28 Feb 2014 8 Comments
Do You Love Half-Naked Men?
The girls here in the lagoon know I’m a bit more conservative than most of them. Gorgeous guys on book covers are not what make me personally tick. Still, this gorgeous cover for Gwen Hernandez’s newly released Blind Fury, really has me thinking. Do I really need to be that shy about my heroes best physical assets?
For Valentines Day a year ago, we were asked to contribute a photo of a hot hunky guy that was half-dressed. We needed to reveal why this “character” was a hero and put the photo we felt matched that hero the best up on the blog. This is what I posted:
“What may you ask is my husband’s feet doing in the midst of all these jaw-droppingly gorgeous guys. Well, the call to action was a half-dressed man, wasn’t it? My DH is my hero for so many reasons, but last year when my feet ached so badly I couldn’t walk another step in my heels, he took off his shoes in the metro (subway for you non-DC people) and gave them to me! For me that’s the most romantic thing in the world and I’ll love him forever for that … and so much more.”
As I get nearer to publication, it’s becoming obvious that there might well be a half-naked man on one of my book covers someday soon. And I see most covers fall into four categories (yes there are others, but humor me):
First, Hunky half-dressed guy like on Gwen Hernandez’s Blind Fury up top. Here are some more examples:
Highland Seer by Willa Blair, Carey Baldwin’s Hush, and Robin Covington’s Secret Santa Baby all feature half (or perhaps more) naked men. Just like in Blind Fury, I’d have to be really blind not to see the eye-popping value of this kind of cover.
Then there are the fully or mostly dressed men on the covers. This is more my style but I wonder if I’d be shooting myself in the foot with a cover that , let’s say, didn’t go all the way?
Books like Candice Gilmer’s fabulous Under His Nose, and her newest, Before His Eyes, or Lena Diaz’s also wonderful Tennessee Takedown convey a lot of punch for covers where the amount of male flesh is pretty minimal.
Next we have the “relationship covers. These can get hot and steamy.
Carlene Love Flores’ book Sin’s Haven, Rachel Grant’s Withholding Evidence, and Manda Collin’s Why Earls Fall in Love really can give a girl hot flashes!
Finally there are the covers that are all about the girls — the female protagonists. I really love these examples, too:
Confession by Carey Baldwin is so eye catching, as is Althethea Kontis’ Nebula (Andre Norton) nominated book Hero (Yay Alethea!), and don’t you wonder what is going on in Lena Diaz’s Undercover Twin?
So let me know what you think. What kinds of covers do you like best? If you’re a writer would you prefer hot and steam, naked, or intriguing? As a reader, do you ever feel intimidated by some of these covers when reading in public or buying at the grocery store? Let me know, I’d really like to know what you think.
Feb 28, 2014 @ 13:22:51
Hi Diana, thank you for including my cover in your post today. For me, a big part of the magical draw of a romance novel stems from the fantasy of it all. The way the hero treats the heroine and the incredible feelings that build between them are what matter most to me. But a big part of the fantasy has to do with the man and his draw. It doesn’t have to be a hunky, naked chest necessarily but it is nice when there is something special and intriguing about him right there on the cover. My favorite part of some of the original Dark Hunter covers were the heroes’ eyes because they were illuminated. I like to think of it this way, if within the pages the author has done a great job of describing the hero’s beautifully sculpted chest, I consider it a treat to get to see that on the cover. 🙂
Feb 28, 2014 @ 15:09:58
Well said, Carlene. I’m all for treats. 😉
Feb 28, 2014 @ 15:09:22
Thanks so much for including me in your examples, Diana! As much as I obviously love the eye-catching nature of a half-naked man cover, I think the most important thing is that the cover image accurately conveys the topic and heat level of your book. If you put my cover on your book, but yours has nothing more than a few kisses, readers will feel cheated. Likewise, a sweet cover on my book might leave me with some shocked/angry readers. There are lots of ways to be eye-catching without nudity–think Lena’s bright yellow cover for Simon Says Die–but, then again, if it works for your book, sexy sells, right? 😉
Feb 28, 2014 @ 15:57:39
Thanks so much for including my covers, Diana! I love both types! As you can see by the fact that I have the half or more show and tell, and also a female centric cover. I used the different types of covers to communicate a difference in tone for the books. My novella Hush is very much a romantic suspense. My full length suspense, Confession, has strong romantic elements, but it is really the story of a strong female protagonist defeating a very evil serial killer. Oh? Did I give away the end. Thanks again, Diana!
Feb 28, 2014 @ 19:06:20
Diana,
I’m actually not too nuts about beefy guys on covers. I never have been. It might stem from the fact that I was always trying to hide the books while I was reading them in school, and the Fabio-type covers always got me in trouble. Lol.
I prefer when neither of the H/H are shown completely. Let me use my imagination. Having said that, I will still read the books. A few of my favorite books are my least favorite covers. So, who knows? I’m definitely in the minority on this one.
Mar 01, 2014 @ 17:57:22
Diana, great post. Sorry I missed it yesterday. Kim, I like beefcake…but I agree I prefer if I don’t see the faces on the cover of the book, too. My imagination is pretty darn good:)
Feb 28, 2014 @ 23:17:48
Thanks for including my Highland Seer cover, Diana! I love my covers, and enjoy the hunky guys as much as the next gal. However, I can’t wait to see the reaction to the cover I just got today for my new novella. The hero is not on this one, but I love it just as much!
Feb 28, 2014 @ 23:20:15
They’re all such great covers, although I’m mostly a “less is more” woman when it comes to naked man on covers. “Under His Nose” or even “Hush” are more my speed. I want the idea of idea of getting all Nakey (although “Secret Santa Baby” was a delightful switch).
And thank you for stepping into the void, Diana. It’s a terrific post! And you can see, since I’m responding after 10 pm, that it was a very busy day (week) indeed!