Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Book Boyfriends of 2016

This week is a freebie week on Top Ten Tuesday and I decided to put together a list of my favorite book boyfriends of 2016 (as the title of this post would suggest). And… let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way right now … there’s way more than ten. I’m sure this shocks NO ONE.

Also… I deserve some sort of accolades for toiling through Pinterest to find pictures of these book boyfriends. I mean, seriously. Such a tough job. The sacrifices I make for y’all 😉 LOL

*all ‘book boyfriend’ images taken from Pinterest*

In no particular order… except maybe #1 ….

1. Charlie Lionheart

Charlie, dressed in his center ring finery, strode into the arena, as strong and strapping as ever. Face powdered and painted with two jagged teardrops under his eyes, he walked with stoic authority, tall boots forging a fresh trail straight toward his audience. Ella didn’t know a single man could hush a packed house with no words, but…then there was Charlie Lionheart. (The Lady & The Lionheart by Joanne Bischof)

2. Dr. David Ross

David – focused, dedicated and true but carrying the weight of forced burdens on his shoulders. When he turns that focus and dedication and true-ness in Catherine’s direction??? SWOON!!! I mean… seriously. Make sure you have a fan handy. And a fainting couch. And you’ll find that you suddenly develop a craving for peppermint. Or maybe that last part was just me. (from my review of The Thorn Keeper by Pepper D. Basham)

3. Trent Carrington

Standing in front of her was the epitome of a Norse god incarnate. Blond hair grazed his shoulders, his sky-blue eyes framed by dark lashes. He had a strong, square jaw and a devilish grin that lifted the corners of his mouth. His black v-neck shirt only accentuated a muscular body that would’ve had Michelangelo running for his chisel. (Finders Keepers by Sarah Monzon)

4. Gray Carlisle

The main characters in The Things We Knew may have been Lynette and Nicholas but Gray stole my heart. We learn his story in layers, but when we first meet Gray his career as a popular rock star is threatened by his addictions and his erratic behavior. After he returns home to Nantucket to deal with his current demons, he must face the ones he left behind too. I think one of the reasons Gray lodged so deep in my heart is that at times in the story he is both the strongest and the weakest member of the family. He’s certainly the deepest thinker in the family, which makes his scenes some of the most touching and heartbreaking. Gray is hot (just saying) but he’s also got a vulnerability that really becomes his most attractive quality as the story progresses. (from my character sketch for The Things We Knew by Catherine West)

5. August Reinhold

[August] loved her before she met him. And he patiently waits for her, continuing to love Jessica until her objections to him begin to scatter in the wind. He gives her dignity in the midst of her panic, courage in the middle of her fears, honesty when she needs to hear some, and strength when hers runs out. August teaches her that beauty can be found in brokenness, gratitude in scars, and love in unexpected places. (from my review for The Thorn Healer by Pepper D. Basham)

6. Alasdair Cairncross

If there was a God, He was taunting her. Probably created the devil Englishman just for this moment, gave him blue eyes that a woman could get lost in, even when they were looking on you hard. (Within the Veil by Brandy Vallance)

7. Levi Harding

Rayne can’t quite find herself free to relax in their relationship. I personally think this is because Levi keeps kissing her senseless and she can’t think straight, but that’s just me. Levi has his faults, sure, but he’s mostly just delightfully swoonworthy. And the boy can KISS!! And while he’s yummy in his farming clothes, he’s even more so when he gets gussied up. Whew. Keep those fans and fainting couches handy for this one, y’all. (from my review of The Promise of Rayne by Nicole Deese)

8. Samuel Heath

Backwoodsman Samuel Heath doesn’t care what others think of him—but his young daughter’s upbringing matters very much. The life of a trapper in the Carolina backcountry is no life for a small girl, but neither is abandoning his child to another family. He decides it’s time to marry again, but that proves to be an impossible task. Who wants to wed a murderer?  (The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep)

