List of Book Boyfriends

These are the men that make it impossible for the ones in our actual lives to possibly live up to our standards; their charm, their smiles, their good looks, their actions, their bodies, the way they lean against the wall and cross their arms, and the love they show for that special someone…where was I? Oh yeah… Authors have crafted some seriously impressive men in literature, and while part of me knows it would never work out, who hasn’t had a fictional boyfriend? Or at least a crush on some swoon-worthy heartthrob they’d read in a book? I know I’ve had plenty!

Hahahaha……………………………………….ha.

Anyways, I’ve made a list of some of the more noteworthy men in fiction that I’ve come across so far! I must make a total confession though; a LOT of these are from Sarah J. Maas books. What can I say? She gets me, she knows what I want, what I need, what I go for… And she taught me an important lesson:

If he ain’t Fae, he ain’t Bae!“

– Nick Goodsell, for the purposes of this article

This list is in no particular order, I hope you enjoy!

Click HERE to see Part 2 of my list!

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Rowan Whitethorn (Throne of Glass Series)

Let’s start off strong with the Fae prince from Sarah J. Maas’s first YA Fantasy series! He’s a little of the gruff side, but can be supportive and extremely loyal once you get to know him. He will go to extreme lengths to help those he cares about, can transform into a white-tailed hawk, and is the fae mate we call could use!

Elias Veturius (An Ember in the Ashes Series)

Initially star pupil at Blackcliff Academy and son of the vicious Commandant, Elias wants to be free from it all; the scrutiny, the pressure, the politics, and brutality the Empire has over the Scholar Slaves. He’s compassionate, brave, rebellious, and usually calm in the face of any adversity.

Cassian (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series)

A man who takes charge, this charming, cocky warrior is the General Commander of the Night Courts Armies — I always like a man in uniform!

Garrett Graham (Off-Campus Series)

One of the lesser known names on this list, Garrett is the captain of the varsity hockey team at Briar University. He’s a total player, but once he does the whole “fake relationship” romance trope Hannah Wells to make another guy jealous, he *shockingly* falls hard and becomes a total sweetheart, earning him a spot on this list!

Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series)

I mean, can any list pertaining to this subject NOT have Rhysand on it? Lord of the Night Court, the most powerful Fae lord in ACOTAR, he’s not great at first impression, but then you read A Court of Mist and Fury, especially that scene in the log cabin, and suddenly he’s too good to be true.

Andrew Parrish (The Edge of Never Duology)

Another lesser known name, Andrew is on here because it amazed me how much he was willing to do in order to make Cameron Bennett happy: he’d sacrifice so much, even pretend he’d love something when the opposite was true, only because he knew she’d loved it! He’s a total catch, and anyone who reads his story will fall for him too!

Aedion Ashryver (Throne of Glass Series)

Another guy who starts off with a less than stellar reputation but changes it rather swiftly, Aedion is another SJM male to make it onto the list. My only disappointment was how we didn’t delve deeper into his bisexuality that’s revealed later on in the series…

Harry Potter (Harry Potter Series)

I had to include the phenom that is Harry Potter! I feel like people often forget about him, but then again, Harry Potter is on an unreachable pedestal compared to any other sort of literature. His story is what got me into storytelling, books, movies, writing, you name it! He’s sassy, classy, and a little bit smart-assy, and the image I’ve selected of him and his son give me the best sort of daddy vibes!

Damen Akielos (Captive Prince Trilogy)

A prince who’s kidnapped into a foreign enemies’ land and turned slave, Damen has a lot of guts and bravado in order to stay alive. He’s resourceful, strong, brave, strategic, prideful and is a total dreamboat when it’s obvious he has feelings for Prince Laurent!

Dorian Havilliard (Throne of Glass Series)

My favorite Prince who reads for fun, loves puppies, and has a secret kink for chains; how can you not adore Dorian? He’s everything anyone could want in a man.

Ben Alejo (What If It’s Us)

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera co-writing an LGBTQ+ YA rom-com was a dream come true, and I want more from the two of them! Ben is a quiet, bashful young guy who writes fantasy stories for fun, is kind of adorably awkward in some instances, and is just so completely precious with Arthur! (Ben is on the right!)

Chaol Westfall (Throne of Glass Series)

The former Captain of the Guard, Chaol is a stoic, noble, protective, and proud human amongst the many Fae. He’d had his ups and downs in the series–to put it mildly–but I was always behind him, and love how he’d redeemed himself before it was too late.

