Exploring Masculinity between the 1960s – 2010s with Charlotte Lamb, Suzanne Phillips, and Colleen Hoover

By Henry Belin (2025)

Introduction

            I will be looking at three contemporary romance authors, Charlotte Lamb, Suzanne Elizabeth Phillips, and Colleen Hoover and how they represent masculinity through different characters, plots, and emotional tensions. I will use interviews, obituaries, author profiles and book reviews to analyze these authors’ approach to writing about masculinity and the kinds of men they center in their stories. Each of these writers approaches male identity with different narrative goals, shaped by their preferred tropes, audience expectations, and storytelling voice. Lamb’s novels often feature male leads who dominate both emotionally and physically, presenting masculinity as forceful and authoritative. Phillips writes heroes who are shaped by their high powered careers and a reluctance to be emotionally available, using masculinity as a barrier that must be broken down over the course of the romance. Hoover’s male characters tend to be more emotionally raw, often dealing with past trauma or personal loss, and their masculinity is more likely to be defined by internal struggle than external power. While their portrayals of masculinity vary, each author uses male characters and the specific forms of masculinity that they represent as a tool to create emotional tension, drive plot development, and change in the relationships they write. By comparing the works of Charlotte Lamb, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Colleen Hoover, this paper will look at how masculinity functions as a narrative and emotional anchor. Lamb’s portrayals emphasize control and aggression, Phillips’s male characters are shaped by ambition and emotional repression, and Hoover’s are marked by vulnerability and the impact of personal trauma.

 

Lamb

            Charlotte Lamb’s portrayal of masculinity was shaped by a belief in male dominance, emotional volatility, and the romantic power of aggression. In her 1979 novel Dark Dominion, the book cover already hints at this dynamic (Lamb 1979). The man looks serious and powerful, while the woman appears vulnerable and turned away, looking down. This image matches what happens in the story: the male character is strong and in control, while the female character changes because of him. Her understanding of masculinity also linked aggression to male identity. In a 1982 interview, she said, “Aggression is a necessary part of masculinity, if you don’t have aggression, you’re not going to have the adrenaline to go out there with your club and beat off the neighboring tribe”(BBC 1982). Rather than condemn violence, Lamb saw male aggression as a natural trait. This perspective helped to highlight that Lamb did not write about idealized men, they were what she considered real men.

            Lamb also believed that these traits were attractive to women. Her daughter once said that Lamb modeled her heroes after her husband, who she described as “arrogant, brutal and strong” also adding that “women like strong men, they don’t like weak men” (BBC 1982). For Lamb, masculinity was not only about dominance, but about desirability. Arrogance and even brutality were not flaws in her romantic universe, they were traits women craved.

            Lamb was especially drawn to the tension between control and chaos in her male leads. Her heroes were “often on the verge of losing control… kept just on the right side, but they often went to limits other authors never dared approach” (Holland 2000). In Lamb’s eyes, masculine identity was built on restraint battling with desire, where passion always simmered beneath the surface. She believed this kind of emotional extremity was not only compelling, but necessary.

            However, Lamb didn’t write all her heroes the same way. According to Sweet Savage Flame, “Her heroes could be fiercely chauvinistic and cruel with deep-seated psychological issues; others were kind, understanding men who were still emotionally intense” (Diaz 2023). This demonstrates that Lamb’s portrayals show a wide range of male behavior, from harsh and dominant to caring and emotionally aware. This duality shows that Lamb saw masculinity as a range of different emotions and behaviors, not just one fixed idea.

