Ellen Michaels on the Cover of The Flame And The Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Title: The Flame And The Flower
Author: Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Publication Year: 1972
Publisher: Avon Books
Cover Model: Ellen Michaels
Cover Illustration: Robert McGinnis

I am featured as the Cover Model for this historical romance novel, The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, which was published in 1972 by Avon Books. It is the first modern "bodice ripper" romance novel. It revolutionized the genre featuring a deep plot, an independent heroine, and intense physical passion.

Heather Simmons (The Flower), a young, innocent, and mistreated girl on the run from a life of toil and danger finds refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger, Captain Brandon Birmingham (The Flame), leading to a passionate love affair.

Abducted aboard his ship, Heather is swept away from the cobblestone streets of London to the grand, wealthy plantations of Charleston. Amidst high-society scandals and bitter family rivalries, her initial terror transforms into a fierce, consuming love that redefines her destiny.