From Michelle: Jenna Petersen's new "Her Notorious Viscount" may be my fave of all her uniquely engaging romances. It's sexy, 2 b sure, yet her compelling riffs on several never-fail-to-pleasure, gut-punch romance themes make it a sure thing for the die-hard historical maven -- and the 'can't wait to meet the hero's best pal in the next book' aficionado. Please buy the book after you welcome Jenna w/your warmest "The bigger they are, the harder they, um, fall" Bella buongiorno...

Well, maybe not so nice. After all, I’m here to talk about fighting. I think all romance is a little bit about the fight. If the hero or heroine or both don’t have to fight for their love at least once, then I start to wonder about whether or not they can really make it. A fight is about a test, can you survive it? Can you win? I want the answer to be “Yes!!” when it comes to my heroes and heroines and for my readers to walk away thinking that this is really a relationship that can stand all the tests time will bring.
But this time around, with my book that comes out today, I went a little further than that proverbial “fight” for love. In "Her Notorious Viscount," my hero is an honest-to-God, real fighter. A pugilist to be precise, which is a fancy Regency term for a boxer. During the Regency, boxing really started to take hold. Men bet on it, even gentlemen had an eye for it. But do it themselves? Not so much. I mean, how barbaric for a gentleman to get punched in the mouth… for money.
And yet that is exactly what my hero does. Disenfranchised by the trite, boring life he leads

I have to admit, I loved writing a hero who was as much a fighter in the physical sense as he was in the abstract sense. Nicholas is snarly and dangerous. He is accustomed to winning. He’s accustomed to doing whatever the hell he wants. But when it comes to living in the world he abandoned… well, he’s not so good at that. Which is where my heroine comes in. Jane Fenton agrees to “train” him into being a gentleman again if he’ll help her find her own brother, who was lost years ago. In her own way, she’s also a fighter. A woman who won’t give up, a woman willing to face danger in all its forms in order to save someone she loves. That’s my favorite kind of character and my favorite kind of transformation.
Plus, I got to play a little in one of my favorite outside hobbies, which is a great love for Mixed Martial Arts. Yes, I love a real fighter, too. The UFC, the octagon, the physical chess

So what do you think of “the fight” element of romance? Do you want your heroes and heroines to fight for love? And how about those sweaty, sexy figher-men? C’mon… don’t you just want to heal them? Yummy!
I’ll be here all day, so feel free to throw your thoughts into the “ring” and let’s talk! Oh yeah, and I’ll choose one winner from everyone who comments to get a signed copy of my last Jess Michaels release, "Something Reckless."