Many types of popular culture—not just romance novels—include a character who helps guide and direct the protagonists’ action (think Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars).
In historical romance novels, it’s the feisty governess or dowager who assists the heroine in snagging her aristocrat; in paranormal or urban fantasy books, the heroine has a best friend who offers her own often unasked-for advice when the paranormal life starts to bite. And in contemporaries, the mentor can be a relative, a bartender, or just the old lady running the corner store where the heroine gets her diet Coke.
So—what book has your favorite mentor?
