Book Binge is pleased to have Jenna Petersen back on the blog again. She’s here today to discuss her heroes with us and we couldn’t be any more excited than we already are. Jenna Petersen has written many fantastic books such as LESSONS OF A COURTESAN, SCANDALOUS and The LADY SPIES SERIES.
She’s got a great fan base and she’s such an awesome person. She also runs The Passionate Pen, which is a website dedicated to helping out aspiring authors. We think she’s pretty amazing, so without further adieu….Jenna Petersen…
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Hi everyone! I’m back! Now, don’t go screaming into the night, the ladies at The Book Binge have been nice enough to let me come back today and I promise to behave myself (at least a little). Also, I’ll be giving away prizes, so you have to stick around.
So last year, Wena here at Book Binge reviewed my book, Lessons From A Courtesan. It was one of my favorite reviews for the book just because it really seemed to evoke a strong, emotional response from her. Plus, it caused a bit of a stir and brought people to my website and that is always a good thing for an author (hey, we have to be a little mercenary… our publishing lives depend on it).
Anyway, later she asked me to do an interview on the site to talk to me more in depth about the controversy surrounding my book. So… what was the controversy? Well, it was my hero. In Lessons From A Courtesan I wrote a fairly dark hero who marries the heroine early (and against his will), leaves her and then continues his life as he led it before, including sleeping with other women (at least until she returned to his life). This, of course, caused a bit of a stir in the romance community because it’s a hot button for lots of readers. People either loved or hated Justin (and when they hated him, lordy did they HATE him).
So yesterday, I had a new book come out, Her Notorious Viscount and when Wena asked me to return and blog here this week, I figured this would be the best place in the world to talk about the differences between my heroes Justin (aforementioned hero of LFAC) and Nicholas (from HNV).
Although the romance genre is often slammed by outsiders for being cookie cutter or by the numbers, the fact is (and you readers all know this), that couldn’t be further from the truth. If only it was so easily as to do a paint-by-numbers formula! I mean, everyone and anyone could publish (and trust me, that does not happen). In truth, most writers go through the ringer trying to create a new story and fresh characters each time. We may return to the same themes (I am a big fan of healing through love and finding oneself), but with each story we try to tell those themes with new twists and different personalities attached.
So when I got the idea for Her Notorious Viscount, I knew instantly that Nicholas would not be like Justin in any way. Nicholas is harder in some ways. Unlike Justin, who really enjoyed the pampered existence he lived, Nicholas has shied away from the trappings of an upper class life. He has slithered down to the Underground, becoming a famous (and infamous) boxer. He feels at home in the filth and the true humanity of that place. But keeping a hero comfortable wouldn’t be any fun! I had to haul him out of the place he loves and throw him back into the ton, where he wouldn’t be revered, but reviled. And all his comfort would be gone.
In that way, I suppose he is like Justin. In Lessons From A Courtesan, Victoria’s return to his life turns Justin’s life on its head. It threatens his comfort and his view of himself and what he did to her. Ultimately those things start to change him. The same thing happens to Nicholas. He doesn’t want to change, but tragedy and the unexpected help of a woman (heroine Jane Fenton) may not be what he thought he wanted, but in the end they make him grow and change and become the man he is meant to be.
Will there be as much controversy with Nicholas? Maybe not. After all, he doesn’t cheat on Jane. But I hope that readers will find him as compelling as many of them found Justin. And grow to love him, just as my heroines both grew to love their heroes.
So tell me, how often do you like a hero despite yourself (as many of you did with Justin)? And what about a hero who you love from page one? Which one is more satisfying for you? I will draw a winner from all the people who comment and that person will win a signed copy of both Lessons From A Courtesan and Her Notorious Viscount so that you can compare the heroes for yourself. And this is the only place I’m giving away HNV, so comment early! And thanks for having me here.
GIVEAWAY ALERT: Answer this question: How often do you like a hero despite yourself? What about a hero who you love from page one? Which one is more satisfying for you? Answer that question in the comment section of this post and your name will be thrown in for a chance to win a free copy of HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT.
Let’s make Jenna Petersen feel welcome, shall we? Good luck everyone!
HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT is available from Avon. You can buy it here.
Well, thanks Seneca! I’m so glad you enjoyed Justin. It’s so hard to take a character from one place and realistically take him to another AND keep him likeable. It’s definitely a fun challenge though!
Hi Jenna. When I am reading a book that has a hero that exhibits unhero like qualities, I am hoping throuhout the book that he will redeem himself in the end. Sometimes, the heroes that start out bad are the ones that you remember the most. I like stories where the couple have to work for their happy ending. It bores me if it is all hearts and flowers from page one.
Hi Jenna,
I like both types of heroes but it is great when I find a hero I can’t stand and he turns himself around to become a favorite.
Hi Crystal — I agree! I think a couple that has to fight is much more interesting!
