Welcome back to Friday Favorites where each week I’ll ask you to post an excerpt about a favorite. Last week was favorite hero. This week it’s the ladies turn. Tell me about your favorite heroine.
Who is the favorite feisty heroine you’ve written? We’ve probably written both–the ass-kicking, gun/sword toting, drinks-like-a-man, self-assured heroine and her counterpart, who’s not a doormat, but an intelligent, warm, loving heroine who has the strength of steel beneath the soft facade.
I’ve written a couple of these gals, though only one has actually carried a weapon. The others use their wits and wiles to get their way, with the same determined spirit. You don’t always have to literally kick-ass to kick-ass. 🙂
My favorite feisty heroine, however, is Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam from my upcoming release, Only Scandal Will Do. Kat was raised in the wild society of 18th century Virginia and taught to fence and shoot from a tender age. She’s fearless, intelligent, beautiful and determined to let no man decide her destiny. Even after being compromised by the Marquess of Dalbury, she refuses to do the conventional thing and marry him.
Kat shook her head slowly. “What on earth do you believe you could do, Lord Dalbury, that could even come close to a remedy for the terror and humiliation you put me through? Do you think now that I have met you, heard your feeble attempts at an apology, and rejected them, the memory of that night will magically disappear?” She fought to control her anger, though she yearned to blast him with it. “What magic potion would you have me take that would erase the memory of you pinning me to the bed? Because if you have such an elixir, then yes, I will gladly take it from you and obliterate you absolutely and irrevocably.”
He stood silent at her words, then said simply, “I have only myself to offer, my lady.”
“You would have me kill you, my lord? In that, too, I agree I would oblige you, but not at the cost of my own life. I understand the English law punishes those who do murder quite severely.” Kat was astonished when he lurched backward, as from a blow.
“No, my lady, I would not have you kill me,” he said, sounding grimly amused. “Though indeed that would probably give you most satisfaction. I meant I would have you marry me.”
His words surprised a laugh out of her. “Marry you?” The laughter grew. “I see, my lord, you think me both a whore and a fool.”
“I think you are neither, Lady Katarina.”
“Then you are the fool to believe I would put such a man as you in control of every aspect of my life.” That he thought she would even entertain the suggestion was insulting.
The pale moonlight shadowed his face, but she could read displeasure there just the same. “You judge me solely on one act that, I assure you, was grossly out of character for me. You cannot possibly know what kind of husband I would be.”
“And never will, Lord Dalbury. I can swear to you that I would not marry you if I were in Hell and you were my only hope of Heaven.”
And just wait until you see her with a blade in her hand! She’s a force to be reckoned with–Dalbury has no idea what he’s letting himself in for. LOL
Now, why don’t you tell me about your favorite feisty heroine? Decide which of your kick-ass gals you’d like to introduce everyone to, and choose a snippet about this character to share about her. (A snippet from your manuscript would be awesome, but if you’re not comfortable with that, you can choose to do a character sketch–something to show us your character and writing.) And if you’re not an author or just can’t decide, tell me about a heroine you’ve read who really made you stand up and cheer. (Outside of my novels, Diana, Countess of Arradale from Devilish is the heroine I most adore.) Can’t wait to see your favorites again!
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
As much as I love my Lyuba (originally called Amy) in my Russian novels, I think my heart most belongs to Cinnimin Rebecca Filliard Kevorkian of my Atlantic City books. I wrote her into being when we were both 11 years old, and including the prequel series I later wrote, I’ve been with her since she was a few days shy of her 8th birthday. My handwritten magnum opus is focused on her, and eventually her family, over 12 decades, from Pearl Harbor Day to her death in December 2050.
Cinni was born 23 August 1930, Rudolph Valentino’s fourth death anniversary, and would’ve gotten the middle name Rudolph in his honor by her young aunt had she been a boy. Instead she got the middle name Rebecca, also starting with R and having 7 letters. And Cinni never forgets that she was born on such a historic day and named for a handsome movie legend. Though sometimes she feels she’s been cursed because she was born on such a day, and she certainly goes through a lot of hard luck in her life, particularly in her ill-fated first relationship (an interfaith relationship with her best friend’s favorite brother, growing increasingly less secret) and in all she goes through while her soulmate Levon Kevorkian is away from home so much in his career as a soldier, while she raises ten children as a de facto single mother. (Levon eventually becomes a four-star general.)
