I've been running a poll and the results are rather startling.

Common wisdom says that women don't like violence in romance novels, and that too much sex turns them off as well. But the results of a poll I've been running seem to indicate just the opposite. It is not that women want stories of women being beaten up and raped, I suspect. It is more likely that they want stories where heroines face more realistic challenges. When they read historical romance, many would prefer to see some of the challenges faced by our great grandmothers actually in the books. Very few of our ancestresses ran into trouble with identical twins, but many probably did run afoul of a lecherous employer or a handsome but stern aristocrat. Take a look at the poll results and cast your own votes.