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Heart of Fire
A long-lost brother returns . . . Maddie Harman hasn't seen her brother in years, not since he went off to war and she moved to Sefton Park with their grandparents. So when Theo suddenly returns, Maddie couldn't be happier to have her family back together. Theo also brings a guest—a stunning mare he's brought back from Zanzibar. Maddie isn't much of a rider, but when Theo lets her name the horse, she falls in love with Firebird. She even dares to go for a ride—and discovers that Firebird is a champion jumper. The horse is fitting in perfectly at the estate. But Theo doesn't seem so comfortable. And then, on a dark and stormy night, another young man drives up to Sefton Park. He comes inside and introduces himself . . . as Theo Harman. The family is shocked. Who is the real Theo? And Maddie has another worry—if the first Theo is an imposter, what will happen to her beloved Firebird?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
About the author
Victoria Holmes
12 books88 followersVictoria "Vicky" Holmes comes up with the ideas for the New York Times Bestselling Warriors books, consisting of four miniseries: Warriors, Warriors: The New Prophecy, Warriors: Power of Three, and Warriors: Omen of the Stars, written by Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and new addition Tui Sutherland under the pen name Erin Hunter, and published by HarperCollins. Holmes creates the plots, then Cary, Baldry, and Sutherland write the stories. Holmes is also in charge of maintaining series continuity and making sure that there's a consistent "voice" across the books.
Victoria grew up on a farm in England, where she learned to write at the age of two. She enjoyed reading and writing stories of her own when she had the time. She studied English at the University of Oxford, where the ancient buildings and sense of tradition inspired an interest in history. Victoria now works in London as a children's book editor and escapes to the English countryside whenever she can to ride horses and walk her dog, Missy.
Victoria is also the author of the books Rider in the Dark, published in 2004; The Horse from the Sea, published in 2005; and Heart of Fire, published in 2006.
Victoria grew up on a farm in England, where she learned to write at the age of two. She enjoyed reading and writing stories of her own when she had the time. She studied English at the University of Oxford, where the ancient buildings and sense of tradition inspired an interest in history. Victoria now works in London as a children's book editor and escapes to the English countryside whenever she can to ride horses and walk her dog, Missy.
Victoria is also the author of the books Rider in the Dark, published in 2004; The Horse from the Sea, published in 2005; and Heart of Fire, published in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 22, 2015
Maddie is a 15-year-old girl who has lived in her grandparents' country estate in England, ever since her parents died. Her older sister, Louisa, also lives with them--but Theo, their brother is fighting in the Great War (WWII).
The main plot of the book begins when Theo suddenly returns from the war--what a wonderful surprise for the family! It has been so many years and Theo has changed so much. He awkwardly tries fitting in with their life at Sefton Park. However, most of the time, Theo is out in the stable with the horses. Because of him, Maddie takes the leap and finally shows an interest in horses, just like what her grandparents had wanted her to do for so long.
She slowly becomes more and more attached to her brother until she uncovers something he has been hiding from the family. It is intriguing and astonishing--it even caught me by surprise! However, by the time Maddie finds out Theo's secret, if she tells everyone it will wreck all the horse riding plans that she and her brother had. How much farther will she go without telling? What kind of trouble is it going to cost her?
"Heart of Fire" is a excellent story, and revolves a lot around horses. So, if you're a horse fanatic and love historical fiction, I'm sure this is the book for you.
The main plot of the book begins when Theo suddenly returns from the war--what a wonderful surprise for the family! It has been so many years and Theo has changed so much. He awkwardly tries fitting in with their life at Sefton Park. However, most of the time, Theo is out in the stable with the horses. Because of him, Maddie takes the leap and finally shows an interest in horses, just like what her grandparents had wanted her to do for so long.
She slowly becomes more and more attached to her brother until she uncovers something he has been hiding from the family. It is intriguing and astonishing--it even caught me by surprise! However, by the time Maddie finds out Theo's secret, if she tells everyone it will wreck all the horse riding plans that she and her brother had. How much farther will she go without telling? What kind of trouble is it going to cost her?
"Heart of Fire" is a excellent story, and revolves a lot around horses. So, if you're a horse fanatic and love historical fiction, I'm sure this is the book for you.
April 7, 2026
This book is worth its in gold, especially with how well developed the characters are! I initially heard of this book when I heard Victoria Holmes also wrote horse books (she was one of the editors for Warrior Cats—another series I love).
⋆˙⟡ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 .☘︎ ݁˖
Maddie Harman isn't the most strongest rider, but that's what makes her stand out the most in this book. Unlike being the natural horse whisper of Alec Ramsay or the stereotypical horse-girl-trope as seen in Black Beauty (the Disney rip-off... a simple disservice to the actual book and its legacy) and both movie Flickas... (especially in the second one). Maddie is a green rider and is far from being most skilled, but her heart and willingness to learn is her strong suite, being a far cry from stubbornness.
Her parents are dead (wow, what a shocker?). She was then taken under the wing of her grandparents, who are rich, but they aren't the stereotypical, snobby rich people we see; they are sweet, wholesome individuals. Even Maddie's sister, Louisa, is advocate for womens' rights; she also make choices towards the end that go along with her goal (fighting for the right to vote, being an issue in England at the time of the '40s the book takes place in). On the other hand, her brother, Theo, is presumed to be dead but he magically appears with chestnut Arabian.
She names the Arabian mare, Firebird, and everyone is also confused about Theo's return. Firebird is feisty, but at first when Maddie gets bitten by her, she acts all defensive and blames her. Then Theo corrects Maddie and informs her that she was uncomfortable, then Maddie immediately is like "okay". Maddie isn't fussy about it, which is what I love, even Theo being a role model—patient and understanding of his horses. There aren't many books where we see a good role model guiding the beginner.
Although we have Alec and Henry Daley from The Black Stallion, Alec is magically born with the skillset of galloping across the sunset bareback and bridleless (how realistic!), and then, National Velvet... we barely see Velvet actually work with The Piebald—only to have her talk to her wise grandfather for most of the book, leaving for the ending to be lackluster. In this book, Theo actually develops Firebird first and gets her seasoned enough to be safe for Maddie to ride her. And when Maddie does ride her, Theo assists her, which is great for a still inexperienced rider. At one point, Maddie does gallop the mare across the field, but I love the build up to it to where she can do it without hurting herself. She even slows her down back to be on the safe side too (I love having a careful MC!).
At some point as well, Maddie sees a competition in a magazine and manages to convince Theo to do it with Firebird. However, we are revealed that the "Theo" we knew and loved is actually Johnny, who was Theo's best friend while doing the mines back in Africa during the war. Theo returns, bitter and resentful of his friend. Johnny, on the other hand, was too shy to reveal the truth when everyone just assumed he was Theo out the gate. Johnny runs away at some point, then Theo has to learn the mare as well. We find Johnny then he decided to runaway somewhere (my memory is a little foggy).
By the end, Firebird does win the show jumping competition; however, that isn't the point... she looses the brother that was never hers... Johnny. He does sweep in to see Theo show Firebird, but tells Maddie about the other opportunities he's taken, and to put it simply—he's moved on. It's heartbreaking, especially when Theo is still resentful of him... he's not very forgiving of a character.
Every moment of this book was incredible and memorable one I read in the summer of 2025 :)
⋆˙⟡ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 .☘︎ ݁˖
Maddie Harman isn't the most strongest rider, but that's what makes her stand out the most in this book. Unlike being the natural horse whisper of Alec Ramsay or the stereotypical horse-girl-trope as seen in Black Beauty (the Disney rip-off... a simple disservice to the actual book and its legacy) and both movie Flickas... (especially in the second one). Maddie is a green rider and is far from being most skilled, but her heart and willingness to learn is her strong suite, being a far cry from stubbornness.
Her parents are dead (wow, what a shocker?). She was then taken under the wing of her grandparents, who are rich, but they aren't the stereotypical, snobby rich people we see; they are sweet, wholesome individuals. Even Maddie's sister, Louisa, is advocate for womens' rights; she also make choices towards the end that go along with her goal (fighting for the right to vote, being an issue in England at the time of the '40s the book takes place in). On the other hand, her brother, Theo, is presumed to be dead but he magically appears with chestnut Arabian.
She names the Arabian mare, Firebird, and everyone is also confused about Theo's return. Firebird is feisty, but at first when Maddie gets bitten by her, she acts all defensive and blames her. Then Theo corrects Maddie and informs her that she was uncomfortable, then Maddie immediately is like "okay". Maddie isn't fussy about it, which is what I love, even Theo being a role model—patient and understanding of his horses. There aren't many books where we see a good role model guiding the beginner.
Although we have Alec and Henry Daley from The Black Stallion, Alec is magically born with the skillset of galloping across the sunset bareback and bridleless (how realistic!), and then, National Velvet... we barely see Velvet actually work with The Piebald—only to have her talk to her wise grandfather for most of the book, leaving for the ending to be lackluster. In this book, Theo actually develops Firebird first and gets her seasoned enough to be safe for Maddie to ride her. And when Maddie does ride her, Theo assists her, which is great for a still inexperienced rider. At one point, Maddie does gallop the mare across the field, but I love the build up to it to where she can do it without hurting herself. She even slows her down back to be on the safe side too (I love having a careful MC!).
