User blog:7GSTF/Ranking the greatest Love Interests (LIs) of PB

I did a comprehensive book ranking some months ago, ranking all of PB’s books until The Phantom Agent. I won’t be doing the same for the LIs. Simply put, many of the books are too brief, and there is no real relationship with any LI in them. Thus, I will be focusing on the top 15 LIs ever written by Choices. However, there are two no. 1s. The reasons are explained below, and I am sure that many of the readers will agree with the two of them. (Keeping in mind that I am a heterosexual man, most (if not all) of my LIs will be females of course). With that out of the way, let’s get started.


 * 1) Quinn (ES)

Where do I even begin? This character drew me in instantly. Her backstory is beyond tragic, but her character arc to get her out of this purgatory is glorious. From the very beginning, she is a breath of fresh air in Endless Summer. She is positive, open minded, joyous and enthusiastic. Later on we realize that this was nothing more than a mask on a dark, depressing reality. She was suffering from a terminal illness. The story of how she gets cured, and how she becomes an integral part of the group akin to the protective sibling, and becoming one of the sole people liked by the entire group is a superb character arc of its own. Her relationship with the MC is one of instant, mutual attraction that grows organically.

The scene where she declares her love to the MC is one of the best ever written by PB. Absolutely beautiful in its simplicity and its emotional impact. One of the first LIs that I fell deeply in love with, and she remains one of my favorites to this day. The fact that her backstory is only revealed gradually (and, to an extent - logically), shows how good PB was back in 2016-18. They could create LIs that still remain among their best ever. She is rather naive and innocent, but her bubbliness, cheerfulness, and remarkably optimistic outlook on life in general tends to balance out any negative qualities that she possesses.

In addition, the fact that she isn’t a perfect love interest made me love her even more. She is a woman with flaws, but that doesn’t diminish her in the least. Her growth as a character takes her beyond. These flaws make for a fascinating arc. A supreme character. One of PB’s greatest.


 * 1) Estela (ES)

Estela is a compelling LI. Her love story with the MC is even more of a slow burn (see what I did there) than Quinn, but it is very rewarding nonetheless. Her past is darker and murkier than Quinn’s and has its own challenges. The scene where she finally forgives Lila is powerful. Her bond with the MC grows slowly at first, but when she finally makes it official with the MC, a powerful bond is born. She is one of the most lovable LIs by a wide margin for her fierceness, sense of justice, determination, inner strength and familial bonds. Her character growth and relationship growth with the MC is spectacular to behold as she morphs from a lone assassin to a dependable friend, passionate lover, protector and enforcer of the group. She opens the story hoping to end a life (Rourke) and find revenge, avenging the death of her mother, but instead finds love. A compelling narrative is the result.

She, much like Quinn, isn’t just a great LI, but also one of the greatest characters ever written by PB as well. A supreme example of writing brilliance. She changes from an unforgiving, killing machine, with eyes only for revenge, to a lady who desires to build a better future, especially for the friends that she has made in the span of 3 books. One of the best story arcs ever, and tremendously executed. Superb in every way.

I have played as the LI of both Quinn and Estela, and to this day, I cannot choose between them. They remain my forever loves as far as PB is concerned. They are tied for the top spot as far as my PB LIs are concerned.

3. Mackenzie (The Beautiful Contestant) (AME) She is impulsive, selfish and hard hearted when we first meet her. She is determined to win AME and nothing else. The relationship with the MC starts off as nothing more than just some flirting and some flings. With time, it develops into a lovely romance, with plenty of nice moments (besides the sex). She is extremely attractive in 2 of the 3 avatars that you can choose her in, and is an opinionated, sassy, sexy, loving character. She is also among the few that you marry as a male MC in Choices.

Her relationship with her father and sister is also quite interesting when it is brought up, and the entire family’s relationship with the MC is quite nice too. The romance is slow in book 1, but picks up the pace rapidly in book 2 and book 3. The conflict between the MC and her is not as unrealistic as one would think either. Reality shows often rely on over dramatic acting, which burns people out. The fact that Mackenzie was also burnt out is nothing out of the ordinary and humanizes her as well. I am clearly a sucker for slow burning romances, but one can’t deny their allure. Their slow buildup gives them a ton of legitimacy as well.

4. Imogen (ILB) An excellent LI. It is a shame that she only appeared in one book. The development of the character from a suppressed daughter to a badass, rebellious woman who fought against her parents for the right thing is a sight to behold. She starts off being a loyal daughter and being bossed around, but thanks to her friends, her experiences and most importantly, the MC - she starts to realise the true nature of evil that surrounds her parents and the cult that they were a part of.

