Touched by Fire

If you do, then this book is for you! I am amazed at the complexity and depth that this book embodies. It is very different and unique in it's plot and characters. I need to read it again just to "soak in it" some more. Here is my brief synopsis and critique: Colin Wescott, the Earl of Haverwood, was conceived during the violent rape of his mother, while her husband was forced to watch. His father was an evil highwayman that sexually assaulted and terrorized many different women. After Colin is brought to his father's hanging and told of his parentage, the old Earl of Haverwood never lets Colin forget where he came from and the evil blood that must flow in his veins. Colin's response is to flee from all hints of sensuality or lust. This man is a virgin in every sense of the word. He also believes that he is his "father's son" and goes on a vendetta to stop the chain of violence in his genes. He almost develops a fantasy world where their are "dragons", people who will do others harm, and vows to be a "dragon slayer", a person who will stop at nothing to make sure the vulnerable are safe. He protects orphans, is a war hero, and is a man of deep integrity. Ultimately he believes that all these traits are simply a "disguise" for who he truly is....an evil, untrustworthy criminal. Sarah Banks is the wealthy heiress to a gaming house fortune. She, in society's eyes is ruined, for she spent her entire life in the company of the gaming house and it's patrons. She is constantly being pursued by men who want her fortune. She is holding out for her one true love...a man with sherry colored eyes. I know it is a little hooky, but guess what color Colin's eyes are? I guess if you believe in fate, or if you want to...this plot works. This is a painful, complex, and difficult book to read at times. Colin is very tortured over his origin's and the verbal assaults that come from his step-father. He was an innocent victim of his father's crime as was his mother, but he has payed for it every day of his life. So heart breaking. Sarah sees him (or really his eyes) and knows that he is THE ONE. This book tells the story of Colin coming to terms with his past and learning how to trust himself and separate himself from his evil father. Sarah is the catalyst that forces his awakening. It is just a beautiful love story. Highly recommend!

Wonderfully told story and beautifully drawn characters. I very much enjoyed this story and look forward to more by this author.

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.

"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!

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