Sign in with Facebook
This is a list of historical Old Skool romances featuring VIRGIN heroine whose ONE and ONLY LOVER is the HERO, NO rape by another man/men or sex with another.
Requirements for this list:
This list is dedicated to Old Skool romances. Old Skool means not politically correct romances.
These romances are emotional roller-coasters with loads of DRAMA and misunderstandings. Vast majority of Old Skool romances were written in 1970s, 80s, 90s. While books written this century may fit, it's rare. So, consider before adding one.
HERO is ALPHA, authoritarian, ruthless, dangerous, dominant, chauvinistic, can be cold and controlling. He is usually possessive, obsessive and (very) jealous when it comes to his heroine. He can be cruel and/or display other not politically correct behaviour (spanking, bodice ripping).
Most important requirements are:
HEROINE is a virgin and hero her one and only lover, no rape or sex with another man/men.
MUST be a forced seduction/rape/attempted rape scene between the H/h or at the very least he should rip her bodice/clothes off.
There is at least a tangible threat of violence/force between the H/h in an old skool romance. The hero has a definite dangerous and very dominant air. In a bodice ripper, even if rape doesn't happen, you and the h both think it might at any moment, or suspect that he might actually take her across his knee or lock her in the dungeon like he's threatened. The H is not, in the beginning, someone the h believes she can trust.
As long as they meet the requirements for this list, historical romances with some paranormal elements and Time Travel romances that are also historicals can be added as well.
P.S. We will try to post a reason for removing any book that you have suggested. We do not enjoy removing books so please read all of the requirements before suggesting a book.
Books that do not meet the most important requirement (see above) will be removed.
READ: This is not the place for author promotion. If you add your own book, expect us to make our own determination regarding it's appropriateness for the list.
JennyG
2249 books
149 friends
149 friends
Danielle The Book Huntress
21660 books
4980 friends
4980 friends
KimKirt
576 books
75 friends
75 friends
Maureen
1086 books
179 friends
179 friends
Nisha
4508 books
285 friends
285 friends
Dawn
3736 books
22 friends
22 friends
Patricia
639 books
13 friends
13 friends
Joli
1079 books
10 friends
10 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-50 of 87 (87 new)
Definitely Christina Skye's Defiant Captive, it has forced rape by the 'hero', and the heroine although crippled, is the TSTL type of heroine. You'll find no sympathy for her ¬¬
willaful wrote: "Not positive, but I think the heroine of The Darkest Heart is raped by someone other than the hero. I skimmed a lot but I remember it being very rape-heavy.Same for Sweet Savage Love"
Thank you Willa for the warning!
Other readers have added books to this list which do not quite meet the requirements of it. I guess they didn't read all of the qualifications for this list.
Qualifications are:
This is the list of bodice rippers featuring virgin heroine whose one and only lover is the hero, no rape by another man/men.
P.S. I don't mind as long as kind readers like Willafull post the correct info in the comment section.
In Sweet Savage Love, Ginny was unfortunately rapped by multiple men.
Thanks for creating this, I've greatly expanded my 'to read' list. But.... I do hate that people have added to this list without reading the qualifications, because this is one of my favorite tropes and sometimes it takes quite a bit of research to determine if a book will "check all your boxes". It would be nice to have a comprehensive list without having to re-verify each book. *sighs* On that note, the following also do not meet the qualifications since the heroine was with and/or raped by other men.
Christina Monsoon's Stormfire.
Catherine Coulter's Devil's Embrace - contains a very disturbing gang rape
Ann Campbell's Claiming the Courtesan - heroine is a famous cortesan, so definitely doesn't meet the virgin heroine requirement
Natash Peters Dangerous Obsession
JennyG wrote: "Thank you Katie. :)"You are very welcome :) You've been more than helpful on the Amazon forum. I have an extensive backlist of books I've read that I'm still trying to get organized on Goodreads. I have plenty that fit this category and will add them as I go.
That's great! Please do. I'll be looking forward to it. :)
Jenny,I was cleaning up some of my lists and realized that as a Goodreads librarian I can delete books from lists that do not belong. I hope you don't mind, but I deleted the following books, which definitely don't fit:
Stormfire by Christine Monson
Devil's Embrace by Catherine Coulter
Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Dangerous Obsession by Natasha Peters
Savage Surrender by Natasha Peters
There are probably others that need to be deleted too, but those were the ones mentioned in the comments and easily verified by my own reading experience or reviews.
If you'll give me a list of other books that don't fit, I'll be glad to delete those as well. Also, I've noticed that contemporaries are now on the list. That's cool, it's your list, I just wasn't sure if you intended to include those or not.
