Love Triangles – Tara Fox Hall guest blogger

Thank you to Laura Tolomei for having me here today at Latta Gatta J
Love is in all great stories, be they romances, westerns, fantasy, or even action-adventure. And there is no greater riveting aspect of a great story than the plot device of a love triangle. Would Gone with the Wind be such a classic without the romance between Ashley, Scarlett, and Rhett? Without love triangles, would so many people have flocked to see Titanic, Hunger Games, Twilight, or even The Return of the King?
I remember many teen novels with love triangles from my youth. Usually there was an obvious choice: the good guy and the bad one. Both guys were generally handsome, men of means, and adept at physical combat, be it swords, guns or fists. The good guy was caring, stalwart, and often blond. The bad guy was aloof, sometimes cruel, and prone to rashness that he often apologized for later, as well as often dark haired. Our heroine had a much easier time of choosing in those days, and almost exclusively the good guy in the last few pages won her heart where he asked her to marry him.
Today’s novels are much more complex, the choice not anywhere as easily made. Often the two males are very similar in their actions, and it’s only in the last few pages that we find out which choice is the good guy; He often was “misunderstood” in some of his actions. With that revelation, the best choice for a hubby is easily seen! The old physical descriptions are out the window, too. It’s very common to see the blond and blue-eyed man be the villain, and the scruffy, dark haired man turn out to be the “diamond in the rough.” I have to say this change is a very good one. To not know which “hero” will win out in the end makes romantic suspense novels much more riveting and exciting.
My Promise Me series is no exception, with the love triangle of Theo, Sar, and Danial. Danial is a 400+ year old vampire who runs a corporate detective business called Solutions, Inc. He’s got dark hair and dark eyes. He’s romantic but cagy, handsome, elegant, and always polite. Theo is a werecougar about 35 years old who is Danial’s partner and bodyguard, and has been his best friend for the last ten years. Theo has blond hair and blue eyes, likes to do woodcarving as a hobby, and is much more straightforward and truthful. Yet he’s also hot-tempered, quick to resort to violence, and has only one or two romantic bones in his exquisitely toned and muscular shifter body.
Sarelle is drawn toward both men for their strengths and grows to love both of them. Both Theo and Danial come to love her in return. But each male comes with their own sets of personal faults and problems, not the least of which is their supernatural natures. In fact, with their superhuman bodies, Danial’s need for blood/blood donors and abstaining from sunlight, and Theo’s need for shifting form and raw meat, “special needs” more clearly describes Danial and Theo. Sarelle does not have an easy choice to make. Add into this plot my own desire for originality, for story arcs to go in an unexpected direction, and you get something a little more than your standard love triangle. Yes, Sar eventually will have to make a choice of who she spends her life with. But there are more than a few surprises in store on her epic journey.

Tara Fox Hall
Email: tarafoxhallATgmailDOTcom
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TAKEN IN THE NIGHT
Series: Promise Me, Book 3
Author: Tara Fox Hall
Genre: Paranormal Romance