Here she is, talking with her friend and next door neighbor Violet about her latest disappointment with Barry, her on-again, off-again first boyfriend. After this conversation, Cinni goes off to spy on him returning from his first date with his beyond-dull replacement for her, and has some very harsh words for Barry when he sees her afterwards. (Decades later, Cinni and Barry end up sharing great-grandkids, as some of their grandkids marry one another.)
Cinnimin was shaking in rage over how Barry had betrayed her by going over to plain old Jet Vos. What did she have that Cinnimin didn’t, besides the “correct” religion?
“What exactly is eating you?” Violet pestered. “You can tell me. Even if you deny it, you know we’re best friends now. Sparky’s been caught up in so much gloom and doom lately, no wonder you prefer me.”
“The boy I love asked another girl out. A boring-looking sort, who probably has a personality to match.”
“Who exactly is this boy? You’ve said so many times there’s some boy you like, but that you can’t be with him for whatever reason. What are you afraid will happen if you tell me or anyone? Is he twenty years older or from another race or something?”
“Love is supposed to conquer everything. You know I’ve memorized the Song of Songs, even though I find most of the rest of the Bible boring. I wish this boy would take heed of my favorite part. ‘For love is strong as Death, jealously relentless as Sheol. The flash of it is a flash of fire, a flame of God himself. Love no flood can quench, nor torrents drown.’”
“See, you’re smart. You can memorize stuff and sound educated. This boy doesn’t know what he’s missing if he’s jilting you. Now why don’t you do something to get out of this bad mood? Here, I’ll make up a personal ad for you, and we can post it up on trees and bulletin boards. That boy will rue the day he blew you off for whatever stupid reasons. I hope he dies of jealously when he sees you with a new guy.”
“No, that’s going too far. Although I do commend you for wanting to do something nice for me when not too long ago you stole my crown. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for that ungrateful coup you staged, but good behavior will make me more likely to move past it quicker. I have a better idea of how I can assess the situation.”
“I never deliberately stole your Most Popular Girl position and you know it. But anyway, what exactly are you going to do? Sometimes you get a little crazy.”
“I ain’t gonna do nothing as crazy as when Kit hid under Frankie’s bed right before they started going out. I’ll just stop by his house and hide behind a bush or tree to check out this girl he took out in my place. He should be coming home with his date soon. If he dares kiss that new girl goodnight on only their first date, I’ll murder him.”
“Kit hid under Frankie’s bed? When did that happen?”
“She didn’t share any details, just said she did it to see what he looked like naked and make sure he looked just as nice with his clothes off. My own spying mission won’t be nearly that risky or silly.”
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Another family that sounds feisty and fun! Thanks for sharing Cinimin with us, Carrie-Anne. 🙂
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Oh, I love a great kick-ass heroine who has a softer side too… Most of my heroines are like this. This snippet showcases Chief of Police Grace Wallace from A HUNTER’S ANGEL (releasing July 20)
“What the hell is your problem? You say Brad’s not good for me!” She glared at him, and her voice rose as she spoke. “Who gives you the right to determine that?” He winced and reached toward her, but she backed away and didn’t give him time to answer. She needed to get this out of her system more than she needed to hear his answers.
“You sure as hell weren’t good for me. You left me! You don’t want me hurt? Too fucking late for that, Ian. I remember the night we had. I remember what I said to you, and I remember what you said to me. You already had me. Why did you lie to me if it was only sex? Why did you make me fall in love with you only to throw me away?” She stopped, horror filled her, not only had she told him too much, let too much of her pain and emotions out, she was also crying. Grace never cried and despised the weakness almost as much as she hated him. She wiped at the tears with the back of her hand. “Damn you!”
She spun away and climbed into her SUV. She had to get away.
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Grace sure seems like the feisty type! But you still feel all her pain. Great job with her character, Cera!
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Very awesome excerpts, ladies! And I can’t name just one heroine. There are so many truly great ones, it’s hard to pick just one.
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There are a lot of wonderful heroines out there! It is hard to pick just one. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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These are all great. Here is mine from The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh.
Percy grabbed Anna’s hand from Rutherford’s arm. Without a thought, she whirled, pulled him to her, let go and punched him in the face. Percy stumbled back into the fountain and landed in the cold water with a splash.
Rutherford smiled as she was wiping her hands. “Well done, my dear. A perfect flush hit.”
