"FANNING THE FLAME is an exciting but by the numbers Regency romantic suspense"
In 1806 Earl Adam Hawthorne finds himself attracted to
Jillian Whitney though she is reportedly the mistress of a
codger old enough to be her grandfather, the Earl of
Fenwick. Gossip aside, Jillian is a penniless innocent all
alone except for Fenwick taking her in and caring for her
as if she really is his ward; her sire was a close friend
of his until he died. Adam hears a shot and almost immediately finds he holds a
shocked Jillian in his arms. Jillian tells him that
someone killed Fenwick with a servant accusing her of the
deed. To avoid prison she begs Adam to hide her, which he
does. As they fall in love, a war wages within his mind as
he wonders if once again a deceitful female has used her
wiles to trick him. Still he desperately seeks proof of
her innocence in the homicide as easily as he learned how
innocent she was in the boudoir. Though the return of lead characters from previous tales
add a feel of homecoming for Kat Martin fans, the well
written FANNING THE FLAME is an exciting but by the numbers
Regency romantic suspense. The story line entertains the
audience, but has no twists even with the amateur sleuth
investigation. Jillian is a desperate damsel in distress
while Adam is a brooding cynic skeptical about her yet
unable not to be her knight in muted armor. Regency
purists will applaud Ms. Martin's likable tale. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted July 15, 2002
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