AUDIO: THE SCENT OF A MAN
A Twitter user named Allison Breed has spent the past couple of years collecting examples of how romance writers describe how the male characters in their books smell. It’s called the Male Scent Catalogue, and here are some examples:
– “He smelled of spice and the musky, masculine scent that was uniquely his.” (from Star Champion by Susan Grant)
– “The scent of him coated her tongue until she licked at him, taking the salt/ice/man scent inside.” (from Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh)
– “All she knew was the safety of his embrace, the heat of his mouth, and his scent – soap, aftershave, man.” (from The Bride Test by Helen Hoang)
– “He smelled like the Orion Nebula looked.” (from Motion by Penny Reid)
– “He smelled clean and woodsy, with a faint hint of paint.” (from Serving Pleasure by Alisha Rai)
– “I inhaled the scent of his jacket. It was somehow soothing and stimulating at the same time. Like the color green.” (from Green by Kayley Loring)
– “Under the delicious scent of leather, light sweat and man was a pungent strain of pure trouble.” (from Reaper’s Property by Joanna Wylde)
– “I can even smell him, his masculine cologne woodsy and smoky, a combination that makes me think of naked camping trips” (from The Dare by Lauren Landish)
– “He smelled manly, like faint cigar and a forest. Was it pine?” (from The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe)
– “Mint and male assaulted her senses” (from Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey)
– “He smells way too good. A mix of laundry detergent and beer that shouldn’t be as appealing as it is.” (from You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn)
– “He’s in a stiff white button-down that smells like starch, tequila, and danger” (from The Hero and the Hacktivist by Read Pippa)
– “We’re pressed so close I can feel his breath on my lips. I smell the chocolate he had for dessert, and a piney hint of his deodorant. I try to hate it.” (from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren)
– “She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, needing to know what he smelled like… Pumpkin spice?” (from Right Kind of Wrong by
Sara Rider)
* I’ve learned something new today. There are a lot – A LOT – of bad women writers.
* And haven’t any of them ever been to a fitness club?
* You know what this radio studio smells like? Coffee and flop sweat.
* Don’t guys in romance novels ever smell like sausage and onions? Don’t they ever eat pizza or hoagies?
* I’m feeling really sad for the trees that gave their lives for these books.
CLIP: Here’s a couple of minutes of cheesy romantic music, as a bed for the bit.
