Book Boyfriends

book boyfriend /[book boi-frend] (noun): Male protagonist, often in a YA novel, and often inappropriately young to dream about in compromising situations, which a reader pretends to be dating in her head.

It’s a real thing. Look it up.

Some examples from my recent reading list include Prince Kai from Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth, and Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. But my best book boyfriend (and I’m not ashamed to say it) was Edward Cullen. Our bond was strong, and though time has gotten between us, I still have a little place in my heart for him. Even years after first reading Twilight, when I think back to the experience of reading about Edward for the first time, I still get a little thrill and direly wish I could go back and read it over again.

Now I’ve read a ton of books since Twilight, (and had fleeting affairs with a lot of great characters) but it wasn’t until recently reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon that I found my Book Husband (an age-appropriate one, too!) The book itself was pretty damn good (4 stars out of 5, if you’re wondering) but the chemistry between the main character, Claire, and her Scottish Highlander beast of a husband, Jamie, was strong enough to carry the whole book. Who needs a plot? (there was one—a great one—by the way), but really, just stick Claire and Jamie in a room together and be done with it already.  A world where Jamie Fraser doesn’t really exist is cruel and unfair. 

So, who are/were your greatest book boyfriends? Or dare I say, book husbands?