Romance done right or rather why I love crazy cat books

What is the deal with women/cat novels? No, I don't mean crazy cat lady types, but crazy ladies that ARE cat type heroine. There's the lovely Nicholson work I mentioned previously and now this: Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump, whom I now love, love, love.
Cat is the perfect fairy-tale type of romance. Two hundred years ago, Lady Catherine ran afoul of a mean old witch. Cat lover that she is, she released the woman's familiar. Her punishment? To spend half of her time as a cat, half as a woman. For two-hundred years, or until she finds someone who loves her as both woman AND cat. Enter the good vet Garrett, a man so devoted to animals, he risked his life to save racing dogs from a fire. He's got a scar, she's got fur; can true love find them? Only in a furry-tale. (Pardon the pun, but the book? Is pun-tastic!

Rape in the time of pirates...

I just submitted the review for Ship of Dreams to The Romance Reader . An 18th century pirate novel which features not rape, but its bastard cousin, threats of rape. Now I have to admit this was a new one for me. Usually the hero just rapes or tries to rape someone (I use the term hero loosely, okay). But here the not so swarthy pirate simply agrees with the girl when she says he is going to rape her. And then brings it up again and again (the subject of rape, not you know it). Uh, where was I? Oh, yeah.
So what's the verdict here? Is it now okay for the hero to imply that he will rape the maiden as long as he doesn't mean it? Even when she is certain he does? And if she acquieses to lessen the brutality? Is that actually a yes or just a weaker no? Speak up, ladies... is rape ever okay in a novel?