My two favorite elements of historical romances are the settings and the heroes. The settings, because there is nothing like escaping into a different time and place. I love immersing myself in Regency and Restoration England, and of course, the Scottish Highlands. Now the heroes *happy sigh*. They just make the romance, don’t they? When it comes to John, the hero in my new book, HOW TO ENSNARE A HIGHLANDER, I combined two of my favorite types of heroes. Highlanders and Highwaymen. There’s just something about those highwaymen…well, the Robin Hood types at least. Gallant, hearts of gold, but with a healthy hint of danger that gives those handsome rogues their alluring edge. Add that sexy Scottish brogue and a kilt flapping in the wind, and I’m sold. Here are my Top 5 qualities for a lovable Highland rogue. A heart of gold – if we’re talking highwaymen, then I’m definitely more for the Robin Hood type. Sure, he might rob your carriage, but he’s doing it to help the poor and is more likely to charm your socks off than steal them. Or, while he steals them, perhaps. 😉 A dangerous side – I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker…

Kensey Deaton, the heroine of my newest book, THE BIG BAD WOLF, is a bit of a rule breaker. She’s strong, opinionated, and refuses to be stuffed into an archaic mold created by the werewolf patriarchy. There are a million reasons that I’m Team Kensey. Here are the top five. Fashion sense. Kensey is a flannel, T-shirt, and jeans kind of girl. Comfort above the painful style that most pack daughters embrace. She has a passion for quirky T-shirt sayings that make me jealous of her wardrobe. Case in point one that says, “If ya can’t beat em, join em—then beat em.“ She knows who she is—and embraces it. Kensey is the kind of girl who knows herself. She knows what she wants and won’t stop till she gets it. She’s never fit in with the other pack daughters and that’s fine with her. While they keep the most primal parts of their wolves chained and buried away, Kensey is shameless and free, enjoying who—and what—she is. She’s not a pushover. When pushed, Kensey Deaton pushes back. So many people in her life think they know what’s good for her. Where she should go, what she should eat—who she should…