Guest Post with Author Jess Michaels

Meet Jess Michaels, author of The Other Duke.

Jess Michaels writes erotic historical romance set in the Regency period. She lives in Tucson, AZ where she hangs out with her awesome husband and does geeky things in the desert.

Find Jess at:

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Notorious Heroes

Hi everyone and a big thanks to Danielle for having me here today! It’s been an exciting week for me because on Tuesday my latest book, The Other Duke hit stores. This historical romance is the first in a new series called The Notorious Flynns and it’s also my first book where I am completely indie published. I’m so excited to take this new adventure with my readers.

Taking this big step feels like jumping off a cliff in a way and it kind of makes sense that I’m doing it with a family featured in these books that is completely wild. The Flynns pretty much do exactly what they want when they want to do it and because they are golden and don’t really care what anyone thinks, they tend to get away with it.

Only all that changes when the hero of The Other Duke, Raphael Flynn, finds out his cousin has died and he has unexpectedly inherited a dukedom… and a bride, Serafina McPhee! Now he has to figure out what to do with this new life and how to handle the very first woman who doesn’t fall over herself to have him.

So why do we like notorious heroes? I think it comes down to confidence. I know that I spend a lot of personal time worrying about who thinks what about me and should I or shouldn’t I have done/said that (whatever that was). It’s a symptom of the “good girl” that I worry so much about my effect on others. But the notorious hero, that alpha guy who does what he wants, he’s confident in himself. He does what he wants (within reason, I don’t really like cruel heroes) without worrying about others. He strolls into every room and owns it and no situation truly stymies him.

Except when he meets that heroine, right? The heroine turns that guy on his head, makes him start to think outside of himself and his own pleasure. And it’s fun to watch him fall, in a way. To grow and learn and change and become the best version that his confidence and cool can be. That’s the story I love to write. I hope it’s one you like to read.

Who are your favorite “notorious” heroes?

For years Serafina McPhee has been engaged to marry the heir to the Duke of Hartholm and for almost as long, she has been struggling to find a way out of that engagement. When he suddenly dies, she does not mourn but thrills at the idea that she will be free. Unfortunately, best laid plans go awry when the next in line for the title, her intended’s cousin, Raphael “Rafe” Flynn is forced to take over the engagement. But Serafina knows Rafe’s reputation as a libertine and wants nothing to do with him, either, even if he is devastatingly handsome.

She proposes an arrangement: she will agree to the marriage and provide Rafe with his heir and spare. Once she has done her duty, he will let her go. Rafe is intrigued both by her beauty and by her utter disgust with the idea of being his bride. Women normally fall at his feet, not cringe away from him. However, since their arranged marriage is not something he can escape, he agrees to her terms.

But when he finds out on their wedding night the truth about her torture at the hands of his predecessor, he finds himself driven not just to fulfill his bargain with his new bride, but to introduce her to desire. While they move closer together, surrendering to wicked pleasures, dangerous emotions may violate every agreement they’ve made.

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