Darla G. Denton | Author Platform Coach

We’ve all got our favorite couples in romance.

Why they are our favorite is as varied as the reader.

However, when someone sees a fictional couple as a favorite then you can guaranteed that the writer did their job.

In order for there to be a favorite there has to be a connection between not just one character with the reader, not just two, but the dynamic between two characters with the reader.

That is not easily done.

Sure, there are a lot of favorite heroines and we’ve all got a long list of book boyfriends we gravitate too 😉 But its rare for a reader to fall in love with both the hero and heroine and who they are as a couple.

I did an informal survey where I asked two questions.

(*Keep in mind that these answers are varied. I randomly picked romance readers, asked them two questions and pooled thier answers together. There is a wide variety of romances listed along with a wide variety of “meaning” when it comes to couples.*)

Question #1: What is your favorite Plus Size Romance?

Listed below are the top 20 answers.

1. Beau: Cowboy Protector (Harts of the Rodeo Series #5) by Marin Thomas
2. Bonds of Justice (Psy-Changeling #8) by Nalini Singh
3. Curve My Attitude (The Curvies #2) by Sarah Gai
4. Delicate Devastation (The Endurers #3) by Rose Wynters
5. Fat Assassins by Marita Fowler
6. Heart Secret (Celta’s Heartmates #11) by Robin D. Owens
7. Heavy Issues (Bowen #2) by Elle Aycart
8. How To Drive A Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin #6) by G.A. Aiken
9. Making Chase (Chase Brothers #4) by Lauren Dane
10. Master of the Mountain (Mountain Masters & Dark Haven #1) by Cherise Sinclair
11. Misadventures of Fatwoman by Julie Elizabeth Powell
12. Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4) by Kristen Ashley
13. My Wolf Cowboy (Wolf Town Guardians #3) by Rose Wynters
14. Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake (Love By Numbers #1) by Sarah MacLean
15. Perfection (Neighbor From Hell #2) by R.L. Mathewson
16. Taking Shots (Assasins #1) by Toni Aleo
17. Too Big To Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian
18. Too Much Temptation (Brava Brothers #1) by Lori Foster
19. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning
20. Zaftig: Well Rounded Erotica by Hanne Blank

Question #2: Out of the top 20 Romances You listed which couple did you like the most?

The following list shows the couples rated from 1st – 20th.

