Family. The battle of good versus evil.
We love them. We hate them. Both as characters and in our own lives, our family members play a big part in shaping our stories. Mothers, fathers, siblings…there are those who are achingly sweet and those who are more like jalapeno peppers (you can’t have many, and definitely not on their own). In the stories we love, it is often the evil characters who drive the plot forward and impel our heroines to put on their big girl pants and come out swinging.
In Not for a Moment Jessica Langford has her older brother, Cole, to contend with. Cole is lovely, as we saw for ourselves in Momentary Lapse, but he’s a ‘tad’ over-protective when it comes to his younger sister. He pays for her to go to University, chooses where she lives and who she lives with. Cole holds Jess back when all she wants to do is spread her wings and fly. While Cole is by no means evil, he has certainly had a huge impact on Jess’s life, a lot like some other nefarious family members who have caused misery for our heroes and heroines.
Here are my top 5. In no particular order…
The evil step-mother: There is something compelling about the utter wickedness of the evil step-mother, that they can fool the heroine’s father into believing they are sweet and good, yet be so inherently evil. In fairy-tales, there aren’t many malevolent step-mum’s who don’t coolly calculate how many ways they can kill the innocent heroine. Whether by poisoned apple or by casting our hapless heroine into the woods to be eaten by wolves, wicked step-mothers are top of my list when it comes to evil family members.
The cold and callous patriarch: While not forsaking their children for the sake of a devilish woman (above), some fathers are also known to be far from loving and supportive. Darth Vader tried to turn his son to the dark side. And cut off his hand! Then there is the fabulous Dr. Evil. Only a dad called Dr. Evil could be disappointed that his son turned out to be good.
The social-climbing matriarch: And let’s not forget Mommy Dearest. Patricia St James from Momentary Lapse has her daughter’s life planned out from the pageant stage to picking her picture perfect husband. Even when Patricia knows her daughter is being cheated on, she still wants the marriage to go ahead. Just to improve her standing. That woman will stop at nothing to climb the social ladder at Madison’s expense.
Tyrannical brothers: Cole Langford is an over-bearing brother who will do anything to protect his sister, Jess. At least he cares. Unlike the evil, jealousy of Loki, Thor’s brother. All Loki wants to do is bring his brother down and step into his place. Oh, and then there’s the whole world domination thing… Thor is such a good brother (and he’s freakin’ hot), that no matter what Loki does, Thor still loves him to the bitter end.
Selfish sisters: Nicky Harkness in Moment of Weakness not only stole her sister’s fiancé, but she kept it a secret for a year before spilling the beans just before the wedding. No wonder Abby has trust issues. Abby spent years running from her family and it was only when she found true love that she also found it in her heart to forgive her sister.
And that’s the crux of family issues, isn’t it? We love our families and will always believe the best of them, even when they are doing their worst. Whether it’s an evil parent, or a controlling brother, these are the characters who teach our heroes and heroines the lessons of life. We love to hate them—even when they belong to us. Our stories would not be the same without them.
So, who is your favorite wicked family character? Do you love to hate the cold-hearted step-mother, or do you prefer those who love too much, like Cole? Don’t be shy…share your embarrassing family moment and be in to win a free ebook copy of Not for a Moment.
Toni J Strawn lives in New Zealand and loves everything romance. With three books written for the One Moment Series with Samhain Publishing, Toni has enjoyed setting up her characters for the ultimate one night stand and turning it into happily ever after. Not for a Moment follows Momentary Lapse and Moment of Weakness.
Available on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay and the Samhain Publishing website.
“I’m in love with this series that takes a single, hot, wall pounding one night stand and develops it into a sweet (yet totally erotic) HEA.” The Romance Reviews
You can find Toni www.tonijstrawn.com or on Facebook.
Description: It doesn’t matter who started it—only who ends up on top.
Jess Langford wants nothing more than to live her own life. But a horrific accident she had a few years ago left her with…issues. And an overprotective brother who thwarts her every attempt at independence. Secretly moving out of her college dorm, she celebrates her newfound freedom with a one-night stand with a man she thinks she recognizes. It’s only in the light of the following morning she discovers the truth. It’s someone with the power and connections to send her right back to the prison she just escaped.
Physiotherapy consultant Van Sheffield knows exactly who Jess is. Stubborn. Rebellious. Trouble with a capital T. In other words, the perfect candidate for his innovative rehabilitation program. Loving her spark, the energy that makes her pick herself up every time she falls, Van sets out to do whatever it takes to harness Jess’s strength of will. But he wasn’t expecting her to push him so close to the edge of his control…or so close to losing his heart.
Warning: Contains a feisty lady with a stubborn streak a mile wide, and a man who knows how to deal with a certain pain in the butt.