Move over Christian Grey: 10 Literary men who are better

Christian Grey from E L James’ series Fifty Shades is far from the only hottie who knows how to take control in the bedroom. Here are our top picks for swoonworthy literary guys.

Fifty Shades of Grey may be the book causing all the stir for women right now, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea, ladies. Here is a look at our Top 10 picks for swoonworthy literary guys:

I am currently obsessed with this series. Written by romance writer Kresley Cole, this young adult novel will have your heart beating faster with its fast-paced action and skin-tingling romance. Jackson isn’t the guy of your dreams. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks and is crude, short-tempered and curt. Or so it seems until the world ends, that is.

Quote from the book:

“If you touch me like that again, Evangeline,” he began in a husky tone, dropping to his seat once more, “in the space of a heartbeat, I will have you off this bike and onto the closest horizontal surface. And I woan be picky, no.”

He’s tall, toned and could kill in a second. Of course, he doesn’t because he’s honorable. This is the story of student and teacher falling for each another that is taken to a whole new level. In this school, Dhampirs train to be Moroi guardians, which means learning to fight and defend. When Rose starts training with Dimitri, she can’t help but put her hands all over his toned body. Because they’re practicing fight sequences. Right.

Plus, you’ll want to read this book before it becomes a movie next year.

Quote from the book:

The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms.

If you liked Fifty Shades of Grey, this book is the next level. Not only does Logan really like being in control, he wants Tara to be his and his alone as soon as she walks through the doors of the club Dominion. She, on the other hand, is an undercover FBI agent only posing as a submissive. She’s OK with a little fling as long as it ends after the mission. We’ll let you guess who gets what they want.

Quote from the book:

She never required someone for her next breath the way she did Logan in that moment.

Normally, we wouldn’t encourage crushes on gang members. Alex is the exception. He is like Freddie Prince Jr. in She’s All That, bad boy style. Alex is a believable character with a real evolution throughout the book that will leave you breathless.

Quote from the book:

Kiara’s got curves where God intended them to be, and I have urges to caress those curves and memorize every inch of her.

This is Sex in the City meets Fifty Shades of Grey. The girls, who are all in their 20s, are experiencing the socialite scene of Manhattan, including new sexual experiences. D is a boxing trainer at a sexy gym where anything goes. Though he isn’t the only guy in the book that will make you want a fan.

Quote from the book:

She thought about the way he looked when he was topless and wearing the silk boxers she had given him for Valentine’s Day. She thought of how he had come up to her the first week of school and asked her, “Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?” Just like that.

Tortured and self-destructive, Travis Maddox is the guy that no girl can tame. He goes through women without a second thought, and he’s good-looking enough that most women don’t mind. Until he meets Abby, that is.

Quote from the book:

He made his entrance, shirtless, relaxed and unaffected. The lean muscles stretched under his tattooed skin.

This is as close to the Fifty Shades of Grey series as you can get but it comes from New York Times best-selling author Sylvia Day. Her main character may not be a virgin, but innocent, no less, in comparison to Gideon Cross. They both come from troubled pasts but find mutual passion and trust in each other.

Quote from the book:

Gideon ushered me into the elevator with a firm, masculine hand behind the small of my back, and as always I felt an electric shock go through me.

He’s British and he loves Shakespeare. Need we say more? OK, twist our arm, he’s also really good at going for what he wants, even if that happens to be one of his students. We forgot to mention, he’s also a university professor. Swoon.

Quote from the book:

He was easily the most attractive guy I’d seen tonight — blond hair falling into crystal blue eyes, just enough scruff on his jaw to give him a masculine look without making him too hairy, and a face that could have made angels sing. It wasn’t making me sing. It was making me gawk.

I love this book. Absolutely love it. It’s a little like The Princess Bride meets King Arthur with witches. Though the story isn’t as sexual as some of the others we’ve listed, the sexual chemistry between the two main characters is definitely thick and gives Jarrod a well-deserved spot on our list.

Quote from the book:

His name is Jarrod Thornton. He has blond-red hair to his shoulders, nice clean skin and green eyes like fiery emeralds; but this is not why I can’t drag my eyes off him. There’s something else. Something almost… disturbing. It’s this unearthly element that’s got me hooked.

What is it with guys with dark pasts? We have no idea, but it seems to be the must-have for hot men in books right now. Gabriel is no exception. But his evolution as a character is different from that of Christian Grey. Gabriel is jerk at the beginning of this book, but realizes his mistakes after discovering a shared, but secret, past with Julia.

Quote from the book:

“Tell me that you want me, or get out.”