Recently I finished revisions on my next historical romance. It should be out in June 2010, and it’s tentatively titled DECEIVING THE DUKE. But that title will probably change!

During revisions I had the task of making the hero sexier. I thought a lot about how to do that, thought a lot about what makes a hero sexy. I came up with this list. I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree and if you have more to add!

1. He’s dangerous and untamed.
In real life, this is not the guy I’d want to be married to, but you can’t deny that romance novels with dangerous heroes are very popular. There must be something to this! So what makes a hero dangerous? He’s unpredictable. He’s not afraid to risk it all. He doesn’t follow the rules. What makes him untamed? No woman has ever held his heart before. He doesn’t care what society thinks of him.

2. He doesn’t talk a lot.
Again, a guy who didn’t talk would drive me nuts in real life, but in a romance novel, often the less a hero says, the better. The few words he does utter have that much more meaning. He doesn’t blather on about his feelings and thoughts. He keeps all of that to himself, making him kind of mysterious. His silence also draws the heroine to him. She wants to know what’s going on inside him. She wants him to open up to her.

3. He’s tall, dark, and handsome.
Again, we all have personal preferences. You might like blond men (in which case read PRIDE AND PETTICOATS, which features a blond hero!) or short men. But most readers want to read about a hero who is tall—taller than the heroine at least—dark—if not in looks then in attitude—and handsome. I know there are quite a few well-known books who feature sexy heroes who aren’t handsome (I’m thinking JANE EYRE), but by the end of it, hasn’t Mr. Rochester’s ugliness become handsome to Jane? And he’s definitely dangerous, dark, and brooding (i.e. silent).

So, agree? Disagree? What else makes a sexy hero?

Check back Monday. I’ll be blogging on what makes a heroine appealing!