Heartbreak: intense and overwhelming grief, especially through disappointment in love.
Heartbreaker: a person, event or thing causing heartbreak.
When I looked these words up, I was surprised to find out the first one dates back to 1575; the second one came into usage about a hundred years later.
So we’ve had heartbreakers for more than 500 years! That’s a boatload of bad boys for sure!
And in the 16th and 17th century they had another word for heartbreaker–rakehell. A licentious man who is sexually unrestrained and immoral. Yes, just because it’s history doesn’t make it boring. These guys were anything but! They lived the high life, going from woman to woman and leaving heart break in their wake.
The Rake’s Progress: The Orgy by William Hogarth
During the English Restoration rakes were quite popular and dashing aristocrats, witty fellows who were sexually irresistible. My favorite Restoration rake is Jack Horner from Wycherly’s play The Country Wife. Horner, a charming and notorious rake, puts the rumor about that he’s now a eunuch due to the “French pox” (syphilis) in order to put suspicious husbands off their guard and give him access to their wives. What ensues is a steady stream of women into Horner’s chambers and a series of very funny encounters. You know that heartbreak is just around the corner for these women, but who can blame them for their folly?
There’s nothing so irresistible as a bad boy!
I have a bad boy of my own making in my historical romance, Only Scandal Will Do. Duncan Ferrars, Marquess of Dalbury has a hellacious reputation as a rake (rumor has it he’s slept with over 500 women!). Out for another night of sport, he tries to charm one more woman–and finds he’s met his match!
Blurb for Only Scandal Will Do:
He has the woman of his dreams, but what price will he have to pay to win her heart?
Kidnapped and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that would ruin her life.
Unable to resist temptation in a London brothel, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, purchases a fiery beauty. She claims she’s a lady, but how can she be? No lady of his acquaintance in polite society is anything like her. Then he discovers she is who she says, and that this latest romp has compromised her reputation. He knows how that is. One more scandal and he’ll be cast out of London society, but he needs a wife who’ll provide an heir to carry on his illustrious family’s name. He seeks out Katarina, intending only to scotch the scandal, but instead finds his heart ensnared. He’s betting their future he’ll capture her heart, but does he have what it takes to win the wager?
WARNING: A blade-wielding heroine who crosses swords with a master of sensuality.
Only Scandal Will Do is available at Amazon, Lyrical Press and Barnes & Noble, as well as other e-retailers.
Leave a comment telling me who your favorite heartbreaker in romance is and you’ll be entered to win my prize of a $10.00 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card and you’ll also be entered for the Grand Prize Drawing!
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Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
Jericho Barrons cause the dark side rocks the casbah! I love a man with dirty witty man. (Funny that a woman would write the character. LOL!)
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Jesse from This Man… havebookwillsurvive@gmail.com
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Rhett Butler is an amazing heartbreaker!!! So is Aldwin from Contingency
jennifer at booksnbrownies dot com
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There are way too many heartbreakers that i adore out there to pick one!
staceyprice(AT)gmail.com
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We all want to love a Heartbreaker. Maybe its because of his chiseled good looks, his bad boy attitude, or the mysterious nature of him. Some Heartbreakers are just that, they know what they got and how to use it to get what they want. Then there are those Heartbreakers that don’t even realize that they are doing it. The best part about a Heartbreaker is that there is always a woman that turns their world upside down until they realize it is love. I have read many Romance Novels over the years and have run into many memorable Heartbreakers and my favorites are usually the ones that don’t even know they are Heartbreakers! Some of my personal favorite Heartbreakers are :
Kade Jamenson (Werewolf) from An Alpha’s Path. Kade is a sexy werewolf that will make you burn but a mishap with a potential mate makes him not think he will find love.
Ian MacPhie (Vampire) from All I Want For Christmas is a Vampire. Ian is a heartbreaking Highland Vampire that was frozen in his immortality when he was only 15. With the help of his friend he is given a drug that helps him age to 28 so he could look like a man instead of a child after hundreds of years. He has no idea that he looks of a warrior and the lover.
Lothaire Daciano (Vampire) from Lothaire. Lothaire is definitely a heartbreaker and his cocky attitude proves it! Thinks he’s a gift to women! Its just the sucker punch from a woman he doesn’t realize is his equal that brings him down a notch.
Marius Parker from His Contrary Bride. Marius is every part the gentlemen but doesn’t realize he could also easily be the rogue!
Benjamin Gateway from To Win His Wayward Wife. Benjamin doesn’t realize that he is a heartbreaker because the one woman he loved, he lost….or did he?
Fury North (Human with Canine DNA) from Fury and Valiant North (Human with Feline DNA) from Valiant. Fury and Valiant are strong New Species and gorgeous to boot, but because they are damaged they doesn’t think they can hold onto to the women they love.
Sigimor Cameron from Highland Conqueror. Sigimor is every bit the Highland Laird and warrior but can he hold onto to the beautiful English lady?
Joshua Striker (Werewolf) from Alexandra’s Legacy. Joshua is a scared and battle hard enforcer for his pack and he thinks that he doesn’t have what it takes to make the women melt.
angelheart618@gmail.com
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I don’t think I could choose a favorite! Too many hot heartbreakers 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway!
farrahsayyedATgmailDOTcom
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I think Rhett Butler is the ultimate heartbreaker.
kesummer69(at)gmail(dot)com
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Great post.
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One of my favorite heartbreakers is Bruce Carlton of the classic historical romance Forever Amber.
CarrieAnne79 (at) yahoo (dot) com
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Great post, Jenna!
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I can’t think of a favorite but I can think of a famous one: Rhett Butler
susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com
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Eric, True Blood
videoclimber(at)yahoo(dot)com
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I dont have a favorite….Carpediem5366@gmail.com
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You know, before reading your post, I thought heartbreaker was a fairly modern word, Jenna. Thanks for the lesson! And I love your heartbreakers…my fave (recently) is Jack Winters from Jayne Ann Krentz’s Fired Up. He’s hawt! kristi_writes_romance@yahoo.com
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one of the things I love about history is that what’s in the school books and what’s the truth have nothing to do with each other.
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I think I would have to go with Hawke from Nalini Singh Psy-Changeling series.
Carin mawmom at gmail dot com
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I was going to say that this was a tough question to answer, but then someone said Eric from Trueblood (or Sookie Stackhouse Novels) and that’s SO my favorite heartbreaker ^.^ So yeah, Eric Northman 😉
Erica
eripike at gmail dot com
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I believe Duncan Ferrars is my favourite rake ;-). Love the line – that’s a boatload of badboys.
Have a great hop.
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I can’t really think of a “favorite” one – because they’re all my favorites as I read their books…lol…I’m fickle…but I would say that Eric from the True Blood series is definitely a heart breaker and a cad!
Thanks for the giveaway
junegirl63 at gmail dot com
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I think my favorite is Robert Beaumont.
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Do I have to have a favorite? There are several that come to mind, but I can’t choose.
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How about female heartbreakers?! Plenty of them around and all LOL. Only Scandal will Do sounds like a must-read and I can’t wait to learn all about the lady and her man. Nice one Jenna 🙂
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Ooo this is easy my favourite heartbreaker of late is Max from Given by Ashlynn Monroe he was only a side character but I wanted him to get the girl so bad
mkendallauthor@gmail.com
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Julian Spenser from Julie Anne Long’s How the Marquess Was Won —
Thanks for the great giveaway!
– Tin
khriscc at yahoo dot com
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My Heart Breaker is Kellan Kyle from Thoughtless!
alslagle06@live.com
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