Wednesday Lists: Worst Literary Love Interests

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

The search for love in novels can be quite a daunting task with evil-doers, scoundrels, and creepers abound. But true love does happen on occasion, and when it goes wrong it can be catastrophic. Here is my list of the worst love interests in books in no particular order.

Possible Spoilers Ahead...

1. Opie from the Silver Blackthorn series by Kerry Wilkinson- In this trilogy our main character is torn between two boys: Imrin and Opie. Imrin is infinitely stronger a character than Opie, and often I feel Opie can be a bit whiny. Hopefully in the final book, Silver has grown enough to pick a mature love interest.

2. Jack Torrance from The Shining by Stephen King- How can you not add this man to this list? Jack is an abusive alcoholic who has harmed his young son in the past and has lied countless times to his wife. An unfortunate victim of domestic violence as a child, he inherits his father's penchant for harming his family. When he accepts a job at a decades-old hotel in the middle of Colorado, he becomes the conduit for the dark forces that inhabit the hotel. During a blizzard, he destroys the CB radio and the only snow-worthy vehicle they have. Then he takes to the halls of the hotel with a roque mallet determined to bash in the brains of his family.

3. Cooper Turner from the Lucky Santangelo series by Jackie Collins- Self-centered and super-rich, Cooper Turner is the aging Hollywood idol from Jackie Collins' popular Lucky Santangelo series. He is a Warren Beatty wannabe with a lust for singer/actress Venus Maria. He cheats his way through life leaving nothing but anger and pain in his path. Any woman crazy enough to get involved with him needs a prayer.

4. Frank Farman from Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag- This officer of the law did everything in his power to discriminate against a Latino detective in the sheriff's station where he worked. He emotionally and physically abused his wife and son. And eventually took things too far when his out-of-control behavior almost cost school teacher Anne Navarre her life. A shameless bigot and an equal opportunity offender, Frank remains one of Hoag's worst love interests in her novels.

5. Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- High maintenance, self-centered, and often infuriating. This southern belle is a lot to handle, and I bet Rhett has to bite his tongue many times. Thankfully she worked to change during the course of the novel. But, wow! She was a handful!