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Update: First of all, thanks to everyone who left a comment! My randomly drawn winner of LORD OF DEVIL ISLE is (drumroll, please!) . . . Rebe! If you didn’t win this time, don’t fret. I’ll be back here on November 7th with another giveaway!
While I’m totally, irrevocably in love with my DH (a computer whisperer who’s a private pilot, has a fabulous bass voice and cooks a mean “Daddy breakfast”–my very own Renaissance Man!) I write historical romance for one reason: the historical hero. Now I could wax rhapsodic about what makes a historical hero so appealing, but I figure a few pictures are worth a thousand words!
Historical men know how to stop and smell the roses. Is there a more civilized and romantic way to spend the afternoon than on a picnic that ends like this?
While a contemporary hero relies on his Blackberry to get him through his day, a Historical Man is likely to pack a really big . . . sword.
Instead of wearing jeans and a T-shirt, a Historical Man is a sartorial peacock with more layers than a wedding cake. There’s something about a buttoned up man that just begs to be undone.
The Question:
Now it’s your turn to weigh in. What do you think? Do you prefer historical heroes or contemporary and why?
The Giveaway:
Coming Soon!
One random commenter will win their choice of a Nook or Kindle version of Mia’s newest release LORD OF DEVIL ISLE, which is coming soon.
“The battle of the sexes is on between a prim miss and the devilishly sexy sea captain who rescues her. The story is fast paced and full of sinfully carnal passion and intriguing characters.
Bad luck seems to follow Eve Upshall. She is falsely accused and sent to Newgate Prison. Then she is on her way to the Colonies to marry a gentleman farmer when her boat is shipwrecked in shark-infested waters.
Captain Nick Scott is intrigued by the English beauty with an acid tongue and a knack for profanity. He offers her his protection, but Eve will not be any man’s mistress. When Nick turns on the charm, she is defenseless against his wanton seduction. Passion sizzles between them until they are consumed by its heat. But war is in the wind and soon the lovers are caught in a treasonous plot against the Crown. And when all hope is lost, love saves the day. ” ~ RTBOOKReviews
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Note: The hunky hero images above are all courtesy of photographer Jenn Le Blanc. Visit Illustrated Romance for more eye-popping man candy!
Oct 17th
2012
1:15 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Hmm…I can see your point on the Historical hero and they are so alpha because life back then just required them to be. I’m still a fan of the Contemporary man though. I think there’s something to be said for a guy who has to navigate the “civilized” world while being a warrior underneath.
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Oct 17th
2012
5:59 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
A veneer of civilization is always good. Keeps from scaring people. But did you see ACT OF VALOR? The voice over in the beginning said the worst thing about growing older was that other men stopped seeing you as dangerous. Guess that’s what I like about historical heroes. They are dangerous, but their honor makes them temper it.
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Oct 17th
2012
6:19 am
Kristan Higgins Said:
Mia, any time you’re ready for a contemporary / historical man war, girl, you say the word. Here’s what I have to say. Cowboy. Firefighter. Cop. Soldier. Shall I stop?
No, the truth is, I love them both. It’s all about the individual, not the time period he lives in. But man! Those pictures! Thank you!
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Oct 17th
2012
9:05 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
You’re right, Kristan. I do love a warrior in any age. There really is something about a uniform, isn’t there? And a man can be a courtly soul whenever he lives, but there just seem to have been more of them in the past.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:33 am
slywlf Said:
This is an illusion created by fanciful fiction. Men are the product of their upbringing within the cultural matrix of their time, as are women. There is no justification for saying there were more ‘gentlemen’ in the past. Historically ever since the ancient matriarchies were overthrown and patriarchy took over there has been a real problem with the ‘gentility’ we love. Hence ‘historical fiction’ – we have re-created history to create the men we wish for. There are actually more ‘gentlemen’ today, in part due to the PC movement and women’s rights movements. All that said, gimme a Viking or Scots warrior any day (or night) since, after all, it is fantasy we are after here, right?
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Oct 18th
2012
6:36 am
MiaMarlowe Said:
Absolutely. We’re talking fiction here, remember?
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Oct 17th
2012
6:48 am
Melody May Said:
Hey Mia! So, I’m going to historical. Here’s why, because I just fell in love with historical heroes first. I mean your right about all those layers of clothing. Yum. However, I do like a good contemporary hero every now again. Overall, give me a historical one.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:06 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Just undoing the elaborate cravats could have taken forever!
