The himbo doesn’t have walls to break down — he shows up already good, and the romance is watching someone else finally get to exhale around him. These are the books Nikki and Meg keep coming back to when they want that exact flavor of sweet, loyal, slightly-too-oblivious hero.
New to the archetype? Here’s what actually makes a himbo — and how he’s different from a Golden Retriever or a Cinnamon Roll.
Table of Contents
Contemporary Himbos
Our Featured Pick
Nikki’s clear favorite, the cleanest example of the trope, and a book that isn’t already the top result on five other sites.
10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love by Emmy Sanders (MM)
A personal trainer who thinks he and the guy from the gym are just “hanging out as buds” — right up until he isn’t. Why we love it: Nikki’s favorite in the archetype, and her pick for the queer-awakening-without-the-crisis version of the trope: “We’re just having fun, bro. We’re bros” — he has no hangups about his sexuality because he doesn’t have hangups, period.
Himbo Hitman by Saxon James (MM)
Perry becomes a hitman without fully understanding what that job involves, can’t go through with the kill, and accidentally befriends his target instead. Why we love it: This is the external-conflict version of the archetype in its purest form — a himbo who runs toward danger without pausing to assess it, because that’s just what you do for your person.
Against a Wall by Cate C. Wells (MF)
Cash Wall, a former high school bully turned devoted protector. Meg’s honest take: the reformed bully backstory isn’t a plot premise she personally loved, but Cash’s sincerity is genuinely delightful throughout — he ends up defending the heroine publicly and turning the town back in her favor. Straight-romance readers who want in on this archetype start here.
Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley & Saxon James (MM)
Dax is so oblivious he doesn’t clock that his best friend is in love with him — even after they accidentally get married in Vegas.
Himbos don’t need to be dumb … but Dax legit is. He doesn’t always understand when the media or his teammates are making fun of him, and Tripp’s protectiveness makes our heart melt.
Jacked (Gymbos, Book 1) by KM Neuhold (MM)
This series is a wildly fun exploration of himbos set at a gym, with himbo-on-himbo pairings some of the time, and sometimes just one himbo.
The first book in the series is a double-bi-awakening as two roommates — neither of whom realize that they live in Chicago’s gayborhood, even though it’s literally called “Boystown.”
But what they lack in social awareness, they make up in total devotion to each other.
All Twerk, No Play by Bailey Seaborn (MF)
Meg hadn’t thought about Cruz as a himbo, she wrote him as more of a golden retriever archetype, but after Nikki walked through all the himbo requirements — attractiveness, sincerity, not-dumb-but-maybe-not-book-smart, Meg realize that maybe he qualifies.
Check it out yourself, let us know where you’d classify him, or listen to the whole All Twerk, No Play episode for more insights on Cruz./
Fantasy & Paranormal Himbos
An Unwitting Bargain by Grae Bryan
Kidnapped by the Fae, and having the time of his life about it. Why we love it: Nikki’s own summary is the pitch: “The himbo thinks he’s on a fun vacation… the Fae is like, does he not know that I’ve kidnapped him?” He offers his kidnapper a back massage. The Fae cannot cope.
Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle
Captain Masculine is a superhero — and an indentured servant who doesn’t know it. This is the flip side of the trope, per Nikki: “Sometimes you have to save him.” His goodness is real, but it’s been exploited since childhood by people he trusted; the romance is his partner naming it and fighting for him.
Listen to our full interview with C. Rochelle for more BTS insights on writing himbos.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Is a himbo list even complete without Cassian? He’s a strong contender for the generational himbo of fantasy romance. He’s not actually that dumb, but oblivious compared to the rest of them, and pairs with Nesta, the most guarded character in the series, in a slight black-cat-golden retriever dynamic while training her to defend herself.
Hijinks With A Hellhound by Louisa Masters
We debated while recording about whether Alistair is more of a himbo or a golden retriever — because honestly, as a hellhound, he’s a literal dog shifter!
But he’s definitely devoted to his team and his partner, and also has many himbo personality traits, including being attuned to his sense of smell and somatic instincts instead of exclusively relying on social cues. So we recommend this one no matter how he’s classified.
Check out our whole Hidden Species episode for more series love.
Hear Us Talk About Our Favorite Himbo Romances
This list grew out of our full episode on the himbo archetype — where we also argue about whether a himbo vampire can exist (send us your recs, we’re begging).