Favorite Fictional Couples - Kathryn Knight

In honor of Valentine's Day, I created a personal list of my favorite fictional couples.  These are couples from books, although some have made the transition to the big screen and now have actors who embody the characters.  Here are my top 5 - the notable exception being Rain and Jason, the characters from Silver Lake - since it's possible I may be biased when it comes to them!  Please share your favorites too.

5.  Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.  Yes, I admit it, I enjoyed the romance between these two young characters.  Paranormal romance is (obviously) my favorite genre, and Edward is mysterious, witty, intelligent, and a dangerous predator.  Already striving to be a "good" vampire, his love for Bella allows him to overcome his primal instincts.  Protective, polite, and ridiculously handsome, it's obvious why Bella falls for Edward.  But Midnight Sun, Twilight written from Edward's viewpoint, helps reveal the qualities in Bella that Edward treasures: selflessness, kindness, and loyalty.

4.  India Selwyn-Jones and Sid Malone in The Winter Rose, by Jennifer Donnelley.  India, a naive but fearless young female doctor in 1900 England, encounters East London's crime lord Sid Malone as she tries to improve the lives of her poorest patients.  The obvious clash in their social stations is just one of many conflicts that work against these two damaged souls.  This historical romance takes the reader on an incredible journey as the characters fight to find their way back to each other.

3.  Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell.  Between the novel and the movie, almost everyone is aware of the powerful but doomed relationship between Scarlett and Rhett.  I love Scarlett for being the anti-"Mary Sue": she's not very sympathetic, and she's certainly no saint.  She's feisty, selfish, and ruthless, but also strong, driven, and fearless.  Rhett can't help but love her.  Rhett can easily admit that he's no gentleman according to Southern society standards, but it soon becomes clear that he is a hero when it counts.  And although Scarlett fails to realize how much she loves him back until Melanie's demise, their story continues in Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley.  While not nearly in the same league as GWTW, the two star-crossed lovers get some closure in this novel.

2.  Whitney Stone and Clayton Westmoreland in Whitney, My Love, by Judith McNaught.  The arrogant and dashing Duke of Claymore wants Whitney for himself...yet she wants Paul, her childhood love.  For me, this story paralleled some of the relationship conflicts in GWTW, but this novel is set in 1800s England.  Certain scenes in the story are controversial, but that is part of what made these characters feel so real - they are flawed.  They make terrible mistakes.  And the emotions I felt throughout the story - my heart actually hurt at some points.  The sexual tension had me turning pages well into the night, desperately hoping Whitney and Clayton would get their happy ending.

1.  Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall in Outlander, by Diane Gabaldon.  Another paranormal romance, this time travel story takes Claire from 1945 to the Scottish Highlands of 1743.  Jamie is a young, fierce warrior with a sweet and innocent side...who doesn't love a hot Highlander?  And when fate throws him together with Claire, a strong and competent combat nurse from the future, he nicknames her "Sassenach" - Outlander in his Celtic tongue.  I love everything about Jamie - his speech, his insight, his courage, and his protectiveness.  Claire is already married...but in another time and place.  This series continues on through 7 very large novels, so I had a pretty good idea the couple would be reunited when Claire is forced to return to her former life...and yet I was sobbing.  That's a compelling couple and amazing writing.

Those are my favorite literary couples...yours?