1. Sierra and Beau from Beau Cowboy Protector
   1. Beau Adams can’t stop thinking about Sierra Byrne. Her feisty spirit and ample curves dominate his thoughts, while he should be focused on getting himself and Midnight, the Harts’ prized stallion, to the National Finals Rodeo. When Beau and Sierra’s electric connection finally leads to a steamy night together, Beau hopes it’s the beginning of something more. As much as Sierra wants to be with Beau, anything long-term is out of the question. A recently diagnosed eye disease will soon leave her blind, and she can’t ask a rising rodeo star like Beau to take on that responsibility. Though she tries to pretend their tryst was just another item on her bucket list, Sierra’s true feelings run a lot deeper. Will she let her affliction steal not only her sight, but her dreams of happiness, as well?
2. Andi and Misadventures from Misadventures of Fatwoman (another “couple” I’m so happy to see on the list)
   1. Andi has always been anxious about her weight and like many women, thinks that unless she is thin, she has no value. Follow her ‘misadventures’ and see if this is true or will she find there are more important things that makes a person who and what they are?
3. Rebecca and Logan from Master of the Mountain 
   1. When Rebecca’s lover talks her into a mountain lodge vacation with his swing club, she soon learns she’s not cut out for playing musical beds. But with her boyfriend “entertaining” in their cabin, she has nowhere to sleep. Logan, the lodge owner, finds her freezing on the porch. After hauling her inside, he warms her in his own bed, and there the experienced Dominant discovers that Rebecca might not be a swinger…but she is definitely a submissive. Rebecca knows that no one can love her plump, scarred body. But, to her surprise, Logan disagrees and is quite happy to show her just how much he enjoys her curves. Under his skilled hands, Rebecca loses not only her inhibitions, but also her heart. Damaged from the war, Logan considers himself too dangerous to be around the enticing little sub. He sends her away for her own safety, not realizing she thinks she’s been rejected because of her size. When Logan’s mountains echo with her voice long after she’s gone, he knows she’s left behind part of herself—and taken his heart. But when he arrives in the city to reclaim her, Rebecca’s phone has been disconnected and her apartment is empty…
4. Tyra and Tack from Motorcycle Man 
   1. Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now, she’s back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn’t the tequila and hot sex talking. He’s the kind of man she’s always wanted. Unfortunately, he’s also her new boss . . . Kane “Tack” Allen has a rule. He doesn’t employ someone he’s slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he’ll be the one breaking all the rules…
5. Elise and Charlie from Curve My Attitude
   1. Elise Michaels has to deal with her first love, Charlie Barnes, when he turns up at her best friend’s wedding. Charlie never expected to come face to face with Elise, the woman who broke his heart, when he returned home to support his friends on their wedding day.
6. Kim and Peter from Delicate Devastation
   1. Who knew the priest could be such a bad boy?
      Peter Rynalt is every woman’s sinful dream. The other Endurers might call him a priest, but there’s nothing saintly about his seductive desires. He gets what he wants, but he sticks to one cardinal rule… he never goes back. Kim Jones hasn’t forgotten Peter since the night she made a play for him. He’s the one man in New Orleans that she can’t have. She doesn’t think she’ll see him again, but one night he rescues her from a demonic attack, and the heat between them can no longer be denied.
      Demons are roaming the streets of New Orleans. To survive, Kim will have to remain with Peter, but it comes at a price. She’ll have to pay for her protection with her body… and her heart.
7. Izzy and Eibhear from How To Drive A Dragon Crazy
   1. Some things never go away, like vile enemies, bad ale, and annoying kin. Honestly, though, I thought I was finished with the one dragon I’d have done anything for: Éibhear the Blue, a big, gorgeous, blue-haired beast who thinks the world belongs to him. The world and, apparently, me. If Éibhear wants to play the caring hero and travel into the most forsaken of Gods forsaken lands to protect the one woman who doesn’t need it—namely me—I’ll let him. Because while I’m trying to fulfill  a ridiculous quest for a pushy god, I’m going to draw this overconfident warlord much too close, rekindle his fires, and enjoy every minute of his delicious defeat…
