Violet Fire (The Bragg Saga, 3)

This is a reissue of a Brenda Joyce book first published in 1989 but unlike many reissues this book doesn't feel dated. It visits the Bragg family again, this time featuring Rathe Bragg, youngest son of Derek and Miranda and rich rake. Rathe's lifestyle is one of playing cards, seducing women and travelling the world. When a suffragette bursts into a party he is attending to make a speech he's amused rather than appalled, like everyone else at the party, but he thinks little of it. When he meets the same woman two years later, however, he finds that he has fallen under her spell and he wants her for his mistress. Grace O'Rourke is the daughter of two radical people and believes firmly in the rights of negroes and of women. When she takes up a new post as a governess in a Southern town she discovers very quickly that the local white people have not taken on board the ideas of human rights held by those from the north. She and her schoolteacher friend Allen find themselves under attack and Grace's work is made exceptionally difficult. When she realises that Rathe is also pursuing her she finds herself both attracted to him and repelled by his presumed political views. Grace and Rathe's relationship in this book is alternate arguing and making up and yet somehow it didn't get annoying or wearing, perhaps because both characters were so feisty. The initial attraction to Grace appears to be entirely from her appearance but Rathe soon discovers that she's intelligent and passionate about justice and also that he has to keep her from running into dangerous situations, rescuing her with regularity. Rathe's rather aimless life seems to be given a boost by Grace's actions. Some of the Bragg books have been a disappointment but this one was enjoyable, if rather thin on the plot. The setting in the South in the 1870s was interesting, as were the reminders of the some of the situations that former slaves had to cope with. The central love story was more of a lust story initially but the author wrote of the way in which the two people realised they needed and complemented each other in a convincing way. I occasionally felt that Rathe was rather unheroic in his actions, trying to seduce a lady and not really taking care to protect her good name, but it was overall a pleasant read. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

This was good enough to spur me to read the rest of the series. Wonderful read!

I loved this book! It is my favorite by Brenda Joyce. A sequel to Firestorm...it is the story of Rathe and Grace and has a lot of humor, hot love scenes and a really good story line. Grace gets under Rathe's skin like no other woman has been able to do before. Read it..you won't be disappointed!

Violet Fire was another book that I read by a great author. Brenda Joyce truly has great talent. She is one of the few writers from whom I can say I enjoy a lot of their books. I am not disappointed by Ms. Joyce's work and hope I never will.