Follow Friday! (4)

Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read! It's a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and connect with fellow book lovers!!

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kickass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

Good characters!--Intelligence, wit and a good sense of humor, please! And of course for all of us of this persuasion: who doesn't like a handsome leading man who's smart?? Although steamy romance and chemistry is great, I like characters who aren't just obsessed with their significant other's dashing good looks and their world-stopping kisses; I want to see some team work or witty banter between the two!
Speaking more generally, I like strong leads who take matters into their own hands and I enjoy a good plot with a couple of twists and turns! Plots don't always have to be entirely original as long as the book's well written, but if a book's got an original plot or a new twist, I'm not going to say no!

What about you? What characteristics do you favor in books you read?