Heroes on Covers
With my new Hanger’s Horsemen series, I’ve enjoyed having covers that prominently feature heroes on the covers. The Heart’s Charge is coming this summer, and there are TWO heroes in play. Double the fun!
It’s been nice to switch things up with my covers this time around. One of the reasons I enjoy historicals so much is the fairy-tale feel of the period costumes, especially the dresses worn by the heroines. Therefore, I do love seeing the heroines with big, gorgeous dresses on the covers, and I wouldn’t want to permanently say goodbye to them. This series, though, just clamored for hunky hero cover love.
I’ve had a few heroes make appearances on other covers, but they were always the supporting cast to the heroine. I have three covers where the heroes get an arm and a leg in the picture. (Although you gotta admit that arm on Levi is pretty nice.)
My first hero only got his leg on the cover.
I did get nearly an entire hero on three of my covers, but the heroine remains the focal point.
Having my cowboy heroes front and center for the current series really heightens the rugged, western aspect of these stories centered around four former cavalry officers turned mercenaries for justice.
I love the model they chose to represent Matthew Hanger in At Love’s Command, as well as the addition of the horse as a supporting actor. However, when I asked my publisher if they had any cover mock-ups that failed to make the final cut, I was surprised to find an entirely different cowboy on the cover. One with a shy smile, rugged physique, and a lot more facial hair.
Here are a few of the first version mock-ups. Notice the different poses, the different backgrounds, even different hat colors.
If I had to pick one of these iterations, I think I would take the bottom middle. I like the hat tip, the smile, and the sunset in the background. Although, I strongly prefer the font and series designation of the one at the top left, which is most similar to the final copy.
Which of the runner-up covers for At Love’s Command is your favorite?What do you think of having a hero-centric cover? Is it less romantic without the heroine?
