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We wrapped up our “Mothers of Romance” month with one of the most emotionally divided episodes we’ve recorded. Nicole found a five-star Scottish historical romance she genuinely adored while Meghan descended into a rage spiral over one of the most influential — and deeply troubling — romance novels published.
Nicole Danielle’s Book: The Bride by Julie Garwood
Nicole kicked things off with The Bride by Julie Garwood, a 1989 historical romance featuring marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers tension and a surprisingly effective murder mystery subplot. Jamie Jamison, an English noblewoman forced into marriage with Scottish laird Alec Kincaid, quickly won Nicole over with her intelligence, stubbornness and ability to throw a dagger at a bandit without hesitation.
The novel also delivered exactly what many readers want from historical romance: witty banter, Highland world-building and a relationship that slowly develops through mutual respect and attraction. Nicole especially loved Garwood’s writing style and the mystery surrounding the murder of Alec’s first wife, admitting she spent most of her recent Wisconsin trip sneaking away to read just to figure out who the killer was.
Meghan Leigh’s Book: The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Meanwhile, Meghan tackled The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, the 1972 historical romance widely credited with helping launch modern romance publishing. While Meghan acknowledged Woodiwiss’ lush prose and immersive historical descriptions, the actual content sparked one of our most serious discussions to date.
We dived heavily into the book’s repeated sexual violence, coercion and harmful relationship dynamics. Meghan argued that while the novel may have been considered groundbreaking in the 1970s, modern readers can clearly see the ways older romance novels normalized abusive behavior and blurred the lines between love, jealousy and control.
Nicole and Meghan also reflected on how these books shaped generations of romance readers — especially women raised on historical romances where emotionally unavailable and controlling men were routinely framed as ideal partners. Our discussion became less about simply reviewing a book and more about examining how romance fiction has evolved over the decades.
At the same time, Meghan acknowledged why Kathleen Woodiwiss became so influential. Her writing style, vivid descriptions and willingness to include explicit intimacy changed the publishing industry forever and opened the door for generations of romance authors who followed.
Have you read either of these romance novels? What did you think of them? Comment below! We’d love to hear from you.
Interested in reading these historical romances yourself? You can get The Bride here:
And you can get The Flower and the Flame here:
Want to listen to the podcast episode? We’re available on pretty much all your favorite podcast streaming services. Or you can visit our podcast player page here.
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