Customer Reviews

Seize the Fire

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Usually I give a plot synopsis of the book under review, but I think in this case I'll just give my reactions to the protagonists, because that's what the book is basically about: Sheridan Drake, naval hero, blackguard, and secret musician, and Olympia, exiled princess and misguided, naive revolutionary. Sheridan is the very flawed but very vulnerable hero of STF. He can act so despicably that he leaves other alpha jerks in the dust, but there are glimpses of deep nobility in him that prevents him from being a total villain. As the story progresses, his actions make it obvious that he is inherently honorable (and this is important--Kinsale *shows* rather than simply telling that he's decent), but that life has given him hard knocks and he's had to do make difficult choices in his life just to survive. His life up to when he meets Olympia has been aimless, but being with her causes him to re-evaluate his life and to believe in goodness again.

Olympia by herself is not an instantly loveable character, but then I don't think she's meant to be. In the beginning, the best thing that can be said about her is that she has principles and that she tries to stick to them. She's very aware of her shortcomings and we sympathize with her when she feels hopeless to reach Sheridan when he retreats into himself. Her experiences with him make her stronger and slowly remove her rose-colored glasses. Both of them gradually show incredible depth. Their relationship as a couple--how they struggle to help each other overcome their demons, and also how they bring out the best in each other--is truly beautiful and poignant. They know that they love each other, but just knowing that is not enough, and they have to fight and go through a lot of pain in order to stay together. This is what elevates the love between these two above and beyond what is normally encountered in romance novels. They are two outsiders who will probably always remain outside of society, so basically they have the world in each other. That may sound extreme but it's entirely fitting for both characters.

The pacing of the plot in this book is less than stellar, and some aspects of the Turkish slavery/Arabian capture were confusing. However, by this point, I was too engrossed in their relationship to really care. Ms. Kinsale is one of the best authors out there when it comes to exploring a relationship; she finds ways to describe human emotions that just grab you and make them seem real. Normally I'm not a weeper, but I'll be darned if this book didn't make me cry two--OK, three times. I re-read it and it still moves me. Seize the Fire may not be for everyone, and you have to be in a certain mood to really get into it, but do give it a try; it's sure to be a memorable experience.

Olympia St. Ledger is a princess. A princess in trouble. She is being forced into marriage with her uncle so that he may gain the throne.

Alone and afraid, Olympia seeks out the help of Sir Sheridan Drake, a decorated war hero. Sheridan agrees to accompany her and offer his aid in a mission to save both Olympia and her country. Sheridan's and Olympia's relationship blossoms into an intense love affair as together they survive many hardships at the hands of those who want to stop them. It is during this journey that Olympia learns not only of loyalty and courage, but that things are not always as they seem.

"Seize the fire" was an AMAZING read. It was a very emotionally intense story that left me feeling a bit drained and sad at times, but wow was it worth it. I loved The characters of Olympia and Sheridan. Sheridan especially was unforgettable. He was so tortured, and clever, and cynical to the point where it was amusing. His personality was brilliantly created by Kinsale.

"Seize the Fire" is yet another example of Laura Kinsale's unbelievable talent. I have read much of her work, but I have to say that this may very well be her best IMO.

A DEFINITE keeper.

Sheridan is a more realistic character than I've run across in any romance book. He has fears and nightmares and though it may be selfish he survives for himself. You want to hate him for his callousness but at the same time he's slowly revealed to us as a man who was forced into ugly realities of war at the age of 10. He survives through guilt and the tortures of his past and nightmares of the present by being the way he is. On the outside he's labelled a hero for his deeds but he feels no glory in it as many veterans don't. He doesn't go looking for it but it seems to follow him none the less Like many of Linda Kinsales characters he has many many layers.

The Princess I didn't like in the beginning because she was naive to the point of being annoying but through out the book she grows and then I did come to like her and found her to the perfect chink in Sheridan's imperfect armor. He may not be a great hero but he's her hero.

A truly emotional read and the kind romance I love.

Seize The Fire by Laura Kinsale is not a typical romance novel, though it certainly belongs to the genre. For a reader of romance who is new to Laura Kinsale, I would recommend Flowers From The Storm by Laura Kinsale, a deserved romance classic and a personal favourite, as an introduction to the author. My very favourite Kinsale is The Shadow and The Star, which would be on my top 20 list of all time great romances. However, Seize The Fire might be a bit too dark or non-mainstream for many romance readers, something it has in common with The Prince of Midnight.

Seize The Fire is set in 1828. Sir Sheridan Drake, a rather amoral character to put it mildly, has retired from a naval career to his deceased father's estate in rural England. A naive, idealistic minor European royal in exile, Princess Olympia St Leger, seeks the aid of a man who she believes to be a naval hero. Olympia has been influenced by the revolutionary ideals of her former tutor and she wants freedom for a country which she has never seen (her deceased parents' homeland, a tiny kingdom in Europe situated between France and Italy), having spent her whole life in cloistered exile in a provincial town in England.

Thus starts an adventure which spans England to Madiera to the Falkland Islands, and then to the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire, darkly comic, fast paced, and ultimately deeply romantic. Sir Sheridan is a rogue, however we find he has a very dark past which explains his approach to life, denial has been his key to survival. Olympia, a rather shy and chubby woman in her mid-twenties (what a relief to encounter a heroine who is not the usual plastic perfect type) has led a sheltered life and dreams of adventure, of being a heroine and making a difference. These two unlikely people are thrown together in an adventure to survive, while various forces plot against one or the other.

Seize The Fire is an Indiana Jones type adventure story (I believe the author had Flashman in mind when she wrote Sheridan's character). As such, subtle black humour is present throughout, and also explains the frequent changes of locale (something I personally liked). However, there is a change of tone at the very end when real tragedy strikes both characters, when the Drake is forced to finally confront his past, and Olympia must deal with the real consequences caused by her revolutionary fervour and action.