8. Odelia and Greg from Too Big To Miss
   1. Too big to miss–that’s Odelia Grey. A never-married, middle-aged, plus-sized woman who makes no excuses for her weight, she’s not super woman just a mere mortal standing on the precipice of menopause, trying to cruise in an ill-fitting bra. She struggles with her relationships, her crazy family, and her crazier boss. And then there”s her knack for being in close proximity to dead people . . . . When her close friend Sophie London commits suicide in front of an online web-cam by putting a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger, Odelia’s life is changed forever. Sophie, a plus-sized activist and inspiration to imperfect women, is the last person anyone would ever have expected to end her own life. Suspecting foul play, Odelia is determined to get to the bottom of her friend’s death. Odelia’s search for the truth takes her from southern California strip malls to the world of live web-cam porn to the ritzy enclave of Corona del Mar.
9. Callie and Gabriel from Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake
   1. Lady Calpurnia Hartwell, a plain but wealthy 28-year-old who refuses to marry a man who only desires her fortune, acts on a long-held crush and flings herself at Gabriel St. John, marquess of Ralston. Gabriel finds her antics more amusing than enticing, but his half-wild half-sister needs an impeccable chaperone and he chooses Callie for the role. Their proximity creates an infinite series of opportunities for the rake to practice his wiles on the more than willing wallflower.
10. Neve and Max from You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
    1. Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don’t get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve’s heart since university. But William’s been in LA for three years, and Neve’s been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he’ll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.
       So she’s not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she’s an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she’d better get some, well, experience.
       What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia’s colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he’s such a man-slut, and so not Neve’s type, she certainly won’t fall for him. Because William is the man for her… right?
       Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve’s lost her heart – but to who?
11. Zoe and Trevor from Perfection
    1. Zoe is used to taking care of herself and has long ago accepted that if anything bad was going to happen, it was going to happen to her. So when she loses her job over something most bosses would probably be happy with and her life starts going down hill from there she doesn’t expect it to get any better. She certainly didn’t expect any help from the loud jerk next door, but then again she has nothing to lose so puts her trust in him and hopes for the best. What she didn’t expect was the once in a lifetime opportunity that he offers her through an arrangement where they both benefit and no one is supposed to get hurt, but she should have known better because her luck has never been that good. Like most Bradfords, Trevor has a soft spot for food, but that’s about all. He leads a pretty straightforward life and likes to keep things simple and that includes his relationships. He wants the perfect woman and knows exactly what she’ll be like. So when he discovers much to his horror that he’s thinking about his frumpy little neighbor he decides the best way to get his head straight is by working her out of his system. He’ll keep her around, but only until he finds perfection.
12. Christy and Cole from Heavy Issues
    1. Steering clear of relationships has never been difficult for demolitions expert Cole Bowen, but now, with his brother’s engagement sending the female population into full-blown hysterics and the town of Alden’s month-long festivities helping along, he finds himself in hell. When he discovers Alden’s new resident and the object of all his wet dreams, Christine Sheridan, has sworn off relationships and is going to hire a gigolo to get professionally laid, he decides to kill two birds with one stone. Christy is so not drinking again. Thanks to José Cuervo she has her friends signing her up for stud conventions and Cole frigging Bowen offering sex in exchange for fake dates, which is so out of the question it isn’t even funny. She knows the domineering man will push her boundaries, and after battling all her life with self-esteem issues, she isn’t ready for that. Too bad he won’t take no for an answer.