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Oct 17th
2012
10:25 am
Melody May Said:
Makes the anticipation worth it.
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Oct 17th
2012
7:27 am
Connie Fischer Said:
Historical guys are usually so elegant in the way they dress and as most are rich, they don’t have a real job so they have time do spend wooing their heroine. Contemporary guys usually have a job which in itself can be a turn-on with how they dress and act according to their job. CEO’s are dressed in suits and jetting around showing power. Tex, the cowboy can look hunky in his rugged clothes, a bit sweaty doing manual labor and showing muscles. All are sexy in their own ways. So, for me, it’s the plot that the author has written around these guys that brings out their sexiness.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:10 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Part of the romance fantasy is usually that the guy owns the ranch instead of being a hired hand, that he’s the CEO instead of the mailroom clerk. We want him to be on his A game. (However, I must confess that in my Christmas novella MY LADY BELOW STAIRS, my hero was the hunky head groom and my heroine the scullery maid. Thought it might be fun to see what love was like for the masses, not the ton!)
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Oct 17th
2012
7:36 am
Rebe Said:
I like both, really. It kinda depends on my mood! I can put up with a lot more “me man, you woman” from a historical hero, though. Contemporary heroes who go all caveman make me want to smack them upside the head with a club, lol.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:12 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
LOL! We do tend to let ourselves enjoy a historical alpha more, don’t we? Guess we reason he just can’t help himself.
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Oct 17th
2012
8:27 am
Sandi in OH Said:
I read everything including cereal boxes so I like both types. I just couldn’t live in the historical era. Being told what to do and how to think would drive me crazy.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:15 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Oh, I so agree. Whenever I’m asked if I’d like to time-travel back to any of the eras I write about, I politely decline. I’m addicted to indoor plumbing, modern medicine and being treated like a rational adult.
However, all fiction is fantasy on some level. Why not enjoy the ride?
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Oct 17th
2012
9:00 am
Shana Said:
Um, historical heroess! Cravats! Mr. Darcy! Kilts! Swords!
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Oct 17th
2012
9:16 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Oh, dear emotionally-constipated Mr. Darcy! Don’t you just love it when a man is seething with feelings and can’t quite let them out?
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Oct 17th
2012
9:07 am
Pamela Clare Said:
Oh, that’s tough.
I love historical heroes for all the reasons already mentioned. There’s something more raw about their masculinity — perhaps because we don’t expect it to be tempered by today’s sensibilities.
Mia, I love that quote from ACT OF VALOR. Love it!
But I think contemporary heroes face a far more complex world — even in their relationships — and so a contemporary Alpha hero who’s dangerous on the outside but melts with his heroine — I love that, too.
And, of course, I love Jenn LeBlanc’s photos and her smexy models. She did the cover of SKIN DEEP for me, and it is fantastic (and sexy).
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Oct 17th
2012
9:18 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Your SKIN DEEP cover is fantastic, Pamela. And so is the story!
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Oct 17th
2012
9:11 am
Stephanie Said:
I love them all but you have definitely made your case for Historicals. I will have to agree with you today for primarily one reason: you’ve got Karl on your covers! Nothing beats Karl in a kilt…sigh.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:19 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Jenn has a whole “wet” section of Karl pics on her website. The camera adores that man.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:19 am
Pat F. Said:
Whoa……at the moment I agree historical, but I’d like to see some examples of Kristin’s suggestions!!
Karl in kilt or whatever……..would buy the book!
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Oct 17th
2012
11:49 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
What do you say, Kristan? Are you game for a little Historical/Contemporary Man Wars? We can always take this outside (read to our FB pages!)
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Oct 17th
2012
10:22 am
CateS Said:
I love both in their own settings….but sure wish some real hunky guy would shout out about not being so obsessed with their electonic devices… how can they be romantic today, when all you see are couples at tables staring down at their Iphones/blackberries/electic devices… makes you wonder if there is any real conversation happening…
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Oct 17th
2012
11:52 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
My DH can’t wait to get untethered. He keeps threatening to take all his vacation in one big chunk next year, leave his laptop at home and disable the email on his phone. Think he’ll keep his Kindle though. The man loves his techno-thrillers.