Katie
That is GREAT news Katie! Thank you very much.Sabrina Jeffries books are NOT bodice rippers in my opinion.
I haven't read the books mentioned on the list but I have doubts that Lynsay Sands, Amanda Quick or Stephanie Laurens, Sandra Hill and Karen Hawkins books are bodice rippers. I have never heard or seen them mentioned as bodice rippers.
I got information that the heroine is raped by another man in Gypsy Lady. I haven't read it yet so I cannot confirm it. If that is true then it shouldn't be on this list.
Uncommon Vows by Mary Jo Putney is NOT a bodice ripper in my opinion and should be removed.
Heart's Surrender by Rosanne Bittner should be removed because the heroine is with other men.
Thank you again Katie.
Yes , I want contemporaries removed as well.
Jenny,I deleted all of the Lynsay Sands, Amanda Quick, Stephanie Laurens, Sandra Hill, and Karen Hawkins titles. I looked at reviews and descriptions and agree there weren't any I would think fit the bill. If they do, maybe they can get added back.
I also deleted the following:
Under the Cowboy's Control - contemporary
Uncommon Vows
Heart's Surrender
All the Jayne Anne Krentz books, which were contemporaries.
Gypsy Lady - my research seems to confirm what you said. Several reviews talk of rape by another man/men :(
Reverb - sounded contemporary, plus the h already had a child before she met the H.
Dark Fires by Rosemary Rogers - follows same couple as Sweet Savage Love. Definitely doesn't fit.
I'm very suspicious of Gabrielle & Rapture, as well as a few others but can't seem to find enough on those to confirm/deny if they belong.
I'm not sure how much more specific you can be in your description. Just a suggestion, but maybe mention that the vast majority of BRs were written in 1970s,80s,90s and to think hard before adding anything more recent? Also, I wasn't sure if you thought PNR/time travel fit. There are quite a few of those on the list now, but I can't say anything as to content since I haven't read any of the authors' work (Susan Krinard & Lynn Kurland)
Thank you very much Katie.I am not sure either about Susan krinard and Lynn Kurland. I'll have to do some research and then get back to you.
I have asked goodreads friends Sandi and Tina about Gabrielle & Rapture. I'll let you know what they say.
I'll go and edit the description now.
I hope you don't mind Katie, I borrowed your wording. I'll see if I can make the description of what we are looking for even more clear.
I see there are some Johanna Lindsey books that shouldn't be on this list. I'll get back to you tomorrow about them.
Correct me if I'm wrong--isn't the heroine in Wolf And The Dove raped by another man in the beginning?Sorry if I'm being nit-picky! Hope to help streamline the list :)
Katie wrote: "Correct me if I'm wrong--isn't the heroine in Wolf And The Dove raped by another man in the beginning?Sorry if I'm being nit-picky! Hope to help streamline the list :)"
Nit picky is totally cool, because this is a specific list :) I've read The Wolf And the Dove bunches of times. It only seems like the h was raped by another in the begining. Her mother had slipped a drug into the villains wine to knock him out, but he made the h drink with him and they both pass out and just assume it happened. It was actually pretty obvious, but the truth doesn't come out until the very end.
JennyG wrote: "I see there are some Johanna Lindsey books that shouldn't be on this list. I'll get back to you tomorrow about them."I Agree. Some of Lindsey's books don't fit either.
KatieV wrote: "Katie wrote: "Correct me if I'm wrong--isn't the heroine in Wolf And The Dove raped by another man in the beginning?Sorry if I'm being nit-picky! Hope to help streamline the list :)..."
HAHA! I probably should stop that habit of skimming books at the end. This is proof!!!
Katie wrote: "HAHA! I probably should stop that habit of skimming books at the end. This is proof!!!"Well, I have the opposite problem. I'm very bad for reading the last chapter first, which is probably why I went through with reading Wolf And The Dove in the first place. I need to stop that, but it's so hard not to know. :(
I got a message from Sandi, Gabrielle by Theresa Conway should be removed. Heroine is with multiple partners.
These Johanna Lindsey definitely fit the list. A Pirate's Love
Captive Bride
I am not sure about these but I think they fit the list. What do you think Katie?
Prisoner of My Desire
Fires of Winter
Paradise Wild
Glorious Angel
So Speaks the Heart
The following have some elements but I am hesitant to put them on this list. I don't think they fit, do they?
When Love Awaits
Once a Princess
Secret Fire
The rest of her books are NOT bodice rippers and should be removed. None of the books in the Mallory series is a bodice ripper lite.
