forced-seduction

Life During Wartime

Life During Wartime

Avon’s publication of Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan in 2007 sparked quite a conflagration online. Campbell’s unapologetic use of captivity and sexual force generated a great deal of discussion and controversy, some of which is captured nicely in Sarah Wendell’s review and its attendant comments. Many readers characterized the book like Mala Bhattacharjee does, as(…)

REVIEW:  The Price of Innocence by Susan Sizemore

REVIEW: The Price of Innocence by Susan Sizemore

Dear Ms. Sizemore, I loved The Price of Innocence. And, I expect to get grief from a few for doing so. The relationship between your leads, Jack and Sherrie, begins with what could be called at best forced seduction and what will be seen by some as rape. This trope makes many crazy. Before I began(…)

REVIEW: Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Paris

REVIEW: Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Paris

Dear Ms. Paris, Around the time we were having the discussion of rape fantasies here at DA, Jane asked for recommendations of books similar to Cara McKenna’s Willing Victim, and your novella, Petals and Thorns, came up on Twitter. Reader MaryK, who hadn’t read it, thought it might fit the bill of what Jane was(…)

Is there Such a Thing as Feminist Sex?

[Fleur] thought about Jake. His erotic pull on her grew stronger every time she saw him. She didn’t trust him, but she wanted him. And why couldn’t she have him? She turned the idea over in her mind. No emotional commitment. Just good, dirty sex. That’s all her attraction to him had ever been about.(…)

Of Rape and Rape Fantasies

Note: This reader emailed me yesterday and wanted to share this story with me. I didn’t think it belonged in the comments even though the topic of this piece is on point.  I also thought we should post it today rather than allow another week to pass because of its relevance. Without further ado, from(…)

REVIEW:  Untouched by Anna Campbell

REVIEW: Untouched by Anna Campbell

Dear Ms. Campbell: I realized reading your new release Untouched that for me your books are fundamentally a revisiting of older Romance motifs, with both retro and current elements. At your best, your work brings out the best of both past and present Romances, because you are often examining some of the more provocative elements(…)

REVIEW:  Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell

REVIEW: Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell

Dear Ms. Campbell, Much has been said about your debut, Claiming the Courtesan. Arguments raced round and round the blogosphere; discussions sprouted from here to Jennifer Crusie's blog. After reading comments from people who reviled the book to comments from people who adored it, I decided to read it and see for myself what the(…)

REVIEW: Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell

Readers were arguing about Anna Campbell's debut, Claiming the Courtesan, before it was published. An Avon historical that was actually offending readers? This I had to see. And as I sat down to read, I expected to be shocked, looked forward to it, even, because I was really craving a book that shook up my(…)

Read Enough Romances and Rape Is No Longer Rape

I was a bit flummoxed to read a post on columnist, Michelle Buonfiglio’s blog today. there is a scene that could be read by the uninitiated romance fiction reader as flat-out rape. That is the line from the post entitled “You Know She Wanted It”. The post itself is about controversial debut book by Anna(…)