Rating: 
Summary: Gotta love the Birminghams!!
Review: I absolutley loved this book! This was one of the first books that I bought that began my book collection years ago, and I have been hooked on Kathleen Woodiwiss ever since! I love all of the Birmingham stories and have bought them all and read them over and over. The Birmingham men are hilarious and as different as day and night! That's what makes them so great to read. Brandon, while a little pushy(let's face it, what man isnt!), truly loves Heather and takes care of her. He brings her to a whole new life and gives her a family. My favorite part of the book is when Brandon defends Heather against her aunt. Gotta love a nice, strong man!!
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Summary: My Favorote Novel of All Time!!!
Review: I first read this book when I was in the 8th grade. I read the entire book in one day and night. I couldn't put it down. I remember my mother giving me the book, because I was home sick. After that, I read all the Kathleen E. Woodiwiss my mother had. Through the years, I have always gone back to her books and never been disappointed. Whe The Elusive Flame came out, my entire family re-read the Flame in preparation. I can always go back to this book. For years, I could recite the first page. This was the Number One book that made me fall in love with romance novels. To this day, I have to read her books all the way through in one sitting!!
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Summary: This book disgusted me.
Review: I cannot say enough bad things about this book. It is disgusting, and I hated both of the characters. The heroine is a weak-minded fool who falls in love with her rapist, and the hero IS her rapist. And no, the time and the era does NOT justify what he did to her. The definition of rape is when one of the partners is unwilling - and I can remember Heather very clearly protesting. And when she becomes pregnant, Brandon actually has the gall to be upset with her. And not only that, but after they are married and Heather is too traumatized to make love due to her horrible first sexual encounter, Brandon tells himself that he will have her anyway - even if it comes to rape. So there you have it. The man is a rapist and a disgusting person in general. Certainly not a guy to fall in love with, or even like.
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Summary: Magic
Review: It's one of the best books i've ever read. Kathleen Woodiwiss left really nothing to imagination... she describes all so well and you can really feel the atmosfere and feel part of the scene. I really appreciated the character of Heather, very feminine and sweet.
Rating: 
Summary: Hey, Three Stars Is An Improvement!
Review: I used to not think anything of this brick of a book. But time has passed, and recently when I read it again I could see some of the gems other readers have seen that I took for rocks before. I have to say that no, this having been written in the 1970's is not an excuse for forcible intercourse--for rape. The ultimate love can be born from clumsy lust? I don't think so. But of course, we have to get Heather pregnant somehow, otherwise where's the rest of the book? To have her gently seduced would somehow taint her morality, of course.Neither Brandon nor Heather are prisms of character. Both are apparently the epitome of beauty for their respective sexes, and this is good enough to make up for personality. When either is met by a member of the opposite sex--provided they have functioning sex drives--they are drooled upon and over again...and again...and again. Yeah, okay, we get it. But there's a lot of good here lacking in other novels. For instance, the plot is quickly paced and will carry you along into one of those all night reading sessions. Woodiwiss' prose is a little florid, but thankfully not boring. The story itself is a good and engaging one. And hats off to Jeff Birmingham, who's one of the most likeable fellows in all of fiction. I'd recommend reading this if for no other reason than to be culturally literate in the romance genre.
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Summary: The Original Classic
Review: This too was my first romance book, from years ago. It's still a classic, still one of the best, and probably responsible for most of us continuing to read romance novels... And yes, a lot of thoughts and feelings did seem to be based on what the characters looked like. The other reviewer was right, bad meant ugly, good meant beautiful. I wouldn't have used rape for the story, but since the author did, I will say that she carried us through it well. And ...there's something about this book, several reasons why it's ended up as a long-standing favorite among lots of readers. Maybe it was the day to day life and activities aboard the ship, wondering if the next day would be happy or uncomfortable. I was always interested in what Brandon would say in each scene. The brother Jeff was great and appealing, much more so than in his own story. A great read, one to hold onto, one worth rereading.
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Summary: THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER READ! TOTAL TURN-OFF
Review: If you think that an abuduction leading to a flat out rape (no not even heavy seduction here) followed by an extended period of abuse and negligance is romantic, then you will love this book. Personally, it makes me want to wretch. The heroine never fights back. She merely accepts the horrific treatment from the abuser (Oops!) I mean hero Bast-(Oops again!) Brandon. She never even yells! Not to mention that virtually every man, save her brother in law, attempts to rape her. Nice, really. No really. This is exactly what my daydreams are filled with! Please this is disgusting.
Rating:
Summary: Potential for goodness
Review: Ok, the basic premise of the story is good, I do see a certain chemistry between Brandon and Heather. I slightly overlooked her young age. If this story were to be re-written or just touched up some it could have much more potentional for a great book. The thing that really bothered me most that made the book slightly unenjoyable, was all of the rapes and attempted rapes. I know that a rape is the premise of the story and that was handled not badly considering the time frame, HOWEVER how many times can poor Heather be almost raped. Im not kidding I think I counted atleast 5 times ATLEAST! not to mention other rapes in the book, They really did not seem necessary to the plot. So if you can get past the overdose of attempted rapes, its actually a pretty ok book
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Summary: Unforgettable!
Review: I was absolutely taken away with _The Flame and the Flower_! I was so intrigued by her specific detail of the characters. Also, with romance, mystery, and murder combined into one novel, what more could one ask for? Page turing, heart warming, and truly unforgettable! I wanted, so desperately, for the story to continue with Brandon and Heather's love. Don't miss this book!
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Summary: Not the best KEW but still good
Review: Along with all of KEW's early books I read this book years ago and have re-read it over the years. I just finished re-reading it yet again and I still enjoyed it but not as much as "Shanna" or "The Wolf and the Dove". I'm not one for political correctness, but I really hated Brandon in the beginning. Let's be blunt, he pretty much rapes Heather those first times. I guess that's the reaction you're supposed to have to him - just as Heather does. And she is a bit wimpy but, as other reviews have pointed out, she's a very naive 18 and he's a wordly 35! But Brandon starts to redeem himself pretty early on displaying some humor and caring to go along with all the anger and impatience and the reader starts to fall for him slowly as does Heather. But I must say, once they finally get together, I lost interest. The background story of the murdered women and the man from Heather's past wasn't as strong as the background stories/mysteries in some of KEW's other books. But I did think this one had some great supporting characters. Brandon's brother Jeff was funny, mischievous and so charming! I would have dumped Brandon for Jeff in a heartbeat! Hatti was the truth-teller and mother figure for both Heather and Brandon - think "Mammy" from "Gone With the Wind". Not KEW's best, but still a great read and as others have pointed out, though written in 1972, it still holds up.
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