And Maureen, I also (obviously LOL) like the hero who turns himself around.
JennaP
I suppose liking a hero despite myself all depends on how well he is drawn as a character – whether there is a sense of ‘more’ beneath the surface of what we see that makes him so offputting. Is he redeemable to me? – that’s another whole ball of wax because we all have our personal ‘hot’ buttons!
Loving a hero from day one is a different experience too – I have to say I prefer the ‘darker’ characters, those that have a certain mystery/hardness/depth to them, otherwise they can be just bland and ultimately forgettable.
Both are satisfying – each in their own way and represent a different reading experience for me. You have the ‘smoothness’ of a character that you love from the start – and then there is the ‘challenge’ of reading a story where you do not truly know how you feel about things and that can make uncomfortable reading . . but there is something there that draws you back.
Can I ask which type of hero you prefer and which you find more challenging to write?
Willa, you know writing them is sort of like reading them. They’re both a great experience, just different. For example, Justin was hard, but I knew what he’d gone through and all his good qualities, so it was kind of like a Christmas present you buy for someone else. I knew how good it was inside, but it was just about unwrapping it
The hero in my next book, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES (November 2009) is really a very good man. He’s decent, he wants to do good, he’s taken aback by the evil he starts to find around him. He was great to write because he’s not perfect but he’s obviously a hero.
Now Nicholas is something in between. HE’s not as hard as Justin is toward Victoria. But he’s not always good, either.
But I am a little in love with all three of them. LOL And they were all hard and wonderful to write at the same time.
JennaP
I can only like a hero despite myself if I see some potential in him. Or if I see some sort of evolution from him being an as* to being someone more heroic. There’s nothing more annoying to read than no character growth in a hard to like hero. That’s a wallbanger, for sure.
A likable hero on the other hand is great to read about. Likable doesn’t have to mean passive or boring! It’s nice to read about a hero who doesn’t hate all women because of issue’s with his mother. *rolls eyes* (I hate heroes like that.)
Both types of heroes are completely a different reading experience. Depending on my mood or how well they are written, both types can be very satisfying. 😉
Hi Jenna,
If the hero of the story does something that totally turns me off, but the story and the author can help me understand and be ok with what/why a hero does something, then I find myself liking the hero in spite of myself.
Heroes that I love from page one, are usually from a series, and I have practically fallen for him before his story even made it into my hands. Like Zarek from SK’s DH series, or St Vincent from Kleypas’ Wallflower series.
The most satisfying is the hero that I love from page one and when I finish the book, I am still just as enthusiastic about him. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that just because I was practically in love beforehand, the author was able to keep the love affair going throughout the book.
Thankyou for answering my question – it was just about unwrapping it – what a great analogy, I love pressies and unwrapping! Lol!
The most important thing to me is that when I reach the end of the book I feel like the hero will always treat the heroine right. I don’t mind if the hero starts off as a jerk or has problems, as long as he grows during the story into someone worthy of the heroine. I like when characters mature and grow. It makes for an interesting read when characters are redeemed. I also like heroes that are easy to love from the beginning of the book. I think both type of heroes can be satisfying.
Maered — I think character evolution is key to any good book, so that is very true. Any character has got to have something change or else there’s just not a story.
Jane — Thanks so much!
Gabriela — Motivation is definitely key!
Willa — LOL, thanks!
Raven — Yes, that is so true! In Amanda Quick’s SCANDAL the hero is still a bit of a jerk at the end of the book… but he’ll NEVER be a jerk to her. And that was awesome.
Welcome back to BB, Jenna!
I’m excited to get my hands on HNV in order to compare the two men.
I liked Justin. For all his faults I think you did a great job redeeming him.
To answer your questions, it’s not often that I like a hero who has shown left than hero like behaviour. There have been plenty that I wanted to like, but by the end I still had not forgiven them for the things they did.
Justin is the only one I can remember that I ended up liking even though he did some not so nice things.
I’d love to read more books like that. There are supposed to be plenty of them… Devil in winter is one that comes to mind. Even though I liked the story, I did not like the hero, even though plenty of people did.
I really prefer a hero that I’m not carzy about at first….kinda like my hubby…they grow on you! 🙂
mj.coward[at]gmail.com
YEA!! Jenna Petersen! 🙂
There are many heroes that I like despite myself. I loved the hero from “Lord of Scoundrels” and I enjoyed Zsadist from the JR Ward books. They really don’t have many redeeming qualities, but I love ’em!
I hate when people make fun of romance books! Ugh, I work @ a library and the children’s librarian and I go rounds when she calls romances “bodice busters” MAKES ME SOO MAD!!!! keep fighting the good fight 🙂
Congrats on your new release!
I prefer the type of hero that you don’t really like from the start, and then in the end the have won both me and the books heroine over.