She watched Percy flounder for a few moments, before saying, “I suppose we should help him.”
“Not you,” Rutherford said. “It would minimize the effect, and you might ruin that perfectly lovely gown. I’ll do it, though it goes sadly against the grain.”
He reached out, grabbed Percy’s flailing hand and pulled him out of the fountain.
Percy, cold and angry, fixed his gaze on Anna. “When we are married, you will not do that.”
Anna closed her eyes and struggled not to hit him again. “Percy, we are not going to marry. I don’t know where you got such a ridiculous notion, but I would rather be a spinster than marry you.” She pointed to the door to the drawing room. “You are no longer welcome at Marsh Hill. Go. Now.”
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I do love Anna !! Any woman who can punch a man into a fountain gets my vote!
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Isn’t she the little spitfire! Poor Percy. He didn’t know what hit him, did he? LOL Great heroine! Thanks for sharing, Ella!
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Jenna, Lady Katarina is indeed a feisty heroine. She can take care of herself for sure.
My fav heroine is Breeana. She may not be kick ass on the outside, but she is tough as nails on the inside.
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She certainly is, Brenda. She holds her own against vampires, demons, whatever you throw at her. LOL Thanks for coming by!
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I think I like my Gabriella best. She’s feisty, has a mind of her own (even though she’s sometimes a little wrong-headed), loving, and courageous. Here’s a bit of an introduction to her from Ace’s perspective, the hero of Ace-High Flush.
Gabriella Appleby. Young, fresh, brimming with personality and laughter, she had the potential to be someone very special. Unfortunately, she had this annoying proclivity to tell lies when it suited her.
He’d volunteered to try to spank the lies and deceit out of her when she’d tried to undermine Liv’s modeling career to further her own, and the spanking had been harsh. He’d never forget it.
That afternoon, ten months before Trey’s wedding, she was gathered with the other models, having a white cotton nightgown fitted, when Liv coaxed her out of the location trailer to come visit with her and Trey and to meet Ace. She looked so young and innocent, and in many ways she was; she wasn’t a particularly mature nineteen-year-old. After meeting her briefly, Ace’s intuition told him that she was not a bad woman, but rather a woman who was trying out bad behavior to see if it got her where she wanted to go. Her test of underhanded tactics and lying only landed her in a shit load of trouble—and a spanking.
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Oh, Patricia, I love Gabby, too! She’s so fun-loving and high spirited–except for the unfortunate lying. Ace really has met his match in her. Great heroine! Thanks for sharing her with us!
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I wrote my villainess as a kick-butt kind of gal. She’s sexy, loveable, but I wouldn’t turn my back on her. You’ll meet her in Remedy Maker that comes out on July 27th. Lady Katrina is great. She doesn’t take any sh*t.
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And you should see her with a sword in her hand! LOL Can’t wait to meet your villainess! Your release is only a couple of days after mine! Are we excited? YES!!!!! Thanks for coming by, Sheri!
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My favorite heroine from my manuscripts is Eve Tildenbury from His Charming Seductress. You have to be feisty to have a seventeen foot python as a pet. Here’s a bit from the scene in which she and the hero, Dylan Crosby, first meet.
A goddess descended from heaven, she glided across the white and pink swirled patterns of the marble. The severe green wool gown covered her from neck to ankles. It did little to hide the gentle curve of her hips or the contours of breasts full beyond his imagination and firm enough to send a connoisseur such as himself into—
“You are Mr. Crosby, aren’t you?” She folded her arms across the objects of his rag-mannered scrutiny and fixed him, one eyebrow raised, with a decidedly unamused stare.
“I am.” Between the continued tightening of the snake’s grip and the tightening of his body in reaction to the beauty who, impossible as it seemed, might be Tildenbury’s sister; the calm, clear tone of his response surprised him. “And you are?”
She knelt beside him and pushed his hands away from his reptilian captor. “Here to rescue my snake from another of my brother’s idiot friends.” To his utter amazement she reached between his legs and began to tug at the loops of snake which were now tightly woven around his upper thigh. Her hand delved down a bit and with ironic dexterity managed to grasp something definitely not snake.
Dylan drew his breath between his teeth and winced. “I’ll try not to take that personally, Miss Tildenbury.”
She snatched her hand back. Her face flushed a rosy pink. “Which? My calling you an idiot or my abuse of your…person?”
