The Flame and the Flower
- Downloads：3345
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-03-11 11:21:29
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
- ISBN：B09KMXNXDZ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Joy
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Normally I love everything by Kathleen Woodiwiss， but this is probably my least favorite。 It's just ok。 There are a couple troubling themes， but otherwise it's OK。 Normally I love everything by Kathleen Woodiwiss， but this is probably my least favorite。 It's just ok。 There are a couple troubling themes， but otherwise it's OK。 。。。more
Patricia Bay
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Exceptional BookYes it's a love story but Ms。 Woodiwiss places it during a time that makes it interesting to read and difficult to put down Exceptional BookYes it's a love story but Ms。 Woodiwiss places it during a time that makes it interesting to read and difficult to put down 。。。more
Pria
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I honestly don't know how to rate this book。 I loathed Brandon for quite a while。 He was abominable but after he leaves the Hampton household， he's an entire different man。 I understand why all that was crucial for the story but I wish it didn't happen quite that way。 And man， her clothes！！！ I wonder what they were made off。 It's just a rip away from being shreds as if it were spun out of a spider's web。 I can write it all off under the label of vagaries of time。 I honestly don't know how to rate this book。 I loathed Brandon for quite a while。 He was abominable but after he leaves the Hampton household， he's an entire different man。 I understand why all that was crucial for the story but I wish it didn't happen quite that way。 And man， her clothes！！！ I wonder what they were made off。 It's just a rip away from being shreds as if it were spun out of a spider's web。 I can write it all off under the label of vagaries of time。 。。。more
Rebecca
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I read this as a teenager and this book always left a bad taste in my mouth。 I am honestly surprised by all the good reviews。 I would not recommend this book to anyone。 If you are looking for a good old fashioned bodice ripper look to authors that do not trivialize rape and diminish the lasting trauma of sexual assault。
Athena
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Phew， what a hell of a story！
Chloe Jordan
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My grandmother recommended it to me after I told her I was going to try reading romance！ My only flaw is that there is mention of sexual assault and rape （but not a lot）， but other than that amazing！
An
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it's shameful how fast i devoured this book MULTIPLE TIMES。。。。。 it's shameful how fast i devoured this book MULTIPLE TIMES。。。。。 。。。more
iHateBooks
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There are two （arguably three） books that have had articles written about them on Wikipedia that are in the both the "American/Historical romance novels" category and the "Novels about rape" category。 The Flame and the Flower has the dubious distinction of being one of them。 Don't believe me？ See for yourself。Meet our heroine: Heather。 A teenager who has been sheltered her entire life and knows virtually nothing about the world。 Her parents are dead and she lives with her incredibly abusive aunt There are two （arguably three） books that have had articles written about them on Wikipedia that are in the both the "American/Historical romance novels" category and the "Novels about rape" category。 The Flame and the Flower has the dubious distinction of being one of them。 Don't believe me？ See for yourself。Meet our heroine: Heather。 A teenager who has been sheltered her entire life and knows virtually nothing about the world。 Her parents are dead and she lives with her incredibly abusive aunt （by marriage） and her doormat uncle。 Auntie's brother （William） comes for a visit and whisks Heather away， promising to help her find a job at a school。 Heather， being naive and distracted by thoughts of freedom misses the fact that William has been leering at her the entire time。 Also the school is actually a brothel。To no one's surprise， once William has Heather safely secluded at his house in London he tries to rape her， she struggles and accidentally stabs him。 Heather， believing she has killed William， runs away and finds herself by the docks。 There two men approach her， Heather believes that they are the police or whatever they had in London at the end of the 18th century， and the men believe she is a prostitute。 Heather， dazed and confused， meekly follows them。 They take her onto a merchant ship and present her to the captain who she believes to be a judge of sorts。The Captain， Brandon Birmingham， is the "hero" of this "romance novel"。 Believing Heather is a prostitute， he proceeds to "have sex" with her （and by "have sex" I mean rape） in spite of the fact that she is obviously a virgin， cries， sobs， pushes him away， and begs him to stop。 He does this twice more， and does things like pin her down by the arms and tells her to just relax and enjoy it。 This is a romance novel you guys。Eventually she escapes back to her aunt and uncle， but horror of horrors she is pregnant。 