The extraordinary Birmingham Family Saga commences in The Flame and the Flower -- it continues in The Elusive Flame and concludes in A Season Beyond a Kiss. (All Kathleen E. Woodiwiss titles are available from PerfectBound.)

Doomed to a life of unending toil, Heather Simmons fears for her innocence--until a shocking, desperate act forces her to flee. . . and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger.

A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman. . .and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love.

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss wrote the very first historical romance novel in 1972 -- The Flame and the Flower created a genre and made Ms. Woodiwiss one of the world's most popular writers, with 36 million books in print. In celebration of Ms. Woodiwiss's new novel, The Reluctant Suitor (2003), PerfectBound is publishing Ms. Woodiwiss's classic backlist, including the complete Birmingham Family Saga: The Flame and the Flower; The Elusive Flame; A Season Beyond a Kiss. Also available are Ms. Woodiwiss's Ashes in the Wind; Come Love a Stranger; Forever in Your Embrace; Petals on the River; A Rose in Winter; Shanna; So Worthy My Love; The Wolf and the Dove.