I don't know why I went through so much trouble to get this book on auction, but my instincts were rewarded from its first page through its last sentence. This book, released in 1989 was dedicated to the combat veterans of Viet Nam, something I didn't see until I finished the book. The hero, Sheridan Drake...a most intriguing, battle-scarred fallen angel...is suffering from emotional wounds most of us can't even fathom, and yet we can identify with him and understand his anguish. His tenderness for his princess, Olympia, is all at once brave, touching, flawed and unforgettable. I wish they would reprint this book so that more people could read it. There are so many good parts to this tale, but the time they spend on the island is priceless and written with great appeal. I don't normally read books twice, but this one will get read again one day. It's funny, sad, moving, exciting and a great read. It's one of her best.

This is the only romance novel that has ever made me cry. I am a Laura Kinsale fan who has read all her books many times but no matter how much I love all her books and can never decide which is my favorite, this is still the only that has me in tears at the end.

This book is essentially a swashbuckler with a focus on character development. The characters go all over the world, get deserted on an island, sometimes live with barely the necessities and other times live in the lap of luxury. Yet through all that, the focus is on the characters. With Sheridan it is all about understanding what his life has been like and how he turned out the way he did. With Olympia it is a coming-of-age story and how she learns about the realities of life. I started out thinking Sheridan was horrible and I could not even imagine liking him but by the end he and his problems are so real that I can't imagine not liking him.

This book is beautifully written and beautifully characterized.

What an intense experience! I stayed up the whole night reading this novel. Neither of the characters are likeable at first. Olympia (the princess) started off as one of those too-stupid-to-live romance novel heroines, sheltered from the world and was as interesting as bread dough. Sheridan (the hero) was a class-A jerk. Where will you find the hero out to swindle the heroine in a romance novel? Or one who honestly did not care for her existence, and cared only for himself? I actually wished he would fall off a cliff (and the heroine with him) and good riddance! He's a character like none I've ever seen in a romance novel. I was incredulous when Olympia and Sheridan were introduced. How on earth did the author proprose to get these two to fall in love, much less get the reader to like them?? This apparent dilemma compelled me to read on.

The transformation in Olympia and Sheridan are gradual, and Kinsale's skill in bringing that about is a testament to her tremendous talent. These are two very imperfect people who come to terms with themselves and each other. I was convinced that the two of them belonged together by the end of the book, and it is no small miracle that the author succeeded in turning my initial animosity into such fondness for the characters.

Since this novel was published over ten years ago, I imagine the author has honed her writing skills to even higher levels since then. This book is not without flaws: some parts of the plot line are unbelievable (from London to the Falkland Islands, to Arabia and then back to Europe?! Talk about exotic locales, improbable coincidences and reversals of fortune!), and the typical misunderstandings that fuel the angst in romances are a bit over-done here, even though the author did provide plausible motivations for that kind of behavior. However, I chalk it up to Kinsale's inexperience. Ultimately, she got the most important thing about a romance novel right: the characters and the development of their relationship, without which the book will never have the spark of life and vibrancy that sets it apart from much of the drivel in the genre. Kinsale is definitely a writer to watch out for and I will remember this book for a long time.

Although the book is out-of-print, it is available as an e-book from eReads.com at a more reasonable price than at used bookstores. You should not miss out on this gem if you are in the mood for an emotionally-wrenching experience.

Sheridan Drake is a tortured military hero, idolized by the young and terribly innocent Olympia, the rightful princess of Oriens who seeks her hero's assistance in saving her kingdom from a bloody revolution. Though Kinsale's writing skill and style is always above average, the story takes so many twists and turns, it left my head spinning, and I was certain the original plot was completely forgotten until it resurfaces, rather unsatisfactorily, at the end. There are a series of Misunderstandings (Olympia thinks Sheridan has betrayed her by stealing her jewels and disappearing; Sheridan spirals into black depression when Olympia becomes engaged to a forgettable secondary character whom she doesn't really care for, etc.) The "spark" between hero and heroine just didn't seem to burn as brightly as the flames which fairly leapt between Maddy and Jervaulx in "Flowers From The Storm" or Samuel and Leda in "The Shadow and The Star." I still highly recommend the book, as Kinsale, I believe, is one of the most talented and gifted writers of our time, and though it's not my favorite, this book is still far better than the standard fare offered in this genre. As a side note, I didn't overmuch care for the constant references to Olympia's "chubbiness" and "plumpness," and I especially didn't appreciate the occasions in which Sheridan pointed these things out to her.

It is hard to say what I loved and/or did not like about this book. It is truly unlike any other that I've ever read--Laura Kinsale has a way of writing tormented, anguished heros like no other author I've ever come across. For me, however, her heros can sometimes tend to border on the edge of insanity-which I can't seem to get into. However, the hero of this novel, Sheridan, was completely loveable--the scenes on the island are incredible, and I've read and re-read those pages probably a dozen times! But, in the middle of the novel, when they are in the middle east, I somewhat lost interest and began to skim--but I regained interest towards the end and was crying as I closed the book--what a roller coaster read!! This book will not leave you for a while--I definitely recommend it. On the other hand, it is not what I would classify as a beach read or a good escape novel--it's very intense... :-)

I loved the book, and couldn't stop thinking about it after I'd finished reading. I grew to love both of the characters, and appreciated the fact that thier flaws weren't token, which made the characters all the more authentic, even amidst the somewhat fantastical plot.

I highly recommend this book, if you like to get invested in a story, because you'll definitely get drawn in and start to care about the characters!