Brandon is tracked down， arrested， and convicted of rape。 Just kidding Brandon is forced to marry Heather to make sure that she and the baby are taken care of， and to save face。 In case you missed it: the author's remedy for sexual assault is to get married to your rapist。 Romance。 Novel。Also， he is 35 and she is something like 17 or 18。Brandon becomes extremely possessive of Heather and also takes immense delight in causing her as much mental anguish as possible by doing things like forcing her to give him sponge baths and taunting her by telling her he's going to treat her like shit as soon as they gets back to his home in America。 But he does promise that he won't "have sex" with her anymore much to Heather's relief。Finally they sail back to his home in Charleston， Virginia。 There's all sorts of drama with a jilted lover， gossip about how they got married， etc。 For some reason Brandon and Heather fall in love and then everything is ok， looking back they even think it's kind of funny how their son was conceived。 Oh my， what a romantic romance novel。I don't think I need to explain why I'm giving this a one star review。 I will never not be baffled by the author's decision to have the relationship between Heather and Brandon start with one of the worst things a man can do to a woman， and for her to get pregnant from it to add to her humiliation。 I can think of several ways for these characters to meet that don't involve sexual assault， but the author， her agent， her editor， and probably about a dozen other people thought it was great and published it。 Then a lot of people bought the book and loved it because this thing has an average of four stars。 What is wrong with you people？The End。 。。。more
Kate Copeseeley
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This book （despite its rapeyness） will always have a special place in my heart。 It's the first grownup romance I ever read （sorry， Barbara Cartland， your books were not grownup） and it was revolutionary。 that's all I need to say。 This book （despite its rapeyness） will always have a special place in my heart。 It's the first grownup romance I ever read （sorry， Barbara Cartland， your books were not grownup） and it was revolutionary。 that's all I need to say。 。。。more
Victoria
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love the beginning and characters …… but i don’t think this author is capable of ending a plot。 this mf went ON and ON until the plot was BEATEN TO DEATH。
Amanda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m not sure what to say about this book。 First off， it too me a few days shy of a month to finish it because I could not get into it。 The previous two books I started I DNF’d and I really considered doing that for this one but it’s so well known and loved in romancelandia that I thought surely there’s something I’m missing。 So I kept reading。 One of the things I struggled with was the very first encounter between Brandon and Heather。 Regardless of whether he thought she was a sex worker he forc I’m not sure what to say about this book。 First off， it too me a few days shy of a month to finish it because I could not get into it。 The previous two books I started I DNF’d and I really considered doing that for this one but it’s so well known and loved in romancelandia that I thought surely there’s something I’m missing。 So I kept reading。 One of the things I struggled with was the very first encounter between Brandon and Heather。 Regardless of whether he thought she was a sex worker he forced himself on her。 That was hard to forget about。 He was not nice to her throughout most of the book。 On the plus side once I made it around the halfway point it picked up for me。 I had a hard time with the language in regards to Hatti。 Including what the other characters called her as well as how she spoke。 I felt like she was treated like a copy of Mammy from Gone with the Wind。 It was hard to read。 I tried to keep in mind that this was written many many years ago （1972） and it was a different time。 I’m not really sure how many stars to give this， really。 On one hand， the writing was good， on the other hand I did so much cringing。 I am glad I read it since it’s so frequently talked about， especially among historical romance readers。 It’s just definitely a book that you have to go into with your eyes wide open。 。。。more
Alana D
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The Flame and the Flower was my introduction to romance， and it hooked me to the historical romance drama。 However， upon rereads years later， The Flame and the Flower has glaringly chauvinistic themes and is more difficult to love after reading other historical romances。 Kathleen E Woodiwiss is a classic， though， and it is worth a read to draw one’s own conclusions。
Julia Borazzo
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0，000000000005 （I always try to be nice with all writers that already passed through my Kindle or hands。。。 Lmao。。。 But this one was a nerve to finish）THIS HAS TO BE THE WORST BOOK EVER！ - disgusting main characters- boring
Estefania Grajales
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Entretiene。Que conveniente conversación con un gato。
Carol Waters
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Let’s be clear。 When a man forces sex on a woman it’s called rape。 The 35 year old main character in this book rapes a 17 year old who just escaped being raped by a 50- something uncle- in- law who was going to sell her to a brothel。 She is petite with raven hair and sapphire eyes so he decides to keep her as a mistress because having forcible sex with a child who is bawling and fighting is just so romantic。 So he rapes her again before she runs away。 Off to a good start。 She then goes to the on Let’s be clear。 When a man forces sex on a woman it’s called rape。 The 35 year old main character in this book rapes a 17 year old who just escaped being raped by a 50- something uncle- in- law who was going to sell her to a brothel。 She is petite with raven hair and sapphire eyes so he decides to keep her as a mistress because having forcible sex with a child who is bawling and fighting is just so romantic。 So he rapes her again before she runs away。 Off to a good start。 She then goes to the only plantation in the Carolinas where the Negresses and Negroes are paid employees。 It’s 1800。 I’m not sure that was even legal。 The author never mention what these Negresses and Negroes are doing other than saying ， “oh， Lordy！” and cooking delectable but unnamed foods。 A year passes。 After the pair read a Shakespeare play the language of the book waxes Shakespearean for a scene as the star crossed lovers soliloquize about their sexual misunderstandings。 Then another attempted rape and we’re done here。 Oh， and she was “literally steaming” while riding a horse while wrapped in a cape。 Literally。 Other than eye color， his emerald and hers sapphire， and height and a little discussion of furniture and a few dresses there isn’t much descriptive language here。 Oh， she giggles。 A lot。 Laughed gaily once or twice。 A lot of sex， a lot of misunderstanding because apparently she didn’t appreciate the raping part， and the man who prefers whores becomes a hero in the end。 The idea that the asshole you are married to will become a hero in the end very likely fuels our desire to keep reading these bodice rippers。 I think he ripped three of hers。 I haven’t read one of these books in years and am sorry I finished this one but I was on an airplane and it was all I could reach。I read this rape festival because it was mentioned in Paperbacks From Hell， an exceptional book。 The next book from PFH that I had added to my reading list had better be an improvement。 。。。more
Jill
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I just realized from Wikipedia that this book is the authors debut novel。 It is not the first one I've read by her。 I like Mrs。 Woodiwiss's writing。 It’s very detailed。 About this novel。。。。 I felt really bad for the main character， Heather Simmons， who lives a life of absolute drudgery and is treated like a slave by her aunt。 Her Aunt's brother comes to visit and fools Heather into going back with him to London。 He intends to rape her before giving her to a high-class brothel。 Heather barely man I just realized from Wikipedia that this book is the authors debut novel。 It is not the first one I've read by her。 I like Mrs。 Woodiwiss's writing。 It’s very detailed。 About this novel。。。。 I felt really bad for the main character， Heather Simmons， who lives a life of absolute drudgery and is treated like a slave by her aunt。 Her Aunt's brother comes to visit and fools Heather into going back with him to London。 He intends to rape her before giving her to a high-class brothel。 Heather barely manages to escape when he falls on the knife in her hand。 In the middle of the night， she runs and ends up on the dock only to be picked up by two men and brought to American Privateer， Brandon Birmingham， for his pleasure。 Brandon has his way with her and immediately knows she is an innocent and no whore so he tells her she will become his mistress and a kept woman but she doesn’t want that at all。 She manages to escape。 She ends up back with her aunt and Uncle until they find out she's pregnant with Brandon’s child and hunts him down and forces them to get married。 They are both not happy with the situation。。。 Heather resigns to live her life for the baby as Brandon treats her really badly。 At first glance， I cannot stand Brandon as he is a total ass but then he slowly starts to change。 He eventually does turn into the man Heather deserves but it’s not without turmoil。 You will need to read the book in order to know the whole story。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Lynn Smiley
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One of the first books I ever read that I wasn't forced to， learned to read just for fun。 Thank you Kathleen Woodiwiss！ One of the first books I ever read that I wasn't forced to， learned to read just for fun。 Thank you Kathleen Woodiwiss！ 。。。more
Gemma
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Adding old books as I delete them from my library。 Look， it’s not great in terms of morals， but it is well written and very epic。 Three stars for the massive impact it’s had on the genre as a whole。
Fernanda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ¿¿¡¡El héroe de “La llama y la flor” es un violador！！？？ Suficiente de ésta autora para mí， podría vomitar si sigo。。。 Que las mujeres aplaudan semejante atrocidad me deja helada， me pregunto qué le pasó por la cabeza a la autora para escribir ésta aberración y para que la editorial lo aprobará y publicara。 Como ser humano， mujer y víctima de violencia de género estoy horrorizada después de todo ésto。 No lo recomiendo en absoluto。
Roy Maforimbo
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When I first read this book I was just 15 years old and now I'm 31 the sensation is still the same 。 well narrated I love it ，，，，，，，，。 When I first read this book I was just 15 years old and now I'm 31 the sensation is still the same 。 well narrated I love it ，，，，，，，，。 。。。more
Mayara
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wtf was this
Jennifer Pavone
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Romanzo storico ambientato nell'era vittoriana， l'ho trovato un po' inverosimile dal punto di vista dell'accuratezza storica， quindi se siete amanti del puro romanzo regency non ve lo consiglio。Al di là di questo aspetto， l'ho trovato carino e leggero （nonostante io abbia odiato il protagonista maschile！） Romanzo storico ambientato nell'era vittoriana， l'ho trovato un po' inverosimile dal punto di vista dell'accuratezza storica， quindi se siete amanti del puro romanzo regency non ve lo consiglio。Al di là di questo aspetto， l'ho trovato carino e leggero （nonostante io abbia odiato il protagonista maschile！） 。。。more
Caleigh
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legit - i can't rate this because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THIS BOOK legit - i can't rate this because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THIS BOOK 。。。more
Smut Report
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We buddy read this book as part of our "Back to Old School" month。Heat Factor: “His warmth and passion” is “led on to his nest。”Character Chemistry: Is it abuse or is it love？ Hard to tell。Plot: Brandon rapes Heather。 They are forced to get married。 And then Brandon takes Heather to South Carolina， where shenanigans occur and also they somehow decide they’re in love。Overall: It’s all totally yikes or totally infuriating and sometimes both！Please note: This book includes rape， abuse， chattel slav We buddy read this book as part of our "Back to Old School" month。Heat Factor: “His warmth and passion” is “led on to his nest。”Character Chemistry: Is it abuse or is it love？ Hard to tell。Plot: Brandon rapes Heather。 They are forced to get married。 And then Brandon takes Heather to South Carolina， where shenanigans occur and also they somehow decide they’re in love。Overall: It’s all totally yikes or totally infuriating and sometimes both！Please note: This book includes rape， abuse， chattel slavery， and ableism （among other things）， which we discuss in our review。 What’s one thing a reader should know before diving into this book？Erin: 400 pages of not-gripping yikesness， and then apparently the last hundred pages is actually exciting。Ingrid: This is basically a case study in problematic content。 For those who cannot suspend the yuck for problematic content， know that this book has all of it。 Holly: Woodiwiss uses three times as many adjectives as are necessary， and I don’t think the love story is that well constructed。 Heather falling in love is not believable。Ingrid: Holly， did you miss the part where he has a very hairy chest？Holly: I was too distracted by her being afraid of him all the time。 And then all of a sudden deciding she was in love with him and going to seduce him。Read our full review at The Smut Report Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram 。。。more
Rachel Rooney
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It turns out that I have an extremely low tolerance for old bodice rippers where a relationship is founded on rape。 It's just gross。 Then there's the whole set in the South pre-Civil War thing。 Our hero pays his Black workers， and they just love him。 No， Nope， No thanks！ It turns out that I have an extremely low tolerance for old bodice rippers where a relationship is founded on rape。 It's just gross。 Then there's the whole set in the South pre-Civil War thing。 Our hero pays his Black workers， and they just love him。 No， Nope， No thanks！ 。。。more
RM
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Absolutely awful。 He rapes her repeatedly in the first chapter and then in the end he thinks to himself that if she still doesn't want him he's going to have to rape her。 He actually uses the word rape。 I don't understand。 Absolutely awful。 He rapes her repeatedly in the first chapter and then in the end he thinks to himself that if she still doesn't want him he's going to have to rape her。 He actually uses the word rape。 I don't understand。 。。。more
Marie Rusanen
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A pesar de aspectos sobre la mujer y las relaciones amorosas， que chocan con los de esta época moderna， se disfruta， más que nada， debido a la ternura que destilan ambos protagonistas。
Sara
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I don’t know how I feel about this book。 I’m not even sure I’m going to rate it。 I’ve been wanting to read Kathleen E。 Woodiwiss for some time because she’s famous in the romance world as the first author to follow the couple into the bedroom。 She’s really quite talented。 The book was well written and the plot was intriguing。 However， this book was published in the early 70s and that is obvious。 I knew going into this that it was a bodice ripper and what that entails。 However， I expect and appre I don’t know how I feel about this book。 I’m not even sure I’m going to rate it。 I’ve been wanting to read Kathleen E。 Woodiwiss for some time because she’s famous in the romance world as the first author to follow the couple into the bedroom。 She’s really quite talented。 The book was well written and the plot was intriguing。 However， this book was published in the early 70s and that is obvious。 I knew going into this that it was a bodice ripper and what that entails。 However， I expect and appreciate a little more groveling from the man if he’s going to behave so atrociously。 Brandon did not seem apologetic enough and the jokes they made about his assault of her once they were happy together made me uncomfortable。 The character of Louisa was cheap writing in my opinion。 She didn’t particularly add anything to the story， and she was a caricature of the jealous other woman。 There wasn’t enough acknowledgment that Brandon totally screwed her over。 He does a lot of awful things that no one holds him accountable for。 My final uncomfortable moments came from the setting and the discussion of weight。 All the evil characters are overweight and part of Heather’s beauty is clearly connected to her skinniness。 As far as the setting goes， it’s the Carolinas just after the Revolution so you get the picture。 While it doesn’t seem like Brandon owns slaves （although， it’s a little ambiguous）， he’s certainly not against the institution。 Overall， this book was good writing， good story， and many sweet and romantic moments， but it is also a product of its time and not in a good way。 。。。more
Julie Kenkel Yates
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C- maybe D？ DO NOT RECCOMEND。High school re-read which I was excited about when I found a copy at the resale store， however this did NOT stand the test of time。 I LOVED this book in high school but now I'm like "ew"1。 Major Consent issues [Rape] that were not compensated by awesome characters。 （Unfortunately， I'm OK with nonconsenting activities in my romance novels if the characters are awesome。 Not the case here。） 2。 The black slave characters in this novel are such stereotypes my teeth ground C- maybe D？ DO NOT RECCOMEND。High school re-read which I was excited about when I found a copy at the resale store， however this did NOT stand the test of time。 I LOVED this book in high school but now I'm like "ew"1。 Major Consent issues [Rape] that were not compensated by awesome characters。 （Unfortunately， I'm OK with nonconsenting activities in my romance novels if the characters are awesome。 Not the case here。） 2。 The black slave characters in this novel are such stereotypes my teeth ground into paste。 They are in the background but it still grated on my nerves。Look， I love my Alpha males but Brandon is an ass and Heather is weak。 I wanted to grab and shake her， you pathetic excuse for a heroine。 I also don't mind soft heroines， but only when the H is protected them instead of being disgraceful。 She should have married the brother Jeff！Anyway， this was unfortunate because I did have such fond memories of this novel。 。。。more
Aprile Greene
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The first romance I ever read， hidden under the covers。I’m reading this book 。again， 40 years later。 I hope my memories of the original reading are better than before。
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I haven't read any book but I can give you a general idea or description about the book 'The Flame and the Flower'。 The Flame and the Flower is a historical romance novel published in 1972 by Kathleen E。 Woodiwiss。 The story centers on the character of Heather Simmons， a young woman who is forced to leave her home in London and sail to America to marry a man she has never met。 During her voyage， Heather meets the roguish sea captain， Brandon Birmingham， and the two embark on a passionate love affair。 The novel was considered groundbreaking at the time of its publication for its explicit content and frank discussion of sexual matters。 It is credited with helping to popularize the genre of historical romance fiction and has sold more than two million copies worldwide。 Overall， 'The Flame and the Flower' is a captivating read that has won hearts for decades with its passionate and emotional romance story。 If you are into historical romances， you might want to give it a try。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I don't have personal preferences， opinions， or feelings about books。 However， I can provide you information about the book 'The Flame and the Flower'。 'The Flame and the Flower' is a historical romance novel written by Kathleen E。 Woodiwiss， published in 1972。 It is considered as the pioneer of the modern historical romance genre。 The book tells the story of Heather Simmons， a young English girl who was tricked and sold into indentured servitude in America。 There she met and fell in love with Brandon Birmingham， a wealthy plantation owner who was also a captain of a ship。 The book received mixed reviews from critics， but it became a bestseller and was credited for launching the modern historical romance genre。 The book’s popularity also gave Woodiwiss the nickname "The Queen of Historical Romance"。 Overall， 'The Flame and the Flower' is a classic novel that has paved the way for many romance novels that followed its footsteps。
tpg2
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