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Hearth Fires
Mackenzie Graham's ideal assignment - writing an article on storybook homes - takes a dangerous turn when she photographs a clandestine meeting between a prominent judge, a black-market kingpin, and a crooked cop. Rescued from harm's way by a rugged cowboy-attorney, Mackenzie finds her career and life forever changed.
Flying bullets and wild bulls team up with romance and suspense in the classic Keddington tradition. This exciting new novel will warm you on the coldest of nights.
Flying bullets and wild bulls team up with romance and suspense in the classic Keddington tradition. This exciting new novel will warm you on the coldest of nights.
266 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2013
5 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy M. Keddington
10 books109 followersDorothy McDonald Keddington is the author of five best-selling romantic-suspense novels and the gripping true story, A Square Sky. She had co-authored two musical plays with poet-lyricist Laura Bedore.
Dorothy Keddington is native of Salt Lake City, UT. She has taught creative writing both privately and for community schools. She is an accomplished pianist, organist, and popular speaker for civic, cultural, and educational events in the Intermountain West.
Dorothy Keddington is native of Salt Lake City, UT. She has taught creative writing both privately and for community schools. She is an accomplished pianist, organist, and popular speaker for civic, cultural, and educational events in the Intermountain West.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
March 3, 2016
I'm a long-time fan of Dorothy Keddington, but I'm sad to say this wasn't my favorite. I feel like the story was lacking and most of the action was off stage and told through phone calls. Then, the romance was way too fast (even for me!). She didn't even know the guy and they're already in love! It's hard to judge this newer book when the bar was raised with Return to Red Castle and Jayhawk. I'll keep reading new books Keddington writes, and in the meantime reread her classics!
January 26, 2014
This was a nice story and right in my neck of the woods.
March 13, 2015
It had a good deal of suspense in it to keep me engage.
November 17, 2018
Boy can Dorothy Keddington tell a tale! My first book by her was Jayhawk when I was 12 and Return to Red Castle is my love! My daughter loved it to and it was a special experience to backpack with her there reliving the book along the way. This book although not new was new to me and I loved it just as much! It was a wonderful mix of suspense and romance. Beautifully written! Thank you for the story!!!!
November 19, 2018
I was a big Dorothy Keddington fan growing up. So I was excited to see this and try a new one from her. Nothing great with this one. There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters (who moved way too fast) and the plot wasn't all that riveting. It makes me want to reread her classics such as Jayhawk and Return to Red Castle. That all said, if you need a sappy, Hallmark-type novel that doesn't require a lot of investment of the brain, this was an okay one.
October 22, 2021
I love all of Keddington’s books!
I was introduced to Dorothy Keddington by my mom in my teens. First was Return to Red Castle and it snowballed from there. I love her stories. Such fun plot lines with sweet romances along side. And I love how she weaves in her standards of morality, fidelity, faith, hard work, and love. It not common in most romance stories now. I’ll always recommend her books to anyone and that includes this one. Wonderfully done!
I was introduced to Dorothy Keddington by my mom in my teens. First was Return to Red Castle and it snowballed from there. I love her stories. Such fun plot lines with sweet romances along side. And I love how she weaves in her standards of morality, fidelity, faith, hard work, and love. It not common in most romance stories now. I’ll always recommend her books to anyone and that includes this one. Wonderfully done!
September 10, 2018
Dorothy Keddington usually has well-rounded characters. These were a bit two dimensional. Still the prose and the romance is beautiful as usual, just felt a little stiffed on the characters and storyline. She still is my favorite romance writer out there.
December 9, 2023
Dorothy Keddington always does the thriller/suspense/romance right! William and Mackenzie don’t even need to talk about it, they just feel right together. The legal drama is on par with a John Grisham novel.
September 8, 2017
This book was ok. The first part of the book was kind of intense and the second half was kind of sappy.
October 22, 2018
Not very suspenseful at all and I would say she sucked it up in the romance area also! Would never recommend. It’s great to have a fairytale but it just wasn’t believable at all!
December 12, 2018
Really liked the beginning but the romance part of it was just so lame. Ugh...
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February 7, 2020one of my favorite!
April 24, 2022
Oh, another good book. I couldn’t believe the love interest wasn’t introduced until about page eighty! But it was perfect. The story and the characters were so good, as always.
May 28, 2022
Scary and romantic and the same time!
July 16, 2023
I absolutely love this book! I love the romance in it! Definitely high up on my top ten favorite book! She is my absolute favorite author!
November 25, 2023
It’s cheesy, it’s predictable but I liked it and looked forward to ready a chapter or two every night.
June 1, 2024
Mom loved this book.
It took forever to read aloud, but it was nice to share the time and memories with her.
It took forever to read aloud, but it was nice to share the time and memories with her.
May 19, 2025
The first third of the book was exciting. The rest of the book was a little boring. The romance moved way to fast for me.
August 2, 2023
Good romantic suspense though everything happens very fast. I do believe you can know a person is right for you even in the first few days you know them. Drugs, violence, death all mentioned.
Even with those, definitely clean romance with humor and fun moments. This is a reread for me. Still enjoying it.
Even with those, definitely clean romance with humor and fun moments. This is a reread for me. Still enjoying it.
May 22, 2024
Just okay for me. This was a bookclub selection - not one I would have finished on my own. I think maybe in my younger years I would have liked it more. I read so much, I think I've come to expect more. Profound thoughts I want to highlight and discuss, learning something, really getting sucked in and caring about the characters. That just didn't happen here.
Looking back on the book to write up the review, I forgot about the prologue (not really necessary, I didn't remember the names or even remember the prologue had happened. I guess if I'd been paying closer attention I might have remembered/noticed Dicola's name to make that connection.
Prologue was 3rd person/past tense ... but the rest of the book was all 1st person/past tense, all from Mackenzie's POV. Just basic chronological chapters, no chapter headings. No "parts" but this did seem to be divided into two parts ... before Hearth Fires and at/after Hearth Fires. While generally I like that "ah" moment when the title of the book is referenced in the book ... this didn't really work for me.
The action starts off pretty quick, I'm trying to think if it would be realistic to nickname people so quickly in her mind ... "Sloppy Joe" and "The Pit Bill" and "The Ogre" ... Some spoilers ...
I always wonder a big when name brands are given ... PF Changs, Pepsi (product placement?)
Some things that irked me a little ...
"inside I was shaking with reaction"
"marriage, children and a home. In that order" (I'd want a home before bringing in children)
"I wanted nothing" - back to back starting paragraphs
"Mackenzie Graham is five foot three with reddish brown hair and blue eyes" - I know it's not cool to give out age and weight, but that description really isn't that helpful without those additional details!
The first night, they have Mac sleep in a recliner rather than trying to handle the stairs - but the very next night, have her sleep upstairs (did her injuries really improve that much in 24 hours?)
"the BENISON of hot water" "benison" ??? A blessing? Seemed a very strange description.
Family history is big in Utah (Mormons) ... I wondered if there was going to be more to the writing up the father's life story. It had a few things to say, then it just seemed to drop.
So - now honestly, I came into this a little negatively. I love books, but I have so much more ear time than eye time, I love audiobooks. This didn't have an audio version available. The ebook version wasn't available at any of my libraries (local author) so I had to pay for it ($8 if I recall correctly). I struggled SO much with reading. My eye time is before bed, and I kept falling asleep. Bookclub was coming up and I was only halfway done. I actually finished by having Amazon's Alexa read it to me, which is not great narration, but it got the book finished for me. As the author is local, she had been invited to the book club discussion ... which, might be awkward, as I didn't love the book. As a book club book, it just didn't really have much for discussion regardless. But turns out I do actually have a conflict and will likely miss it.
Content concerns: LDS author, no proFanity (beer and coffee mentioned :) ...what? J/K). Completely clean. Some violence/death.
Looking back on the book to write up the review, I forgot about the prologue (not really necessary, I didn't remember the names or even remember the prologue had happened. I guess if I'd been paying closer attention I might have remembered/noticed Dicola's name to make that connection.
Prologue was 3rd person/past tense ... but the rest of the book was all 1st person/past tense, all from Mackenzie's POV. Just basic chronological chapters, no chapter headings. No "parts" but this did seem to be divided into two parts ... before Hearth Fires and at/after Hearth Fires. While generally I like that "ah" moment when the title of the book is referenced in the book ... this didn't really work for me.
The action starts off pretty quick, I'm trying to think if it would be realistic to nickname people so quickly in her mind ... "Sloppy Joe" and "The Pit Bill" and "The Ogre" ... Some spoilers ...
I always wonder a big when name brands are given ... PF Changs, Pepsi (product placement?)
Some things that irked me a little ...
"inside I was shaking with reaction"
"marriage, children and a home. In that order" (I'd want a home before bringing in children)
"I wanted nothing" - back to back starting paragraphs
"Mackenzie Graham is five foot three with reddish brown hair and blue eyes" - I know it's not cool to give out age and weight, but that description really isn't that helpful without those additional details!
The first night, they have Mac sleep in a recliner rather than trying to handle the stairs - but the very next night, have her sleep upstairs (did her injuries really improve that much in 24 hours?)
"the BENISON of hot water" "benison" ??? A blessing? Seemed a very strange description.
Family history is big in Utah (Mormons) ... I wondered if there was going to be more to the writing up the father's life story. It had a few things to say, then it just seemed to drop.
So - now honestly, I came into this a little negatively. I love books, but I have so much more ear time than eye time, I love audiobooks. This didn't have an audio version available. The ebook version wasn't available at any of my libraries (local author) so I had to pay for it ($8 if I recall correctly). I struggled SO much with reading. My eye time is before bed, and I kept falling asleep. Bookclub was coming up and I was only halfway done. I actually finished by having Amazon's Alexa read it to me, which is not great narration, but it got the book finished for me. As the author is local, she had been invited to the book club discussion ... which, might be awkward, as I didn't love the book. As a book club book, it just didn't really have much for discussion regardless. But turns out I do actually have a conflict and will likely miss it.
Content concerns: LDS author, no proFanity (beer and coffee mentioned :) ...what? J/K). Completely clean. Some violence/death.
December 17, 2015
I am a huge Dorothy Keddington fan. My sister discovered them years and years ago and would stay up reading bits and pieces of them to me. A few years later I rediscovered them when one of my best friends loaned me a few books she said I just had to read. The books were "return to red castle" and "Jayhawk". Not long after I read those we discovered her books were being published again! I was so excited and bought them one by one. Needless to say I have read and reread them several times! I was even more excited to know that Dorothy Keddington started to write new fiction again! "The Fairy Thorne" and now this one.
Now onto the review of Hearth Fires.
Compared to Keddington's other novels I felt this one started out a little slower but she did a good job of setting up background information and starting the mystery of the plot. Usually the first chapter or prologue introduces the bad guys and gives just enough information to hook you and make you start guessing who, how, and why?
A drug ring leader gets caught in the act of handing over bribe money to a judge, all by accident when the heroine Mackenzie or Mac shows up to photograph the judge's cottage in Carmel, CA. Mackenzie is unaware of any problem until several small incidents occur and lead her to believe she is in danger. Too late she is hurt and on the run, being helped by the cowboy lawyer brother of a local detective.
The lawyer, William, takes her and hides her at his ranch in southern Utah. I loved reading about the location because it was close by where I grew up and we went there often. The same with several of Keddington's other books, I have lived in the location or close by where they are set. It makes the story come to life more so because I don't have to imagine what the location looks like because I've been there.
Okay moving on from my tangent... I really enjoy the relationship that develops between the two main characters in all of Dorothy's books. This one was the same, just a sweet, clean romance. Both Mackenzie and William were trying to move past hurts received from previous relationships and find happiness with someone who held their same ideals. I like that she writes her characters with the morals of saving the more intimate aspects of a relationship for after marriage.
Amid lots of suspense (she writes great suspense scenes) and yes, flying bullets, there are running bulls, family stories, car escapes and much more.
I enjoyed Hearth Fires a lot but must say it isn't my favorite Keddington book to date but definitely worth reading. I hope you take the chance and try all her books especially if you enjoy suspense/mystery and good clean romance.
Happy Reading!!!
Now onto the review of Hearth Fires.
Compared to Keddington's other novels I felt this one started out a little slower but she did a good job of setting up background information and starting the mystery of the plot. Usually the first chapter or prologue introduces the bad guys and gives just enough information to hook you and make you start guessing who, how, and why?
A drug ring leader gets caught in the act of handing over bribe money to a judge, all by accident when the heroine Mackenzie or Mac shows up to photograph the judge's cottage in Carmel, CA. Mackenzie is unaware of any problem until several small incidents occur and lead her to believe she is in danger. Too late she is hurt and on the run, being helped by the cowboy lawyer brother of a local detective.
The lawyer, William, takes her and hides her at his ranch in southern Utah. I loved reading about the location because it was close by where I grew up and we went there often. The same with several of Keddington's other books, I have lived in the location or close by where they are set. It makes the story come to life more so because I don't have to imagine what the location looks like because I've been there.
Okay moving on from my tangent... I really enjoy the relationship that develops between the two main characters in all of Dorothy's books. This one was the same, just a sweet, clean romance. Both Mackenzie and William were trying to move past hurts received from previous relationships and find happiness with someone who held their same ideals. I like that she writes her characters with the morals of saving the more intimate aspects of a relationship for after marriage.