Side note: I do believe Sarah J. Maas admitted at some point that Chaol has the best butt out of all her male characters in her books, so I’m just going to leave that here…

Fenrys Moonbeam (Throne of Glass Series)

Ugh…why did he have to show up so late in the game? Fenrys was a whole new side of the cocky, arrogant, Fae alpha-holeness and I loved him to the moon and back for it–See what I did there?

Alex Claremont-Diaz (Red, White, and Royal Blue)

The bisexual, half-latino son of the president of the United States, Alex is snarky, charming, and sarcastic who also gets off on pushing his enemies’ buttons, but becomes a total softy when a certain Prince and him come to their senses and see that they’re one of my OTP’s!

Tobias Eaton/Four (Divergent Series)

I liked Four immediately when I read Divergent, in fact he was probably my favorite character! He’s a tough cookie, but when he opens up to Tris and lets himself be vulnerable, he’s a total teddy bear and even though my fondness of the books stopped at Allegiant, my appreciation for him sure didn’t!

Caleb Lockardt (Chasing Red Duology)

Caleb starts off as the typical popular, cocky, big man on campus, but all that changes when he meets Veronica Stafford. He’s curious at first, but sees she’s in a tight spot and lets her move in with him until she’s back on her feet, and they fall in love. There’s no fanart of Caleb, so here’s an image of Zac Efron since he’s my fancast!

Magnus Damora (Falling Kingdoms Series)

Brooding, moody, sassy, protective, rebellious…Magnus sounds like trouble–and he is–but oh man, he’s also a great anti-hero who falls so hard for Princess Cleo Bellos, and while he has a lot of family baggage in more ways than one, I had to include him on this list!

Gage (From Ashes)

So he may have done the total cliché of getting hit with Insta-love, but the loyalty, compassion, protectiveness and of course love he shows for Cassidy is the reason why I adored him and added him onto my list!

Will Sumner (Beautiful Bastard Series)

While the title does reveal a major flaw, Will was a great guy through and through when it was his turn in the 3rd book of this contemporary romance series! He was confident, supportive, and showed his feelings in a refreshing not over-the-top way that I could appreciate!

Simon Baker (Wallbanger)

I know it’s not the most attractive name, but Simon was an obvious choice to include on here! A total player at first who literally bangs the wall every night with his bed post with whomever he’d brought home, he redeems himself by being a travel photographer who collects sand from every country he visits, and the sexual tension with him and Caroline was absolutely scorching!

Finnick Odair (The Hunger Games trilogy)

He started off as the arrogant pretty-boy, but after his true motives are revealed, Finnick becomes an absolute treasure (chest?) of the Rebellion sparked in Panem. By the way, I’m still not over his death, and if that’s a spoiler for you still…honey, we’ve got bigger issues here

Embry Moore (New Camelot Trilogy)

I have a type I guess…I love the cocky, overly confident, charming men with gorgeous eyes and even sexier smile, but Embry is so much more than that! He’s a tortured soul, and even though he believes he doesn’t deserve happiness, he does whatever he can, sacrifices any amount of his own in order to ensure it for the ones he loves!

Prince Henry of Wales (Red, White, And Royal Blue)

Yet another Royal Prince on this list, but finally one thats non Fae! Stiff and seemingly pompous at first, Prince Henry soon melts my heart when him and Alex discover their feelings for each other, and have their own sexy little secret affair. I don’t know who commissioned this image I found, but I couldn’t help but love how it pretty much sums up him and Alex’s relationship!

Peter Kavinsky (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy)

A handsome high school jock who gets into a fake relationship that turns into something more? Yes Please…He’s a bit cocky and full of himself–so is almost every guy on this list–but Peter is so adorable when he’s loving and attentive towards Laura Jean!

Prince Rook (An Enchantment of Ravens)

A royal prince of the Autumn court for the Fair People, a forbidden love with a mortal girl is what charges the story forward and left me swooning. His inability to understand sarcasm and metaphors, then getting embarrassed about it made him so irresistible!

Prince Cardan Greenbriar (The Folk of the Air trilogy)

It took all the way until the third and final book to finally feel safe with this choice, but once this Cruel Prince turned Wicked King admitted his feelings to Jude, I was bitten by the love bug. He may play some effed up mind games, but he is Fae, and wording means everything to them!

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So there you have it! Swoon-worthy, am I right? Share this post, share your thoughts! Do you agree with my selections? Who should I add? Who should I have second thoughts about?

Click HERE to see Part 2 of my list!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell