What is Sweet Savage Flame, and who makes up our staff and romance book reviewers? Find out all about us on this page.
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All About Sweet Savage Flame
Sweet Savage Flame is a site dedicated to old-school and vintage romance. They were those books your mother, grandmother, or older uncle read. Perhaps you might have read one or two yourself!
From vintage reads to bodice rippers, historical romance to category romance, we love them all! We are all about old-school romance from Avon to Zebra. (Yes, we also cover romances published by Ace, but we forgot about them when we created our tagline. Oops.)
Numerous talented artists, like Pino, Victor Gadino, Elaine Duillo, Robert McGinnis, Roger Kastel, Diane Sivavec, and many more, illustrated the glorious covers.
The stories were sometimes shocking and not politically correct. And they were fun!
They are romances that had their day, but we look back at the past with fondness, not scorn.
Ranging from the 1970s to the beginning of a new millennium, we love this monumental era in romance and wish to keep a historical record of it all.
Therefore, Sweet Savage Flame will focus on the most prominent authors (and some personal favorites), the publishing houses, and the cover artists who made it all happen. In addition, we will blog about topics and post reviews of vintage romance books we read years ago or recently.
We Are An Amazon Associate Member
Sweet Savage Flame participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which means that we may earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, as per FTC guidelines.
Who Is Sweet Savage Flame?
Mary Anne Landers
Mary Anne Landers loves to read, write, and talk about romance fiction. Which kinds? Hard to pin down, but vintage romances hold a special place in her heart—especially contemporaries like those that fascinated her when she discovered the genre in 1977.
She reads romance to be deeply moved. She loves a story that’s deeply emotional. One that brings to life the experience of falling in love, then dealing with its consequences and complications.
She goes for a hero who can capture her heart. And a heroine she can identify with. Which is easier to find in vintage romances than today. Mary Anne doesn’t require a strong heroine. She requires an interesting one!
Her home is in a small town in Arkansas, USA. She’s writing a high fantasy romance and has plans to branch out into other subgenres. She moderates or administers several reader groups on Facebook.
Speaking of which, you’re welcome to friend her here:
Mary Anne Landers (aka arkansasannie)
Blue Falcon
Sweet Savage Flame is excited to introduce Blue Falcon! Blue Falcon enjoys books with strong female characters and dislikes “simpering Sara” or “Olive Oyl” types who constantly need to be saved by the males of the books. He also likes romances where the male characters are close and comfortable with their feelings.
“I’m not a fan of ‘alpha males’ who try to pretend that they don’t feel anything other than the comfortable feelings of lust and anger. I also like books with depth; I hate books with really shallow characters/storylines,” he explains.
A lover of various romance genres, Blue Falcon has a special affection for romances published in the 1980s, especially Zebra romances. Blue Falcon’s reviews display a keen ability to extract the “positive” and “negative” aspects of the books he reads, which we feel will add a more nuanced perspective to the site. Indeed, his reviews will be a great addition here.
You can find Blue Falcon on:
As For Me, I Am Both…
Introvert Reader
Introvert Reader is just me as a reviewer, no more, no less.
I picked up my first romance at age 12 and never looked back. This thrilling genre has me hooked. Epic tales with strong heroines who go through hell and back are my favorites. I prefer my characters to be imperfect and grow, as the story does. I enjoy all kinds of heroes, from sweet, nice guys to protagonists who straddle the line of villainy.
For years, I’ve collected thousands of paperbacks (and e-books) until my house was bursting with romance novels. Old-school historical romances are my favorites, from epic bodice rippers, family sagas, Zebra romances, Harlequin Historicals, and more.
As a reader, I also enjoy space operas, cookbooks, true crime, detective mysteries, philosophy, and history, especially anything to do with Spain and the Medieval Ages.
My other book blog:
Jacqueline Diaz
Jacqueline Diaz is what I am: a writer. I’m the creator of two historical romance works-in-progress, The Savage Noble and What She Says With Her Eyes. Both will be released in 2023.
My Official Website: JacquelineDiazRomance
Other places to find me:
Contact me via e-mail: jdiazromance@sweetsavageflame.com
I AM LOOKING FOR AN OLDER ROMANCE WITH COUSINS WHO LOOK SIMILAR, BOTH WITH DIFFERENT SHADES OF VIOLET EYES. THE POOR UNWED COUSIN STANDS IN FOR HER MARRIED COUSIN SO SHE CAN GO OFF AND SPEND TIME WITH HER LOVER, WHO IS BFFS WITH THE BOOK HERO & SAYS THE MARRIED COUSIN BROKE HIS HEART. THE LOVER LIES TO HIS FRIEND, WHO ATTEMPTS TO TAKE REVENGE ON HER, BUT FALLS FOR THE STAND IN COUSIN. DO ANY OF YOU KNOW THIS?
I’m looking for a book that is set in either a cult or a monastery. I have the cover art for it, but no clue on the title. It’s got a man and a woman embracing on a hill, while a man in a white robe looks on disapprovingly. Also, nearby is a sort of deserted western town. Would love to find this and read it! Do you know of any stories set in cults or monasteries?
How do I value my moms romance novels?