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The Big Cat Trilogy #2
Heart of the Tiger
The Golden Leopard swept readers away on a worldwide adventure of intrigue and romance. Now Lynn Kerstan continues her mesmerizing saga-with an unforgettable tale of forbidden passion and revenge...
Ever since she was brutalized by the vicious Duke of Tallant, Mira Holcombe has no trust to lavish upon any man. All she wants is to destroy the duke, but first she must resist the fiery passion stirred by Michael Keynes-the brother of the beast who has ruined her life.
Ever since she was brutalized by the vicious Duke of Tallant, Mira Holcombe has no trust to lavish upon any man. All she wants is to destroy the duke, but first she must resist the fiery passion stirred by Michael Keynes-the brother of the beast who has ruined her life.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
44 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Kerstan
30 books18 followersLynn Kerstan is a former college professor, folksinger, professional bridge player, and nun.
Her first book, A Spirited Affair, published in 1993, was a double RITA finalist. In 1996, she took home a prestigious RITA Award for Gwen's Christmas Ghost, written with Indianapolis resident Alicia Rasley via E-Mail. A pioneer of on-line collaboration, she had previously collaborated with Rasley and Julie Caille on Lessons in Love, the world's first Electronic Regency Romance.
A four-time RITA finalist and regularly featured on awards lists, Kerstan has won the CRW Award of Excellence, the Golden Quill Award, two San Diego Book Awards, two Romance Communications Awards, and been a finalist for the National Readers' Choice Award, several Romantic Times awards, and the Holt Medallion.
Kerstan lives in Southern California, where she plots her books while riding her boogie board and does character research at the San Diego Zoo.
Her first book, A Spirited Affair, published in 1993, was a double RITA finalist. In 1996, she took home a prestigious RITA Award for Gwen's Christmas Ghost, written with Indianapolis resident Alicia Rasley via E-Mail. A pioneer of on-line collaboration, she had previously collaborated with Rasley and Julie Caille on Lessons in Love, the world's first Electronic Regency Romance.
A four-time RITA finalist and regularly featured on awards lists, Kerstan has won the CRW Award of Excellence, the Golden Quill Award, two San Diego Book Awards, two Romance Communications Awards, and been a finalist for the National Readers' Choice Award, several Romantic Times awards, and the Holt Medallion.
Kerstan lives in Southern California, where she plots her books while riding her boogie board and does character research at the San Diego Zoo.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 18, 2017
Fantastic characters - a break from the norm.
Now then, this was something a little bit different. I don't tend to read many Regency Romances but something about the blurb piqued my interest for this one so I gave it a whirl and I'm very glad that I did!
This book breaks all the rules of Regency Romance as I've come to know them. Doesn't it know that the hero and heroine are supposed to meet within the first 20 pages, and then the hero is meant to be transfixed by her heaving bosom, and she's meant to turn into a blob of simpering girl goo every time he comes near. Yada, yada, pithy dialogue, blah-di-blah, several sex scenes involving creamy thighs, quivering members and throbbing manhoods, some other stuff, fiddle-di-dee, happily ever after - the end.
That is how it is supposed to go! Those are The Rules! But that's not what happened here. Far from it.
Instead, what we got were two flawed but fascinating main characters. In particular, the heroine, Mira, had a lot going on internally. She has some stuff to work through before she can even consider members of the opposite sex. So for this reason the romance had to wait quite a while to get going (which made perfect sense in context) while she sorted through some of her problems and issues.
Mira and Micheal are two people who share the same goal—vengeance and the all-consuming need to kill Michael's older brother, the Duke of Tallant. And on the surface, that's all they have in common. But as we go deeper we see that they are more like kindred spirits than they could ever have guessed. Both characters are a dichotomy in and of themselves. Michael, at the start of the book, has just returned from India to England after a decade-long absence. He outwardly looks like a total barbarian compared to all the pomps of London, but underneath, much as he would deny it, he is a decent and good man. Whereas Mira looks like an angel on the outside; soft-spoken and altruistic, caring for her disabled father and turning down frequent offers of marriage to devote herself to her father's few remaining months of life. But underneath that façade, she is a woman filled only with thoughts of revenge and calculating cold-blooded murder.
Neither character was wholly good or bad, but they were definitely interesting and engaging.
Obviously, to find out why they want to kill the duke so much you'll have to read the book, but it's quite harrowing and heartbreaking and I'm just glad that Michael and Mira found each other in time.
