Bodice Ripper Review: The Wolf and The Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss

Title: The Wolf and The Dove 
Author: Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

First Published: 1974
Setting: 1066: Time of William the Conqueror
Length: 512 pages

Aislinn, the Saxon princess known as the Dove, burns with fury as Wulfgar storms through her beloved kingdom. But the Wolf isn't just satisfied with the Dove's land: he must have her as well. She has sworn his destruction ... even as she aches to know the rapture of the conqueror's kiss. 

The Wolf

Noble Aislinn grieves as the Iron Wolf and his minions storm through her beloved Darkenwald. And she burns with malice for the handsome Norman savage who would enslave her. . .even as she aches to know the rapture of the conqueror's kiss.

The Dove

For the first time ever, mighty Wulfgar has been vanquished—and by a bold and beautiful princess of Saxon blood. He must

Holding true to the old traditional writing style of the first of published 'bodice ripper' romance novels, The Wolf and The Dove is filled with a strong declaration of descriptors that bring to life the emotions, characters, and setting of the time when the Saxon England fell to the rule of the Normans.  With that being said, I can already hear some readers rebuke the harsh and unpolictically correct treatment of characters, especially the heroine and other woman in general. It's just one of those stories that must be remembered for the period in which it was wrote during as well as the story setting itself. 

The opening prologue gives readers a myth; a parody of the  warrior Wolf and his  immortal curse to only be allowed to stir when battle arose. And now it is  the time of King William's victory over King Harold. The Norman invasion and conquering of the Saxon lands. This is what brought villain, Ragnor de Marte, to Darkenwald. Sent by the future lord of the estate, Wulfgar, to secure the lands and its people, Ragnor refuses his order and instead sets about  slaying a vast majority of it's occupants, including the Lord of Darkenwald, and taking one of the Great Hall's prized possessions, Aislinn.

Poor Aislinn of Darkenwald, daughter of the fallen Lord. This heroine seems to be constantly kicked while down. Her father has been killed by Ragnor, her mother reduced to a shriveling serf on the brink of a psychotic meltdown, the great hall is in disorder, and dangerous Norman men take whatever they will. Including the woman.  Non-consensual sex is not shoved under the carpet in this novel nor delicately glassed over. The heroine is raped by her captor, and the young servant girl doesn't fare any better. In fact, the servant girl is also subject to physical abuse. Only when the Norman knight Wulfgar arrives does Aislinn get a little reprieve -- and I mean very little. 

Aislinn finds herself slave to the new Norman master, Wulfgar, as he has taken his place as the new Lord of Darkenwald, which sets Ragnor's jealousy skyrocketing. He is enamored by Aislinn's beauty and is determined to make her his no matter what he has to do to make it happen. (Essentially Aislinn becomes the bone between two snarling dogs throughout the book.) Aislinn on the other hand is determined not to submit to any Norman. But while Ragnor makes her skin crawl, she can't help but feel a sexual awareness take hold of her each time the new lord of the manor embraces her. With each passing caress and more kinder (even though it's little in display) mastery, Aislinn finds herself wondering what it would feel like to finally give in and submit -- but only to him.

Labeled and called a bastard, Wulfgar is known for not being gentle with woman. His horrible childhood created by a spiteful mother has caused him to loose faith and trust in all females leaving him unwilling to ever let himself get emotionally attached. Yet Aislinn's fighting spirit, determination, will, strength, and even innocence appeal to Wulfgar in ways he denies up until well over the second half of the story. He is determined to make Aislinn see her place as his slave, but at the same times holds her in a twisted sense of regard.

In the mean time, Aislinn finds herself the cruel butt of jokes and purposefully put down, scorned, and abandoned by those she knows and others who have become her Norman masters. When Wulfgar's bitchy half sister arrives with their father to seek shelter, matters only seem to worsen for Aislinn. For Gwenyth's hatred and jealousy of Aislinn's beauty, admiration, and all Saxon's in general, cause Aislinn to always be the target of hurtful words and menacing schemes meant to break her. 

However, much to Gwenthy's dismay, Aislinn is not the type of hero to throw in the towel and let her sorrows of the hardships take root. She is determined to continue to help her people, and make the best of what life has dealt her. Even as time passes, she finds herself becoming more and more attracted to Wulfgar, even enjoying his company on occasion. But despite her growing attraction, she is determined not to fully submit until Wolfgar does the one thing she's ever asked of him: marry her and make her an honorable lady, not his mistress. Especially when she becomes pregnant.

In Wulfgar you'll find a true alpha hero; A warrior, dominant, broken, brooding, fighting himself and his desires, and in complete denial that he has fallen for the beautiful Aislinn. Despite his crude and uncouth misgivings, just like Aislinn, I couldn't help but fall for him. He undergoes a great deal of character growth throughout the story -- albeit slowly and sometimes frustratingly. But, nevertheless, by two-thirds way into the story, I was completely enamored by him.


Conflict runs ramped throughout this story. And while I've given a rather lengthy overview (sorry) of the main actions in the story, over the course of 512 pages there is a never ending flow of deceit, betrayal, battles, kidnapping, plans of assination, a trip to the court in London, a jousting battle to see who would finally win Aislinn's hand, and a continous annoyance at the hurtful and dispicable actions of Aislinn's mother towards Aislinn herself. Conflict drives the plot then weaves in and out and all around it as the Wolf finally finds a place to call home.

Despite the repeated words and phrases -- yes, "heaving bosom", "nay", "bastard", "copper gold hair", "her beauty", and "white, creamy globes (and thighs)" are some of most common ones -- I couldn't help but appreciate the time the author invested in creating some very heavy historic vernacular both in description and dialogue. I absolutely love getting caught up in this and feeling like I'm part of the past, watching the scenes unfold. 

The characters vividly came to life under the emotional filled prose. The hero and heroine grew in character and overtime the reader got to understand the inner workings of one dominant and brooding hero. While it may not seem so at the beginning of the story, it is apparent that Aislinn and Wulfgar make a convincing and formidable couple by the end.


With both internal and external conflict being such a large factor of the story, it's easy to say that so many elements play the antagonists. Whether it's the invasion, wars, characters, or their internal struggles and obligations, each play a crucial role in the development and conclusion of the story. One of the antagonists that has never really been mentioned in any reviews is the heroines mother! I absolutely can't say anything more for she plays a hugs role in the actions of the book, but I wonder what other readers feel about her by the end. And, the ending -- hmmm. I'd have to say that this was one of my qualms. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely an HEA, but what readers find out makes you wonder 'Aislinn went through all that for why?'


Overall, this was a fantastic read! This was the first Kathleen Woodiwiss story I've read and it certainly won't be the last! I know this review is quite lengthy, and for that I really am sorry. Even now I don't think I did this 512 page book justice! The plot, the setting, the characters, and the attention to heavy historic vernacular all completely captivated me. I felt frustrated for the heroine, annoyed by the hero, angry at the villains, and may have even swooned here-and-there when the protagonists let down their guards long enough to notice the people beneath the circumstance-created walls they had erected around themselves. The only caution I leave readers with is that some of the actions in this book may offend people -- and I'm not just speaking about the politically correct misgivings. There is rape and abuse on woman. But, I do ask that readers simply look at the time both the book was written and the time period setting itself.

This post is the first part of the Bodice Ripper Revival Weekend. Leave a comment on this review and it counts towards one entry point towards the Bodice Ripper giveaway! For more details, go here.

Make sure to check out Diana's BRR on Sunday at  Book of Secrets to get another entry point!