Rating: 
Summary: Save this one for a long, pleasurable read on a weekend day.
Review: An engrossing tale with an intriguing premise, River of Fire presents a believable view of the Regency period. Ms. Putney's heroine is a welcome change from the usual debutante, and her war hero is convincingly affected by his experiences on the Peninsula. Anyone who in interested in the artist's world will take special pleasure in this novel. The villain of the piece is reassuringly obvious but the details of the mystery are brought to view with a careful hand. Set this one aside for a great weekend read
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Summary: Another wonderful story by Mary Jo Putney
Review: I found 'River of Fire' to be a wonderful book. I loved it from page one until the very end. The suspense packed plot kept me guessing, and I had no idea which character might be the murderer, I was truly surprised. I loved Rebecca and Kenneth, Ms. Putney did an exceptional job with the characterization and sexual tension. I also really enjoyed the details of the London art world during that time period, and the descriptions of the paintings were excellent. This is definitely one of Ms. Putney's best!!!!
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Summary: Just the kind of book to read on a lazy Sunday morning...
Review: I have always enjoyed Ms. Putney's style because her heroines are unique, independent and have a certain modern, 90's flair although her romances are of a historical period. Rebecca Seaton is a focus, talented artist who was hurt by a youthful indescrestion. I related to this story because I think sometimes a woman has to first be hurt by an unworthy suitor before understanding her worth. Through the pain of her first involvement, Rebecca develops into a compassionate and talent artist.Kenneth Wilding, is hired by Rebecca's estranged uncle to investigate the sudden death of her beautiful and vivacious mother. He enters her household as Sir Seaton's Secretary. Living under the artistic Seaton household, he falls in love with Ms. Rebecca and learns to respect and admire her talented father, while brining order and discipline to a tempermental household. Through it all, he holds on to his honor, uncovers the death behind Mrs. Seaton's death and embraces his own formidable artistic talent. Being an
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I would have love to see the paintings drawn by Rebecca, Kenneth and Anthony. Interesting story but halfway through the book, you would already have an idea of who the murderer is. Nonetheless, it is a good read.
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Summary: An exquisitely emotional read
Review: Kenneth Wilding, Viscount Kimball, a former reconnaisance officer for Wellington, is hired to infiltrate Sir Anthony Seaton's household and discover if Sir Anthony is responsible for the death of his wife the previous summer. He hates to take a position of spying on people, but his late father and his wife impovishered the family estate, so much so that there is not even a dowry left for Kenneth's sister. Kenneth sees no other way to save his family's estate, so he applies for the job of personal secretary to Sir Anthony, who is a well-known artist. Kenneth was interested in art when he was young, and showed some talent, but his father felt that drawing and painting were not acceptable diversions for gentlemen. Now, however, Kenneth's knowledge helps him get the job.Sir Anthony's daughter, Rebecca, is a spinster who was ruined by a foolish elopement attempt years ago when she was only seventeen. Since then, she has shunned Society as it has shunned her, and has preferred only to paint in her attic studio. Society is also not ready to accept that a woman can be a gifted artist, but Rebecca tells herself it doesn't matter; her art is only for herself. Kenneth is intrigued by Rebecca, whose ideas and personality are different from those of any other woman he's ever met. He feels worse and worse about the deceit he is using against her and her father--but there must be justice, and if Sir Anthony killed his wife, justice must be served. If only there could be any other ending than Rebecca hating him once she finds out why he is really in her home... RIVER OF FIRE is intense and emotional, at time dark, but never depressing. Putney has done wonders at revealing the soul, creative insight, temperament, and world of visual artists. This is only the second novel I've read (THE PORTRAIT by Megan Chance was the first) that so inspired me that I, not a visual artist, was moved to try to put my emotions on paper with color and form via a visual medium--and it was exhilarating. That's how exquisite RIVER OF FIRE is. Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews
Rating:
Summary: Nice, but not MJP's best
Review: MJP is one of my favorite historical romance novelists, and I adored the other books in her Fallen Angels series, so I expected to enjoy this one. But River of Fire fell short in several small ways for me. I found the pretense of Kenneth's murder investigation a little cumbersome, and edging towards deceitful after he gained the trust of Rebecca and her family. I also found the truth behind Rebecca's own personal notoreity disappointing-- why do romance novelists think we need a lily-white heroine? And lastly, as an artist myself, I found MJP's desciption of the artistic process embarassingly trite-- it felt awfully cliched. Please, write what you know, or at least with honest emotion.
But despite these complaints, a very nice story, with admirable hero and heroine, and some sexy love scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, but not MJP's best
Review: MJP is one of my favorite historical romance novelists, and I adored the other books in her Fallen Angels series, so I expected to enjoy this one. But River of Fire fell short in several small ways for me. I found the pretense of Kenneth's murder investigation a little cumbersome, and edging towards deceitful after he gained the trust of Rebecca and her family. I also found the truth behind Rebecca's own personal notoreity disappointing-- why do romance novelists think we need a lily-white heroine? And lastly, as an artist myself, I found MJP's desciption of the artistic process embarassingly trite-- it felt awfully cliched. Please, write what you know, or at least with honest emotion.
But despite these complaints, a very nice story, with admirable hero and heroine, and some sexy love scenes.
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Summary: A love story
Review: This book is a love story, nevertheless is a great love story and you can also learn something of oil painting and the feeling of the artist.
You get inside the book from the first page and even you could know who is the bad guy of the book before the story reveal it is a great read, it has action, love and suspense, you will get a great time reading this book.
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Summary: Surprisingly addicitive!
Review: This book is, on first appearances, far less a part of the Fallen Angels series than any of the others, except perhaps Angel Rogue. Kenneth's claim to being a part of this series lies in his minor role in Shattered Rainbows (a much less significant role than Robin's in Petals in the Storm). Kenneth, in Rainbows, was an officer promoted from the ranks and a friend of Michael's - though not a close friend. We also learned that, although he hid it, he was the son of a viscount. In River of Fire, Kenneth has inherited the viscountcy, but with it a mountain of debts and a mortgaged estate. His principal creditor offers him the bargain which other reviews have explained, and out of desperation he accepts. The relationship between Kenneth and Rebecca is fiery and difficult, but it quickly turns to passion, a passion reflected in their paintings. I have to admit that I found their rationale for not wanting marriage to each other, first raised fairly early in the book, a little far-fetched: while Kenneth was certainly deceiving Rebecca, he was already confident that Sir Anthony was not what his brother suspected, and so it wouldn't have been too difficult to tell at least part of the truth and make it clear that a betrothal wasn't anathema to him. There are cameo appearances aplenty by other characters in the Fallen Angels series, which was good to see; Rafe in particular plays a highly typical and very funny role, and Michael and Lucien use their talents to good effect. Incidentally, the book summary displayed above is incorrect. Kenneth was never a spy; he was a reconnaisance officer, which is not the same thing. The 'master spies' in this series were Lucien, Robin and Margot.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the others
Review: This book wasn't as good as the others in Mary Jo Putney's series. I found I was uninterested in the characters and simply finished the book just to see if anything interesting would happen. Still an okay read.
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