Her relationship with the MC is much more of a fast paced one than the first two, but this is understandable, given that there is only one book in this series where she appears, compared to three in Endless Summer. She is sensual, romantic and sexy. She is impulsive and a little crazy in the beginning, but her change into a very mature young lady is very well handled, especially in the latter part of the book. She is a wonderfully imperfect love interest, and the book is beautified a lot more, just because of her.

5. Dominic / Kenna (TC & TF) I include both as one LI, since the player is able to romance Kenna as Dominic and Dominic as Kenna. These two are a perfect pair. Yes, it is clichéd. The abandoned orphan boy who has a shadowy past has a whirlwind romance with the princess who had been his childhood friend and had practically raised him as well. This isn’t new in any measure. The way it is executed here is what makes all the difference. Their attraction and relationship feels genuine, and due to long periods of separation, there is no sense of the romance turning stale at any point.

While the other LIs for both have their allure, these two are excellent for each other, and the storyline where they remain loyal to each other despite incredible odds warms the heart too. Kenna and Dominic complete each other as a couple, something that isn’t seen much with most LIs of PB. What we get is a love story that is beautiful, dreamlike yet with real emotion, and of course - a lot of payoff. A lovely tale that truly deserves to be celebrated. Their romance seems natural, and they seem destined for each other. These two LIs are superb. The depth to their characters only increases with time, and they show a great deal of character development over time, which only increases the readers’ affinity to them. These two seem made for each other, and truly love one another, despite a great deal of separation keeping them apart for most of the trilogy. It is one of those stories where the development happens due to events - that affect either one or the other, but greatly influence the story nonetheless. These two are perfect for each other, and this is primarily why I can’t imagine these two with anybody else.

6. Jake (ES) Yes, I know this is the third ES LI included here. However, he absolutely deserves his place here. A backstory filled with controversy, white, grey and black characters, a cynical attitude and a lone wolf to the extreme, Jake isn’t a typical LI to begin with. However, he gradually opens up, and this process is quite rewarding. Jake’s relationship with the MC is one which starts out on a slightly rocky note, but gradually builds up. His battles with the demons of his past is superbly portrayed, and his opening up to the MC is much better handled than Ethan in Open Heart (especially book 3) - quite ironic, I must say.

Even when he isn’t an LI, his relationship with the MC is quite interesting to observe for sure. His background as an Airforce man, part of an elite unit, and having been betrayed by his commander (who was corrupt), make him a character worthy of our sympathy. He isn’t a completely trustworthy character though. He is morally grey, especially in his methods of dealing with his problems, which creates an interesting wrinkle in his character. Jake’s romance is a slow burn, much like Estela, but for completely different reasons. His lone wolf attitude thanks to terrible experiences of betrayal takes time to break through, and thus - it is only with the passage of time that he warms up to the MC and the rest of the gang. A superb character nevertheless.

7. Aislinn (LOA)

She is one of the most mature, realistic and lovable love interests ever. One of the few who recognizes her own long term worth, she is very much a LI for keeps. Her relationship is a bit of a slow burn, but the way she opens up is spectacular and her sexiness is only revealed with time, making for an excellent experience. She is smart, intelligent, highly knowledgeable about the law, feminine, driven, family driven, makes understandable errors from time to time, knows her self worth (the line - that’s right, I am marriage material - says a lot).

Her background is interesting as is her fight for her grandmother in court. She looks like a real person (compared to some of the other LIs here - she looks more realistic. She isn’t a goddess in looks, but beautiful and graceful all the same). Her personality elevates her to the status of a goddess like LI. She plays a major role in the story and is a well realised character. A great LI, and one worthy of recognition.

8. Maxwell (TRR) Easily the best of the TRR LIs, Maxwell is bubbly, fun and joyous, all at the same time. Optimistic, delightful and incredibly hilarious to be with, he is the only LI in TRR that actually retains his likability as the series goes on. Drake’s tough guy act wears thin by the 4th book or so, Liam is incurably perfect, and it is seriously annoying to see a guy without any perceivable flaws. He becomes boring in the first 3 books itself.

As far as Hannah is concerned, she is decent for the most part, but there is little by way of excitement. Maxwell retains his exciting nature all the way to the end of the series, and he is one of the few characters that one still likes by The Royal Heir. Along with Olivia, he is one of the few bright spots in the whole story. Also, here is a rare case where the LI is a much better person than the MC. The MC becomes intolerable by the end, and honestly, she doesn’t deserve Maxwell.

9. Hayden (Perfect Match) The book title says it all. Despite the fact that Hayden is a robot created specifically to your interests by a company which desires to create artificial love interests, Hayden proves that she can be a perfect match for the MC. This relationship is unlike anything else in PB. A human loves a robot, and it actually makes sense. An organic relationship develops. PB’s writing was brilliant in their peak, and that is seen here in full flow. A remarkable character, and one which leaves you wanting more.

