Would you buy a romance novel written in the perspective of the male protagonist, so the entire story is told through his eyes? Traditionally, the answer is ‘no’ ­­– romance is rooted in the female gaze. Here’s the thinking behind that:

1. 1. Most romance readers are female.
2. 2. The female reader wants to connect with the heroine, identify with her, even imagine herself in her place.
3. 3. Ergo: the heroine is the most important person in the narrative, and the reader should see the story through her eyes.

But what if you’ve already read the story from the heroine’s point of view, and you really want to know what the hero was thinking and feeling – and doing when he wasn’t about? Then you want to read a retelling or expansion of the narrative from his perspective.

A new trend for ‘what he saw’ books is emerging as a means to expand on wildly popular series. When the Twilight series took off, Stephenie Meyer began drafting a novel entitled Midnight Sun, retelling Twilight from the point of view of Edward, the hero. But when the draft manuscript was leaked online, she lost faith in the project and instead published it on her website for eager fans to read – and they have, in droves!

No doubt EL James took inspiration from this when she came up with the follow-on to the Fifty Shades of Grey series, which she announced this week. The book, entitled Grey, will delve deep into the character of Christian, and offer his side on the story. James explained her reasons for writing the book as follows:

‘Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story.’

But perhaps more telling is the dedication she gives on opening page: ‘This book is dedicated to those readers who asked … and asked … and asked … and asked for this.’ In short, she wrote the book her fans wanted her to write(and, no doubt, her publisher: the book is already at the top of charts based on pre-orders).

The male-perspective story is certainly an interesting development. Many readers, I think, do enjoy getting a look into the hero’s world. That’s why in my own books I include the occasional glimpse into the male perspective. For example, in my novel Burning Embers, after a particularly intense evening told from the heroine, Coral’s, point of view, I slip into Rafe’s perspective:

Rafe stood alone on the terrace, watching Coral’s car speed off into the night. He turned away, slumped down into a chair, and lit a cigarette. What on earth had possessed him to ask Coral up to the house? He had no right to look at her, want her, touch her the way he had all evening. He was fully aware of the effect he had on her; far from feeling smug, he was ashamed. His chin took a determined slant. Why should he be ashamed? Morgana’s words hit him like a slap in the face: “She’s just a girl.” Was Coral too young? Even when they stood apart from each other, her feelings reached him, touched him, and excited him. She was not a girl. She was a ravishing, warm-hearted woman.

The memory of the way she had felt in his hands that day on the rocks, her lips so tantalizingly close, made him dizzy. Since then, he had not been able to drive her from his mind. And he had to admit, even though he had known countless women, none of them, as far as he could remember, had affected him like this; the power she had over him was frightening. He gave a self-derisory inward laugh. Who had seduced whom?

Because I write quite mysterious heroes, these little shifts work well for me in my writing. Of course, other writers strike more of a balance between his story and her story – in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, for example, her use of the narrators Lockwood and Nelly give her free reign to explore both sides of the story.

What do you think of the male point of view in romance fiction? Are you excited to read Grey? Do you like to read books told entirely from the male point of view? Do you prefer some balance – or perhaps standing only in the heroine’s shoes? I would love to hear your thoughts.