Silver Angel is not a bodice ripper and should be removed.
Jenny, I definitely consider Prisoner of My Desire, Fires of Winter, and So Speaks the Heart to be BRs. In fact, I think they are more bodice rippery than Captive Bride. Garrick from Fires of Winter was quite the cruel alpha rapist at times. I haven't read Paradise Wild or Glorious Angel yet, so will defer to your judgement.
I noticed you didn't mention the sequel to Fires of Winter - Hearts Aflame. That one is more iffy. Kristen is a prisoner, but it's totally different from her mother's situation in Fires of Winter (less angsty, less violent) but I wouldn't be against calling it a BR there are some elements. Perhaps we need a category for 'ultra-light BR' ;) The third book in the series, Surrender My Love is not a BR at all in my opinion.
I completely agree that the Mallory novels are not BRs. Those are just standard regencies. I will remove them.
The rest, I can understand your concern about. Secret Fire starts with a drug induced rape, so I think many will say it fits, although it does lack something (tension maybe?). I honestly don't remember enough about Once a Princess & When Love Awaits to make a judgment.
I think it will be hard to avoid some of these borderline ultra-light bodice ripper type of books. There is no hard and fast definition of the genre, in some ways it is subjective. I looked up Silver Angel, for example, and several of the first few reviews have it tagged as a BR. If the heroine is held captive and/or experiences sex that's non-consensual it is automatically a BR in many people's minds. I'm not sure we can get the list down to the level of nuance you're looking for and still keep the list open to anyone making additions.
Personally, I am most disturbed by the hardcore, multiple rapes, multiple partner books like Monson's Stormfire making the list. If I'd picked that from the list - taking it on faith that it was a light BR - I'd have been rather put out by the content and would have decided the list was completely untrustworthy. On the other hand, I'd just be mildly disappointed/annoyed if I read something that was not quite what I'd consider a BR.
Yes, I know that was quite the ramble. I hope it made sense. Just let me know which of the Lindsey's, aside from the Mallory novels, you wish me to delete and I'll do so. :)
Jenny,FYI: After more research I deleted a few more books that blatantly did not fit due to past lovers and rapes by other men.
Innocent Fire by Brenda Joyce: Multiple reviews talk of the h's rape by the villain (who abducted her several times and impregnated her). Also, she was married to someone else before marrying the hero and that first marriage was consummated.
Looking for a Hero by Patti Berg:
The heroine is a widow with a young daughter when she meets the H.
The Forest Lord by Susan Krinard: h is separated from the H for some years and during that time gets married. She and hubby aren't exactly a loving couple, but they do apparently have one "unpleasantly rapey episode" before he dies and she hooks back up with the H. Plus she's rumored to have kept a lot of lovers, which is later found out to be untrue, but someone she fooled everyone, including the supposed lovers. So, something hinky was going on there.
Another Chance to Dream by Lynn Kurland: h is forced to marry the poor, untitled hero's Lord. She has several children by the Lord and years pass before she and the H are able to have their HEA.
There are a whole lot more that I think are suspect, but I only felt justified in zapping the obvious offenders. IMHO, I wonder if we shouldn't just dump a bunch of the unknowns and re-promote voting (maybe on the Bodice Ripper forum). Now that you've made the requirements clearer (not that they were unclear before), maybe we can get some good additions. Personally, I think #85-103 should go, because they are all basically the same plot. Modern woman gets zapped back in time or haunted by a man from the past or something PNR'ish. Reviews seems to make it all sound very fluffy and all about the modern woman showing the cave man how it's done. Maybe some of them are BRs, but with all the
books that were so far off base that were added, I'm side-eyeing so many of the ones where only one person voted. Some people seem to think any romance that is historical is a bodice ripper.
LOL! Another ramble. I get kind of compulsive when things are out of place.
This is a great list!!! Thanks for all the hard work you have put into it and for cleaning out the "incorrect books"
Katie, I agree with everything you said.The only exception is Silver Angel by Johanna Lindsey which I really don't think is BR lite. It just doesn't have the right elements or feel to it. (Maybe I am remembering it wrong though I don't think so.)
But as you said earlier it might cause only mild disappointment/annoyance so I say let it be.
I think I had already added/voted for Hearts Aflame. I just forgot about it. I agree that it is a very light lite BR.
I agree about removing 85-103!
Thank you very much for removing the ones you did so far.
By the way, I like your "rambles". ;)
Yes! Let's dump the unknowns and re-promote voting on the Bodice Ripper forum!!