I have to say, I loved the setting and all the Indian fables and stories that were thrown in via Michael's Sikh friend Hari. They were used sparingly, but were a nice (and again, different) addition. I also really enjoyed the dialogue, I thought that was very well done. And it was really endearing to read Michael's hopes and dreams through his narration, even though he was adamant he didn't deserve any of what he secretly wished for. All that was just too cute!
If I could wish for anything, I would have loved a few more intimate scenes. However, I would not have brought them forward to earlier in the book, I would simply wish for it to have been longer or to have had a nice epilogue. Particularly after the way things went the first time they were together!
I definitely recommend this book. I may be no expert on this genre, but I know good characters when I meet them, and they certainly were that.
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review
Now then, this was something a little bit different. I don't tend to read many Regency Romances but something about the blurb piqued my interest for this one so I gave it a whirl and I'm very glad that I did!
This book breaks all the rules of Regency Romance as I've come to know them. Doesn't it know that the hero and heroine are supposed to meet within the first 20 pages, and then the hero is meant to be transfixed by her heaving bosom, and she's meant to turn into a blob of simpering girl goo every time he comes near. Yada, yada, pithy dialogue, blah-di-blah, several sex scenes involving creamy thighs, quivering members and throbbing manhoods, some other stuff, fiddle-di-dee, happily ever after - the end.
That is how it is supposed to go! Those are The Rules! But that's not what happened here. Far from it.
Instead, what we got were two flawed but fascinating main characters. In particular, the heroine, Mira, had a lot going on internally. She has some stuff to work through before she can even consider members of the opposite sex. So for this reason the romance had to wait quite a while to get going (which made perfect sense in context) while she sorted through some of her problems and issues.
Mira and Micheal are two people who share the same goal—vengeance and the all-consuming need to kill Michael's older brother, the Duke of Tallant. And on the surface, that's all they have in common. But as we go deeper we see that they are more like kindred spirits than they could ever have guessed. Both characters are a dichotomy in and of themselves. Michael, at the start of the book, has just returned from India to England after a decade-long absence. He outwardly looks like a total barbarian compared to all the pomps of London, but underneath, much as he would deny it, he is a decent and good man. Whereas Mira looks like an angel on the outside; soft-spoken and altruistic, caring for her disabled father and turning down frequent offers of marriage to devote herself to her father's few remaining months of life. But underneath that façade, she is a woman filled only with thoughts of revenge and calculating cold-blooded murder.
Neither character was wholly good or bad, but they were definitely interesting and engaging.
Obviously, to find out why they want to kill the duke so much you'll have to read the book, but it's quite harrowing and heartbreaking and I'm just glad that Michael and Mira found each other in time.
I have to say, I loved the setting and all the Indian fables and stories that were thrown in via Michael's Sikh friend Hari. They were used sparingly, but were a nice (and again, different) addition. I also really enjoyed the dialogue, I thought that was very well done. And it was really endearing to read Michael's hopes and dreams through his narration, even though he was adamant he didn't deserve any of what he secretly wished for. All that was just too cute!
If I could wish for anything, I would have loved a few more intimate scenes. However, I would not have brought them forward to earlier in the book, I would simply wish for it to have been longer or to have had a nice epilogue. Particularly after the way things went the first time they were together!
I definitely recommend this book. I may be no expert on this genre, but I know good characters when I meet them, and they certainly were that.
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review
November 10, 2012
I don't read many historical romances anymore. I used to, constantly, but over the years my reading appetite has changed, and now, I'm lucky to read 5, maybe 10, a year - and I tend to be very picky about which ones I choose. I search for historicals that aren't afraid to color outside the usual lines, that dare to be different. Well, I am happy to say I found what I was looking for in Heart of the Tiger. In fact, I would say it's one of the best historical romances I've read in quite a while. The story flows with water-smoothness, the setting is well-drawn, and the lead characters, Michael and Mira, are deliciously layered and complex. Their relationship builds with satisfying slowness, and is, by far, the best aspect of the entire story. I loved all the little ways the author ramped up the tension between them, avoiding an all-out lust-fest in favor of a series of seemingly inconsequential moments, when they would do nothing more than watch each other move or talk. Michael, in particular, invested those moments with a surprising amount of sweetness, taking the simplest and quietest of joys in Mira's mere presence, without sacrificing any of his masculinity or, worse, coming across as a mooning suitor.
All in all, this was a lovely read and one I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves intelligent, slow-burning romances.
**Special thanks to Lynsey, the Demon Librarian, for bringing this book to my attention. If I hadn't seen your review, I would have missed out on a real gem of a romance.
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All in all, this was a lovely read and one I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves intelligent, slow-burning romances.
**Special thanks to Lynsey, the Demon Librarian, for bringing this book to my attention. If I hadn't seen your review, I would have missed out on a real gem of a romance.
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October 31, 2012
Heart of the Tiger is slightly related to Lynn Kerstan's The Golden Leopard, if only because we deal with some of the same secondary characters. But it is written with the same power, passion and intrigue that captivated me.
Mira Holcombe is fighting for her father's lands. Unjustly taken over by a powerful Duke. One who wants only what he wants and is willing to destroy all in his path. Mira has spent the past few years caring for her father who was felled by a stroke, but has an active mind. She wants only to see him die in his own home. A Home that is no longer theirs because those with power recognize only others with power.
Michael Keynes has spent most of his life with only one goal in mind. To kill the beast. Otherwise known as The Duke of Tallant, his older brother. After years of doing his best to destroy the kingdom the beast created on the backs of Opium dealers and the far east he has returned from India to finally complete his life long mission. Only problem is there are others with goals that seem to circumvent his.
This book seethes with the exotic mystery of what we think of India. While most of the book actually takes place in England the dark brooding power of mystical promise swirls and twirls, wrapping you up in it's power. I found myself believing in the mystical elements that really only work in a book such as this. Elements based on faith rather than PNR..
It is ironic really that the great evil in this book, while called The Beast, is really only a man. And yes this character is not a bad man, not a redeemable man, not a misunderstood man, he is an evil man. And the fight to destroy him and survive is a powerful story that Ms Kerstan tells beautifully. In a way this could be considered a gothic romance, only because it broods.. like only a good gothic story can.
The characters and their unique personalities drive this book. The story enhances their failures and fears. It creates a vehicle that allows them to triumph because of their flaws not instead of them. I really enjoyed Michael and Mira. Mira because she was so broken and refused to surrender and Michael because above all things he loved Mira and was willing to do anything as long as she was happy.. even give her up.
Each book I have read of Ms Kerstan pulls at me and leaves me wanting more. I look forward to the next installment in this wonderfully dark, brooding series.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Heart of the Tiger provided by netgalley
For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
Mira Holcombe is fighting for her father's lands. Unjustly taken over by a powerful Duke. One who wants only what he wants and is willing to destroy all in his path. Mira has spent the past few years caring for her father who was felled by a stroke, but has an active mind. She wants only to see him die in his own home. A Home that is no longer theirs because those with power recognize only others with power.
Michael Keynes has spent most of his life with only one goal in mind. To kill the beast. Otherwise known as The Duke of Tallant, his older brother. After years of doing his best to destroy the kingdom the beast created on the backs of Opium dealers and the far east he has returned from India to finally complete his life long mission. Only problem is there are others with goals that seem to circumvent his.
This book seethes with the exotic mystery of what we think of India. While most of the book actually takes place in England the dark brooding power of mystical promise swirls and twirls, wrapping you up in it's power. I found myself believing in the mystical elements that really only work in a book such as this. Elements based on faith rather than PNR..
It is ironic really that the great evil in this book, while called The Beast, is really only a man. And yes this character is not a bad man, not a redeemable man, not a misunderstood man, he is an evil man. And the fight to destroy him and survive is a powerful story that Ms Kerstan tells beautifully. In a way this could be considered a gothic romance, only because it broods.. like only a good gothic story can.
The characters and their unique personalities drive this book. The story enhances their failures and fears. It creates a vehicle that allows them to triumph because of their flaws not instead of them. I really enjoyed Michael and Mira. Mira because she was so broken and refused to surrender and Michael because above all things he loved Mira and was willing to do anything as long as she was happy.. even give her up.
Each book I have read of Ms Kerstan pulls at me and leaves me wanting more. I look forward to the next installment in this wonderfully dark, brooding series.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Heart of the Tiger provided by netgalley
For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
October 31, 2012
Thank you, NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books, for the opportunity to read HEART OF THE TIGER.
Gosh, Jermyn, the Duke of Tallant, is a horrible person. EVERYONE wants him dead, from his wife, to his brother, his daughters, Miranda (his neighbor) to basically everyone who meets him.
There is much disappointment when he turns up dead and those that wanted him so didn't get to do it.
This book is about Miranda and Michael, the new Duke...and what they want, what they wish for, and their hopes and dreams for the future, now that revenge is no longer attainable.
There's some mystic moments that kept me guessing...there's some HEAT that kept me wanting more...there is the challenge of these two finding their home with each other. Lots of moments that kept me clicking through the pages on my kindle.
Very enjoyable and I want to see more from Lynn Kersten!
Gosh, Jermyn, the Duke of Tallant, is a horrible person. EVERYONE wants him dead, from his wife, to his brother, his daughters, Miranda (his neighbor) to basically everyone who meets him.
There is much disappointment when he turns up dead and those that wanted him so didn't get to do it.
This book is about Miranda and Michael, the new Duke...and what they want, what they wish for, and their hopes and dreams for the future, now that revenge is no longer attainable.
There's some mystic moments that kept me guessing...there's some HEAT that kept me wanting more...there is the challenge of these two finding their home with each other. Lots of moments that kept me clicking through the pages on my kindle.
Very enjoyable and I want to see more from Lynn Kersten!
July 30, 2017
Splendid
I read the first book in the series and had to get the second. I was not disappointed.
The hero and heroine are both deeply damaged by events which happened long in the past, which are revealed gradually although the reader knows from hints what they must be. The final solution seems a bit of a let-down, but I am hoping for another layer of plot in the third book. It was not enough to detract from the book as a whole in any case, and in a way life is not so tidy as that anyway.
I read the first book in the series and had to get the second. I was not disappointed.
The hero and heroine are both deeply damaged by events which happened long in the past, which are revealed gradually although the reader knows from hints what they must be. The final solution seems a bit of a let-down, but I am hoping for another layer of plot in the third book. It was not enough to detract from the book as a whole in any case, and in a way life is not so tidy as that anyway.
October 27, 2012
This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...
Heart of the Tiger was an okay book. It wasn't amazing, but it was okay. It just got kind of...boring.
All the characters were okay.
Mira is fueled by revenge and we don't get the full reason why until close to the end of the book. She was okay. She was strong and determined, but she didn't take it too far. She was perfectly likable.
Michael was a good character as well. He is bent of revenge as much as Mira is. But he also had a sweeter side that revealed itself when he was with Mira. Though their common goal brought them together in the beginning, they stayed together later out of a newly grown love. It was sweet, especially in the face of the all the horrible things that are going on while their relationship grows. But, I didn't really connect with either of them. And I thought it was really bizarre that, after Jermyn does die (I won't reveal the circumstances of that) they fight about who should take the blame and be hung for it. Never mind the fact that neither of them did it. They truly got into a full fledged fight about who would be hung for a murder neither committed instead of trying to find out who actually did it. It was just bizarre. I just didn't get the two main characters.
The plot was fine. But it was so slow. If the plot had moved faster, I might have liked this book. But it got boring. It just didn't move quickly enough to keep my attention. If you notice, every word I use to describe my opinion about the book is lackluster, which is how I felt the book was. You'd think with a murder scheme going on, things would be more exciting. But they were just...not. I wrote this review 3 days after I read the book, and it was so unmemorable, that I had to strain to remember anything about it. It makes me feel terrible to write such as negative review, but this book just wasn't the greatest book I've ever read.
Heart of the Tiger is just an okay book. If you need a fast paced book that keeps you hooked, this isn't the book for you. But if you have greater patience than I, you should give it a try. Maybe you'll like it better than I did.
2/5
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy!
Heart of the Tiger was an okay book. It wasn't amazing, but it was okay. It just got kind of...boring.
All the characters were okay.
Mira is fueled by revenge and we don't get the full reason why until close to the end of the book. She was okay. She was strong and determined, but she didn't take it too far. She was perfectly likable.
Michael was a good character as well. He is bent of revenge as much as Mira is. But he also had a sweeter side that revealed itself when he was with Mira. Though their common goal brought them together in the beginning, they stayed together later out of a newly grown love. It was sweet, especially in the face of the all the horrible things that are going on while their relationship grows. But, I didn't really connect with either of them. And I thought it was really bizarre that, after Jermyn does die (I won't reveal the circumstances of that) they fight about who should take the blame and be hung for it. Never mind the fact that neither of them did it. They truly got into a full fledged fight about who would be hung for a murder neither committed instead of trying to find out who actually did it. It was just bizarre. I just didn't get the two main characters.
The plot was fine. But it was so slow. If the plot had moved faster, I might have liked this book. But it got boring. It just didn't move quickly enough to keep my attention. If you notice, every word I use to describe my opinion about the book is lackluster, which is how I felt the book was. You'd think with a murder scheme going on, things would be more exciting. But they were just...not. I wrote this review 3 days after I read the book, and it was so unmemorable, that I had to strain to remember anything about it. It makes me feel terrible to write such as negative review, but this book just wasn't the greatest book I've ever read.
Heart of the Tiger is just an okay book. If you need a fast paced book that keeps you hooked, this isn't the book for you. But if you have greater patience than I, you should give it a try. Maybe you'll like it better than I did.
2/5
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy!
October 31, 2012
This is the sequel to The Golden Leopard and the second in Lynn Kerstan's Big Cat Trilogy. In it, we are re-introduced to Mira Holcombe and her invalid father, who had played a part in helping Hugo and Jessica locate the Golden Leopard in the previous book. Like it, Heart of the Tiger has strong elements of Indian folklore and some Indian characters who are central.to the story. Our hero this time is Michael Keynes, younger brother of the execrable Duke of Tallant and whose sole aim in life is to kill his brother. To that end, Michael has spent a great deal of time in India, making his own considerable fortune while at the same time ruining his brother's business interests there.
The Duke of Tallant is unscrupulous, ruthless and utterly evil - not for nothing is he known as "The Beast".
On his return to England, Michael meets Mira, whose intentions towards the duke are the same as his - and is immediately fascinated by her. She also feels powerfully drawn to Michael, but sees him as a dangerous distraction and tries to avoid him at all costs. She also feels 'damaged' because of an incident that took place years before. It's easy to guess what happened, but what keeps one's interest is gauging how much Michael knows and what Mira will tell him.
There is a murder-mystery element to the story, but this isn't a whodunnit and it's difficult to say much more than that without completely spoiling the plot, other than that the murder is a catalyst for a chain off events that serve to show just how far Michael and Mira will go to protect each other.
I found Heart of the Tiger to be a real page-turner and had to read late into the night to finish it! Michael is gorgeous, dangerous and utterly compelling and Mira is more than up to his weight and doesn't let him get away with anything. The sparks fly when they are together yet there is a lot of tenderness between them, too.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and am really looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, The Silver Lion.
With thanks to Bell Bridge Books and NetGalley for the review copy.
The Duke of Tallant is unscrupulous, ruthless and utterly evil - not for nothing is he known as "The Beast".
On his return to England, Michael meets Mira, whose intentions towards the duke are the same as his - and is immediately fascinated by her. She also feels powerfully drawn to Michael, but sees him as a dangerous distraction and tries to avoid him at all costs. She also feels 'damaged' because of an incident that took place years before. It's easy to guess what happened, but what keeps one's interest is gauging how much Michael knows and what Mira will tell him.
There is a murder-mystery element to the story, but this isn't a whodunnit and it's difficult to say much more than that without completely spoiling the plot, other than that the murder is a catalyst for a chain off events that serve to show just how far Michael and Mira will go to protect each other.
I found Heart of the Tiger to be a real page-turner and had to read late into the night to finish it! Michael is gorgeous, dangerous and utterly compelling and Mira is more than up to his weight and doesn't let him get away with anything. The sparks fly when they are together yet there is a lot of tenderness between them, too.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and am really looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, The Silver Lion.
With thanks to Bell Bridge Books and NetGalley for the review copy.
June 14, 2013
By: Lynn Kerstan
Published By: Onyx
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Book Blog For: GMTA
Series: The Big Cat Trilogy #2
Review:
"Heart of the Tiger" by Lynn Kerstan was the sequel to 'The Golden Leopard' in the 'Big Cat Trilogy.' In this novel we will be introduced to Michael Keynes, who was the 'younger brother of the execrable Duke of Tallant and whose sole aim in life is to kill his brother.' This 'Duke of Tallant' is know as "The Beast." Now, the story really get interesting with Michael meeting Mira who hates the duke as he does. Now, this is where I say you must pick up "Heat of the Tiger to see where and how the author will lead us. This was a good murder mystery to the story which will be a 'catalyst for a chain of events that will show us how far both Michael and Mira will go and I will leave it at that.
This is definitely a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat turning the pages to get it all. In the end will Michael and Mira get what they wanted?
"Heart of the Tiger" was one good read that if you are into historical romances you have come to the right place and I would recommend this read for you.
September 19, 2015
Four stars for being well written, and bc this author's worst writing is better than most authors' best. That said, the romance took forever to build, and the first two-thirds of the book were slow. I found my mind wandering to other things and wasn't as captivated as I was in the first book of this series. As in this author's previous works, the murder mystery part of the plot seemed to meander, and the resolution was a bit lame. Still, I love this author and am looking forward to reading the third book in this series.
Read
February 10, 2010Comfort re-read while I'm waiting for the Fletch mysteries I ordered to come in. Either way I am ignoring all the ALA award winners on my dresser!
March 30, 2010
The heroine has webbed fingers, which is mentioned at least a hundred times. Wacky!
October 19, 2012
4.5 stars (wish GR would allow half stars)
June 5, 2013
Review Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review by Caz
Link to Review: http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
Review by Caz
Link to Review: http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
August 28, 2009
#2 Michael & Mira
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews