PLEASE READ: Group update April 2012

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Some of you may not know me,Ive popped in on some threads,joined in on some reads,chatted with some of you but we do share something in common..the love of reading a good(sometimes a just "OTT BR" but fun all the same)book.Jeanine our mod with Karla has decided to part ways at this time,and Karla has asked me to kindly help her out..Im honored as I have being reading BR since 1979 have alot of the original's and would never part with them they are like old friends.
I know the group reads havent turned out to well,but I would love to see more buddy reads( a member can say " I have this book and would love a buddy to read with") even if its one you have read you can "lurk" and add comments.I would love you all to give us some feedback on what you would like for the group, things added? changes? Something new to try?
Please post any idea's/suggestions here look forward to hearing some. And thanks Karla for bringing me aboard to one of my favorite places to be :)

[Tammy]

Hey Sandi! Awesome! Who better to mod a bodice-ripper group than a girl who loves them as much as you do!

Congrats. :D

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Tammy wrote: "Hey Sandi! Awesome! Who better to mod a bodice-ripper group than a girl who loves them as much as you do!

Congrats. :D"

Thanks Tammy..I really hope we can get some new idea's & suggestions. It's hard enough to find these "long -time friends" they need special attention for all those who still lov'em :D

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Sandi, thanks for devoting your efforts to this group. Like you, I am a lover of these wonderful old-style romances. These epics have always been my favorites.

I'm around so rarely, I never even noticed Cheshire Catt was gone! :( I will try to participate whenever I can, especially if anyone is interested in reading Zebras along with me (the westerns, pirate-privateer and unusual war settings are my favorites).

You--and let's not forget the awesome Karla--are doing a great job keeping this forum going, not an easy task when bodice rippers are either derided or unknown by many modern romance readers.

This group is a little different than others because it's dedicated to a tiny niche (bodice rippers) of a of larger niche (historical romance) of a much larger genre (romance), that, sadly, hasn't been published for decades! Let's keep exposing these fun books to a newer generation of readers. (I should do my part and post more reviews!)

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince wrote: "Sandi, thanks for devoting your efforts to this group. Like you, I am a lover of these wonderful old-style romances. These epics have always been my favorites.

I'm around so rarely, I never eve..."

Thanks Wendy, And you are so right it's hard enough for a group to keep always active,and more so for treasured books such as these. Sadly they are getting harder & more pricey to find,these books were my escape in more ways than one at times in my life..talk about books that can take you on one wild adventure :)Even if you are rarely here that dosent matter your efforts have been noticed:)if doing another group read dosent wash with everyone,maybe we could get some members to start their own thread under the "buddy-read folder" listing.."this is what I have" (say maybe 5 books)"let me know if your interested to read?" maybe someone has that book.
Any other idea's Wendy feel free to toss them up.:)

[[deleted user]]

Mermarie has also been invited (and accepted!) mod duties. So we have the BR Old-Timer (sorry, Sandi :D), the Enthusiastic BR Newcomer (Mermarie) and the Monkey in the BR Middle (moi). :)

Before Cheshire Catt left, she and I had done some research for BRs that are available in both print and ebook format. Probably about mid-April I will get a poll up of some choices to vote on.

And, of course, the Buddy Read is ALWAYS open. I hope to do more of that myself soon.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

BR Old-Timer!? :0 LOL!! Yes I was reading these when you were in nappies :D and still love them! Welcome aboard Mermarie :)

[Misfit]

Hi Sandi, I don't post here often, but it do pop in on occasion. Glad you're taking on some of the duties here, along with Mermarie. It isn't easy keeping a group active and lively (hangs head in shame at my groups that have died a slow death).

I'm noticing older romances coming available on e-book format all the time, they are always popping up on the Kindle freebie list here and there. They do trick you up on occasion as they change the covers, authors names and even the titles some time!

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Thanks Misfit, I always watch for your "freebie's because I know you will add "older" book. Hmmm..maybe we could start a folder just for these? What do you think? Its a good way for those who dont know they are out there & they can get them.

[Misfit]

Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Thanks Misfit, I always watch for your "freebie's because I know you will add "older" book. Hmmm..maybe we could start a folder just for these? What do you think? Its a good way for those who dont ..."

Sandi, I made a shelf for *those* kind of freebies that I am buying that I've called something old is new again. You can browse there, or if you get a thread going here I can post them when I spot them.

[[deleted user]]

I was thinking of starting a thread in the Discussions folder of "Bodice Ripper Ebooks" and was going to do that next week when I'm at work and have more time to find links. ;)

[Mermarie]

Yes, we must give Karla praise for keeping the bodice ripper darkside of the Goodreads going, when others were detained elsewhere! It definitely dragged me in, and I'm definitely here to stay till further notice!

Misfit, if you'll take note or drop a suggestion as to the old romances being formatted to Kindle, I'd love you long time. lol

Sandi, congratulations on your mod position too! I believe a few of us were still rattling chains, when things got quiet, thank you. :D

[Misfit]

Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) wrote: "I was thinking of starting a thread in the Discussions folder of "Bodice Ripper Ebooks" and was going to do that next week when I'm at work and have more time to find links. ;)"

If I forget to add any, just point me in the right direction with a strong reminder. I do have a fair share of them spotted. It seems some of these are reverting to rights from the Dorchester melt down, and I think some of these authors have signed onto Amazon's KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program. Kind of hard to explain, but they give Ammy exclusive rights to their e-book for a three month renewable period. Twice during that period they go up for free, so we have to watch for them.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Thanks for bringing it up Misfit,and once Karla adds this thread I will look forward to you adding..its a great idea..I bought a few from Kobo and didnt realize I had it print! The cover was different and they way it was described I didnt know it was the same book!

[Misfit]

I've only been able to spot some if the Amazon page and/or GR page has the older editions linked.

[[deleted user]]

Mermarie found the old Kindle thread (from 2010!) here. I've pinned it to the top of the folder so it won't get lost again since it's a resource.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Thanks Mermarie! Now to check if Kobo has any of these..

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Thanks Sandi for the sweet words.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be a little busy to start too many new reads, but by the end of the month, I should have time to dedicate to a Buddy Read.

In the meantime, I'll try to look up some fun cheese to post about. Talking about bodice rippers is just as entertaining as reading them.

And Mermarie, thanks for taking on new responsibilities around here. I really do appreciate all the work you ladies put into this forum!

[Mermarie]

Misfit: Thanks for the heads up, in regards to the book's grace period. I'll keep a bird's eye view out on Amazon.com for the freebies and .99¢ specials.

Wendy--I know you're a guru in every right, so definitely point out the 'frilly' ones I have posted, which I gleaned from other lists on goodreads.com and amazon.com --which may not be as scandalous as they'd like us to believe. I couldn't bear for you guys to think I consider something in likeness to Wuthering Heights to be riding borders of propriety. ;D I actually compared reviews from both sites before adding them. "I was severely disappointed with this book. I found the main male character to be completely cruel and unforgivable. His revenge plot of making the main character feel like a whore and using her sexually disgusted me." --- Instant to-read spot. ^-^ I should have badgered her to describe her obvious disgust in more elaborate detail. Hahah.

[Stephanie]

Congrats ladies :)

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince wrote: "Thanks Sandi for the sweet words.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be a little busy to start too many new reads, but by the end of the month, I should have time to dedicate to a Buddy Read.

I..."
Sounds good Wendy,III look forward to it!:)

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Creeker wrote: "Congrats ladies :)"

Thanks Creeker:)

[Misfit]

Mermarie wrote: "Misfit: Thanks for the heads up, in regards to the book's grace period. I'll keep a bird's eye view out on Amazon.com for the freebies and .99¢ specials.

Wendy--I know you're a guru in every right..."

You don't get them all, but you do get a lot of them. Sometimes I don't realize it's a reissue until I come to GR and find the older edition. I have the kindle best selling list/historical romance saved on my favorites and check at least once a day. You can also RSS and put it in your feed reader, but that will only update with the newest top ten sellers.

