Them

The brooding hero isn’t just quiet—he’s layered. Every glance, every clipped sentence hints at something deeper. He’s carrying the weight of guilt, grief, or betrayal. And we can’t help but lean in.

In historical romance, he might be the aloof duke who avoids the ballroom because he blames himself for his brother’s death. In paranormal stories, he could be a vampire tormented by centuries of regret. Whatever his burden, we long to peel back the layers and find the soft center.

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He Protects, Even When He Pretends Not To

He’ll say he doesn’t care. He’ll push the heroine away “for her own good.” But then he’s the one who steps in when she’s cornered by scandal or danger. There’s nothing quite like the moment the brooding hero snaps and shows just how fiercely he cares—because he feels everything, even if he tries not to show it.

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He’s Passion in Disguise

Still waters run deep, and the brooding hero is simmering. When he finally gives in—when he whispers those aching, heartfelt words, or kisses her like she’s air in his lungs—it hits with full force. We feel every ounce of pent-up longing. No wonder it’s so swoon-worthy.

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We Want to Be the One Who Changes Everything

At the heart of it, this is why we love him. We want to be the exception. The woman who sees him clearly, loves him fiercely, and helps him believe he deserves happiness again. In a world that’s hurt him, we are his healing.

It’s not about fixing him—it’s about loving him as he is, and watching him grow because of it. And honestly? That’s the most romantic thing of all.

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Want More Brooding Heroes?

You’ll find them in spades in the stories of Tamora Rose. From haunted manors to windswept moors, and from reluctant dukes to cursed lovers—if you love a hero with shadows in his heart and fire in his soul, you’re in the right place.

Writing Romance When You’re a Little Bit Heartbroken

Some of the most powerful love stories aren’t written when you're in love—they’re written when you're trying to remember what love feels like.

There’s something about heartbreak that sharpens the pen. The longing, the what-ifs, the ache of unfinished conversations—it all pours onto the page with a rawness that perfect love can’t always reach. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s even beautiful.

Romance writing doesn’t have to come from a place of perfection. It can come from a need to believe in something soft again. A reason to still reach out. A hope that the world will feel warm once more.

So if you're sitting at your keyboard wondering how to write about love when your own heart feels bruised—write anyway. Write because of it. Write the happy endings you still believe in, even if they feel far away. Let the page be your safe place, your brave place.

Because sometimes, the best love stories are the ones we tell ourselves first.

Getting Back To a New Normal

This pandemic had been hard on everyone, but this week we had some light at the end of the tunnel. Our area has finally got the pandemic a little bit under control, so the kids can go back to school. Exciting! They've been out of school since last March. It's January. Oh, they went back to school for a couple weeks in September, but that was over quickly enough. Now, however, things are looking up.

So now I will have 2 less people in the house all day every day. My sister is still not back to working in the office and my retired mother will still be home, but it's a start. With the kids returning to school, I can start diagramming what my week will look like. Last week I'd made the decision to return to nonfiction, and I still intend to do that. It's quick and easy and a little annoying but a good way to make some money. But fiction is my first love.

Still, can't dive too deep too quickly. Fiction doesn't work that way, at least for me.  I need to ease back into it. I had wanted to return to my Fallen Romance series, but that takes a little more time, a little more research, a little more attention. So I'm turning back to romantic fiction. Historical romance, actually. That's always a fun genre to write and there's quite the market for it. 

My idea for right now is still simple. I'll flesh it out later. Just a girl, running away from home, and getting into more trouble than she rightfully should. Formulaic, I know. But it works. It works well enough that I'm certain to find it a home as soon as it's written. How long will that take? Anyone's guess, really. But it's somewhere to start and it should be fun to write. 

And I won't have the kids home 24 hours a day to interrupt me. Monday, here I come!

Writing Through a Pandemic

Coronavirus has touched us all. Covid-19 has ripped around the globe, disrupting the lives of everyone. It hasn't been fun, that's for sure. Many people have lost their jobs. Countless others have lost their lives. And it's not over yet. Though a vaccine has arrived, delays and problems with distribution means it could be months before enough people are vaccinated to make a difference.

And in the meantime, we all have to find a way to manage, to get through the pandemic in whatever way we can. In my case, I went from being at home alone all of the time, to being able to get work done on a regular basis, to having a house full of people at every moment of every day. We've been in lockdown here for nearly 10 months. We live in a multi-generational household that includes my two children, my younger sister, and my aging mother. The boys were usually in school, my younger sister works in an office, and my mother was typically at an appointment or a small gathering with her group of friends. Sometimes she would visit my older sister for a few days. For the most part, I was alone. I could work in peace.

And then the pandemic came. Everything was locked down. My younger sister had to work from home. Schools were closed. Everything was closed and visiting each other was no longer recommended by our public health officials. Eventually, getting together at all with people outside your household was severely restricted. All we could do was stay home.

At first, that was fun. It was great. The kids and I built a barn, a rabbit hutch, and we had a fence installed for our growing hobby farm. At some point, however, I realized I had accomplished little work. In fact, I stopped writing for 4 months. How could I write? I had both my children at home and my house was crawling with my mother and my sister. I couldn't possibly work like this. And it would pass soon anyway. Wouldn't it?

As it turns out, no. I tried waiting it out, but it's now January of 2021 and we're not even close to out of lockdown. I can't not write any longer. I need to get paid, after all. But after months of not writing, it was going to be hard to get back into the habit. Did I have a choice? No, not really, but it would be tricky.

You'll often hear writers moan that we can't possibly write on command. We can't possible just sit down and get it done. I've been one of them from time to time, but it's just whining. I have to get something done. It's not an option anymore. I still have a house full of people and working with all of them wandering around is definitely not easy. And the libraries are closed so I can't wander off and write there. But not working is simply unacceptable.

I'm primarily a fiction writer. Tamora Rose is my pen name for romantic fiction, but I write fantasy as LAQuill as well. Writing fiction really does take some inspiration, and I simply don't have any. So I'll turn back to nonfiction. Not as exciting, maybe, but there's money to be made there and I have children. 

It's been a while since I tackled nonfiction, and it's not my favorite. But it's an infinitely easier task than creating stories out of thin air. And it will get me back into the groove of writing every single day. Plus, if I get interrupted for the 9th time in a row, it's so much easier to reengage. I've been interrupted 4 times since I started writing this post 45 minutes ago. Long stretches of detailed plotting just isn't going to happen until people go back to work.

I'm not abandoning fiction. I'll work on my next romance when the house is quiet and the people are still. But right now, I need to write full time. Time to hunker down and get something done. Anything.