Heroes of East Asian or Pacific Islander Heritage
Sweet Savage Flame highlights heroes in old-school or retro romance books who were of East Asian or Pacific Islander descent. In older romances, unfortunately, these heroes weren’t very prevalent.
Most heroes in older romances from the eastern continents and islands were Middle Eastern, some from the subcontinent, and many were from fictional countries.
Because of the variety, we’ll address heroes of those descents in a later compilation.
As usual, we try to separate historical romances from series and regular contemporaries.
Category/ Contemporary Romance
Love Conquers All – Roseanne Williams
- Hero: Ty Toranaga (Japanese-American)
- Tropes & Settings: Bodyguard, Animal Smuggling, California
- Published: Harlequin Temptation #350, 1991
Sweet Bride of Revenge – Suzanne Carey
- Hero: Nels Seiji (Scandinavian, American, & Japanese)
- Tropes & Settings: Revenge, Class Difference, Forbidden Love
- Published: Silhouette Romance #1300, 1998
Two of a Kind – Jill Bloom
- Hero: “T.C.” (Japanese)
- Tropes & Settings: Look-alikes, Soul Mates, Workaholics
- Published: Harlequin Temptation #37, 1983
Kiss of the Dragon – Barbara Faith
- Hero: Tiger Malone (Half Chinese/ Half English)
- Tropes & Settings: Treasure Hunt, Hong Kong, China
- Published: Silhouette Intimate Moments #193, 1987
Heart of the Dragon – Deborah Smith
- Hero: Cash Santelli (half Thai/ half Italian-American)
- Tropes & Settings: Hero Tragic Past, Investigation & Protection; Thailand
- Published: Loveswept #503, Bantam, 1991
Historical Romance
The Rising Son – Darlene Mindrup
- Hero: Shoji Ibaragi (Japanese-American)
- Tropes & Settings: World War II, Internment, Inspirational
- Published: Heartsong Presents #243, Barbour, 1997
Till Morning Comes – Han Suyin
- Hero: Dr. Jen Yong (Chinese)
- Tropes & Settings: Communist Revolution, War, China
- Published: Bantam, 1983
Miss Hungerford’s Handsome Hero – Noel Vreeland Carter
- Hero: Sir Hannibal Cheng (English & Chinese)
- Tropes & Settings: Love Triangle, Regency England
- Published: Candlelight Regency Special #656, 1981
White Fire – Fern Michaels (as Iris Summers)
- Hero: Prince Banyan (Mongolian)
- Tropes & Settings: Kidnapping, Bodice Ripper, Forced Seduction, Russia, Mongolia
- Published: Ballantine, 1978
Rangoon – Christine Monson
- Hero: Richard “Ramiel” Harley (half Burmese/ half English)
- Tropes & Settings: Revenge, Kidnapping, Bodice Ripper, Burma
- Published: Avon, 1985
Mari – Donna Anders
- Hero: Adam Foster (half-Hawaiian/ half-Anglo-American)
- Tropes & Settings: Worlds Apart, Class Difference, Hawaii
- Published: Harlequin Historical, 1991
Your Opinion
Did I miss any heroes from romances you’ve read?
As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.