“You can call me anything you please so long as you get your friend here to release me.” He flattened his palms on the cool surface of the floor and tried to lift himself away from the snake’s undulating head. “And as for my…person—”
“Let’s leave your person out of it, shall we?”
He found her brisk, unflustered manner arousing. Then again, she’d just had her hand on his cock. The only way he wouldn’t be aroused would be if he were dead – in the case of this particular woman, maybe not even then.
She fascinated him. Any other lady of his acquaintance would have fainted at the mere mention of the word snake. His golden-haired Venus grappled this behemoth as if it were a piece of wayward laundry. “Are you called upon to do this often? Rescue an idiot from the clutches of what I am sure is a perfectly amiable reptile. That is, when he isn’t lurking about the conservatory in search of said idiots to ensnare for a bit of harmless fun?” He leaned back onto his braced palms and bestowed on her his most disarming smile. A complete waste of effort on his part.
She favored him with a brief but potent glare. “She was not lurking. This part of the house happens to be her home.” Her words came in short little pants as she tugged and twisted in an effort to free him. Several strands of hair the color of sunlight tumbled free of her upswept coiffure. “I cannot fathom why my brother brought you in this way in the first place.”
“It’s after four o’clock.” Now Tildenbury had him spouting absurdities as facts.
Her hands stopped and her eyes narrowed on his face, as if in search of something. “After four o’clock? Oh! The dog, of course.” She studied him for a moment longer. “Then I owe you an apology, my lord. Had my brother been less impressed by your consequence he might have brought you in through the kitchens. I’ve been calling you Mr. Crosby when I should have been calling you lord something-or-other.”
“You’ve been calling me an idiot for the most part, but I’m not one to quibble about that sort of thing.” He bit back a groan as with one easy tug she extracted the snake from his now numb leg, “At the moment, I think I’d prefer to take my chances outrunning the dog. Are you sure this is your snake? He certainly has no manners. Are you aware he’s wrapped around you now? Isn’t there some magic snake charmer’s word you can invoke to make him behave?”
With a good portion of the snake woven around her arm and making its way across her shoulder she rose gracefully to her feet. “I told you before, she can’t hear. Snakes don’t have ears.” She stepped to the closest banana tree and urged her uncouth pet onto a branch.
“It’s good to know she wasn’t simply ignoring me. Might I suggest your next pet be a cat? They have ears and they listen. Most of the time.”
“Do you often find yourself in such situations, Lord…what do I call you?” She sat down, one wool-draped knee pressed to the other on the nearby settee. The singular beauty blew the hair from her eyes with an exasperated sigh. The sight of those generous breasts rising and falling against the confines of the buttons that marched between them turned his blood to sizzling liquid fire.
Thank God he’d already been knocked off his feet. Her face aglow with the dew of her efforts, she peered at him from those striking eyes and had no idea the vision of temptation she painted. The plants around them exuded every nuance of aroma imaginable, yet he instinctually knew the scent of night jasmine and delicate musk was hers. Here in this unusual private Eden, his own personal Eve aroused him to the point of pain – sweet, delicious, I-am-in-serious-trouble pain.
“If you can’t tell me what to call you, can you at least tell me how you ended up in this position? I doubt you could outrun my cousin’s mastiff, but you look more than fit enough to outrun a seventeen foot python.”
Her question did nothing to quell the tinderbox of lust striking through every inch of his body, but it did manage to dash a bit of cold water in his face. “Seventeen feet?”
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Love this excerpt–And your heroine! She’s wonderfully intelligent and matter-of-fact and seems more than a match for Crosby. Or her snake. *shiver* Better her than me! Thanks for sharing, Louisa.
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Great Blog Jenna! I think it’s so important to have feisty heroines and to write them well!
My feisty heroine is 18 year old Emily who when her carriage is abducted by five handsome lords and rather than go with them quietly she fights back and nearly escapes them. She even stomps on the toes of her future love, and elbows him in the stomach, and then kicks him out of the carriage so hard he falls on his backside. I love a woman who isn’t afraid to fight!
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She sounds right up my alley! I love a fightin’ gal as well. Emily sounds like a splendid heroine! Thanks for stopping by, Lauren.
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My favorite heroine — that I’ve written is Abby Randall. She’s so much me, only better so of course I love her and her snarky humor.
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I love Abby too! Though I think my favorite of your heroines may be Bree. I just get her, you know? Wonderful works either way. Thanks for coming by, Kary. 🙂
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