The #HistoricalHeroes contest is winding down-the last day to submit is July 6th! Meanwhile, here’s a peek into the heroes that catch the UK editors’ attention… (Originally posted on the M&B site!)

Who are the best #HistoricalHeroes of all time?

With our #HistoricalHeroes contest well under way, here at Paradise Heights we thought the beginning of Week 2 was the perfect opportunity to chat Historical Hunks, and what it is about men from the past that get our pulse racing (I know, right, any excuse to chat about gorgeous guys)!

A quick poll of the office reveals that our tastes at Mills & Boon are wide, varying and sometimes downright bizarre! Answers ranged from Robin Hood (it’s something about the bow and arrow), to Cesare Borgia (if you can look past some fairly dubious qualities) to Mr Rochester (we love our heroes dark and moody). Then there was Claudius from I, Claudius (our heroes have to have layers!), Leonidas from 300 (he respects women but is also the ultimate hardcore warrior), Jin from House of Flying Daggers (the perfect hero for a feisty heroine) and William Thatcher from A Knight’s Tale (he’s funny, charismatic, charming and knows how to dance!). And finally, my favourite answer of all was from someone who shall remain anonymous, who declared that their secret historical crush was the real life Prince Rupert – long hair, pantaloons, debonair poses and all!

So, with so many different heroes with such varying traits, we had to ask ourselves, what is it that links them all together? Maybe it’s their alpha qualities that attract us, and the knowledge that they willalways be able to protect us, even if as 21st century women we like to think we can handle ourselves on the battlefield (as anyone who has braved the London Underground during rush hour can testify to)! Or is it the way they appear brooding and aloof at first, but ultimately show themselves to have a heart of gold, only revealed for the right woman of course? Or perhaps it’s that taste of the exotic, a flavour of another time and another way of life, which can’t help but spark our imagination and make us picture ourselvesin the place of Elizabeth Bennet, of Isolde, of Juliet? Whatever makes them stick in our minds long after we’ve met them, there’s one thing you can be sure of, at Mills & Boon, historical heroes are here to stay!

The Historical team are ready and waiting to find their next favourite historical hero, so what are you waiting for?!

Good luck!

Linda, Kathryn and Nicola

Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical Romance team

PS: if you can’t get enough of #HistoricalHeroes, check out #HarlequinHistorical author Bronwyn Scott’s fabulous blog of her favourite heroes – hunky pictures included!https://bronwynswriting.blogspot.co.uk/