Heart of Fire (Heart Trilogy, Book 2)

Loved the chemistry between the hero and the heroine. The book also made me want to read the prequel, which I'll have to find now. I love Kat Martin's books and this one was no different. The only thing that made me cringe was when the hero drugged the heroine to have sex with her. But it's a small incident in a long, wonderfully written story. I would definitely recommend this book.

Once again Kat martin has proven to be an exceptional writer. I started this book and couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the 3rd one in the series. Thanks Kat.

Coralee Whitmore doesn't believe for one moment that her beloved sister has committed suicide, let alone taken her baby with her. That could only mean foul play and Coralee is determined to find the murderer. Disguised as a poor relation, Coralee infiltrates the household of the notorious Earl of Tremaine -the man she believes is the babies illegitimate father. There she will stop at nothing to discover the truth of what happened to her sister. But what she finds doesn't precisely clear up any questions. In fact the longer she stays the more susceptible she becomes to the Earl's charms, no matter how much she despises his rakish lifestyle. Good book with exceptions. I thought the characters were fleshed out well and the story carried enough momentum to keep me flipping the pages. The attraction between Corrie and Gray is immediate and builds through the book. Also the murder plot is rather interesting even though I didn't particularly care for the villain one way or the other. And I do believe that the entire premise of having Corrie pull off the disguise (fooling all those people) was a bit too far fetched (but hey its a romance!). An entertaining book, but not something that I'd call a shelf keeper. Might want to get this one at the library instead. Since I didn't read the prequel, Heart of Honor, I can't comment there. But it does sound interesting - a viking? hero in Victorian England who comes from an isolated island where he lives with other 'warriors' like they did hundreds of year ago? Okaaaaay. But heck, I'm open to something new! So this book can be read as a stand alone. Nothing spectacular, but a good way to spend an afternoon. Recommended.

This was my first book by Kat Martin, and I really enjoyed it. I will certainly read more by her. The story itself was not particularly original, but it was done very well and had a good ending I could get into. The story includes a hero who is an earl with a sour past, a bad disposition, and belief that love will always elude him. He finds himself attracted to his distant cousins wife, who is really a rich viscount daughter in disguise. She is trying to figure out who killed her sister, and knows the earl and his family will unnest the needed clues, so she devises the scheme to get close to the family. The predictable story parts are abundant, including the typical 'heroine wanders the house at 1 a.m. and runs into her hero, only to get seduced', or the 'heroine goes for a horse ride/walk alone only to find the hero', oh and lets not forget the ever popular misunderstandings that could sooooooo easily get cleared up in a two minute coversation. Luckily, it DOESN'T have any typical TSTL moments. The heroine was pretty cool, and remained above board and intellegent throughout the story. The hero was great too. So despite having many of the cliche elements, Kat Martin does them pretty well. I love historical romances, and in the end I must say I really did enjoy this book. In fact, I especially liked the way the author wrapped up the ending, as it was quite moving and not overly rushed. I would have given this book 3.5 stars if not for the ending.

In 1844 Coralee Whitmore rejects the official position that her older half-sister Laurel committed suicide. Instead knowing in her heart that was preposterous, Coralee, the society editor of Heart to Heart ladies gazette, decides to apply her reporter skills to prove her sibling did not kill herself by going undercover to investigate. She pretends to be an impoverished relation Letty, who asks the Earl of Fremaine to give her shelter as she believes Gray is at the top of the list of suspects who might have a motive to kill her sister. Instead of a cold blooded killer, Letty finds her host kind and caring. The gentle aristocrat hides his inner turmoil caused by the death of his wife from his guest. As they fall in love with the respective mask each wears to hide the real person, Letty begins to wonder who should be next on her list of potential killers while Gray feels he does not deserve a second chance especially with the nurturing Letty. HEART OF FIRE is an enjoyable early Victorian romantic whodunit. The mystery is cleverly devised so that every clue re what happened to Laurel either affirms she took her own life or Gray is involved. However, the fun in this fine historical is the changing relationship between the lead couple; as they fall in love they begin to uncover the secrets of the other leading to trust issues. Kat Martin is in top form with this terrific tale. Harriet Klausner