Customer Reviews

Hidden Fires

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Deborah Stanton and Morgan Randall were in love. They decided to be married and live wherever Morgan's military career took him. Then, Deborah's mother died. Deborah's older sister, Gertrude, was about to be married and refused to take in their younger sister, Alice. Deborah's father was a sailor, gone to sea for years at a time. He opposed the marriage and threatened to have it annulled.

Deborah did not want Alice raised by a housekeeper and with all the opposition, she told Morgan they would have to wait, at least until Alice became an adult. Morgan was enraged and left to return to his regiment.

Seven years later, Morgan returns. Having inherited a title, he is now rich Lord Treverly. Deborah has become a tired, unpaid nursemaid for Gertrude's children while the beautiful Alice is being groomed for a spectacular marriage.

Morgan barely recognizes Deborah. Gertrude encourages a match between Morgan and Alice while Deborah fades into the background. Deborah's new friend Lady Horatia Torrington almost succeeds in bringing out some assertiveness in Deborah but, no, she remains full of self doubt and hopeless love for Morgan.

A long book made interminably longer by the pathetic heroine's hopeless longing for the uncaring hero.

Morgan and Deborah are in love but are separated when Deborah is forced to choose between him and her family.

Hidden Fires contains a well-written, fast paced story of young love, lost love, and found love. It's the story of a love that never disappeared.

The hero is a dashing, handsome, true Alpha male. The heroine is smart, caring and brave. The secondary characters are entertaining.

An action-packed ending takes care of all the characters to my satisfaction.

I've read some of the author's other books and enjoyed them immensely but Hidden Fires has always been my favorite. I've always wondered about the author and looked for news about her. However, I found nothing. It seems she stopped writing years ago.

In the meantime, I tightly hold on to my copy of this out-of-print book and re-read it every once in a while. I love Hidden Fires. It's always been an enjoyable read for me.

By the way, there are two different covers for this book. My favorite is the second image shared in the 'customer images' section. It depicts the couple against the background of a manor house and ships at sea. This is an accurate depiction of the story setting.

Fafa Demasio