            This variety in her male characters suggests that Lamb was interested in exploring multiple sides of masculinity, while still making sure these characters had a strong emotional impact. Regardless of whether they were harsh or compassionate, her heroes often played a central role in driving the emotional tension and development within the story.As noted in her Guardian obituary, “It was the job of Lamb’s heroes to help the heroine understand her desires” Holland 2000). This suggests that, in Lamb’s view, her male characters are often written as  strong emotional forces in the lives of her heroines, using their power and intensity to move the emotional direction of the romance. Men in her stories serve as emotional triggers for the heroine’s self. That emotional intensity helped to make her characters memorable and also polarizing. Even when her portrayals drew criticism, Lamb’s characters continued to provoke strong reactions. One reader wrote, “Her heroes could be… cruel… I have given numerous five-star ratings to Lamb’s books. I’ve also 1-starred quite a few”(Diaz 2023).  Whether praised or rejected, her male characters left a strong impression, not always because they were likable, but because they were powerful, unforgettable, and emotionally intense.

            Lamb’s construction of masculinity was defined by passion, danger, and emotional depth. She saw men as both destructive and desirable, and she believed that their ability to provoke, challenge, and change women was at the heart of romance fiction.

Phillips

            Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes male characters who are ambitious, dominant, and emotionally closed off which are qualities that shape how masculinity works in her stories. These traits are not just personality details, they are central to the plot and emotional journey of her books. In a recent interview, Phillips said, “In terms of the hero obviously if the heroine’s a failure the hero has to be super successful” (Phillips 2024). This idea shows how she uses strength, success, and control as a way to balance the female lead’s vulnerability. Her male characters often act as the steady, powerful force in the relationship.

            Phillips believes alpha male characters work best because they bring strong emotional conflict. In an interview with the Journal of Popular Romance Studies, she stated that, “I always say I write the alpha hero because it’s the only thing I know how to do” (Phillips 2015). These types of men, confident, tough, and emotionally guarded create the kind of tension that drives her romance stories forward. Phillips is clear that she avoids writing gentle, nurturing “beta” men unless the woman is unstable (Phillips 2024). In fact, she described a beta hero in another book as “basically a chick in a man’s body” showing that she doesn’t see softer male characters as very masculine or interesting (Phillips 2024). Instead, her male characters are built around goals, focus, and control. For example, in a 2024 interview, she said about one of her heroes: “He’s a guy who’s so driven, so single-minded, he can’t imagine tolerating any distractions. Work, success, being the best are everything to him. Failure is simply not an option” (Grinnan 2024). This kind of man, focused and emotionally distant fits the pattern Phillips often uses to start her male characters’ journeys. But Phillips doesn’t leave them that way. Throughout her stories, these men slowly learn how to open up and connect, especially when love gets in the way of their strict control.

            Phillips believes that a great romance needs characters with “strong emotions; a moral center” (Phillips 2016). Her male leads may start out tough or cold, but they must change. They grow by facing their flaws and learning how to love. Phillips uses this emotional growth to add depth to their masculine identity. Her characters are not just dominant men, but men who struggle with feelings and become better because of it.

Hoover

            Colleen Hoover’s view of masculinity centers on emotional vulnerability, psychological complexity, and blurred moral lines. Her male characters often make mistakes, some of them serious but Hoover asks readers to sympathize with them anyway. In a 2012 interview, Hoover said, “I love to play devil’s advocate. I wanted to take something that is unethical, and make the reader empathize and root for it” (Hoover 2012). This shows that she intentionally writes men who act in questionable ways, yet they will still receive understanding and redemption within the story. Her approach pushes readers to consider what makes someone deserving of love, even when their actions are flawed.

            Part of how Hoover builds the emotional complexity is by isolating her characters, especially the men. She explained, “I like seeing my characters sort of cut off from the outside world so they’re forced to handle their issues on their own.” (Hoover 2020). This structure forces male characters to face themselves, their pasts, and their emotions. Instead of running from conflict or distracting themselves, Hoover puts them in situations where they have to confront their pain. In doing so, Hoover creates space for a version of masculinity that is fragile and openly conflicted. However, Hoover’s portrayal of masculinity has also sparked controversy. Critics argue that her books often romanticize harmful male behavior by focusing on the pain behind it instead of the damage it causes. In It Ends With Us, for example, the male lead Ryle is an abuser that repeatedly physically assaults the heroine and also tries to rape her, yet many readers sympathize with him (Hoover 2016). A BBC article noted, “Ryle is portrayed as a ‘tortured soul’ who is redeemed by his love for Lily” (BBC 2024). This framing suggests that love can excuse or explain abuse, which is a dangerous message. Instead of clearly condemning harmful actions, the narrative leans into understanding the man’s emotional backstory.

