My ereader and I have been making friends with a number of new books. I know, bad me, I should be writing… Anyway, what’s started to bug me is why a strong heroine has to constantly assert how strong and independent she is…to the point where I growl at the screen. *sigh*

I know it’s trendy for heroines to be uber-tough and for the hero to want and admire that trait. But how is he going to live with her as the years roll on when she shows no sign of impulse control or maturity?

One heroine had me switching off the screen, slapping the cover shut and walking away. The hero loved her tough, independent nature – as did his brothers (yes, they went there, lol) – kept on admiring it as she got her best friend, her brother, her work partner killed and herself captured because she had to prove herself. She did this on three separate occasions as she left the hero because she was tough and independent. To me, it just kept on proving she was being a selfish and immature idiot.

Don’t get me wrong, I love strong heroines…but I want maturity. I want them to realise that they’re not strong because they constantly run off by themselves, blithely unconcerned with the danger they’re fully aware is out there. I want inner strength, a bit of self-sacrifice and the heroine not blundering about until she literally hits the next plot point. This would be nice.

So, off on that hunt now… 😉