Heart of Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

by Kat Martin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In Martin's newest, the second in her Heart Trilogy (after Heart of Honor), writer and aristocrat Coralee Whitmore is in mourning for her late sister, Laurel, believed to be a suicide. Brave, impetuous Coralee, however, suspects foul play, and so she starts an investigation of Grayson Forsythe, Earl of Tremaine, the man she suspects was her sister's lover. Disguised as Forsythe's impoverished cousin, Coralee gains admittance to his world and discovers that things are not what they seem—especially her own feelings for the roguish earl. A night of passion and a dollop of danger kick the smart, sexy protagonists into high gear, though they play off each other superbly from the start. Martin's Victorian is blessed with a strong plot and a rich supporting cast of family and friends, making this fun, full romance a surefire crowd pleaser. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
As a viscount's daughter, vivacious Coralee Whitmore is perfectly placed to write about London's elite in the outspoken ladies' gazette, Heart to Heart. But beneath her fashionable exterior beats the heart of a serious journalist.

So when her sister's death is dismissed as suicide, Corrie vows to uncover the truth, suspecting the notorious Earl of Tremaine was Laurel's lover and the father of her illegitimate child. Corrie infiltrates Castle Tremaine posing as a wide-eyed country relation whose charming figure— and reduced circumstances—make her irresistible to the confirmed scoundrel. But Corrie finds the earl is not all he seems…nor is she immune to his charms, however much she despises his caddish ways.

Far from a society column, Corrie's life soon reads more like one of Mr. Dickens's serials. But the danger of her ruse is hardly fictional: someone is bent on ensuring Corrie's questions go unanswered—and unasked.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778324524
• ISBN-13: 978-0778324522
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #253,503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #12 in

  Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Martin, Kat

• This is item 2 in The Heart Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2 1/2 stars - Good, but Not Very Original, January 3, 2008

By	Corrine (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Coralee Whitmore, a viscount's daughter, is used to ferreting out the truth in her job at Heart to Heart, the ladies' gazette she edits, so when her half-sister supposedly commits suicide, Coralee will except no less than the truth. Her quest takes her to Castle-on-Avon and into the home of primary suspect Grayson Forsythe, Earl of Tremaine, a reknowned rake whose wife was killed in the same river as Corrie's sister. Posing as a poor relation whose older husband has abandoned her, she moves in, much to the chagrin of Gray's sister-in-law Rebecca. Gray, a brooding widower, is intrigued by his distant cousin's country wife, and offers to make her his mistress, which she declines. When her true identity is revealed, however, they both have to resign themselves to the fact that the people they believed they cared for weren't real as they are forced into marriage.

On paper, all of the proper elements are there and had this just been a stand-alone, I would say it was decent, but not a keeper. However, for those who have read Heart of Honor, Krista & Leif's story, when comparing the two I feel that Heart of Fire feels almost forced and falls flat. The chemistry at the beginning of the story is wonderful, but once Gray and Corrie marry, the awkwardness between them isn't resolved well and ruins the last half of the book. Also, there were a few plot elements that bothered me and made the supposedly intelligent Corrie seem TSTL. For instance, when your life is in danger, you probably should not strike out for London at night just because your husband has injured your feelings. Though I realize that pivotal parts of the plot take place in London, it seems that Ms. Martin could have found a smarter way to get them there. Over all, an okay book that you don't necessarily have to read to follow the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unsure how I feel about this one, June 12, 2008

By	Tams (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This book left me feeling very unsure at the end.

First, the heroine lies and manipulates her way into the hero's home in order to prove he is her sister's murderer. Now this is kind of unbelievable. If you suspect someone of being a murderer do you really want to live in their home, and do something to make them potentially angry with you like...I don't know.... deceiving them into taking you in.

Second, the hero lets her stay even though he suspects she is not being forth coming. I assume this is to make the hero appear more intelligent since he is being completely duped, but do you really want to invite someone into your home and expose your family to a person whose motives are suspect.

Third, this leaves a big forgiveness scenario, and I'm not certain the heroine did enough to endear herself to the hero to achieve the forgiveness she receives. That is the reason I gave this book 3 stars.
The hero compromises the heroine and has to make it right despite the fact he has been deceived, but what did the heroine do deserve the hero's forgiveness. I am sort of on the fence on this one.

It seems the most these characters have is passion.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disguised Heart...................3 1/2 stars, January 10, 2008

By	Misuzmama (New York, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Coralee Whitmore doesn't believe for one moment that her beloved sister has committed suicide, let alone taken her baby with her. That could only mean foul play and Coralee is determined to find the murderer.

Disguised as a poor relation, Coralee infiltrates the household of the notorious Earl of Tremaine -the man she believes is the babies illegitimate father. There she will stop at nothing to discover the truth of what happened to her sister.

But what she finds doesn't precisely clear up any questions. In fact the longer she stays the more susceptible she becomes to the Earl's charms, no matter how much she despises his rakish lifestyle.

Good book with exceptions. I thought the characters were fleshed out well and the story carried enough momentum to keep me flipping the pages. The attraction between Corrie and Gray is immediate and builds through the book. Also the murder plot is rather interesting even though I didn't particularly care for the villain one way or the other. And I do believe that the entire premise of having Corrie pull off the disguise (fooling all those people) was a bit too far fetched (but hey its a romance!). An entertaining book, but not something that I'd call a shelf keeper. Might want to get this one at the library instead.

Since I didn't read the prequel, Heart of Honor, I can't comment there. But it does sound interesting - a viking? hero in Victorian England who comes from an isolated island where he lives with other 'warriors' like they did hundreds of year ago? Okaaaaay. But heck, I'm open to something new!

So this book can be read as a stand alone. Nothing spectacular, but a good way to spend an afternoon. Recommended.