Where to begin with this review? Sweet Savage Love by the great Rosemary Rogers is–along with The Flame and the Flower–the blockbuster historical that launched a new genre: the modern romance novel. Published in 1974, this doorstopper epic was a monumental game-changer in an era of social transformation. 4.24 stars
Author Spotlight: Cassie Edwards
For Blue Falcon’s first author spotlight for Sweet Savage Flame, we want to focus on the prolific, but controversial author Cassie Edwards.
Historical Romance Review: Savage Surrender by Cassie Edwards
This review is of Savage Surrender, book #1 in the “Savage Secrets” series by Cassie Edwards. Savage Surrender is not a great start to Mrs. Edwards’ “Savage Secrets” series. 2.24 stars
Category Romance Review: Guarded Moments by JoAnn Ross
JoAnn Ross’s Harlequin Temptation, Guarded Moments, introduces us to the princess Montcroix, the haughty Chantal Giraudeau. It’s up to Special Agent Caine O’Bannion to be on call as Chantal’s bodyguard. 3.59 stars
Covers of the Week #41 Alessandro Biffignandi
Alessandro Biffignandi was an Italian comic artist. For the week of Monday, January 17 to Sunday, January 23, 2022, here are some bright Alessandro Biffignandi painted romance covers. Enjoy!
Sweet Savage Flame: What We Are & What We Want To Be
More than just a blog where we post reviews of romance novels written prior to 2000, I want Sweet Savage Flame to be a source of valuable information regarding romance’s history. I want to know what was written, by whom, and maybe find out why. So, Sweet Savage Flame reviews vintage and old-school romances, we talk about authors, publishers, and cover artists and models. Should we be doing more?
Overlooked or Underrated Romances: Bodice Rippers
In this series, we will focus on some underrated or overlooked romance novels. As I love them so much, we’re first looking at bodice rippers. These are the historical romances that revitalized romance with their unapologetic gratuitous nature, be it with sex or violence. Some of these bodice rippers are not as well known as others we have previously discussed on Sweet Savage Flame, but we think they are worthy of attention.
Category Romance Review: Hard To Get by Carole Mortimer
Oh boy, when I read “the heroine in pursuit plot” synopsis for this Harlequin Presents, was I ever excited to read it. Heroines who are determined to get their men are my favorite kinds! Alas, when the object of said pursuit is a mean arsehole, the chase isn’t worth it. Still, Hard to Get by Carole Mortimer was a wild, emotional whirlwind. With a more charismatic hero, I could have loved this as opposed to liking it. 3.62 stars
Our Top 9 Reads (or Re-Reads) of 2021
Sweet Savage Flame’s posted over 300 book reviews in 2021. We’re making a list of our “best” reviews of the year. Let’s take a look at 9 fantastic romances–written up to 25, 35, or even 45 years ago–which we wrote about in 2021 and gave 5-star ratings.
Historical Romance Review: The Wild One by Danelle Harmon
Danelle Harmon’s Georgian-era historical romance series of four brothers and one sister begins with The Wild One. Lord Gareth de Montforte is one of the younger sons of the de Montforte clan. His eldest brother is a Duke. Another of his older brothers, Charles, was a soldier who went to fight in the Americas and is presumed dead. The family will soon find that particular brother has left behind some unchecked baggage that they will have to deal with. 1.85 stars










