Maybe because despite knowing that the type of man like Clayton would bring more pain than pleasure and peace in a relationship in real life, I still secretly wish my future man would express some (not all) of Clayton’s characteristics – the passionate, unbridled side of him when it comes to caring and loving the woman of his dream. Trigger warnings include rape and possible emotional manipulation from the hero toward the heroine.īut somehow, I still find this novel enjoyable, to some extent, and was captivated by the whole journey of Whitney and Clayton going through multiple misunderstandings – mainly caused by the lack of communication between the two, and the jealous nature of Clayton – to finally realize their dream of perfect love. And how Clayton was portrayed was signature of the “bodice ripper” genre at the time Judith wrote this novel, so I totally understand why she would create such an intimidating hero with an aggressive and doubtful nature, but at the same time so passionate and invested in his feelings towards Whitney.

However, the world existing in this book is not real life, and it was in the 19th century no less – the time in which women were still considered men’s property.

“Whitney, My Love” is the typical “bodice ripper” historical romance novel, featuring an alpha male – Clayton Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore – whom I think no woman with a sensible mind in real life should be involved with, let alone falling in love, and then getting married to, like what Whitney Stone did in the story. This is the first book that Judith McNaught wrote (although not the first one by her to be published), and that explains why it is problematic.

Whitney my love book