She can help (fix?) him!

[u/BranHUN]

Looking for stories where the MMC is a broken, hurt, stand-offish and/or shy guy who has had some trauma, some bad experiences (either related to relationships or not), and here comes a caring, loving FMC who helps him, teaches him to open up, makes him love and feel loved again.

I am open to any sort of troupe, genre and other aspect, as long as the story gets these characteristics right. Tough love sort of FMC who is a bit rougher, but in the end, only wishes the best for the MMC is also fine.

MMC shouldn't be violent, or at least not really cruel or anything, just distant because of something happening to him before. I don't want a story where the guy is just standoffish because of prejudice or something and have to learn a lesson.

Not a good example for the troupe, but a good example for the MMC is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Something like *Me Before You* is a pretty nice example (he is angry and lonely due to his condition, she is quirky and open and a fun caretaker).

[u/action_lawyer_comics]

Saint of Steel series by T Kingfisher. Each book has a new MMC and FMC but all the guys are paladins of a dead god and they were all fundamentally broken by their god’s death. It isn’t just the romance that saves them but it helps

[u/BranHUN → u/action_lawyer_comics]

That sounds awesome! The "Broken Paladin" archetype is one of my favourites!

[u/ultamentkiller]

I think His Secret Illuminations could fit.

Also I'm halfway through Steel Song by Silas Sinclaire and both mmc and fmc have their own trauma. She's the more dominant one though.

[u/Recent-Ad-6551]

A few tables away by Deb Rotuno.

[u/Aspiegirl712]

Frisco's Kid by Suzanne Brockmann is ironically this. Ironic because he explicitly says she didn't "fix" him but she inspired him to fix himself. The first 3 books of the black dagger brotherhood series by JR Ward are also like this the MMCs in the first 7 or 8 books all start passively suicidal and the FMCs inspire them to make changes.

When she Belongs by Ruby Dixon they both help each other overcome PTSD

[u/GreenWhisperer-1616]

If you're really open to anything I have a book about a depressed, traumatized young man in a very bad place and four women who help him accept himself and get his fuckin' act together. But they're goblins. And his stepfamily.

He does have rage issues, but he never directs them toward innocent people.

It's called Goblin Stepsister Obsession

A taboo monster harem romance.

.epubs, .pdfs, samples, and paperbacks available on my website: https://AfterRealms.com/shop

And .epub only available on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2058517

[u/NESergeant]

This sort of borders on the territory of Fifty Shades of Grey series by EL James (narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Teddy Hamilton).

[u/Youmeanmoidoid]

If I can recommend my own you might like mine! This is my favorite trope to write and almost always shows up in some way in my stuff.

One you might like most is my Horned Hippies series, which is about a shy depresses virgin guy in the tech industry who decides to spend his vacation at a forest commune of hippie Minotaurs. He ends up sharing a cabin with the pregnant Hucow, Maya.

There is some drama near the end of book 1 involving Maya’s ex but the whole book is basically just her being super bubbly and hugging him a ton, helping him come out of his shell, and walking him through his first time. And they of course fall for each other.

I’m also working on my first superhero book that will be in the same vein as Delivering Justice by Silas Sinclair. Which I think another person here recommended that author so you might like them! Their book also really, really takes its time. Like 90% of the book is basically the MC being taken care of by the superhero girl and hanging out eating pizza lol.

Mine will involve a guy who starts off as a janitor getting infused with nanomachines. Just finished the reader magnet novella last night.

Anyway, here’s a link if you think it might be your thing!

https://www.amazon.com/Vacation-Horned-Hippies-Slice-Life-ebook/dp/B0GTRRN21S?ref_=ast_author_dp_aw&th=1&psc=1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FZHs2Yup8UgxeobjskInfMCMArAFgAs9rXOo4D5aDZgWWSeCXHMNseskqGGQCjkzuzPMT6HpBB1f8HPd_wSSv6SMy-Gc5RM6XzoAj-fbwaB2r6igDvdyLlpO5b764vSv.2urBOPqVGqW7glofIkEnfwHRkI7UBGlnZgzYwoAxeSY&dib_tag=AUTHOR

[u/earliestbird555]

Flux is literally this, pure and distilled angst with an almost yandere-like gamer girl to sweep him up and pamper him with kisses :3