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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very highly recommended, December 26, 2001
The people of London love a good hanging and none more so than the sixteenth Earl of Haverwood. Perhaps he had good reason, as his wife had been one of Jack Cady's victims. While Cady had raped and then slit the throat of his victims, Mary had the misfortune of not only to survive her assault, as her husband witnessed her violation, but also to bear a son of the rape. At the age of nine that child, Colin Wescott, stands beside the Earl, witnessing his father's hanging. As the hangman grasps the lever to release the platform, the child hears the words: "You've got his eyes, got that rutting blackness festering inside you. You can't hide it though. I see it and so will everyone else." Although Colin eventually stops fearing the Earl, the legacy remains that he fears himself. As the son of Jack Cady, Colin fears the dragon within that might harm others. But with the approach of his twenty-eighth birthday, word comes that he must marry to retain stewardship of orphans at St. George. It is unthinkable that the stewardship would pass to others -- St. George is Colin's means of atoning for the sins of his father. Worse, Colin fears marriage and the lust that accompanies it -- that same lustful dragon which risks releasing the sins his father committed. From the first moment he sees Sarah Banks, Colin's heart is captured, yet he mercilessly denies his passionate response. Sarah Banks runs a profitable gaming establishment that she inherited from her father. As a child, Sarah spent her nights "haunting the gaming hells learning how to win, no matter the price." Her father was gallant and brave, protecting her from the razor-sharp tongues of society. Unfortunately, her father is also the reason that at twenty-three, she's never married. The few that might offer are only interested in her money, and no man has ever captured her heart. For years Sarah has dreamed of a man with sherry-colored eyes who would only want her heart. The night she sees Colin, she knows she's found the man of her dreams. Colin, however, intends to marry another. He wants a marriage as cold and as sterile as possible, to protect his prospective mate from the fire within. As gossip and rumor cast them together, Colin and Sarah find their fortunes thrown together, even as Colin is determined to remain distanced. Despite the rebuffs and the damage to her pride, however, Sarah is equally determines that she will win, no matter the cost. The question remains, though, if Colin can be caught, and if she'll be able to pay the price. TOUCHED BY FIRE is Kathleen O'Reilly's first novel, but promises great things for this remarkable author. With the touch of a master, she lends the old metaphor of the dragon a startling original power. Indeed, O'Reilly's tightly woven plot, balance of characterization, and attention to historical detail create a memorable novel that I regretted to finish, wishing to linger a bit longer with these wonderful characters -- including the very proper butler with a heart of gold. I do hope that O'Reilly's pen has been busy, because I long to immerse myself in her words again soon. Very highly recommended.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet love story and a most unique hero, November 24, 2002
By A Customer
"Blood will tell" that's what the old Earl of Haverwood repeatedly tells his heir. But Colin's blood comes from a highwayman father who raped the old Earl's wife resulting in Colin's birth. Though the old Earl publicly claims Colin as his son, privately he makes Colin's life a misery, tormenting the boy by constantly reminding him that he is his father's son - violent, worthless, vile, unfit for Society. He does such a number on the boy that Colin grows into an insecure, nervous young man uncomfortable everywhere - even in his own skin. He hides himself in the army but with Napoleon exiled to Elba, he has returned home to find the old Earl has died. In a parting shot, his will requires that Colin must marry before his 28th birthday if he wants to maintain his control of the St George orphanage. The thought of marriage scares Colin to death! He has never courted a woman. He can't trust himself not to behave like his father - brutal, violent. But he refuses to give up the orphanage. The one good thing in his life. He decides to marry for convenience some woman he can ignore. Unfortunately, he meets Sarah and he cannot possibly ignore her! Sarah Banks has lived on the fringe of Society all her life. Her infamous father ran a gaming hell which she has inherited. She has been the target of cruel remarks and indecent proposals all her life and has done her best to ignore it. But when she meets Colin, she feels she has finally met the man who can protect her and make her feel safe. She pursues him relentlessly, but he is just as determined to avoid her. She makes him feel things he's never felt before. He certainly cannot marry her - he desires her too much and will only wind up hurting her. But he cannot deny his strong attraction to her and he fights it mightily. But when some tries to kill her, he changes his mind and decides to marry her if only to protect her. But Sarah is determined to woo him and make him her husband in more than name only. And a Banks never loses! I loved this book. Colin was such a different kind of hero. Almost child-like with his obsession with dragons and dragonslayers, he was the exact opposite of what he had been brainwashed to believe about himself. Sweet, kind, gentle, naive he's adorable! But don't get me wrong, he's not a wimp. He's strong and capable of violence when those he loves are threatened. And Sarah is proud, determined and single-minded. A great couple, great secondary characters (especially Colin's valet/mentor Giles) and a great book!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
exciting character driven story, December 26, 2001
The Earl of Haverwood relishes the public hanging of vicious serial killer rapist Jack Cady as his wife Mary was a victim of the odious individual. However, unlike most of his targets, Mary survived the throat slashing and gave birth to the rapist's son. Nine years later, Colin watches the state execute his biological sire while his "father" pounds into him that he has the taint of that vicious animal and is worthless too Almost two decades later, Colin learns he must marry if he is to continue to manage the St. George Orphanage, the place he does penance for the evil of his father. Colin fears marriage because the father who raised him taught him that he is a beast just like Jack was. That is why he avoids Sarah Banks, who he desires with all his soul. Sarah manages a successful gaming business that leaves her unsuited for marriage to most of the Ton except those who need cash. She wants Colin, but knows she must slay his dragons if she is to have him. Though a rookie (except for a Duet), Kathleen O'Reilly provides fans with the kind of exciting character driven story usually told by a veteran. TOUCHED BY FIRE engages the audience as Colin struggles with his father's lessons about his gene pool vs. the chance to embrace love for the first in his life. Though Sarah is a fine heroine and the support cast adds depth even if the Earl overdoes the blaming of the father's sins on the son, this novel belongs to Colin, a protagonist that readers will cherish. Harriet Klausner
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