Denise Domning:  I think the most important quality for any romantic hero is that he is absolutely, unequivocably attracted to the heroine. Everything else, his physical appearance, his strength, his position or wealth, is secondary. He has to want to walk over hot coals to reach that special woman on the other side.

Patricia Potter:  Compassion for those weaker than himself; respect for women and their abilities.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips:  Some rough edges! Otherwise, he's not interesting!

Judith A. Lansdowne:  In my humble opinion, a romantic hero should always have a strong sense of honor, sensitivity and empathy for others, determination, and a vulnerability that gains him the sympathy and interest of the heroine and the readers.

Nora Roberts:  Humor, strength, and compassion. And a really great butt doesn't hurt.

Catherine Coulter:  Honor and good teeth.

Laura Lee Guhrke:  The most important quality a hero should have is the ability to drive the heroine crazy, of course!

Shana Abe:   Above all, a hero should be compassionate, loyal, and strong. Alpha or beta, outspoken or reserved, he should be able to be relied upon to do the right thing—in even the most difficult of situations—and respect that his heroine can and will do the same.

Janet Kendall:  He is an untamed man of honor, adept at work that produces admiration in others, but emotionally inept, which is his major critical flaw.

Barbara Metzger:  Integrity, intelligence, a sense of humor, and a love of dogs.

Dara Joy:  A hero should always make you tingle.

Susan Wiggs:  A romantic hero is compassionate, loving, caring, and hilarious. No matter how long you've known him, he still surprises you constantly. He's the sort of person who knows how to make an omelet for breakfast, who knows your favorite section of the newspaper, who is tall enough to change light bulbs without a ladder, who can make toddlers AND teenagers laugh, who will dance with you if there's no other way around it, and who looks awesome in a pair of jeans with a tool belt attached.

Alexandra Sellers:  In my opinion, a hero should always begin with those qualities that can't be taught (though some on the list may be in abeyance and need to be discovered), such as: deep integrity, honesty, moral courage, passion for living, powerful masculinity, and the ability to listen to and respect what a woman says. If he has these qualities, other desirable traits that he is lacking may be taught to him by the heroine...or by life.

Evelyn Rogers:  A real hero is always there when the heroine needs him.

Jennifer Greene:   I know it's an old-fashioned word we don't use too often today, but I really believe that the single ingredient every male character must have to make it to "hero status" is honor.

Emily Carmichael:  A romantic hero can be as much of a jackass as he likes, as long as hidden somewhere inside him is courage, honesty, and an abiding and inescapable love for the heroine.

Jill Barnett:  A deep sense of honor, even if he doesn't think he has it and even if sometimes—because he's human—he makes a mistake and behaves in a less than honorable fashion. He also needs a sense of humor.

Andrea Kane:  In my opinion, a hero should always have charisma, intelligence, compassion, the right mixture of power and vulnerability, and be capable of deep feeling and commitment.

Delia Parr:  Heroes are always trustworthy and honest, and they recognize the heroine as a woman above all others.

Lori Foster:  Honor first and foremost, because without honor he's not a hero. But in my mind, heroes come in a variety of personalities that, if understandable and contain that core quality of innate honor, will always work. Heroes can be homely of face, but they MUST have a great bod. They can be brooding, but a sense of humor must shine through on occasion. They have to be protective toward all things smaller or weaker than themselves. And they have to be sexual. No one wants a good lookin', honorable fellow just to gaze at (grin).

Suzanne Robinson:   The hero in a romance should have the virtues of any good person, plus great courage and supernova sex appeal.

Lori Handeland:  A hero should always have a need for love that only the heroine can fulfill.

Mary Jo Putney:  A hero can never be petty or mean.

Terri Lynn Wilhelm:  Though he might fight it, a hero should have at least an ember of goodness in his soul. All other qualities are worthless if that is missing. I don't know many romance readers who want to fantasize about an unredeemable creep. Hope—for love, for a brighter future—is a strong element in genre romance fiction.

June Calvin:  By the end of the story, a hero should always be someone his heroine can rely on absolutely—he is trustworthy, loyal, honorable, and dedicated to her. Of course, it doesn't hurt if he is georgeous, too!

Michelle Jerott:  A hero needs to have a sense of honor, the integrity to admit when he's been wrong, the ability to laugh (even at himself), and the good sense to respect and love the heroine even when she's driving him nuts and he'd like to stuff her in a hole (grin).

Mary Alice Monroe:  Oddly enough, the quality I believe is most critical is too often missing in heroes. The hero must be HEROIC, which means standing up for what is right, taking physical and social risks accordingly, and making tough, moral choices.

Terri Brisbin:  A hero should always have the ability to bring out the best in the heroine, especially when she doesn't know she's capable of it.

Marilyn Pappano:  A hero must always be honorable and willing to sacrifice everything except that honor for the woman he loves. He should be kind (in his own way), compassionate, and possess an enduring sense of commitment. A sense of humor—or, at least, tolerance—is necessary, as are honesty and trust, or the ability to learn to trust.

Betina Krahn:  Heroic qualities, in a nutshell, are: strong, deeply held values; a realistic sense of self; strength (both inner and outer); appealing vulnerabilities; and last but certainly not least, a real sense of humor. Oh, and it helps if he's sexy as hell, which is not at all the same as gorgeous!

Alice Duncan - Emma Craig - Rachel Wilson:  A hero must have some core of nobility in his soul and in his actions.

Elaine Raco Chase:  A great sense of humor, a devilish twinkle in his eyes, trust in his feelings and hers, concern, a great kissable mouth—and it goes without saying, LOVE.

Eileen Charbonneau:  Smarts, heart, and COURAGE—the engine that drives all qualities!

Elizabeth Grayson:  Honor...and a great butt. Seriously, if a man has honor, you know there's got to be something in him that's redeemable, something the heroine can come to love. And knowing he has a great butt gives me something to fantasize about when I'm writing him.

Barbara Dawson Smith:  A romance hero must be tough, loyal, intelligent, and brave; he is willing to take risks to protect his property, his loved ones, and his beliefs; he has a sense of humor and a quick wit; he can fight a villain as well as change a diaper; and despite all that, he is flawed: unable to love, unable to trust, unable to commit until he experiences the healing love of the heroine.

Brenda Jackson:  A true respect for all women.

Karen Harbaugh:  I think a hero should always have a sense of honor and kindness.

Linda Cajio:  Heroes should be strong, but willing to bend; hopeless but helpful; forgiving and protective; stubborn, but willing to listen. Basically, perfect—and barring that, hapless, hopeless, and helpless. The latter are much more fun!

Susan Connell:  A hero should always listen to his heroine, even when she's not talking to him.

Kat Martin:  A hero should be compassionate, loyal, and courageous; and beneath it all, he should have a strong sense of morality—a sense of right and wrong—no matter how deeply it is buried.

Samantha James:  In my opinion, a romantic hero should always have a little bit of TNT: toughness 'n tenderness. Why toughness? Because our romantic heroine gets to tame his toughness and bring him to his knees—all for the sake of love.

Vicki Lewis Thompson:  A hero stands in front of his woman when she's afraid, beside her when she's lonely, and behind her when she's brave.

Amy J. Fetzer:  Internal strength, compassion, and the willingness to grow from past mistakes (that's, of course, after the heroine's love and understanding make him see he CAN grow beyond them).

Stephanie Bond:  Impeccable honor, a sense of humor, and the ability to change for the one woman he can't live without.

Fayrene Preston:  There are as many different kinds of heroes as there are grains of sand on a beach, but to be a true hero, he has to have compassion.

Joan Wolf:  My standard for a hero is simple. A hero must always be heroic.

Linda Ladd:  I think a hero must be a decent person, an honorable man who loves the heroine and feels no need to degrade, humiliate, or verbally/emotionally abuse her in order to fight his own demons or insecurities.

Justine Dare/Davis:  The self-confidence to admire and be in awe of a strong woman; the capacity, even if deeply buried, to love completely; a sense of honor and a personal code by which he lives—even nice guys should have a line they won't be pushed past; and perhaps most of all, the grace to accept that the heroine has forever changed his life for the better.

Barbara McMahon:  Honor—that way, no matter what, when a reader knows the hero is acting from his own code of honor, she can safely fall in love with him because she knows things will come out right in the end.

Debra Dier:  A hero should always have intelligence, compassion, a sense of humor, and the ability to keep a heroine interested.

Eileen Putman:  The big one (for me) is VULNERABILITY, carefully hidden. Beneath the pride, the power, the outrageousness a romance hero brings to the story, he has to have the strength to risk everything for love. And boy, does that make him vulnerable!  But he can't love otherwise, and he ultimately understands that. He's got to open himself to love, not knowing if it's going to destroy him in the process. My favorite heroes all have this quality. They're strong enough to embrace their own humanity.

Katharine Kincaid:  A hero should have principles, a sense of honor, and be willing to fight for what he believes is right. He may be a scoundrel at first glance, but if he has all of the above, even if they are deeply buried, he is still redeemable...and worthy of love. A sense of humor doesn't hurt, either; and I like a hero with a willingness to admit when he's wrong, too.

Debbie Macomber:  Honor, honesty, fidelity, courage, pluck, and loyalty.

Gail Eastwood:  The true romantic hero isn't perfect and he may not always do the right thing, but when the chips are down—when it really counts—he's courageous, capable, and ready to sacrifice whatever he must, even his own heart's desire, for the good of those he loves.

Marie Ferrarella:  A hero should always be strong. He might be gruff and brooding at first, but under all that, he is kind and sensitive...and sexy, too.

Paula Detmer Riggs:  A hero should be tough enough and courageous enough to fight for what's important: honor, country, and family—even to the point of laying down his own life; while at the same time being strong and confident enough to be tender, compassionate, and loving.

Danelle Harmon:  As far as I'm concerned, a romantic hero should always be a decent man at heart, despite any superficial indications to the contrary.

Melinda McRae:  A sense of humor.

Nina Beaumont:  Strength of character, courage, sensitivity, and tenderness—even if he doesn't always show them. In short, a man of which fantasies are made, yet with a basis in reality.

Katherine Deauxville:  He should be tall. I have yet to find short heroes in romance fiction. It's a pity, as some of the sexiest men are not six-footers.

Rachelle Morgan:  In my opinion, a hero should always be able to make a person laugh...and be able to laugh at himself. He should always take responsibility for his actions, good and bad, and be able to make his greatest weakness his greatest strength.

Sabrina Jeffries:  A hero should always be willing to acknowledge his mistakes and face the consequences of his actions.

Kasey Michaels:  Courage, compassion, trustfulness and trustworthiness, a sense of humor, a forgiving nature, and the capacity to love with all of his heart.

Geralyn Dawson:  The perfect hero has the same qualities as a good dog: he's loyal, affectionate, protective, and has a nice tail (grin).

Lindsay McKenna:  Self-honesty, integrity; he should not be afraid he made an error or mistake—and be "man" enough to admit it. He doesn't have to put on a charade, a mask, or let testosterone be his facade; he is comfortable with who he is...and who he is not. He accepts his vulnerability and his humanness.

Lori Copeland:  Humor—able to see the joy in life no matter what the circumstances; gentle but firm; and able to be not only a lover, but a friend.

Suzanne Forster:  For me, whether it's books I'm reading or books I'm writing, I always love a man who knows what he wants.

Martha Hix:  An excellent sense of humor that teases the heroine, rather than taking potshots that dig at her. In real life: a fat wallet, a forgiving attitude, and the kind of attitude that has a lady sucking her lips behind her teeth so she won't burst out laughing and give the fellow the upper hand. Hey, I think that works for fiction, too.

Christiane Heggan:  The quality a hero should always have, in my opinion, is integrity. He wouldn't be much of a hero without it.

Judith Ivory:  Strength, and a gut honesty about himself—which may take some bravery, too, if he isn't full of self-esteem. Don't be fooled by those arrogant guys; they have less self-esteem than most.

Patricia Simpson:  A good man knows the difference between fantasy and reality...and appreciates both!

Alicia Scott - Lisa Gardner:  The hero should always believe the heroine is the most sexy, intriguing, infuriating woman he's ever met; and the more she challenges him, the more he can't wait to strip her naked and cart her off to bed.

Nancy Richards-Akers:  To my mind, the most important quality is that he be heroic. All of our heroes should be unique men whose individual actions make them worthy of being heroes. A man's achievements need not be measured in terms of conquering nations or saving babies from burning buildings. A man can be a hero to his family or to a stranger by simple, everyday achievements. In other words, a hero is a man of action.