This LI is also made for the reader in an artificial and unique way. It is pretty remarkable as to how natural it feels, despite the fact that Hayden is a robot. That is genius at work and one of the main reasons why Hayden is a great LI. Her character development is well paced, and in many ways very real - as she actually develops as a character in real time. Her memories are made with time, and they turn out to be very real and very important ones. A great LI.

10. Shreya She is fierce, brave, passionate, sexy and a great friend. Why wouldn’t she make a great LI? She is quite attractive, quite the fashion queen and a nosey parker, but those characteristics aren’t deal breakers. She helps the MC on his journey greatly, and that cannot be discounted. She is an excellent witch and leaps to the MC’s defence constantly, and doesn’t hesitate to proclaim or demonstrate her love.

The relationship develops organically and is quite realistic compared to Beckett. She and the MC are rarely, if at all on bad terms, and their intimacy develops slowly but logically over time. There is no rush. An excellent LI. The battle scenes with her are top notch as are the romantic ones. She is over enthusiastic and a little hyper excited, but that doesn’t take away from the stronger aspects of her character.

11. Trystan I warmed up to Trystan gradually. Her tragic past gives her depth, and her intelligence, optimistic nature, slight arrogance, self confidence and sexiness make her attractive. She isn’t perfect, nor does she try to be. The romance isn't straightforward either. Here is a rare case where the LI is more interested in the MC than vice versa, that too from the very beginning. It makes for a fine narrative. The romance is perfectly paced, and unlike many of the smutty books, the MC gradually falls in love with her. It is a bit cliched, sure, but it works! That’s the important thing.

The MC relates with her due to the past trauma, and this makes the romance click, which is absolutely crucial. With many other LIs, you have the gift of many chapters - time is plentiful - TRR, The Freshman, AME, and ES come to mind here. This is only 1 book, with a second on the way, and yet - the connection feels genuine and the romance feels real. It is well executed and thoughtfully presented. Well done PB.

12. Nia This character’s story is one of the major plotlines of BOLAS and it is executed brilliantly. Nia is similar to Aislinn. She starts off shy and kind, and unwilling to do the wrong thing at any point. However, as the story proceeds, she becomes more aware of the world and eventually shakes off the limitations of her upbringing and rejects their ideologies once she finds out that their practices were immoral and brutal. She is a lovable LI and one whose arc with the MC is quite satisfying. Her connection to the MC is immediate, and strengthens rapidly. However, their intimacy proceeds in a gradual manner, giving the romance a realistic feel.

13. Sonia Sonia starts off as an adversary, but over the course of a tightly executed storyline, she falls in love with the MC and becomes his LI. She is graceful, beautiful, oozes sex appeal and class, and is great at her job. She doesn’t change her opinion immediately either, showing that she is still a intelligence agent and a great one, but upon the awful treatment she receives at the hands of her superior, as well as her employer, and the respect she receives from the MC, she is eventually charmed over to the MC’s side, at least in spirit. This results in a fascinating - ‘catch me if you can’ sort of romance that is entertaining to read. A great LI, and she along with the rest of the cast of TH:M definitely deserved a sequel.

14. Kamilah Bow down to the queen of vampires. She is, indubitably, the best of the BB LIs. Adrian is too straightforward, Jax is dark and brooding but the second best for sure, and Lily is way too weird. Kamilah is just cool! Her age, her experience, her knowledge of history, her sex appeal and her overall character arc, especially considering her past, present and future make her a great LI. There is simply no comparison here, as she is such an interesting character, that she far surpasses the other LIs. An extraordinary character and one who definitely deserved a spin off, along with Gaius, from the BB series.

15. Zig Another obvious example of a character being better than the series they were in. Along with Maxwell, Zig was wasted in the series he was in. While Freshman is certainly a better read than TRR, and doesn’t overstay its welcome like the latter, Zig nevertheless was a character who was wasted here. He is a realistic chap, and that is what makes him likeable. His story doesn’t take as long as the original LIs, and so, he doesn’t feel like he overstays his welcome either.

He is more of a bad boy than the other LIs, but that isn’t a bad thing. This is especially true in the later books as Chris becomes vanilla, James sinks completely into his own world, Kaitlyn becomes more of a rock band singer than anything else, and the romance with Becca feels too out of place. I am not even mentioning the ‘romance’ that the MC can experience with the piece of shit known as Nathan. Zig’s family also makes up a large part of who he is, and it really solidifies him as a great character. He is by far the most interesting LI (apart from maybe Becca) in the Freshman.

This concludes my list of the greatest LIs of PB. It took me a while to be sure, but I feel that I have done them justice after long consideration and reflection. Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comments below. I look forward to them.

Yours,

7GSTF