My Book Boyfriend: Eric Northman

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. As I'm currently buried in Bon Temps via Charlaine Harris' latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning, plus drooling over Alexander Skarsgard in GQ and anxiously awaiting season four of True Blood, naturally the book guy at the front of my mind this week is none other than the amazing Eric Northman.

About Eric

• He's a vampire who's been around for more than 1000 years. When he was alive, he was a Viking.
• He's tall, built and blonde. I don't normally go for blondies, but Eric is just divine. In the books he has long hair, but I REALLY don't go for guys with long hair, so I still picture him with the short hair Alexander Skarsgard (who is the perfect Eric) sports from season two of True Blood.
• His maker was a creepy Roman named Appius Livius Ocella, and his vampire brother was the Tsarevich Alexei Romanov. His "child" is the awesome Pam.
• As the vampire Sheriff of Area Five, he's fierce, brave, calculating and powerful, but he also has a softer - and extremely passionate - side. He's very protective of those he loves and has a (sometimes literally) wicked sense of humour. 

Swoon-worthy Quotes
(Spoiler alert if you haven't read the books)

"We could go back to your house. I can stay with you always. We can know each other's bodies in every way, night after night. I could love you."

"'Sitting here on your bed, smelling your scent,' he said in a voice so low I had to strain to hear it. 'Sookie ... I remember everything... I can’t believe I felt something so strongly and was so happy for the first time in hundreds of years.'”

"My eyes flew open, and I pushed back against rock-hard shoulders. I let out a little squeak of horror. 'It's me,' said a familiar voice... 'Eric, what are you doing here?' 'Snuggling."

"'Let go,' he advised me, and I loosened my grip on his hands. 'No, not of me,' he said smiling. 'You can hold on to me as long as you want. Let go of the pain, Sookie. Let go. You need to drift away.'"

"I hurt with you. I bled with you - not only because we're bonded but because of the love I have for you."

Related
Alexander Skarsgard is just about the best thing in Zoolander.

Better still is this: