What do you think?
Rate this book
Forbidden Fire
Despite the whispers and gossip of the townfolk, Kitty O'Shea, the owner of the controversial Crystal Palace saloon, finds herself irresistibly drawn to Reverend Jake Payne, the man sent to close her establishment down.
- GenresHistorical Romance
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie K. Winn
46 books38 followersBonnie K. Winn is the author of 34 published novels, most of which have been translated into over twenty languages. Fourteen-million copies of her books are in print. Currently, Bonnie is one of the top ten bestselling authors in Harlequin’s highly successful Steeple Hill/Love Inspired inspirational fiction program.
Named as one of the top ten romance authors in America by Affaire de Coeur, Bonnie K. Winn began her career with the launch of her Wildflower series in the early 1990s. Her first novel, Summer Rose, climbed to the top of three national bestseller lists. Her historical novel, Forbidden Fire, won Affaire De Coeur's Best Overall Historical Romance of 1994. That same year, she was named Utah Writer of the Year. Newlywed Game, lauded by Romantic Times as "a great talent making a smashing contemporary debut," was her first Harlequin American romance book. The Accidental Mrs. MacKenzie, which hit number one on the Walden Books and B. Dalton romance bestsellers lists, was nominated by Romantic Times for best contemporary romance of 1999. Her first Silhouette Intimate Moments release, The Hijacked Wife, appeared on numerous bestseller lists as well.
Besides writing novels, Bonnie also lends her talents to screenwriting, and her screenplay Heroes placed as a finalist at the Sundance U.S. Film Festival. Formerly a public relations executive, Bonnie devotes her time exclusively to writing. She resides in the foothills of the Rockies with her husband and dogs, and with her grown son nearby.
Named as one of the top ten romance authors in America by Affaire de Coeur, Bonnie K. Winn began her career with the launch of her Wildflower series in the early 1990s. Her first novel, Summer Rose, climbed to the top of three national bestseller lists. Her historical novel, Forbidden Fire, won Affaire De Coeur's Best Overall Historical Romance of 1994. That same year, she was named Utah Writer of the Year. Newlywed Game, lauded by Romantic Times as "a great talent making a smashing contemporary debut," was her first Harlequin American romance book. The Accidental Mrs. MacKenzie, which hit number one on the Walden Books and B. Dalton romance bestsellers lists, was nominated by Romantic Times for best contemporary romance of 1999. Her first Silhouette Intimate Moments release, The Hijacked Wife, appeared on numerous bestseller lists as well.
Besides writing novels, Bonnie also lends her talents to screenwriting, and her screenplay Heroes placed as a finalist at the Sundance U.S. Film Festival. Formerly a public relations executive, Bonnie devotes her time exclusively to writing. She resides in the foothills of the Rockies with her husband and dogs, and with her grown son nearby.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2015
Forbidden Fire
By: Bonnie K. Winn
4/5 stars
Katherine “Kitty” O’Shea is a famous saloon/dance hall singer. She became one after both of her parents were killed and she had to find a way to take of not only herself but her younger sister as well. Kitty and her business partner Morgan Tremaine have moved to Browning, Kansas in 1872, in order to open a brand new saloon and to cash in on the cattle trail money.
Reverend Jake Payne has been tasked by his church elders, congregation and the town council to talk to the owners of the new saloon and convince them to move on to a different town. But he’s taken aback by the owner’s significant beauty. He is attracted to her, but knows that trying to navigate a relationship could be career suicide.
Both Katherine and Jake have feelings for each other, but Katherine doesn’t want to cost Jake his reputation as a preacher and cause him to lose his job. Especially when her job is one that takes her to new cities all the time. Plus, Katherine has to worry about all of her employees who depend on her for their livelihood as well. Jake is aware that he may have to give up the job that he promised himself, he would do.
This time period was not a forgiving one and almost everyone was willing to cast judgment on & censor people that they thought deserved it. Which is something that Katherine and Jake courted every time they spoke or happened to be seen with each other.
Katherine is a strong heroine, though she does like to fall on the martyr’s sword much of the time, and doesn’t want to allow some people to make their own decisions because of the negativity that they could face. Jake is a burly, but understanding man and though he holds secrets about his past, you can tell that he is trying to right any past transgressions that he feels are his fault.
I did like this book, but it wasn’t quite the page turner that both Reckless Wind and Reckless Hearts were. There is one more western romance by this author that I will probably get though after reading the first two books, I was able to guess who the villains were in this book.
By: Bonnie K. Winn
4/5 stars
Katherine “Kitty” O’Shea is a famous saloon/dance hall singer. She became one after both of her parents were killed and she had to find a way to take of not only herself but her younger sister as well. Kitty and her business partner Morgan Tremaine have moved to Browning, Kansas in 1872, in order to open a brand new saloon and to cash in on the cattle trail money.
Reverend Jake Payne has been tasked by his church elders, congregation and the town council to talk to the owners of the new saloon and convince them to move on to a different town. But he’s taken aback by the owner’s significant beauty. He is attracted to her, but knows that trying to navigate a relationship could be career suicide.
Both Katherine and Jake have feelings for each other, but Katherine doesn’t want to cost Jake his reputation as a preacher and cause him to lose his job. Especially when her job is one that takes her to new cities all the time. Plus, Katherine has to worry about all of her employees who depend on her for their livelihood as well. Jake is aware that he may have to give up the job that he promised himself, he would do.
This time period was not a forgiving one and almost everyone was willing to cast judgment on & censor people that they thought deserved it. Which is something that Katherine and Jake courted every time they spoke or happened to be seen with each other.
Katherine is a strong heroine, though she does like to fall on the martyr’s sword much of the time, and doesn’t want to allow some people to make their own decisions because of the negativity that they could face. Jake is a burly, but understanding man and though he holds secrets about his past, you can tell that he is trying to right any past transgressions that he feels are his fault.
I did like this book, but it wasn’t quite the page turner that both Reckless Wind and Reckless Hearts were. There is one more western romance by this author that I will probably get though after reading the first two books, I was able to guess who the villains were in this book.
December 12, 2020
I should say this book is a surprise find. I have not known of this author, nor have read any of her books before chancing over this copy, but during one of my trips to my go-to bookshop, I saw the cover, and I just fell in love right then and there (now I know how those booktubers I follow feel when they see a beautiful book cover!)
I mean, look at that? I dare you to resist that cover!
And when historical romance is one of the tropes in my reading challenge this month, I decided to jump right in and read this one. And definitely no regrets choosing this one. Although truth be told, there have been moments when the read has become tedious, but the historical, small-town setting has consistently been appealing that I found myself spending more time reading the last half of the book. What's even more appealing is how Jake, our preacher hero, fell besotted over Katherine, our saloon owner heroine, right from the very start. Their chemistry starts to spark right then and there! The development of their romance is quite slow, intimate scenes lack detail if you ask me, but the fact that they both have this nurturing side ultimately made them from a town pariah (especially Katherine) to a town favorite. And the fact that their growing love for each other grow together with the changes they brought about their small town makes their romance even sweeter because you can say that they are a perfect example that you also spread it to those around you when you love. It makes me even root for the secondary couples on this book. And even though there are really moments that what they do for the other characters in the story outshine their love story, I am willing to overlook that observation because the entire story is so darn good!
In closing, while I think that it has a nice, sweet, heartwarming ending, I would like to say that this story has the potential to be longer than it originally is. I would have loved to read more of the secondary characters, and at the same time, the suspense element in the book was not given that much priority. And while I did not see that culprit coming (I even doubted myself when I thought of it at first, now I am starting to doubt my instincts over bad people!), it wasn't that fully established would have been unforgettable if this novel had been longer.
I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author. And I also hope that I can get to see more of her books in the bookshop because as far as I can tell, her book covers are just drool-worthy!
I mean, look at that? I dare you to resist that cover!
And when historical romance is one of the tropes in my reading challenge this month, I decided to jump right in and read this one. And definitely no regrets choosing this one. Although truth be told, there have been moments when the read has become tedious, but the historical, small-town setting has consistently been appealing that I found myself spending more time reading the last half of the book. What's even more appealing is how Jake, our preacher hero, fell besotted over Katherine, our saloon owner heroine, right from the very start. Their chemistry starts to spark right then and there! The development of their romance is quite slow, intimate scenes lack detail if you ask me, but the fact that they both have this nurturing side ultimately made them from a town pariah (especially Katherine) to a town favorite. And the fact that their growing love for each other grow together with the changes they brought about their small town makes their romance even sweeter because you can say that they are a perfect example that you also spread it to those around you when you love. It makes me even root for the secondary couples on this book. And even though there are really moments that what they do for the other characters in the story outshine their love story, I am willing to overlook that observation because the entire story is so darn good!
In closing, while I think that it has a nice, sweet, heartwarming ending, I would like to say that this story has the potential to be longer than it originally is. I would have loved to read more of the secondary characters, and at the same time, the suspense element in the book was not given that much priority. And while I did not see that culprit coming (I even doubted myself when I thought of it at first, now I am starting to doubt my instincts over bad people!), it wasn't that fully established would have been unforgettable if this novel had been longer.
I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author. And I also hope that I can get to see more of her books in the bookshop because as far as I can tell, her book covers are just drool-worthy!
January 16, 2024
A very slowburn romance that feels so real and alive☺️
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews