If you’ve ever heard someone call The Flame and the Flower a “romance classic,” you’re not alone. This 1972 historical romance by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is often credited as one of the books that helped ignite the 1970s romance boom, the era that shaped what many readers now think of as the vintage bodice ripper.

And if you’re picking it up for the first time now? It can be… a lot. That’s why we’re reading it as part of Ripped & Ravished Book Club, where we discuss the book two chapters at a time on the podcast, talking openly about the story, the tropes, the historical context, and how it lands through a modern consent lens.

This is your one-stop hub for the podcast episode, reader discussion and, once we finish, a final review. Want the club emails? Sign up here.

Heads up: This post will be updated throughout our readalong as new episodes go live.

Watch the latest episode:

“This is one of those books where the influence is undeniable…and so is the discomfort.” ~ Under the Covers

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Content warnings (book + podcast discussion):

This book includes discussion and depiction of non-consent/rape, coercion, controlling/abusive dynamics, pregnancy, forced marriage, and misogynistic violence/threats. It also contains old-school gender norms, a heroine with very limited agency (especially early on), and themes like virginity obsession and alpha/controlling behavior framed as romantic. Please take care of yourself, read at your own pace, and feel free to skip if any of that isn’t for you right now.

What is The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss about?

The Flame and the Flower follows Heather Simmons, a sheltered young woman with no real protection, whose chance at a better life turns into a series of escalating catastrophes. After a violent misunderstanding and a desperate flight, she crosses paths with Brandon Birmingham, a powerful American sea captain, and one night changes both of their lives forever. What follows is a high melodrama, high stakes story of survival, scandal, and a marriage pushed into existence by circumstance.

Why The Flame and the Flower matters in romance history

Part of why The Flame and the Flower is still talked about is that it sits at a major inflection point for romance publishing, when historical romance became bolder, and more explicit in a way that helped define the 1970s era boom.

If you want more context on the decade as a whole, start here:

• 1970s romance history
• 1970s iconic romance novels
• Kathleen E. Woodiwiss author guide

We also reference this cultural context piece in the podcast discussion: Jezebel article

Reading Notes & Discussion (Updated as we go)

This is the living “book club” portion of the post with quick takeaways, themes, and questions that keep coming up in the episodes.

Chapters 1-2: Consent, context, and the “good girl loophole”

Listen / watch here to the podcast discussion

The opening chapters establish the tone immediately: high stakes, minimal agency for the heroine, and an early use of the forced seduction/non-consent framework that many modern readers find jarring (or outright intolerable).

What we’re tracking:

• How the narrative frames “romance” vs. what’s actually happening on the page
• The heroine’s agency (what choices exist-and which don’t)
• The story’s attempt to set up the hero for later redemption
• Why this trope existed in older romance-and why it lands differently now

Chapters 3-4: Marriage pressure + the redemption problem

Listen / watch here to the podcast discussion

These chapters push us into the “how does this become a romance?” territory. The story starts using familiar romance structures: marriage pressure, social legitimacy, forced proximity, while also escalating behaviors that are controlling or abusive through a modern lens.

What we’re tracking:

• “Provision” vs. accountability (what the hero thinks counts as making it right)
• The book’s use of secondary characters
• Virginity obsession and how it functions as control
• Whether the power imbalance shifts at all (and if so, how)

Want some company while reading? Check out this 1-hour silent “Read With Me” reading sprint (rain sounds, no mid-roll ads) while reading The Flame and the Flower.

The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss Book Review

I’ll post my full final review here once we finish the book… what worked, what didn’t, the reading experience in 2026, and whether I think it’s worth reading today (and for whom).

Join the conversation (I want your thoughts)

This is more fun when we read together. Reply to each newsletter or comment here with:

• Are you a first-time reader or rereading?
• Has the book made the hero feel more redeemable… or less?
• What’s your personal boundary line with vintage romance + consent?

Don’t forget to join the Ripped & Ravished Book Club, reading a vintage romance every two months. And if you want more recs, check out the rest bodice ripper romances.

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