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Valentine's Day may have come and gone but the search for true love goes on. By analyzing scores of magazines, books, films, and other media, a recently published book seeks to answer the question, "What Kind Of Man Do Women Really Want?"

The book, the latest for the University of Sussex Emeritus Professor of History Carolyn Dyhouse, investigates throughout history what women's desires and wants are and also how different factors like period in history, economy, and technology shape the perception of women when it comes to what men they want.

By reviewing the various heroes and heroines read in novels, magazines, films, TV series, music stars, celebrities, and other types of media, the book reveals that no matter what period in history a woman is born into, the type of man that attracts her has remained constant and is still pervasive today.

According to the book, entitled Heartthrob: A History of Women and Desire, although the lives and perception of women when it comes to life and love have changed throughout the years, the basic romantic narrative found in most media is still effective in making women feel those "knee-trembling" moments.

According to author Professor Carol Dyhouse, what makes a man very desirable to women are not only based on his appearance but also on his personality. What Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre and Christian Grey from the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy have in common, besides being wealthy men in novels, is that both male characters are considered by most women as damaged men.

Besides the perception of being damaged, women also really want men who show sensitivity and vulnerability. It is not the traditional ideal of masculinity or alpha male that drives women crazy. It is the idea that a woman's love can transform the damaged men into proper husband material. This perception of women pervades even with the advent of feminism and the change of perception when it comes to true and everlasting love.