The Angélique novels
By Anne and Serge Golon

I came of age with this series. They were the European equivalent of Gone with the Wind. The books were romantic extravaganzas about the epic exploits of the beautiful and indomitable Angélique—growing up in Louis XIV's France, moving from royal mistress to wife to New World pilgrim. Ravishing and ravished regularly, Angélique introduced me to sex, bodice ripping, history and the power of the blockbuster novel. My mother so disapproved that she tried to hide these books from me. If you have teenage daughters, make sure they are reading something equally shocking. That's how you know they're growing up. [Out of print]