Day 27 of #RomanceAwarenessMonth and today’s post is dedicated to @lenoreo as she mentioned #CinnamonRoll MMCs in a recent reply. My fave Cinnamon Roll Hero is probably Martin in Olivia Dade’s “Teach Me”: he’s been hurt in a previous relationship; he’s a doting dad; he is sweet and gentle with the FMC Rose, until he becomes a dirty talking sexy lover (after seeking her consent for talking dirty, of course).
Please share your cinnamon roll recs!
@romancelandia
@romancebooks
@Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks OMG, YES!!! You are speaking my language, and Martin is such a perfect Cinnamon Roll!!
While I’m still not sure what sets a cinnamon roll apart from a beta hero, they are always going to be #1 book boyfriend material for me.
Some faves:
Jamie from The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna was a great grumpy version.Ren from Always Only You by Chloe Liese (as mentioned by @notTheAudience)
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@Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks @notTheAudience
Zafir from Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (also a bit grumpy).Beau, Roscoe and Jethro from the Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid
Alec from Not Your Average Friend Zone by Cassie Mae
Ethan from The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
S’bren from Penny’s Protector by Ruby Dixon
Daniel from Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
And I’m sure I have a gagillion more, but I first read it in Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon
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Omg loooove Zafir. I wonder if Alex from Olivia Dade’s All the Feels would qualify?? He’s one of my favorites, but he’s kind of a secret cinnamon roll…@Anthro_CLH @lenoreo @Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks Now this is the kind of question that helps me understand the classification. @OliviaWrites has a lot of cinnamon roll characters, but Alex has a snarky, slightly bitter sense of humor that doesn’t quite fit. Is he on the border? His buddy Marcus is equally capable of being sweet, but built his withdrawn and chilly side for self-protection. (Loving this discussion.)
@notTheAudience Personally, I think the #CinnamonRollHero should show the sweetness openly, not just to their chosen one/group.
I think we need a term for the crusty-exterior-gooey-center, but cinnamon roll isn’t it, IMO
@Anthro_CLH @lenoreo @Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks @OliviaWrites
@herhandsmyhands @notTheAudience @Anthro_CLH @Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks @OliviaWrites Yes!! That’s a great way to distinguish cinnamon roll! I think mine all still count, though Jamie and Zafir might be borderline.
@lenoreo @herhandsmyhands @notTheAudience @Anthro_CLH @Diva007 @romancelandia @romancebooks @OliviaWrites Mine has a colder/stiffer work persona but everybody, I mean EVERYBODY sees right through it.
As his partner puts it, “He has a way of making you want to take care of him, doesn’t he?”
He’s blisteringly competent one minute, then he can barely feed himself. There’s a whole covert team at the office to keep him humming along efficiently.
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@notTheAudience I am LOVING this too!
@Anthro_CLH @lenoreo @romancelandia @romancebooks @OliviaWrites
@Diva007 My favorite is Christopher in Small Change by Roan Parrish.Gentle and sweet and loves to feed people.
@willaful Thanks for the rec!
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@wendypalmer Adding this to my list! Thanks for the rec.
From the same world, but easily read as a stand alone, I recommend _Honey and Pepper_; Nikias is absolutely a cinnamon roll hero who takes charge in the bedroom.
My review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/03/25/honey-pepper-by-a-j-demas/
@herhandsmyhands Great! Thanks for the rec.
@Diva007 @lenoreo @romancelandia @romancebooks That @OliviaWrites book was what motivated me to look up what a “cinnamon roll” was in the first place. Still not sure I can identify it without someone else pointing it out for me.
@Diva007 @lenoreo @romancelandia @romancebooks My POV char is deliriously in love with a total cinnamon roll who, at times, still dominates in the bedroom.
Victor must be protected at all costs. Also he has a strong protective/possessive streak that comes out only occasionally.
@Diva007 @lenoreo @romancelandia @romancebooks He is a former old-order Mennonite paired up with a NYC teenage runaway turned spy/sex worker, let’s say they have slightly different life experiences.
They work, somehow. One is extremely complicated and the other rarely asks questions. It catches him off-guard in a good way how his BF takes charge when they’re alone.