[Mermarie]

Yeah, I scoured through Amazon.com and noticed 'two' editions being offered on some books. It's probably easier and less costly to merely redistribute the book in the Kindle format, than working it back into print.

I should definitely RSS a few on my blog! Thank you for the wonderful suggestion! Not only this--but I ambushed Karla and Wendy's bodice ripper collection(which is exceedingly vast), and I intend on doing it monthly, to check the availability or new re-prints. Bodice-rippers productivity went through the roof within the last few years, in tandem with e-readers and Kindle's. It's only a matter of time before we bully them back into featuring the entire Zebra Heartfire/Lovegram line. Mwahaha!!

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Misfit wrote: "Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Thanks Misfit, I always watch for your "freebie's because I know you will add "older" book. Hmmm..maybe we could start a folder just for these? What do you think?..."

Misfit, what a great idea. I keep an eye out for Kindle freebies of older books, but some obsessive-compulsive issue in me must also purchase the hard copy for the cover art. (Well only if the book is any good).

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Mermarie wrote: "Yeah, I scoured through Amazon.com and noticed 'two' editions being offered on some books. It's probably easier and less costly to merely redistribute the book in the Kindle format, than working it..."

Mermarie, I hate re-issues if they mess around with the plot and try to play PC with the era. Marsha Canham did this with one of her free e-books, so I had to buy the hard copy (Bound By the Heart, I think)though I still haven't read it yet.

I know a lot of former Zebra authors had issues getting their publishing rights back because they used so many pseudonyms that are owned outright by the publishers. Gina Robins was Connie Drake, Carol Fedderson and Carole Finch and let's not get started on my beloved Dana Ransom's difficulties buying her book rights back (she's really Nancy Gideon but also wrote as Lauren Giddings and Rosalyn West).

Until these authors can purchase back their book rights, it may be a while before we see the hundreds of older Zebras on e-format. But when they do, I'll let you know and hope you let me know, too!

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Wendy--I know you're a guru in every right..."

Guru, hah! I only play a one the internet, like this love guru:


But I think there's room in this niche-genre for more than one definition. To me there are two categories:

The Sweet: where there may be rape/forced seduction, virgin or mostly virgin heroines, bodices ripped, little or no cheating, abductions, obsessions, love triangles, purple prose (or not), LOTS of historical depth, and adventures galore. The settings may be vast and the timeline may span years. The heroine goes on a personal journey and grows while the hero is redeemed (at least somewhat).

The Savage: rape/forced seduction, bodices ripped, cheating, abductions, obsessions, love triangles, purple prose(or not), LOTS of historical details, adventures galore, beatings, and any-thing goes as far as sex. The settings may be vast and the timeline may span years. The heroine goes on a personal journey and may or may not grow while the hero may or not be redeemed.

However, they don't need to be "vulgar" (see the Purity series), just push the boundaries of what is "legitimate romance." Plus, no vampires or werewolves. Reincarnation, witches and curses are ok. But's that just my definition of a bodice ripper. Others may vary.

[Mermarie]

Oh, for shame, Canham! Do they also feature the older story as well, or just a remaster/dumb-down of the tale? That really annoys the shat out of me. It appears to me, that a great deal of people would rather Disney-fy up historical timelines/wars, to suit their over sensitivity, than view it as historical accuracy. You'll also notice, it's generally the people nagging on their reviews about the lack of apparel matching the era or their speech of the characters isn't dead-on. Yes, let's gloss over every gruesome detail of history, but ensure it's kept in a fairytale format to appease the women who tie themselves to a fictional character to the degree that they in kind, feel the violation and/or offended that they cannot censor someone else's work. Becoming overly PC just cows people into believing their own ideas should be harnessed, to keep others from being offended. Bullhockey!

We should make a thread concerning the jacked up editions being released. I would rather not give them press, or promote their ultra-intolerant PC brigade. It's just a movement and method of controlling and dictating public speech and thought.

