Rating: 
Summary: Sweet love story and a most unique hero
Review: "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!
Rating: 
Summary: Strong characterization, decent external plot, good dialogue
Review: ...and good pacing. I've discovered through the years of reading romance novels, that character driven books always rank high on my keeper shelf. "Touched by Fire" is no exception. Colin, the 17th Earl of Haverwood, is a tormented, angst ridden man. Over and over again, he has been re-assured of his worthlessness, his tainted blood, and his inability to ever be loved. He's more or less accepted his lot in life. He'll marry to ensure that St. George's orphanage continues, but that's it. He'd gladly stay at home with his dragon lore. He plays at being the DragonSlayer, but deep down he knows he's really the dragon. Who Colin doesn't count on is Miss Sarah Banks. At first, Colin refuses to marry Sarah. Not because of her own lack of noble birth, but because he knows that here is a woman he might love. A woman he desires. If his control ever slips, if the dragon ever emerges, it will kill Colin's spirit if he ever hurts her. Due to outside circumstances, Colin realizes that in order to protect her, he will have to marry Sarah. Sarah challenges all of Colin's preconceived notions. Over and over, she proves Colin to be a protective and generous man. He is honest and trustworthy. A gentle man and a gentle lover. Colin continues to hide the secret of his parentage until it's almost too late. Ms O'Reilly avoids the cliche of letting Sarah hear the news third hand. Colin gets the chance to unload his burden to his wife and in doing so, she is able to deflect the worst of his fears. I only had one problem with the storyline. Although I can understand why Colin feels the worthlessness he does, at times, he becomes maudlin and self-pitying. He gets drunk on his wedding night. He refuses to believe that he has anything to offer the world. This lack of confidence undermined Colin as a hero of a story. We're being told throughout the book that Colin is the tainted spawn of his rapist father, but being shown his kind compassionate heart. These two opposites in his characterization annoyed me after a while. How could someone who was a war hero, saved orphans, and had a compassionate heart not have some inkling that he was an okay person?
Rating:
Summary: Sweet
Review: I enjoyed the hero so much. He was not your normal rake. I don't know why but I fell in love with his akwardness and his flaws. Good read.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet
Review: I enjoyed the hero so much. He was not your normal rake. I don't know why but I fell in love with his akwardness and his flaws. Good read.
Rating:
Summary: SOLID 4 1/2 Stars Great Book
Review: The characters were amazingly flawed and so real. This was a great first novel. A must read. I really hope she follows up with Etienne's Story.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXQUISITE LOVE STORY.
Review: The characters, Colin and Sarah, are two of the most memorable romance heroes I have ever read. Colin Wescott is haunted by the memory of when the old earl forced him as a child to watch the execution of Black Jack Cady then just when the pin drops he reveals to him that the murderous Jack Cady is Colin's father. Since that day, Colin lives in fear that he might commit the same atrocious crimes as his true father, yet he becomes one of the bravest war heroes. Colin has never allowed himself to be intimate with any woman, desperately afraid that like his father he would only hurt her. Colin is fascinated by the mythology of Western Dragons, believing himself to be more like the dragon rather than the knight in shining armor. It takes a special woman who can sympathize with the dragon to heal Colin's wounds. Sarah Banks owns the gambling establishment she has inherited from her father and she plays to win. As soon as Sarah stares into the sherry eyes of Colin, the man she dreamed about every night, she is prepared to gamble everything she has to have him.
The story is truly beautifully written and I love Colin's heroic display when he fights for Sarah's honor or life - he proves himself to be the greatest of all knights.
Rating:
Summary: exciting character driven story
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: exciting character driven story
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: Unique & compelling
Review: The hero and heroine are unique, and their romance in intriguing. Sarah's self-doubts and hurts are filled with a familiar passion. Colin's need to prove himself provides much of the plot. There are odd moments that do not feel quite right, occasions when you want to yell at one of them, and some times when you wondered where the rest of the story was (once Sarah married, her business became nothing more than a device). But they rarely detract from the story and never in any substantial way. Although the secondary characters in Sarah's life generally annoyed me, Colin's Giles was a gem.
Defintely worth a read and will probably go on my to-buy list. For a first novel, it's exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: Very highly recommended
Review: 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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