Emmie’s Love by Janette Seymour is a saucy romance novel from 1980 with some entertaining elements but minor gripes. 3.5 Stars
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.
Historical Romance Review: Lady of Fire by Anita Mills
The action-packed and romantic medieval Lady of Fire by Anita Mills features one of the greatest villains ever in a historical romance novel. 5 stars
Historical Romance Review: Surrender to Love by Rosemary Rogers
In Surrender to Love by Rosemary Rogers an independent woman from Ceylon travels the world looking for love. 2 1/2 stars
Historical Romance Review: This Towering Passion by Valerie Sherwood
Lovely red-gold-haired, violet-eyed Lenore is the female protagonist of Valerie Sherwood’s This Towering Passion and the primary heroine of its sequel, Her Shining Splendor, which tells the tale of both Lenore and her daughter, Lorena, from the English Civil War to the Restoration eras. 4 stars
Gothic Romance Review: The Coach to Hell by Rachel Cosgrove Payes
Coach to Hell by Rachel Cosgrove Payes is a Gothic bodice ripper romance. Georgina falls for a coachman who drives her across England to her new home, a manor filled with secrets. 2 1/2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Enchantress Mine by Bertrice Small
Despite some crazy scenes, the Bertrice Small Medieval Romance, Enchantress Mine, suffers from a too-perfect heroine and a dull hero. 2 1 /2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Wicked Loving Lies by Rosemary Rogers
Wicked Loving Lies is “The Queen of Historical Romance” Rosemary Roger’s best book! It’s a bodice ripper classic, not for the faint of heart.
Historical Romance Review: Rapture’s Rebel by Iris Bancroft
Rapture’s Rebel by Iris Bancroft is the first non-Viking historical romance set in Scandinavia that I’ve read. Sadly, it’s disappointing. 1 1/2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Silver Storm by Cynthia Wright
Silver Storm by Cynthia Wright would have been excellent if not for the slow start. However, once it gets there… Oh my. 3.5 Stars
Historical Romance Review: Purity’s Ecstasy by Janette Seymour
Michael Butterworth’s (aka Janette Seymour) second entry into his Purity trilogy, Purity’s Ecstasy, is a tawdry, rollicking ride filled with just about every ‘ripper trope and then some. 3 1/2 stars