Amid lots of suspense (she writes great suspense scenes) and yes, flying bullets, there are running bulls, family stories, car escapes and much more.
I enjoyed Hearth Fires a lot but must say it isn't my favorite Keddington book to date but definitely worth reading. I hope you take the chance and try all her books especially if you enjoy suspense/mystery and good clean romance.
Happy Reading!!!
December 30, 2015
*sigh* Well, just like many of these readers state, I am as well a long time reader and lover of Keddington. After reading the reviews it seems the popular vote is that Jayhawk and Return to Red Castle are her best books and I couldn't agree more.
I think this book started out so strong!! I loved the pace of events and how there wasn't too much down time between events that helped the progress the plot. Keddingtons is also very strong at painting an incredible scene to support the mood of her books! However! The ending was disappointing! Like I said it started out so strong. I was so excited with the way things were going. I couldn't wait for the end, that big climax she is so good at building up too. But it never came. Once you reach the middle of the book it just fizzled out. The big climax I was waiting for was two pages long and it was done. It wasn't even much a climax.
As for the romance, there was so much promise but I couldn't get into it because it appeared out of no where. It wasn't believable . Granted that most of Keddingtons romances are quick. But they usually have a better foundation and progression. They literally know nothing about each other. I feel they needed more development in personality and character building. In felt her other characters where no the very of being great supporting characters too. They were all a little shallow. No depth to their character and certainly no depth to the romance. I felt that if they really did get married it's not gonna last very long:/
All in all great build up from the beginning Nd a very strong star in all aspects; romance, suspense, and mystery. But no follow up. Just fizzled out and died.
However this is my opinion! And I still enjoyed the books as a light quick read. And I would recommend it still.
I think this book started out so strong!! I loved the pace of events and how there wasn't too much down time between events that helped the progress the plot. Keddingtons is also very strong at painting an incredible scene to support the mood of her books! However! The ending was disappointing! Like I said it started out so strong. I was so excited with the way things were going. I couldn't wait for the end, that big climax she is so good at building up too. But it never came. Once you reach the middle of the book it just fizzled out. The big climax I was waiting for was two pages long and it was done. It wasn't even much a climax.
As for the romance, there was so much promise but I couldn't get into it because it appeared out of no where. It wasn't believable . Granted that most of Keddingtons romances are quick. But they usually have a better foundation and progression. They literally know nothing about each other. I feel they needed more development in personality and character building. In felt her other characters where no the very of being great supporting characters too. They were all a little shallow. No depth to their character and certainly no depth to the romance. I felt that if they really did get married it's not gonna last very long:/
All in all great build up from the beginning Nd a very strong star in all aspects; romance, suspense, and mystery. But no follow up. Just fizzled out and died.
However this is my opinion! And I still enjoyed the books as a light quick read. And I would recommend it still.
May 1, 2014
30 years ago I read the first 3 Dorothy Keddington novels- Jayhawk, Return to Red Castle and I can't remember the third... and I loved them. I was younger, haha. I was pleasantly surprised to see a new book out by this author, and eagerly purchased it. I read Hearth Fires in 3 or 4 sittings, staying up past my bedtime to see what would happen next. The book started off great- good story, great setting, likeable protagonist, Mackenzie, though she has her issues with family dynamics- gotta make it interesting... The first few chapters were really intense. After the major drama that starts out the book, then the love story begins to develop, with the backdrop of murder, danger and the lovely scenery of Southern Utah. That part started to lose my attention after about 50 pages, and I was was waiting for some more action. I thought the way the rescuer (Lawyer/cowboy) falls so quickly for MacKenzie was a little hard to believe, but it was easy to see why she fell for him. I was bored with the love story part and not surprised with the way the action finally picked up at the end. My heart started beating faster as the danger mounted for Mackenzie, even though it was predictable. I felt satisfied with the ending though, and I felt the book was worth my time for a quick, clean, romantic drama.
June 23, 2014
I have loved Dorothy Keddington stuff from the 1980's. "Return to Red Castle" is one of my favorite books of all time. "Jayhawk", "Flower in the Wind" and "Shadow Song" are all great but the newer ones I have not liked. Aislynn of Eire...lack luster and this one...boring! I hate to say it! Boring.
The book started out nicely and fast paced but once she gets to the ranch...yawn. And the climax of the book, where the baddies come to the ranch to get her...not as exciting as I had hoped. And then after the climax of the story.... it was 40 pages to an ending, which was like soda that had been left uncapped...the fizzle was out.... I did the love the love spoons at the end, but I recently been to Wales and I think I love that Tradition!
Sorry, as a fan of Mrs Keddingtons early stuff, I so wanted to love this stuff but I just didn't excited me. :-(
(PS I own 3 copies of Return to Red Castle, 1 Flower in the Wind, and 1 Shadow song)
The book started out nicely and fast paced but once she gets to the ranch...yawn. And the climax of the book, where the baddies come to the ranch to get her...not as exciting as I had hoped. And then after the climax of the story.... it was 40 pages to an ending, which was like soda that had been left uncapped...the fizzle was out.... I did the love the love spoons at the end, but I recently been to Wales and I think I love that Tradition!
Sorry, as a fan of Mrs Keddingtons early stuff, I so wanted to love this stuff but I just didn't excited me. :-(
(PS I own 3 copies of Return to Red Castle, 1 Flower in the Wind, and 1 Shadow song)
December 17, 2014
As a Regency romance author, I generally do not read outside my genre, so I don’t inundate my brain with modern language instead of with the older sentence structures and vocabulary found in 1800’s literature, but I decided to read Hearth Fires for a change of pace. What a great decision! Dorothy Keddington does a fabulous job weaving together suspense, mystery, and romance (the romance being center to the story), and I did not want to put the book down! Her prose and descriptive writing are rich and full and delicious. What great word pictures she paints! She also does a great job using setting to enhance the mood of a scene. I loved her hero; he is a heart-melting hunk, to be sure. Would I recommend this book to my friends? Absolutely! Well done, Dorothy Keddington. Now that I have discovered you, I look forward to reading more of your books.
May 27, 2014
I was so excited to find that Dorothy had written another book. It has been a while since her last one and I love everything she has written so far. This story was a little less intense as some she has written, but I loved the characters and the sweet romance that evolved as the characters helped each other through the difficult things going on in their lives. William is so protective and gentle with Mackenzie and she is in such an awful situation. William's family is so cute and is just what Mackenzie needs in her life. I loved the story about the love spoon. Dorothy is so good at sharing interesting things about other cultures and her descriptions of the places in the book make you feel like you are really there visiting the place.
January 25, 2014
Okay so in my mind I keep bopping back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this one so I'm just going to compromise with myself and give this book a 3.5! The action and mystery in it were awesome and I found myself pulled into the story! I didn't expect anything less from Dorothy Keddington. She's been a favorite of mine since the 8th grade! That being said I just felt like the romance was a bit rushed. Like really really rushed. Had it been a little more drawn out I think that I would have enjoyed it a lot more but characters that fall in love instantly just make me a bit squirmy. I'd still recommend it just be aware of the insta-love! :D
April 30, 2014
If you don't like a Keddington book you won't like this one but if you do like a Keddington book you will like this one. It is a typical story line. A beautiful woman who dreams of family and home, falls into a sinister plot only to be rescued by a handsome (and chiseled) man. They fall in love in a matter of days and marry and have a child right away. And typical of Keddington a ranch and cows are involved.
No language, Some violence (shooting, No sex (kissing)
I would probably give this one more stars because I will read it again, for some reason I can always escape into one of her books, but it is not amazing literature.
No language, Some violence (shooting, No sex (kissing)
I would probably give this one more stars because I will read it again, for some reason I can always escape into one of her books, but it is not amazing literature.
September 10, 2014
Another book well done by Keddington. She definitely has a way with words. I may need to go for a drive as this book was set in my backyard and see if there really is a ranch.
I thought about this book and Keddington's other books and the theme that in the current times women are looked down on for wanting a more simple life, of wanting to be a mother. That is the most important job a woman will have. That is not saying that a woman shouldn't have a career, but a woman can change the world and the future by loving a child.
I thought about this book and Keddington's other books and the theme that in the current times women are looked down on for wanting a more simple life, of wanting to be a mother. That is the most important job a woman will have. That is not saying that a woman shouldn't have a career, but a woman can change the world and the future by loving a child.
May 13, 2016
I have been a fan of Keddingtons for a long time. Jayhawk and RedCastle are great. This book was ok. There was just nothing special here. It was the same old story and the same old kind of characters. The romance was sweet and the best element of the book but it took a while and then it took off. The story line has just been done too many times. I do like Keddingtons writing she does a great job with characters and set up and tension scenes. I just wanted there too be a wow element, a twist but it just wasn't there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews