Hearts Aflame (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Johanna Lindsey (Author)

Book Description

Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series | Publication Date: April 1988

Beautiful and defiant, Kristen Haardrad meets the hot, longing gaze of Royce, Thane of Wyndhurst, with icy fury - vowing never to be enslaved by the powerful Saxon lord who holds her captive.

She is his enemy and his prize - a wild and lusty hellion to be tamed by her dashing conqueror's kiss. But though maddened with desire for the golden-haired Viking temptress, noble Royce, in conscience, cannot force his exquisite prisoner to submit. For only Kristen's willing surrender can quench the blistering fires that sear his tormented soul - and heal a heart consumed by passion with a soothing balm of rapturous, unconditional love.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A dreamspinner extraordinaire" -- -- Romantic Times --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

One of the world's most successful authors of historical romance, every one of Johanna Lindsey's previous novels has been a national bestseller, and several of her titles have reached the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Ms. Lindsey lives in New England with her family.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co; Lrg edition (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816144222
• ISBN-13: 978-0816144228
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,419,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

johanna Lindsey is one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of "first-rate romance" (New York Daily News), Lindsey is the author of forty-three previous bestselling novels, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Saxon Lord and the Viking Slave -- A Guilty Pleasure!, December 5, 2004

By 

ellejir "ellejir" (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hearts Aflame (Mass Market Paperback)

While I'll admit that "Hearts Aflame" is not great literature, it is a fun romp in the medieval romance style and I stayed up half the night finishing it.

I loved the character of the heroine, Kristen Haardrad, a spirited Viking girl who stows away on her brother's ship and ends up being taken captive by Saxons when the Viking raiding party is ambushed. My favorite part of the book was the beginning when the Vikings are trying to hide the fact that Kristen is a woman from their captors. She is discovered (of course) by the virilely handsome Saxon lord, Royce of Wyndhurst, a man who, unfortunately for Kristen, saw his family murdered and his beloved fiance raped and murdered by Viking raiders five years previously.

Royce is a decent-enough hero (although he has the usual "medieval romance hero" attitude toward women--i.e. women as sex objects to be used at will) and this grates on modern sensibilities. Kristen is definitely a fiesty heroine and not afraid to go after what she wants and I did like her for those things. I was disappointed that she fell so *quickly* for the man who was enslaving her and became his mistress. It seemed a bit out of character for a girl who was so *very* proud and raised in a strong family such as hers. And she is *definitely* not the poster girl for the "No Means No" campaign against coercive sex. (I'll admit, I am not a big fan of that kind of raped-but-still-enjoyed-it sex scene that was so popular in the 1980's.)

The book has alot of action and Kristin is one heck of a tough heroine (I loved the part when she goes after Royce's cousin with a knife!) My book did *not* have Fabio on the cover, but it is certainly a "Fabio-on-the-cover" kind of book, albeit a really fun one!

Recommended for readers who like medieval romance (with warnings to those who are offended by the "woman as love slave" plotline.)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Second in a Trilology, September 27, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hearts Aflame (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second book in a trilology. The first is Fires in Winter and the third is Surrender My Love. I think this one was the best of the three, the characters better drawn and more likeable. It is an exciting book with a storyline that has plenty of action. In all three books Ms. Lindsey plays on the theme of slave/prisoner. She handles it differently each time so the theme does not become boring. This is a book worth reading, though not "her best".

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JOHANNA LINDSEY'S BEST, June 8, 2001

By 

Mary Allen "Mary B Allen" (HARRISBURG, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hearts Aflame (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a big fan of Johanna Lindsey and have read many of her books because of the way she mixes real romance and eroticism with adventure. HEARTS AFLAME is the best one yet.

The beautiful Viking, Kristen, stows away on ship with her brothers and clansmen to enjoy adventure before she's forced to marry one of the locals who she definitely does not love. But on this voyage, she, posing as a lad, and her crew are captured and enslaved by Lord Royce, who hates Vikings for personal reasons.

Soon Lord Royce finds out the true sex of Kristen and orders her into his home as a shackled servant. But Kristen is proud, unyeilding and unashamed, vowing that her Viking father will come and rescue her and her clansmen. Royce is, against his will, drawn to Kristen and her unbreakable spirit. She proves herself to be the opposite of everything he expected.

The two of them begin to want each other. Kristen readily admits it because she has been taught the normalcy of sexuality. Royce can't because to do so would only mean that he'd allowed Kristen to have power over him. The coming together of these two is nothing less than beautiful.

Soon Kristen wonders that, if her father comes to rescue her, will she really want to leave this new place.