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Oct 17th
2012
10:23 am
Kati R Said:
*head is about to explode* I have to choose? Oh goodness. For now, I will agree with historical cause that’s all I saw during a week and a half ago’s shoot. I was waiting for waistcoats to go flying and cravats to fall off. And there was a well placed pistol
I’ll be waiting on the contemporary pictures and will make an informed decision after that
Any of Jenn’s guys in a kilt with a broadsword is always a favorite of mine. Heck, she’s got a whole Men in Kilts stock folder *runs off to waste the day away staring at said pictures*
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Oct 17th
2012
11:53 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Everyone needs a hobby, Kati!
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Oct 17th
2012
12:17 pm
Kati R Said:
Yep. I love my hobby and my job. Could they be one and the same? lol
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Oct 17th
2012
10:27 am
Cathy P Said:
I prefer historicals because they take me into a world that is long gone and one can only dream of. I have often wished I lived in those olden days (a rich debutante or feisty heroine who meets a rich and titled male to be sure). However, I also enjoy the contemporary male as long as he is redeemed by his heroine. It also helps if he is in a uniform or out of it. Lol!
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Oct 17th
2012
11:55 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
I think you’ve hit the nail squarely, Cathy. Historicals, and historical men, offer a “take-me-away” quality that’s hard not to appreciate. However, I will say that I’ve been impressed with a fireman/cowboy/soldier or two in my day.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:05 am
Anna Bentley Tremaine Said:
Historical! Fencing, riding, sportsmanship, billiards, gentility! Cravats and boots! And dancing well was a manly/soldierly art! (Read a fab article by Matthew McCormack in the Society and Culture journal about just that topic!) I guess that’s why I married a guy who likes boots and ballroom!
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Oct 17th
2012
11:58 am
Mia Marlowe Said:
Oh, oh, yes, emphatically yes to ballroom! (Wait. Did that sound a tad orgasmic?) I just have to tell you that one year for Christmas my DH gave me ballroom dance lessons as a gift. I think he was proverbially dragging his feet at first, but as soon as he realized the man gets to be IN CONTROL, he was very enthusiastic.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:20 am
Kim Straubing Said:
You have an anachronist here – I vote for the ‘historical” man.
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Oct 17th
2012
12:00 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
I think one of the most appealing things about Edward Cullen is that he is, at heart, a historical hero. He came of age in the early 20th century and his sense of “ought-ness” reflects that time. He’s an old soul.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:23 am
Michelle Lawless Said:
I vote for historical over contemporary. As long as they are big boys that look like they went through puberty…no sparkly “Edwards”, please.
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Oct 17th
2012
12:02 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Ok, I should have read your comment before I made my last one, but I was talking about Edward’s character, not his appearance. I agree with you. I like my historical guys a bit roughed up by life.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:43 am
karensdifferentcorners Said:
Uhhh…Looking at the pics you provided I have to go with the historical, but to me they are the ultimate bad boys. The rugged heroes…But then I write contemporary, so reading historical is a nice change of pace.
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Oct 17th
2012
12:05 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Like you, when I read for pleasure, I do tend to gravitate to a different subgenre just to keep my creative head clear.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:44 am
Rae Weese Said:
Contemporary, please. I need fantasy in my life, but I have a difficult time thinking that most historical men would be that advanced in their thinking about women. A contemporary man may have an educated view on what a woman wants. Contemporary men dress in kilts, too. Jeans and a t-shirt can be ultra-sexy, done right. I even like long sleeved dress shirts when the sleeves are rolled up to show manly arms.
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Oct 17th
2012
12:10 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
You’re right in that a woman’s place in the world was not always as happy as it is now. During the regency, women were legally regarded on a par with children or the mentally challenged. However, I like to make my heroines proto-feminists, charged up with the radical ideas expressed by Mary Wollstonecraft or Susan B Anthony. Keeps my historical heroes on their toes. No point in having an alpha male if you don’t have an alpha female to balance him.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:48 am
Minna Said:
I like both. It depends on the hero whether I like him or not, not the time period.
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Oct 17th
2012
12:12 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Point taken, Minna.
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Oct 17th
2012
11:50 am
Debbie Said:
I love historicals, but a character worthy of the label ‘hero’ would be satisfactory in either setting. But there is something about dressing the hero – armor, kilt, frockcoat, tuxedo, police uniform . . . – that is the appeal. Pealing off those layers is like unwrapping the gift. Isn’t it?
