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
rape in romance
Historical Romance Review: Passion’s Slave by Kay McMahon
I really want to like Kay McMahon’s books, mainly because I like her female characters. However, there is one thing I cannot and will not accept about books–regardless of when they are written. That is when the “hero” of the book rapes the heroine. Such is the case with Passion’s Slave by Kay McMahon. 1 star
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
Category Romance Review: A Naked Flame by Charlotte Lamb
Sad to report, but A Naked Flame has to be the worst Charlotte Lamb book I’ve read so far. It features a wishy-washy, stupid heroine who wouldn’t know her butt crack from the Grand Canyon. 1 star
Historical Romance Review: Bold Texas Embrace by Victoria Thompson
This review is of Bold Texas Embrace, #4 in the “The Cowboy and the Lady” series by Victoria Thompson (Zebra/Kensington December 1989).
It is my least favorite book in the series. 2.66 stars
Contemporary Romance Review: The Sheik by Edith M. Hull
The Sheik by Edith M. Hull, published in 1919, is as influential to the modern romance genre as Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps, even more so.
It was a blockbuster of a success, despite its many detractors. While some modern readers may cringe at its depiction of women, sexual roles, and racial attitudes, The Sheik remains a compelling read one hundred years after its publication. 5 stars
Historical Romance Review: Angel’s Caress by Deana James
This review is of Angel’s Caress, book #4 in the “Texas” series by Deana James. (Zebra/Kensington July 1989). The book begins on a farm in Tennessee during the Civil War. 1 star
Historical Romance Review: Yankee Mistress by Ashley Snow
This review is of Yankee Mistress a standalone from May 1989 by Ashley Snow, published by Zebra/Kensington as a Zebra Heartfire. 1 star
Historical Romance Review: Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small
In Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small a beautiful Irish woman in the Elizabethan Tudor era experiences adventures and love with many men.
Historical Romance Review: Raven by Shana Carrol
Raven by Shana Carol (aka Christina Savage, aka Mr. Kerry Newcomb & Mr. Frank Schaeffer) is a riveting bodice-ripper. It’s a pirate adventure that features a kickass, resilient heroine whom I adore. It also stars a hero who isn’t worthy to lick the underside of her shoes. This is one of those books I both hate and love and wavered for a long time what rating to give it. 3.49 stars
Historical Romance Review: Stranger in My Arms by Louisa Rawlings
Harlequin Historical #90 Stranger in My Arms by Louisa Rawlings is a book I’ve read many times, and I love it more today than ever. Absolute perfection. 5 stars
Historical Romance Review: Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers
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
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
Category Romance Review: The Honey is Bitter by Violet Winspear
Along with Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, Violet Winspear was one of the three original authors for the Harlequin Presents line when it launched in 1973. Her bestseller, The Honey is Bitter, was originally published in 1967 by Mills & Boon. It had about 30 reprintings under Harlequin. Paul, a Greek tycoon, blackmails Domini into marriage. 4 stars
Historical Romance Review: The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys
I’ve put off posting an analysis of Teresa Denys’ first book, The Silver Devil, for a long time because I didn’t quite know how to critique it. If you’re a hard-core lover of old-school romance or bodice rippers, you might be familiar with this legendary novel. 4 1/2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Texas Conquest by Caroline Bourne
This review is of Texas Conquest by Caroline Bourne. This historical romance is a Zebra Lovegram, published in 1988. Texas Conquest is a frustrating book because there are good elements, but Ms. Bourne doesn’t put them together. Hopefully, she can address these issues in future books. 2 stars
Historical Romance Review: Hearts of Fire by Anita Mills
Hearts of Fire is a more satisfying sequel to the first installment of Anita Mills’ medieval romance series, Lady of Fire, than its second outing, Fire and Steel was. The forbidden romance between Richard and Gilliane de Lacey is stellar. 4 stars
Historical Romance Review: Passion’s Wicked Torment by Melissa Hepburne
Pinnacle Books’ Passion’s Wicked Torment is a balls-to-wall 20th-century bodice ripper set in the gangster era during American Prohibition. From New York to Chicago, from Alaska to Europe, this book hops around the globe and features lots of mutually lusty sex scenes, rapes, and gangbangs. It stars a heroine so stupid and dumb, she could only have been written by Mr. Melissa Hepburne himself, the author of the blockbuster bestseller (I’m not kidding, it sold over a million copies!) Passion’s Proud Captive. 3 stars
Contemporary Romance Review: A Violation by Charlotte Lamb
A Violation, a full-length novel by category author Charlotte Lamb, isn’t a straightforward romance, somewhere more between women’s fiction and romantic fiction. Like so many of her works, the major themes are the philosophy of love and what are the defined roles of being a man and a woman, especially when it comes to amorous relationships. 3 stars
Historical Romance Review: Savage Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor
This review is of Savage Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor. The year is 1776, and English expatriate Alisha Williams, 20, has journeyed west to find happiness with her only surviving relative. One day, the “men” in her settlement bring a captured Oglala Lakota Indian brave into their camp, named Gray Eagle. Gray Eagle and Alisha develop romantic feelings for each other. 3 stars
