“I haven’t read many Silhouette Desires, but I wonder if for historical/editorial reasons they may have more American authors than the Presents line which is edited in the UK and I have a feeling contains many long-standing UK, Australian and New Zealand authors who probably joined the Presents/Modern/Sexy line before Silhouette Desire existed/was sold in the UK/Australian/New Zealand markets.”

“For me, it’s definitely all about the heroes. Not to mention the strong heroines.”

I think it’s a combination of the two points maybe?
I definitely agree about the long-standing names, e.g. Susan Napier, who does not entirely ‘fit’ into the standard Presents mould, yet is normally published under that line.

And also possibly that the Presents heroes with the emphasis on their alpha, macho, frequently sexist tendencies, are more easily conveyed by making them (eyerolling) ‘foreign’ and thus not expected to be bound by the normal rules of western society. I’m not saying that this is true, but that it’s a convenient writerly shorthand.

I haven’t read many Silhouette Desires, but I wonder if for historical/editorial reasons they may have more American authors than the Presents line which is edited in the UK and I have a feeling contains many long-standing UK, Australian and New Zealand authors who probably joined the Presents/Modern/Sexy line before Silhouette Desire existed/was sold in the UK/Australian/New Zealand markets.

The main difference that I can see from a quick scan of the eHarlequin guidelines is that the Silhouette Desires are supposed to be heroine-centric:

“The Desire heroine is complex and flawed. She is strong-willed and smart though capable of making terrible mistakes when it comes to matters of the heart. This is primarily her story so much of the book should be from her point-of-view. There is room for the hero’s perspective as long as his thoughts are centered on the heroine and their conflict. Instead of dividing the novel equally between both protagonists’ points-of-view, Desires should be more 60% heroine and 40% hero.” (eHarlequin)

The Presents/Modern line, on the other hand, doesn’t have that focus. Notice the way that Trish Morey at the I Heart Presents blog puts the heroes first:

What do you love most about Harlequin Presents? Is it the to-die-for heroes, the feisty heroines, the high stakes and passion and intense emotions, or is it the fabulous international settings?

For me, it’s definitely all about the heroes. Not to mention the strong heroines.