u/Ahania1795

Ages ago I read {A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer}, which is a charming magical-school/road-trip/Ruritanian-adventure coming-of-age story set in a magical late 19th century Europe.

The main character, Faris Nallaneen, is the heir to the throne of a tiny country, and her valet, Tyrian, is the male lead. As the book proceeds, it turns out he can do basically anything she needs: he can carry her luggage, secure her lodgings in any country in any language, know the correct protocol for serving tea to aristocrats, and can even pick locks and fight off assassins at need.

At one point in the book, she asks him how come he's so good at everything. He replies that he was born into a poor family, and when he started thinking about work, he realized that there was a gap in the market: for people who did things right the first time.

I've remembered that for so long because it's a vibe I really like: a male lead who is massively competent, able and self-confident, but who has no interest in dominating the female lead or telling her what to do. Instead, he works really hard to smooth her path and make things work out for her.

I think this is why I liked {The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan} , and {Riptide by Kathryn Nolan} so much, as well: in both cases, the male lead was natural leader material, but simply preferred to lift others up rather than boss them around.

So I would like more recs like this, please! I'd prefer to avoid dark romance or mafia, since I don't like violence much. PNR is okay, though, because for some reason magical violence doesn't bother me as much. I think I'd prefer an MF pairing, though I don't mind queer (bi/pan/trans/etc) leads (in fact that's a plus).

Hi folks! I'm looking for romances where the male lead is someone who puts a lot of energy into taking care of the people around him. However, billionaires who can drop a million bucks on someone and end the day richer than when they started just from their investment income do not scratch this itch for me.

I want a broke dude who suffers to do the right thing.

If he finds out that his cousin left her cheating SO and needs a place to stay, he will let her stay at his place, and give her the bed and sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. If he meets a panhandler on a freezing night, he will give him money to sleep indoors, and then worry about having to take a payday loan to make rent. If a buddy needs money to see the doctor, then he will pawn the heirloom engagement ring his elderly granny gave him before she died.

Beckett from {The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott} is a great example of the kind of male lead I want. Kind, empathetic, caring, and not very far from needing exactly the kind of help he so freely offers others.

I want the broke caretaker to be a man, but am happy with both MF and queer recs. I don't like realistic violence, so no dark romance or mafia, please.