A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught is not a bodice ripper, is it?The only BR Judith McNaught wrote was Whitney, My Love.
JennyG wrote: "A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught is not a bodice ripper, is it?The only BR Judith McNaught wrote was Whitney, My Love."
I would agree. Although there is some "forced seduction" in some people's perspective, there is no rape by the hero in A Kingdom of Dreams.
Whitney, My Love is a bodice ripper by the loosest of definitions.
Katie wrote: "JennyG wrote: "A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught is not a bodice ripper, is it?The only BR Judith McNaught wrote was Whitney, My Love."
I would agree. Although t..."
IDK, Kingdom of Dreams is on my tbr list so don't know about that one. But, I think McNaught's Once and Always is a BR. Lots of angst and the H can be quite the cold, controlling, jealous alpha. He rapes the h on their wedding night and not in the forced seduction way.
I think this is a perfect example of some of the "borderline" books where not everyone will agree. There are still quite a few Lindsey's on the list I don't personally see as BRs (A Gentle Feuding & Surrender My Love for example). I'd even argue that Warrior's Woman is not a BR, because in a lot of ways she hands her power over to the H and chose to remain in her position. It wasn't like she was a helpless victim. But, I've seen many call it a BR, so that's another example.
Oh well, I can deal as long as we can get the Stormfire's of the world off the list. Seriously?! Did the people who voted for that even read the list topic/description? That's like having a list of favorite dog breeds and filling it up with Siamese cats.
Anyway, will zap the unknowns and Silver Angel and we'll go from there :) Would love to get some great new LEGITIMATE recs I've never heard of. I've actually got one I'm reading next that may or may not make the list. We shall see...
I agree, Johanna Lindsey scfi/futuristic romances shouldn't be on this list. A Gentle Feuding and Surrender My love are not BRs and I think we should remove them.I have edited our requirements for this list yet again in order to be more clear. Let me know if you want anything removed or added.
Your argument for Once and Always by McNaught made me think that in order for a book to qualify it should at least have some non-pc elements. It can be one of the requirements for this list.
What do you say?
I'm not sure how you could make it any more clear than you already have. I think your edited version is great. The only thing I would suggest is to add a note re: whether or not PNR and/or time travel romances are okay or not.
I would rather we create a separate list for PNR romances.I added this to the list requirements:
P.S. As long as they meet the requirements for this list, historical romances with some paranormal elements and Time Travel romances that are also historicals can be added as well.
Am I being too harsh with this?P.S. We will try to post a reason for removing any book that you have suggested. We do not enjoy removing books so please read all of the requirements before suggesting a book.
Books that do not meet the most important requirement (see above) will be removed.
Thank you for this list and the removals.
JennyG wrote: "Am I being to harsh with this?" No, I don't think so at all. The list got completely out of control and included so many hardcore BRs and things that were just totally out of left field that it didn't mean anything anymore. I think we needed a clean sweep and a very specific description/rules. I honestly believe that many think a bodice ripper is any historical romance with a sexy cover, and now it's clear we're using a much more specific definition of the term. And not only that, but a narrower subset of the genre.
And I agree with the most important requirement. Hopefully that will keep people from attempting to repopulate the list with things like Stormfire, Sweet Savage Love, Devil's Embrace, etc. If we end up with some things we consider too fluffy those can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Like I've said before, I don't think those are as big a problem as the 'hardcore' offenders.
Then I believe we are done with cleaning up and can move on to promoting re-voting on Bodice Ripper group.
JennyG wrote: "Then I believe we are done with cleaning up and can move on to promoting re-voting on Bodice Ripper group."Sounds good and maybe you could encourage comments re: the ones already on the list. Could be an interesting debate & I'd love some opinions on the Melanie George books. I'm not familiar and don't have the foggiest idea if they even remotely fit.
I read the Melanie George books a long time ago,the heroine's are virgins,cannot remember if these are BR or not,just know that I liked them.
Sorry Katie, I haven't read anything by Melaine George yet. Someone recommended Naughty or Nice to me. I posted an invitation on BR group:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Almost all of the books on this "bodice ripper lite" list are on my Best Bodice Rippers list (http://reganromancereview.blogspot.co...). Frankly it's what comprises most of the subgenre though some on the list I would not call "lite."
Regan wrote: "Almost all of the books on this "bodice ripper lite" list are on my Best Bodice Rippers list (http://reganromancereview.blogspot.co...). Frankly it's ..."You're right Regan some aren't exactly 'lite' when you think of what the heroine went through, the angst level, and/or the level of cruelty from the hero. I think the "lite" comes in the fact that the heroine isn't gang raped, etc. I've heard some genre fans scoff at anything where the heroine is only with the hero as almost being fluff and unworthy of the genre. *shrugs* Guess it's all personal taste. To each his/her own. It's just further proof that BR means different things to different people. I'm not sure anyone agrees 100%. It's kind of fun to read everyone's different take on it.
