Gothic romances hold an important place in the annals of the romance genre, with dark brooding heroes, strong-willed heroines, and gorgeous covers illustrated by the master artists. For the week of Monday, October 25, 2021, culminating on Halloween Day, Sunday 31, 2021, let’s delight and take fright in these creepy Gothic romance covers!
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A Brief Look at Category (aka Series) Romance
Category lines, or series romance, are one of the cornerstones of the romance novel industry. As we document the genre’s past on Sweet Savage Flame, we’ll delve deeper into each individual line. Category romance, as their name implies, are sorted into category lines and defined by tropes.
Covers of the Week #28
At Sweet Savage Flame, we’re getting into the Halloween spirit. For the week of Monday, October 18, 2021, to Sunday 24, let’s enjoy these paranormal romance covers featuring werewolves, psychics, vampires, and witches.
Dorchester Publishing
Dorchester Publishing was founded in 1971. In 1982, Dorchester Publishing purchased Leisure Books as an imprint, shifting the company’s focus away from fantasy and science fiction towards horror and romance.
Podcast: 6 Sweet And Sexy Heroes in Old School Historical Romances
Listen to the article as a podcast! We’ve compiled a list of six sweet and sexy heroes from some fantastic historical romances.
Sweet Savage Flame on YouTube and Anchor Podcast Streaming
We are slowly converting articles to podcasts and Youtube videos. Sweet Savage Flame has an Anchor Podcast which can be heard on Spotify and other platforms. We also have a YouTube channel where you can hear and see us (sort of).
6 Horrifying Villainous Heroes in Harlequin Presents
Since Halloween is just around the corner it’s time to take a look at the scary side of romance. The Harlequin Presents line was notorious for the cruelty some male protagonists could inflict upon their heroines. Some of these books are surprisingly well-written. Yet the horrific truth is that these heroes were villains.
Covers of the Week #27: Horses on Covers
We’ve highlighted quite a few romance covers here at Sweet Savage Flame. A common theme for many is to include animals, particularly horses, in the background to demonstrate passion and vitality. Some equines weren’t content to be cast as mere decoration, however. Neigh, these horses demanded a starring role with the couples engaged in their usual passionate clinches. (That sentence came off a bit odd, didn’t it?)
The Male Authors of Vintage Romance
While women comprise most of the Romance genre readership and the vast majority of writers, there are many men who enjoy the genre, too. In fact, in the early years of romance, there were quite a few male authors, who had to use pseudonyms to publish their works.
Historical Romance Review: Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey
Secret Fire was the second Johanna Lindsey romance I read and cemented her works among my favorites. This romance set in Russia and Victorian England was released during Lindsey’s peak years of output. 5 stars