Rachie, oh I know. It’s rotten to have to defend the genre all the time. But we’re doing pretty well. One of the only genres continuing to sell in a tough economy so… you know… whatever. LOL
JennaP
What an interesting question.
I like heroes in general, all types really and I suppose I am predisposed to like the hero at the beginning of the book (or, at least I expect I’ll like him by the end) or I wouldn’t pick the book up at all.
Some of the best heroes are the tortured ones. They often do bad things but if I can understand their angst, then I can bleed for them without condoning their behaviour. Then, they change and grow and they learn how to be a better person so they wouldn’t do that sort of thing again and then they get their HEA and I love it.
I’m thinking of Sean Culhane in Christine Monson’s Stormfire in particular – I hear this book draws a lot of controversy because the hero rapes the heroine after kidnapping her. He’s abusive and mean and ordinarily, totally unlikeable. I can totally understand that some people would never like him but I felt for him. He was in such agony and when I read the book I felt that the pain he inflicted was just an outworking of the pain inside himself. That’s not an excuse of course but because I “got” why, I didn’t paint him completely black and unredeemable. I didn’t think he was inherently evil. In the end he’s prepared to give up everything for his Kit (and even sacrifices (literally) his left nut (or his right?) for her. Their journey was tortured and angsty but I totally loved him.
I also like Christian Jervaulx from Flowers in the Storm and Sebastian from Lord of Scoundrels but I thought they were pretty much heroes from the start, just waiting to be exposed as such.
Having said that, I also love the hero who is a hero from day one. I love love love the rescue theme. That knight in shining armour who rescues the damsel in distress – in any subgenre I am a sucker for this story. My favourite of this sort of hero is probably Jack from Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. He’s just so noble and good and HAWT!!
Then there are the in between heroes – they save the day in the end of course, but they have their own woes but aren’t total asshats either – I’m thinking now of Lord Rothgar from Jo Beverley’s Malloren’s (he’s so in my top 10 heroes of all time!) and Luke from Mary Balogh’s Heartless (also in my top 10). These are stories where the hero and the heroine effectively rescue each other.
Let’s face it, I just love heroes!
Hi Jenna,
Congrats on the new release. I have found myself liking the hero even though he was a jerk or arrogant in the beginning of the book because he redeems himself. I think it’s more satisfying when I learn to love the hero because the hero has evolved into a better person.
HI Jenna *waves*
Hmmm. I think I’m going to have to hide behind the couch after I’ve posted this but…the hero I didn’t warm too initially was Sebastian from Lord of Scoundrels *ducks* He just felt like a bit of a bully, and I hate bullies. But as the book progressed and I got to know him more I grew to like him (and see him as the hero of the story). In completely contrast, the hero of my favourite Loretta Chase book – Knave’s Wager – I just loved, even though he acted dissolute and like the whole world bored him. I just knew there was more to him than met the eye…it didn’t help that he was called a ‘bad, beautiful angel’ by one of the secondary characters and it seemed apt 🙂
All the best with the release of Her Notorious Viscount! I’m really looking forward to reading it 😉
When I think of a hero that I didn’t expect to like, that’d be Sebastien St. Vincent from Lisa Kleypas’s Devil in Winter. I mean, come on!
I’m of mixed feelings about the hero question. I seem to go for the bad boy who gets redeemed at the end, but I also love the good guy from the beginning.
For me, and I know I keep rehashing this, it’s all in the execution. If an author can take a hero who at one point is downright evil and redeem him in a believable way? I’m all for it. 😀
There are times I have found myself liking a hero even if I don’t want too, and then I melt and loves him. But I do love heroes that i love from page 1 too.
I don’t know which one too choose, the ones you come to like during the road are more surprising, but the one you love from beginning, well he holds your heart 🙂
Now that I think about it, I usually like every hero. I don’t have to love them from page one, but very early on I tend to find good things about them and cheer them in their quest for HEA (no matter how bad they or their actions might seem).
Personally, I think if the hero is less than heroic, it makes them more human. It brings a little bit more to the story than good guy with good girl. If the story is written well, you can see the inner struggles of the hero and what made him do the things he did. I do like stories where you are in love with him from page 1, but when they have a lot of growth to get through – its more satisfying for me.
Justin was definitely one, St. Vincent (Devil in Winter) and Hardy Cates (Sugar Daddy/Blue-eyed devil), and Joe Bristow (Tea Rose) are the ones that I am thinking of off the top of my head where not so perfect men are really GREAT men. 😉
Hi, Jenna! I’ve never read your books before, but they sound really good and I can’t wait to check them out.
It’s not too often I don’t like a hero. There are some books I’ve read where the hero is a total and complete jerk to the heroine right up to the end. That’s too late to be redeemable to me. Now if they start off as jerks, but you see the growth of their character and their love and commitment to the heroine, then I tend to pretty much forgive anything.
I just came back to say not to enter me in the contest. I didn’t want to wait, so I got the book already. 🙂
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