       Cole is determined to strip away all of her defenses but refuses to lower his ever-present walls, so when Christy realizes she wants more, she’s left with only two options; walk away or crack his shield and risk her heart in the process.

13. Tate and Matt from Making Chase
    1. Tate Murphy is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She grew up a million miles away from the easy life Matt Chase has had. She’s spent her life pulling herself and her siblings up and out of that trailer by the railroad tracks and she hasn’t looked back. Matt Chase is a dream of a guy and she’s certainly not going to turn down a short fling with one of the most handsome men she’s ever seen! Matt Chase has watched each one of his brothers find love and he knows he’s ready for that too. It’s all a matter of finding the woman who captures his heart. He’s certainly sampled his fair share of them but none has moved him the way Tate Murphy does when he goes to her shop to thank her for some cookies and a thank you note. But as Matt gets to know Tate and appreciate her strength and unique beauty, he also realizes she’s got some big self esteem issues about her past. To build a future, he’s got to find a way past some big road blocks.
14. Sophia and Max from Bonds of Justice
    1. Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…
15. Elli and Shea from Taking Shots
    1. No matter how hard she tries, Elleanor Fisher never thinks she’s good enough, from her job to her weight to her love life. After enduring years of abuse at the hands of an ex-boyfriend, Elli has been drifting through life in a daze. Until, that is, she meets Shea Adler on a promotional shoot for the NHL’s Nashville Assassins. Before Elli knows what’s happening, the gorgeous Shea breaks the ice and shatters her world. A brilliant athlete inside the rink, Shea Adler is tired of the life he’s living outside of it: the women, the money, the drinking. But everything changes when he meets Elli. After laying eyes on this feisty, witty, beautiful woman, he feels like he’s just taken the hardest hit of his life. No matter how skeptical she is, Shea knows they are meant to be together–if only he can convince Elli to put her insecurities aside before she misses out on a shot at love.
16. Artemisia and Garrett from Heart Secret
    1. When a virulent disease killed the woman he loved and her baby, Garrett Primross was left alive, a reluctant survivor. Now, as a private eye, he strives to banish the memories of his past and rebuild his life. The Healers of Celta have something else in mind: Discover why he survived. He is monitored by Healer Artemisia Panax—his HeartMate, a love he never pursued. Still mourning his loss, he refuses to acknowledge her. Since her family was publicly disgraced, she’s used to such treatment. She wants nothing more than to guard her livelihood and protect the secrets she’s sworn to keep. Thrown together by duty, Garrett and Artemisia find the body of the last Black Magic Cultist who ruined her family. Suspicion flares, but they have little choice but to investigate the crime together. When their own lives are placed in danger, they realize that denying their HeartMates is only denying their own future.
17. Natalie and Connor from My Wolf Cowboy
    1. Natalie Miller spent her entire life living on the Amish settlement in Missouri. Her world was safe… until the night a posse of snake shifters attack them. It seems like all hope is lost, but then theycome. Out of the darkness and flames, a group of naked men step out of the shadows, some of them human, while others are wolf. In the glow of the burning building, they are perfection, much too beautiful to ever be just mortal. And when one of them proclaims her to be his mate, Natalie realizes nothing will ever be the same again. The werewolf Connor is pure sin, packaged in a sexy, muscular frame of perfection… and he’s tempting her beyond belief. Her attraction to him goes against everything she was taught to believe in, but her body doesn’t care. She’s in heat, and he’s the only one that can quench the flames that burn inside of her.
18. Grace and Noah from Too Much Temptation
    1. Grace Jenkins has had little experience with men–feeling too awkward and insecure to free the passionate woman inside her. But that hasn’t stopped her from dreaming about Noah Harper. Gorgeous, strong and darkly sexy, his rough edge beneath the polish promises no mercy in the bedroom. When Grace learns Noah’s engagement has ended in scandal, she shyly offers him her support and her friendship. But Noah’s looking for something extra. . . Noah wants Grace–badly. He wants to possess those curves that go on forever, to savor her sweet innocence, to take her to the limits of white-hot desire. . .again and again. What he doesn’t want is anything more complicated than that, and he knows Grace is a woman who deserves better. Grace, however, knows exactly what she wants–the kind of ecstasy only Noah can give her. Brazenly, she accepts, and Noah promises to make all her secret fantasies come true. . .
19. Shasta and Ulyssa from Fat Assassins (I love the fact that a book which features best friends got picked on here!)
    1. Southern style sweet potatoes Shasta and Ulyssa have stuck together through thick and thin since their escape from third grade fat camp. But on one dark day, they both find themselves unemployed. A hazardous job hunt sees them turn down egg harvesting, drug dealing and phone sex before they settle for an exterminator job. 

Confusing mafia lingo leaves the girls thinking they’re being interviewed to cope with a rodent infestation. Confident that they can handle the job, they oversell their skills and demand half the payment up front to seal the deal. Skeptical at first, the mob boss decides to hire this unlikely pair when he mistakes their attitude for professional stoicism. The girls are shocked when presented with a target profile and an envelope full of cash. They want out, but it’s too late. The mob doesn’t allow do-overs. And certainly not when they’re whacking one of their own.
 The clock is ticking and when the body count is still zero after multiple attempts, the boss decides to bring in additional assassins to finish the job and tie up loose ends. And the girls just happen to be one of those loose ends.
20. Women and their sexuality from Zaftig: Well Rounded Erotica
    1. “Many of the pieces are frank in celebrating the transformative force of sex, lust, desire, and the recognition that one is desired.” Zaftig women, described variously as “full-figured” and “pleasingly plump,” have long been a source of fetish and humor in erotic literature. Now the publisher of Best Women’s Erotica turns the tables with surprising, steamy stories showcasing the sex lives of women of size and their admirers. “Not only is Blank’s work infused with humor and mischievous irony, her delight in her own body and her sexuality is fabulously contagious: she makes you feel good about yourself in every way, shape, and form.” — Paramour

I was pleasantly surprised at what stories and couples came to mind. I can’t wait to read them all!

Saturday @ 9 am “A List of Plus Sized Actresses and the Characters They Portray”

Monday @ 9 am “How to Craft The Perfect Curve Loving Hero“

• Did your favorite plus size romance or couple make the list?
• If not what is the name of the romance and who are the couples?
• Do you agree with what is on the list?
• Where you surprised by any of the titles?