            The same article criticizes the way Hoover’s stories can blur the line between love and harm. “This romanticization of abuse not only minimizes the severity of domestic violence, but it also sends the dangerous message that abusive behavior is acceptable if it is done out of love” (BBC 2024). This ties directly to how masculinity is presented as something intense, broken, and emotionally out of control, but still framed as romantic if it stems from internal pain or trauma.

            Another concern is how Hoover’s male leads often cause pain before redemption. As one critic puts it, “So many of the heroes in her other novels are textbook bad boys… who put the heroines through hell before offering the heaven of a Happily Ever After” (BBC 2024). The emotional toll men take on women becomes part of the romantic arc, suggesting that suffering is a step on the way to love.

            Other people have called out the power imbalance her stories create. According to Debra Reads, “In many of her novels, the female protagonist is a damsel in distress who relies on a man to rescue her and make her whole” (Deborah 2023). In this example, men become the emotional solution to the woman’s struggles, which reinforces the idea that masculinity means taking control of the relationship, the emotional arc, and even the heroine’s growth.

            Hoover’s masculine characters are emotionally dense but morally complicated. She gives them depth and pain but often also places them at the center of the story’s resolution.

Conclusion

            Charlotte Lamb, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Colleen Hoover each portray masculinity in distinct but purposeful ways. Lamb’s heroes are often aggressive or emotionally volatile, reflecting her belief that strength and control are central to male identity. Phillips writes ambitious and emotionally closed off men who resist vulnerability, using that tension to drive her plots. Hoover focuses on emotionally damaged male characters who often hurt the women around them, yet remain central to the story’s resolution. In all three cases, masculinity plays a key role in shaping the emotional structure of the romance. Each author uses different traits control, ambition, vulnerability to build male characters who both challenge and shape the heroine. These portrayals show how masculinity can be used to create emotional intensity, tension, and transformation within romantic storytelling.

 

Bibliography

BBC. “1982: Nationwide – Sheila Holland (Charlotte Lamb) and Sarah Holland.” Nationwide. Aired 1982. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=356551090026745

BBC. “It Ends With Us: The Controversial Blockbuster Author Portraying Domestic Abuse.” BBC, August 9, 2024.

Deborah. “Why Colleen Hoover’s Portrayal of Women Is Harmful and Problematic and Why I Will No Longer Be Reading Her Books.” Debra Reads, December 30, 2023.

Diaz, J. Sweet Savage Flame. “Author Spotlight: Charlotte Lamb.” 2023.

Grinnan, Dabney. “An Interview with Susan Elizabeth Phillips.” All About Romance, February 12, 2024.

Holland, Steve. “Obituary: Charlotte Lamb.” The Guardian, October 22, 2000.

Hoover, Colleen. It Ends With Us. Atria Books, 2016.

Hoover, Colleen. “Behind The Books – Interview With Colleen Hoover.” Interview by Maryse. Maryse’s Book Blog, 2012.

Hoover, Colleen. “Exclusive Interview: Layla.” Interview by Fresh Fiction. Fresh Fiction, December 2020.

Lamb, Charlotte. Dark Dominion. London: Mills & Boon, 1979.

Phillips, Susan Elizabeth. “Friends & Fiction: Behind the Book with Susan Elizabeth Phillips.” Interview by Friends & Fiction, March 5, 2024.

Phillips, Susan Elizabeth. Interview by Goodreads. August 15, 2016. https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/1165.Susan_Elizabeth_Phillips

Phillips, Susan Elizabeth. “Public Conversation at the Popular Culture Association Conference.” Journal of Popular Romance Studies, August 29, 2015.