Of the same kinds, class, or nature

YES. I think that was in Rosewood or something. It was insane. I read a lot of that in high school. So bad! There really is a lot of rape in the older stuff like Jude Deveraux (she was fond of the wedding night non con and then having the hero throw the bride on the floor and let her sleep in front of the fire and awesome things like that.) I don't recall who did it, but one of the authors I used to read at one point had the hero put a DOG COLLAR on the heroine and made her eat out of a bowl with the dogs because she upset him it was set in viking times (Johanna Lindsay's older stuff I think).

Mary Balogh has some AWFUL older ones, but her newer stuff is pretty great. I really like the whole Slighty series.

You should really read Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She is fantastic.