9. Nicholas Lowe

Nicholas? Swoony, gruff, more-tenderhearted-than-he-appears Nicholas? Also a READER! Just go ahead and get your swooning couches (or close facsimiles) ready because not only is Nicholas is a reader but he lets Lydia borrow his books. And he talks about them with her. And he wonders what she thinks about his favorite books. And he buys her a … but no. I can’t reveal that part. You’ll just have to read it for yourself. (from my review of A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagears)

10. Vance Everstone

A Dawn-hero, for those not familiar with the term, is a hero who steps onto the page and with one smoldering look steals your breath and your heart at the same time. He then proceeds to firmly establish himself as your favorite of all previous Dawn-heroes so that by the time he gets around to planting that first kiss on his lucky heroine counterpart you are reduced to fanning yourself wildly and looking around for that fainting couch you keep meaning to buy. (from my review of The Cautious Maiden by Dawn Crandall)

11. Rhett Hastings

Rhett…. oh be still my book-boyfriend-collecting-heart Rhett. He can be very put together and obliviously snooty one minute and then adorably flustered and out of his element in the next. Plus, he has a great wry sense of humor, displayed quite nicely when Stephanie thought he was a serial killer and tells him to stay away from her while threatening him with some… unconventional… weapons. (“Or what? You’ll flip me like a pancake?”) His soft side will have you melting, and watching him fall in love (and act on it) will kick start a swoon or two for sure. But the best part about Rhett? He’s new to Jesus. And He’s not above googling how to say grace or trying to argue the finer points of “love thy neighbor”. I loved the sincerity of his new faith journey and it endeared him to me even more. (from my review for Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink)

12. Her Texas Family

Graham? *dreamy sigh* He’s a serious single dad who feels deeply and loves deeply and misses his little girl when they’re apart (I melt) and looks equally great in a tux or in jeans & a casual shirt. Oh… and the kisses. I can’t forget to mention the kisses. There are some GOOD kisses in here. Fueled by some emotion-battling and do-the-right-thing-inner-struggle and hoarse-voiced-pleas-for-her-to-get-out-of-the-car-before-he-kissed-her. GOOD kisses. (from my review for Her Texas Family by Jill Lynn)

13. Reinhart Stolten, the Margrave of Thornbeck

He fixed her with such an intense scowl that she could hardly breathe. How could he look severe and frightening and yet overwhelmingly handsome at the same time? His brown eyes, masculine forehead and jawline, broad shoulders, and well-formed mouth all combined to make him the most handsome man she had ever seen. (The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson)

14. Reese Mitchell

Reese is yummy in all the best ways, but what makes him one of my favorite Pepper Basham heroes is exactly the category he falls into here – his teasing and his nurturing.  He’s got the daddy adorableness going on – and the talent at kissing – and the flirtatious side (though it comes across more as teasing… which is my FAVORITE type of flirting!) –  (from my discussion on swoony heroes, about Reese from A Twist of Faith by Pepper Basham)

15. Jack Vale

It was his rough-around-the-edges, so-taken-with-Evie-that-his-mouth-goes-dry persona that first set my heart all aflutter.  But it was his heart for his ragtag extended family (related and not) that sealed my fate.  And their first kiss??? W.O.W. I flailed. I fanned.  I forgot to breathe and finally went in search of my freezer in a futile attempt to recover. (from my review of The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer)

16. Dexter Blakeley

Dexter is one of those heroes that I  fell in love with almost from the moment he appears on the page.  His integrity. His honor. His faith. The church services in the forest were some of my favorite scenes in the book! I felt as though I were there, experiencing the setting, the sounds, the truth. I wanted to be there. And Dexter’s completely swoon-worthy too. Once he sets his mind to woo, the swoon factor increased a hundred-fold. (from my review of The Captive Imposter by Dawn Crandall)

Y’all. I’m just proud of myself for keeping this list below 20! 😉

What about you? Who were some of your favorite book boyfriends from 2016?