Sylvie F. Sommerfield’s California-set bodice ripper Tazia’s Torment is not a bad book, but it’s not as good as it could have been. 3 Stars
Category: Bodice Ripper
Bodice Ripper is a category designation under Historical Romance. The books usually have tropes of forced seduction, plots where the hero rapes the heroine or uses force, multiple partners, and long separations. They were published in the 1970s to 1990s and are no longer in vogue.
Dueling Reviews: Texas Star by Deana James, #2 (IntrovertReader)
We’re posting a pair of Dueling Reviews where our reviewers have two very different opinions on Texas Star by Deana James. Here is IntrovertReaders’ take. 5 stars
Dueling Reviews: Texas Star by Deana James, #1 (Blue Falcon)
We’re posting a pair of Dueling Reviews. Here is Blue Falcon’s take. Texas Star a Zebra western romance by Deana James is not the worst book I’ve read, but it does rank in my list of top ten worst ever. .5 star
Historical Romance Review: Brazen Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor
Brazen Ecstasy is the best of Janelle Taylor’s first four books in the “Ecstasy/Gray Eagle” series so far; not flawless, but very, very good. 5 Stars
Historical Romance Review: The Captain’s Vixen by Wanda Owen
Sometimes one can tell when a book is the first an author has written. Such is the case with The Captain’s Vixen the debut by Wanda Owen. This was not a great first book. 2 Stars
Historical Romance Review: Passion Flower by Jennifer Horsman
This review is of Passion Flower by Jennifer Horsman, a 1983 Zebra historical romance set during the colonial era in Jamaica and Virginia.
Historical Romance Review: Rapture’s Rendezvous by Cassie Edwards
Rapture’s Rendezvous is not one of Cassie Edwards’ bests. The characters vacillate between whiny and likable in this historical romance. 2.5 Stars
Historical Romance Review: Forbidden Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor
This review is of Forbidden Ecstasy (“Ecstasy/Gray Eagle Series #3″) by Janelle Taylor. The “Stockholm Syndrome romance” between Gray Eagle and Alisha keeps me from giving Janelle Taylor’s Forbidden Ecstasy a five-star rating. 4 Stars
Historical Romance Review: Hearts Aflame by Johanna Lindsey
With her 14th book, Lindsey was on a roll, writing blockbuster romance after blockbuster romance. Hearts Aflame was the sequel to Lindsey’s third book, Fires of Winter.
Historical Romance Review: The Golden Sovereigns by Jocelyn Carew
The Golden Sovereigns is unlike any bodice ripper I’ve ever read. It’s very difficult to rate or categorize as it defies genre conventions. Jocelyn Carew is an absolutely skillful writer to make me enjoy a book where the heroine, Carmody, doesn’t meet her hero until page 270 of this 404-page epic. This is the kind of bodice ripper where the heroine’s journey is the real tale, however, the hero is not a mere prize she wins at the end; he’s a balm to heal her damaged soul. 4 1/2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Tempt Not This Flesh by Barbara Riefe
Barbara Riefe’s Tempt Not This Flesh was yet another inexplicable bestseller for the gender-bending author whose real name was Alan Riefe. 2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Defiant Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor
This review is of Defiant Ecstasy Book #2 in the “Ecstasy/Gray Eagle” series by Janelle Taylor. Defiant Ecstasy begins by filling in details of what occurred at the end of the first book, Savage Ecstasy. 4 Stars
Historical Romance Review: Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri
This review is of Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri, a bodice ripper that Zebra books published in 1982. Right after I finish posting this review, this “romance novel” is going into my trash bin. 0.75 stars
Historical Romance Review: Dangerous Obsession by Natasha Peters
Dangerous Obsession is the sequel to Natasha Peters’ first book, Savage Surrender, although the relation between the books is not revealed until midway through this 630 page epic. 5 stars
Two Gay Romance Firsts: The Happily Ever After Ending and Clinch Cover
Gordon Merrick created the legendary Peter & Charlie gay romance series. The trilogy portrayed the first mainstream love story between two men that concluded happily ever after. Another milestone in gay fiction occurred when they were reprinted in the 1980s. A young artist named Victor Gadino illustrated the iconic clinch covers. Never before had two men been pictured so intimately on romance novels.