I enjoy a good alpha hero. And I adore a good reformed party-boy slut. But one of my all time favorite romance tropes is the virgin hero. Something about that inexperienced guy just does it for me. Maybe he is slightly nerdy, shy, or socially awkward and hasn’t done much dating. Or maybe he has some sort of physical or emotional scars that have made it hard to find love. He could be recently out of the closet and new to the world of dating. Or perhaps he is just waiting for true love before doing the deed. Whatever the reason, I absolutely love the virgin romance hero.

I have always enjoyed this trope, especially in m/f stories.  It is probably because it is so contrary to the usual alpha male role common to most romance. But there is something that appeals to me in the wide-eyed wonder of a guy experiencing his first time.  I enjoy seeing male characters who don’t have to be all knowing about sex and who can learn about the physical side of a relationship at the same time as they experience the emotional one.

This week I am reviewing a variety of different m/m romances featuring virgin heroes, each slightly different in their focus.  I am really looking forward to sharing these with you all.  In addition to the books I am reviewing, I have read some other really great virgin hero stories.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

And if you don’t mind some girl bits mixed in there, here are a few het romances I liked featuring male virgins:

 

Goodreads also has a list of male virgin stories, although most of them appear to be m/f romance.  (Their list of gay “virginal” characters appears to feature guys first time with another man, not actual virgins.)

Male virgins are a bit harder to traditionally classify than female virgins are.  In case you are wondering, I consider someone a (literary) virgin if he or the book identifies himself that way, or if he is shown to have little or no sexual experience with either gender (and obviously in real life people have their own thoughts on virginity that may be different than this).  I am pretty sure that the men in the above stories have never been with women or men, but please correct me if I got any of that wrong.

So what do you all think? Anyone share my enjoyment of the virgin hero?  Or do they not do it for you? Have you found any great virgin hero stories you really like?   I’d love to hear your thoughts and any recommendations you guys might have for other books to try.
Stay tuned for the rest of Virgin Hero week because we have lots of good stuff still to come:
  • Monday: You and a Billion Blue Tiles by Missy Welsh
  • Tuesday: Blacque/Bleu by Belinda McBride
  • Tuesday: Finding Home by Cameron Dane
  • Wednesday: The Closer You Get by L.A. Witt
  • Thursday: Guest Post and Giveaway by L.A. Witt
  • Friday: Seducing Stephen by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
And don’t forget, 2 Boys in Love is sponsoring a giveaway to a Joyfully Jay follower of up to three books!  The more followers I get, the more books they will give away so be sure to officially follow my blog for a chance to win (and to check out their fabulous blog as well!)