KatieV wrote: "Regan wrote: "Almost all of the books on this "bodice ripper lite" list are on my Best Bodice Rippers list (http://reganromancereview.blogspot.co...)...."I agree with you, Katie. While I have given 5 stars to some superbly written books where the heroine with with other men, I don't like those stories much. It's ironic to me that the list allows the double standard for the hero but not the heroine. Ah well...
Regan wrote: "KatieV wrote: "Regan wrote: "Almost all of the books on this "bodice ripper lite" list are on my Best Bodice Rippers list (http://reganromancereview.blogspot.co......"Regan,
Regarding the good ole double standard - personally, I can't abide a cheating H. I don't want him to be a virgin but I want him to lose all interest in anyone but the heroine once they start sleeping together. I also am not too keen on the H being violent. A slap I can stomach (given the context) but start using fists, etc and I get disturbed. I agree that a good writer can take subject matter I normally shy away from and spin gold. Problem is, I have to know the writer before I take such a gamble.
Vashti wrote: "I read the Melanie Georgie books a long time ago uh,the heroine's are virgins,cannot remember if these are BR or not,just know that I liked them."Yeah One of those looks really interesting to me and I mayadd it to my never-ending tbr list. Was just curious since there were no reviews from horribly offended readers. All BRs have them ;)
KatieV wrote: "Sounds good and maybe you could encourage comments re: the ones already o..."
I read the melanie george that is 57 on the list. it was a wallpaper historical. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
JennyG wrote: "That is GREAT news Katie! Thank you very much.Sabrina Jeffries books are NOT bodice rippers in my opinion.
"
You need to remove the "Lite" from the title of the list IMO. Youre whining about xxx is NOT a BR yet you are fudging in the title. Make up your mind.
seton wrote: "You need to remove the "Lite" from the title of the list IMO. Youre whining about xxx is NOT a BR yet you are fudging in the title. Make up your mind."Actually the 'Lite' portion was just recently added in the last day or two as a way to make the purpose of the list MORE clear because of all the books that were being added that clearly didn't fit. Actually, all the books on the list (as of now) were added pre-name change. It used to be simply 'One and Only Bodice Rippers'. This list is JennyG's baby, so she can feel free to disagree with me, but...
Jeez-oh-freaking-Pete this has been a nightmare to define and I don't know why?! Under the original name we get all the infamous multi-partner, gang rape BRs (Stormfire, Sweet Savage Love, etc). Plus, we get a lot of basic regencies, some of which I enjoy - but they aren't BRs. Also, we get contemporaries and other things that I just didn't understand. Books where the reviews gave a basic consensus of 'oh this was so sweet and flufftastic'. BR's may have sweet moments, but that's definitely not the overall feel or how most people describe them. Usually you see several long involved rants about how WRONG the book is and what a shit the hero is.
So, 'lite' was an attempt to clear things up, but it's possibly only muddied the water. It started when there was a discussion somewhere on the forum where the term 'lite bodice ripper' was coined in response to those who feel a "true" BR by definition contains the multi-partner, gang rapes, etc. So, we're thinking the one-and-only type are possibly more of a sub-genre that is considered 'lighter' than the "true" BR. Argh, so frustrating. Perhaps this list is an impossible task. And this part is most definitely a huge whine - if people would READ the description/requirements it would solve at least 1/2 the problems. At least the ones that got Stormfire and Sweet Savage Love on there. Thus ends my whine.
So if you have any advice on a new title, description, etc, etc. PLEASE share.
Oh, ok. Glad that terrible idea is only a few days old :-)Just say that u want old skool. Splitting hares on what or what is not YOUR definition of BR means that u will keep on wearing out that delete button. Keep on deleting, yo!
Regan wrote: It's ironic to me that the list allows the double standard for the hero but not the heroine. Ah well...You are right, I am guilty of the double standard but only when it comes to romance novels. ;)
That was my conscious decision when I was first creating the list. I don't like a cheating hero but I can read the book and still love it. I usually love and hate those books. Since I identify with the heroine too much while reading a book I cannot handle her cheating or being raped.
I do have a no cheating bookshelf that I'll try to create a list out of soon.
EDITED TO ADD: Here is the list of
No Cheating Hero Romances
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Same for Sweet Savage Love