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Oct 17th
2012
12:13 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Glad you think so, Debbie. Some of my friends and I are putting together a reader workshop for RT next year called UNDRESSING THE HERO. Fun, huh?
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Oct 17th
2012
12:19 pm
Kati R Said:
Ack! I am so totally down with that. Will there be *ahem* heroes that you’ll be undressing? *she asks hopefully* Cause that would be totally worth the admission
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Oct 17th
2012
1:07 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
We’re still working out the details, Kati. But we promise “a good time will be had by all.”
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Oct 17th
2012
12:13 pm
Petula Winmill Said:
Definitely historical men. I only read contemporary if the author is one of my favourites. This book looks right up my street. I look forward to reading it
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Oct 17th
2012
1:08 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Thanks, Petula. I hope you enjoy LORD OF DEVIL ISLE. It was great fun to write.
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Oct 17th
2012
2:13 pm
Carol Cork Said:
I love historicals. Maybe because I’m just a sucker for those dukes etc on the covers who seem to have a lack of buttons on their shirts!!
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Oct 17th
2012
5:42 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Yeah, we take a few liberties with the costumes on the covers, but aren’t those lovely male chests?
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Oct 17th
2012
3:08 pm
May Said:
I’ll have to say historical in general. BUT my favorite male character is actually Roarke from JD Robb’s futuristic series so I guess I like both!
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Oct 17th
2012
5:43 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Roark has a lot of the alpha qualities we look for in a historical hero.
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Oct 17th
2012
3:56 pm
catslady Said:
Oh, give me the historical hero please!! I love reading about alphas but they’re not so great in real life. I want that warrior that is willing to die for me and of course using a sword lol.
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Oct 17th
2012
5:45 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
One of the things I love about alpha men is that they don’t care much what other people think. They don’t cave to pressure. If they believe a course of action is right, they’ll get it done.
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Oct 17th
2012
4:13 pm
kerrie ramsey Said:
I adore my historical men and Historical romances are ALL I read. I love period pieces because I can escape to different lands and different times.
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Oct 17th
2012
5:47 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
The lure of a world gone by . . . I totally get it, Kerrie.
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Oct 17th
2012
5:37 pm
Smileigh Said:
Historical…! and really … nothing else to say…
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Oct 17th
2012
5:47 pm
Mia Marlowe Said:
Thanks, Smileigh. You’ve said what needs to be said.
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Oct 17th
2012
6:41 pm
Linda Said:
Historical. I love that the smallest thing was romantic then. A touch of fingers, a caress on the cheek….* sighs*
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Oct 17th
2012
6:47 pm
Barbara Elness Said:
I love them all, but I have to say I’m partial to historical heroes. They’re just so different than modern men, with all the rules of polite society, the dangers they had to face, and the politics of the day.
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Oct 17th
2012
7:13 pm
Jenn LeBlanc Said:
Oh you guys are making me blush. First off, I am all about the historicals. I write in the Victorian era, and illustrated my book, so just putting the costumes on and off, over and over and over again on a single hero, well, two heroes, really got me going on those layers, like Mia said.
I just love a great cravat paired with a good bustle. Of course when we’re talking #StudioSmexy I like all my guys. Though wrapping them up in the great kilt is a favorite of mine, and I LOVE to do it.
*smooch*
Jenn
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Oct 17th
2012
8:29 pm
RobynDeHart Said:
Okay, Mia, your cover has me so distracted, I can’t even really remember what the question was. All I can think about is pirates….I love pirates….
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Oct 17th
2012
9:00 pm
Janie McGaugh Said:
I love historical heroes. I especially like the Regency period and a highlander from most any period!
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Oct 17th
2012
9:08 pm
chey Said:
I can’t choose. It depends on the individual character.
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Oct 17th
2012
9:39 pm
Kathleen O Said:
In my teens and twenties I would say the Historical Hero, but now as I have matured, I would have to say Contemporary Hero.. But to be really honest, I like them both…
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Oct 17th
2012
10:20 pm
bn100 Said:
Historical heroes because they were more polite.
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Oct 18th
2012
10:55 am
LilMissMolly Said:
I love historical heroes better, no question. I agree 100% with teh comment above about how so much is conveyed by Mr. Darcy’s eyes! (sigh) If only a man looked at me that way.
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