Whilst I consider myself a moral person, at my core--moral and ethical relativism is unacceptable. If all views are equal, why do some who embrace this view feel the need to push this agenda as the "correct" one at the same time demonizing other views as "incorrect"?

I refuse to hop onto this boring, belligerent bandwagon. If I have to kidnap a few of you, and lock us in a cabin for a year to pen a bodice ripper masterpiece, I shall. I get ALL of my cues and mastermind tactics from old anti-heroes; you guys know what I read/know what I'm capable of!!! LMAO!

Okay..sorry for the rant. Lol


Wendy, I'll give you my number/e-mail/first born, to keep me in this circle, to ensure these babies aren't washed out of existence.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince wrote: "Wendy--I know you're a guru in every right..."

Guru, hah! I only play a one the internet, like this love guru:


But I think there's room in this niche-genre for more than one definition. To me t..."
Nice summed up definition Wendy:) I wonder if that's where Rosemary Rogers came up with Sweet Savage Love? all in one package!

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Mermarie wrote: "Oh, for shame, Canham! Do they also feature the older story as well, or just a remaster/dumb-down of the tale? That really annoys the shat out of me. It appears to me, that a great deal of people w..."

Mermarie that was just...an awesome post. You said everything I feel about historical romance! You might want to ask Karla about Bound By the Heart, as I know she read it and loved it. I think the villain was made "nicer" in the e-book version.

I've said this before, but the first romance I read Escape Not My Love was released in 1990. The hero is a amoral gunslinger who'll work for both sides of the law when it suits him. When the Jay meets Jennifer for the first time, he forces her to strip at gunpoint just to get his jollies.

He was a disturbed indiviual, but as the plot went on you understand why he was so bad. Anyhoo, Elaine Coffman rewrote the book years later, took out all the "offensive" acts and claimed she was sorry for being so insensitive to women or some crap like that. I don't know if it's been released on e-book, and don't care. The original was great as it did not need to made more "sensitive."

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

I wonder if that's where Rosemary Rogers came up with Sweet Savage Love? all in one package!

I think it was an author writing a non-fiction critique on the socio-political commentary of romance who coined the Sweet/Savage distinction. Wish I remembered the name of that book, but it was a long time ago and my memory just doesn't work that well. :(

[[deleted user]]

In the original version of Bound by the Heart, the pirate hero rapes the heroine after she basically threatens the whole hierarchy of his ship by flouting his authority. In the new version, that rape is removed. As to what else Canham changed, I have no clue. The villain maritally rapes the heroine in the old version, so she might have "cleaned" that up as well.

Finding out by reading the new version is so low on my TBR priorities. The old version was perfect as it was. It stinks that OP titles get reissued in a bowdlerized version, yet the original version is forever OP and, in some cases, insanely expensive. >:(

[Bobbi]

YAY to all the moderators both old and new! I would love to see this forum take off and have a steady supply of fellow BR lovers to converse with about our beloved sub-sub- genre! Thanks for stepping up to the plate!

[Carolyn F.]

Congrats Sandi - you're doing a wonderful job so far :)

[Mermarie]

Hello, ladies. We intend to lure in more BR, by simply hanging around till they get tired of skipping the group, and come in for the crazytimes. :D

Bobbi & Carolyn, what're you two ready lately?

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Carolyn F. wrote: "Congrats Sandi - you're doing a wonderful job so far :)"

Thanks Carolyn :)

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Bobbi wrote: "YAY to all the moderators both old and new! I would love to see this forum take off and have a steady supply of fellow BR lovers to converse with about our beloved sub-sub- genre! Thanks for steppi..."

Thanks Bobbi,we certainly hope more of you will join in with us..would love to chat with you all:)

[Tracyk]

Hi just want to say i'm new & look forward to joining in.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Tracyk wrote: "Hi just want to say i'm new & look forward to joining in."

Welcome Tracyk to the group,looking forward to you joining in! :)