Rosalyn Alsobrook:  A hero should always have the ability to change for the better, even if it might make life, in general, harder for him.

Sandra Chastain:  He always acts like a hero by taking problems, people, and his own destiny in hand through responsible action and caring. I've got to fall in love with him instantly.

Anne Avery:  For me, a hero just isn't a hero without integrity; a deeply moral code that he lives by, no matter what the cost; a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself; innate gentleness toward those weaker than himself (especially children); and, of course, an immense capacity to love.

Eve Byron:  A man who is strong and assertive, yet does not beat his chest for the sake of hearing the thump of muscles and flow of testosterone. A man strong enough and confident enough and flexible enough to be a hero without being obnoxious about it. A man whose strength is his open mind, his sense of humor, and his willingness to be tender.

Leigh Greenwood:  The most essential quality? I can't decide between "the ability to protect his wife and all that belongs to him" or "a willingness to risk all to protect his wife and all that belongs to him." Maybe this is a particularly male point of view; women may think some quality of sensitivity or understanding are most important. I agree that they're essential in a hero, but without the ability to protect, he won't get a chance to use the rest. That's a role men have had for a long time and I guess it's still necessary. I should add that I'm thinking about historical heroes. When you get into contemporary situations, then understanding and sensitivity would have to take first place.

Ana Leigh:  I always make my heroes handsome in a sexy way, if not physical, but integrity is the one quality they all must possess.

Brenda Joyce:  The perfect hero must have the ability to either land on his feet, no matter how the die roll, or triumph over any and all circumstances. Isn't that what a hero is?  Someone who can battle the immortals...against all odds, and survive.

Julia Quinn:  Oh, man, I'm terrible at these things. Can I weasel out of the question and just say that it's a lot harder to describe a hero than to actually create him?

Rebecca Sinclair:  A strong sense of morals, and the ability to love and be loved (even if he doesn't know it).

Kathryn Shay:  I think a hero must first, and foremost, be interested in all aspects of the heroine: what she thinks, her interests, her job, her family, her views. She is the most important thing in his life, and vice versa. Second, I'd say honesty; and next, dependability.

Eugenia Riley:  He should be handsome, charming, sexy, confident, intelligent, and, of course, honorable.  I'm not asking for much, am I? (grin)

Miranda Jarrett:  Since every hero is different (fortunately!), the better to please and infuriate all those different heroines. Stories would grow pretty boring otherwise, and I'm afraid we would end up with a list of sterling qualities suspiciously similar to the Boy Scout pledge. Still, with that in mind, I'd have to say that what I appreciate most in heroes is a sense of humor. Not step-on-the-banana-peel kind of humor, though in the right guy, I suppose that would work; but more of an appreciation of the little absurdities that can and do happen in most relationships—a way to ease the bad times and make more of the good ones, and keep from taking himself too seriously.

Elizabeth Bevarly:  Not surprisingly, I think the most important quality a hero must have is a good sense of humor. I can overlook just about any flaw a man has, so long as he can quote a substantial amount of dialogue from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (grin).

Shelly Thacker:  I think the ideal hero is a man of strength and spirit, integrity and intelligence, heart and humor. Whether he's a "moody-broody Alpha male" or a kinder, gentler "Beta," he's the man who makes you feel safe and loved and complete, now and always.

Eileen Dreyer - Kathleen Korbel:  Honor. He might not know he has it or not believe himself capable of it, but when push comes to shove, he does the right thing, especially towards the heroine. I do love a sense of humor, too, but that's a personal preference.

Gail Link:  He is strong, sexy, intelligent, with a great sense of humor, and he doesn't take himself too seriously.

Tina Wainscott:  The perfect hero doesn't have to be perfect; he should be compassionate, affectionate, and flawed (but only minorly!).

Barbara Bretton:  A good man in bad boy clothing.

Adrienne deWolfe:  In my not-so-humble opinion, a romantic man (or hero) absolutely MUST have passion—for life, for love, for making his dreams come true. My heroes always possess a bit of mischief, a wry sense of humor that makes for naughty grins and blushing heroines. I think, too, it's important that a hero possess nobility. Even when my hero is a rogue, he will eventually own up to the glimmer of chivalry that lurks beneath the wickedness. After all, boys will be boys, but REAL men step up to the plate and prove they are heroes.

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