Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. This week’s theme was submitted by Hannah @ Books, Life and Other Oddities and is “What makes you love a character in one of your books? What is it about their character or their personality that makes you pull for them or fall in love with them or want to make them your very own significant other/parent/best friend/etc.?” I decided to put my own spin on it by focusing on the character traits of the literary couples I love the most. (In random order because it would be too hard to choose.)

Perseverance & Patience

Cassie & Owen are my newest favorite couple from Katherine Center’s Things You Save in a Fire. Cassie is determined to persevere through all obstacles, whether personal or professional. And Owen! This character had me swooning hard with his quiet patience and sweet dedication to Cassie, even when she was clueless about his feelings.

Tough on the Outside & Good to a Fault

Will & Tessa are my favorite couple from all three of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series. Their relationship is an excruciating will they or won’t they throughout the entire Infernal Devices series, but they have one of the most memorable meetings in Clockwork Angel. I love the journey of following a character that is tough on the outside, hiding their pain on the inside, and watching as they climb out of their brokenness. And Will is a perfect example of that trait. Tessa is good to a fault. She thinks of everyone before herself, and those two traits lead to an epic love story.

Witty & Brave

Magnus & Alec are one of the most fun couples I’ve encountered. I love Magnus’ witty banter and Alec’s brave resolve to finally be happy in The Mortal Instruments, City of Heavenly Fire. I love that neither one of them change too much for each other, and they accept each other exactly how they are. I was happy to see that this couple was also very present in the Dark Artifices series as well.

Shy & Bookish

Darcy & Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice are one of the best known literary couples, and maybe even one of the first will they or won’t they couples. And yes, their character traits are also the title of the book, but I’m more enamored with their less obvious traits. Darcy’s shyness often comes across as snobbishness, but he tends to have a hard time in social situations–something I can completely identify with. Elizabeth is charmingly bookish, another character trait I can get behind, which is why this is one of the most iconic literary couples in history.

Scoundrel with a Heart & Naive

Thorne & Cress are my absolute favorite couple from The Lunar Chronicles series spotlighted in Cress. I fell HARD for Thorne’s scoundrel with a heart character. His humor and wit reminded me of my childhood crush, Hans Solo. And Cress’s enthusiastic naiveté is the perfect counter to Thorne’s bluntness. I smiled, I laughed, I swooned. I think it’s time for a reread.

Loyal & Unknowingly Gifted

Gansey & Blue are most assuredly a will they or won’t they couple in The Raven Cycle series. (I’m sensing a trend…) Gansey may come across as a private school rich boy, but he’s fiercely loyal. And Blue feels completely mundane surrounded by her psychic family and larger-than-life raven boys, but she is unknowingly gifted. In fact, she’s central and very much necessary in the quest for Gansey’s king in The Raven King.

Ambitious & Stoic

Amaranthe & Sicarius are the two main characters among a brilliant cast of characters in Lindsay Buroker’s The Emperor’s Edge, a high fantasy steampunk novel. I stumbled across this series by accident many years ago and I’ve read most of the series several times. It’s non-stop fun and action with Amaranthe at the helm. Amaranthe is ambitious; she wants the world to know her name. But she’s also honorable and kind, which poses a problem when you’re forced into a life of crime. Speaking of crime, Sicarius is a deadly assassin who exemplifies the definition of stoic. But I love when a stoic, unemotional character is done right because I know eventually I’ll be rewarded with emotion. And guess what?? This is another will they or won’t they couple.

Protective & Inquisitive

Jamie & Claire from the Outlander series are a couple that leap off the page! From the first moment they are together, the chemistry is alive. Almost instantly, Jamie is protective of Claire. He has a sweet disposition even though he’s a fierce fighter, which is something that is hard to get right. Claire is almost detrimentally inquisitive. It’s her curiosity that lands her hundreds of years in the past. But what an adventure this couple shares!

Dedicated & Passionate

Romeo & Juliet are probably the most iconic literary couple. And people usually love them or hate them. Let’s just ignore all that’s wrong with this story and enjoy the beautiful words. Romeo wins me over with his dedicated pursuit of Juliet. It may just be lust at first sight, but his feelings are strong! And Juliet is passionate in every step of the play. Passionate about Romeo, passionate about passion, and passionate about death. Really, both of these traits are interchangeable between our star-crossed lovers.

Mysterious & Pure

Willem & Allyson will always hold a special place in my heart. I fell hard for this couple, and I never tire of rereading Just One Day or it’s sequel. While Willem remains somewhat mysterious throughout the book, his earnest heart shines through his actions. And Allyson is pure and good and searching for who she really is. The one day these two spend together is romantic and life-changing. I need a reread of this one too!

Let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices! ….Aaaand if you can recommend any other will they or won’t they couples I need to read, I’m all ears! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Wandering!