Hispanic or Latino Heroes in Retro Romance

Hispanic Heroes in Romance Novels

Heroes of Hispanic heritage, be they European or from the Americas, have always been popular in romance novels. The allure of the Latin lover is legendary.

Although these male protagonists have different backgrounds and lives, they share a common trait. They are men of passion.

Some may be traditionalists, others more modern-minded. They can be billionaires, Dons, or working men who lifted themselves from their bootstraps, but they are always proud, strong, and loyal. Loyal to their families and, most significantly, the women they love.

When they speak words of endearment in Spanish, their heroines melt. Who can blame them?

From down in Argentina up to Canada, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, today we’re highlighting some Latino heroes in romances from North and South America.

The List

Presented below is a brief listing of Latino heroes in romance novels. We could have scoured our archives and found many, many more, but we’re keeping this short so as not to overwhelm.

We’ll assemble a master list in due time. You can always check our archives using the hero-latino tag if you want to read reviews for romances featuring Hispanic male protagonists.

We’ve broken the list into Historical and Contemporary sections for your convenience.

Latino Heroes in Historical Romance

• Love Cherish Me, Rebecca Brandewyne – Rafael Bautista Delgados y Aguilar (Lobo)/ Spanish-American
• And Gold Was Ours, Rebecca Brandewyne – Salvador Aguilar/ Spanish-Argentine
• Rainbow’s End, Rebecca Brandewyne – Durango de Navarre/ Mexican-American
• Desperado, Rebecca Brandewyne – Rigo del Castillo/ Mexican
• While Passion Sleeps, Shirlee Busbee – Rafael Santana/Mexican-Comanche-American
• White Apache’s Woman, Shirl Henke – Santiago Quinn/ Spanish-Irish-American

• Heart of Thunder, Johanna Lindsey – Hank Chavez/Mexican-American
• Brave the Wild Wind, Johanna Lindsey – Chase Summers/ Spanish-American
• Midnight Rider, Kat Martin – Ramon de la Guerra / Californio
• Midnight Captive, Penelope Neri – Esteban de San Martin/ Spanish-Argentine
• Moonlight and Magic, Rebecca Paisley – Sterling Montoya/ Spanish-American
• Rainbows and Rapture, Rebecca Paisley – Santiago Zamora/ Spanish-American
• Sweet Savage Love, Rosemary Rogers – Steve Morgan (Esteban Alvarado)/ Mexican-American
• The Wildest Heart, Rosemary Rogers – Lucas Cord/ Mexican-American
• Betrayed, Hebby Roman – Antonio Aguilar/ Puerto Rican
• Love Me Only, Hebby Roman – Seguin Torres/ Mexican

Latino Heroes in Category & Contemporary Romances

(Abbreviations: BL – Bantam Loveswept; HI – Harlequin Intrigue; HP– Harlequin Presents; HR – Harlequin Romance; HT– Harlequin Temptation; SD – Silhouette Desire; SIM – Silhouette Intimate Moments; SSE – Silhouette Special Edition)

• Surrender Baby, Suzanne Forster (BL) – Geoff Dias/Spanish-American

• Personal Protector, Debra Webb (HI) – Ric Martinez/Mexican
• Whisper My Name, Gayle Wilson (HI) – Rio Delgado/Mexican
• Beloved Deceiver, Flora Kidd (HP) – Cesar Estrada/Dominican-Canadian
• The Latin Lover’s Secret Child, Jane Porter (HP) – Lucio Cruz/Half Argentian-half Indian
• The Black Eagle, Anne Hampson (HP) – Juan Armando Ramires/ Mexican
• Marriage in Mexico, Flora Kidd (HP) – Sebastian Suarez/Mexican
• Pale Dawn, Dark Sunset, Anne Mather (HP) – Rafael de Cueras/ Mexican
• Some Like it Hotter, Roz Denny (HR) – Chino Delgado/Mexican
• Wildcat, Candace Schuler (HT) – Ben Oakes/ Mexican-American
• Ripe For the Picking, Mary Tate Engels (HT) – Bret Meyer/ Mexican-American
• The Right Moves, Sharon Mayne (HT) – Miguel Santiago/Mexican

• Wedding Fever, Susan Crosby (SD) – Diego Duran/Mexican
• Paladin’s Woman, Beverly Barton (SIM) – Nick Romero/Mexican
• An Irresistible Man, Kylie Brant (SIM) – Cruz Martinez/Mexican
• A Man to Die For, Suzanne Brockman (SIM) – Felipe Salazar/Mexican
• The Matador, Barbara Faith (SIM) – Ricardo Montoya/Mexican
• In Close Quarters, Candace Irvin (SIM) – Tomas Juan Vasquez/Mexican
• Dreams of Evening, Kristin James (SIM) – Tonio Cruz/Mexican

• Red Hot, Catherine Palmer (SIM) – Ruben Salazar/Mexican
• Within Reach, Marilyn Pappano (SIM) – Rafael Contreras/Mexican
• Stranger by her Side, Susan Sizemore (SIM) – Rafael Castillo/Mexican
• Rio Grande Wedding, Ruth Wind (SIM) – Alejandro Sosa/Mexican
• Long-Lost Wife?, Barbara Faith (SIM) – Luis Alarcon/Cuban
• Heat of the Moment, Joanna Marks (SIM) – Alex Cordera/Cuban
• Meant to be Married, Ruth Wind (SSE) – Elias Santiago/Mexican-American

• Touch the Wind, Janet Dailey – Ráfaga/ Mexican

Your Opinion

Is there a particular Hispanic hero that you remember fondly? What are your favorite books featuring Latino heroes in the Americas?

As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.