At some point as well, Maddie sees a competition in a magazine and manages to convince Theo to do it with Firebird. However, we are revealed that the "Theo" we knew and loved is actually Johnny, who was Theo's best friend while doing the mines back in Africa during the war. Theo returns, bitter and resentful of his friend. Johnny, on the other hand, was too shy to reveal the truth when everyone just assumed he was Theo out the gate. Johnny runs away at some point, then Theo has to learn the mare as well. We find Johnny then he decided to runaway somewhere (my memory is a little foggy).
By the end, Firebird does win the show jumping competition; however, that isn't the point... she looses the brother that was never hers... Johnny. He does sweep in to see Theo show Firebird, but tells Maddie about the other opportunities he's taken, and to put it simply—he's moved on. It's heartbreaking, especially when Theo is still resentful of him... he's not very forgiving of a character.
Every moment of this book was incredible and memorable one I read in the summer of 2025 :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2021
Maddie moved to the farmhouse with her grandparents. She did not like it at first and did not like riding. It all changed once she met her brother's horse, Firebird. She fell in love with the horse and they became companions. Maddie goes through many issues with family later in the book. It was an amazing book considering I deal with horses and I can feel their struggles throughout the chapters. It was a great overall experience. I give it a full 5 stars because there were no long talking scenes, it got right to the point. There were many events that had an impact on the story. The theme was a strong message to never give up on riding and anyone can become family.
October 5, 2017
This book is awesome I saw this book in the library and it looked interesting and it is. I couldn't put it down I skipped watching a movie with my family cuz I had to find out what happened.
March 17, 2024
Interesting premise, enjoyable read.
July 4, 2012
A amazing read. The time is set in early 1900's and Maddie is staying at her Grandparents home because her parents are both gone. Maddie's brother has been gone a long time. He was in the the war then partnered with a friend to go to Africa to dig Diamond mines. An accident at the mines supposely leaves the partner Jonathan alive while her brother is presumed dead.
Waking up in the hospital John is mistaken for her brother Theo. He has the passport, knife that Maddy gave her brother, and a little cash.
John shows up at the grandparents home leading a mare that has Arabian blood in her. Maddy mistakenly sees him and assumed it was Theo her brother, so a great deception starts.
In the beginning her grandmother makes Maddy ride (Sidesaddle) and Maddy isn't keen on it. Through tutoring from John she learns that she loves riding and loves the mare.
The grandparents throw a coming home party but john(aka her brother)disappears to the stable.
Theo does return home and an uproar starts and John is running away.
John and Maddie were training the mare to enter a huge jumping competion but Theo kills that idea.
I enoyed this one and was sorry when I finished it. Would have loved to read more about this family and John.
Waking up in the hospital John is mistaken for her brother Theo. He has the passport, knife that Maddy gave her brother, and a little cash.
John shows up at the grandparents home leading a mare that has Arabian blood in her. Maddy mistakenly sees him and assumed it was Theo her brother, so a great deception starts.
In the beginning her grandmother makes Maddy ride (Sidesaddle) and Maddy isn't keen on it. Through tutoring from John she learns that she loves riding and loves the mare.
The grandparents throw a coming home party but john(aka her brother)disappears to the stable.
Theo does return home and an uproar starts and John is running away.
John and Maddie were training the mare to enter a huge jumping competion but Theo kills that idea.
I enoyed this one and was sorry when I finished it. Would have loved to read more about this family and John.
Read
July 2, 2009The third horse book after Rider in the Dark and The Horse from the Sea that takes place in Berkshire, England in 1923 in which Maddie, who with her sister, live with their grandparents. They are thrilled that Theo, their brother, comes home from the war. He brings a horse with him, Firebird, who Maddie learns to ride and love. But is he really Theo? No, it is Jonathan, Theo’s best friend, pretending to be Theo. Then when the real Theo shows up, the trouble begins. Recommended for horse-loving girls.
March 5, 2015
I usually love horse books but this one drove me nuts. Maybe it was for a younger audience than me. Duh! But the brother thing irked me.[return][return]Maddie's family is reunited when her brother finally comes home to England after fighting in the Great War, but when she discovers that he is an impostor, Maddie faces the loss of both her new brother and his horse, which she has grown to love.
April 7, 2016
Not my favorite by this author, but I enjoyed the details about jumping and training and all around horseishness. Victoria Holmes also managed to create a heart-wrenching ending which is one of her most terrific writing abilities.
November 26, 2008
National Velvet Type story, England post War, a great horse, a missing big brother returns home. What girl can resist?
March 20, 2010
This is my FAVORITE BOOK! It is totally AMAZING
June 6, 2011
I loved this book!! It was just an amazing book!
July 16, 2012
Amazing! I loved it and reccommed it to anyone. I think it kept up the excitement throughout the whole book.
July 19, 2012
Good historical novel with a horse feature, this author's specialty.
October 9, 2012
I liked this one a lot more than Horse from the Sea but I can't decide which I like better between this one and Rider in the Dark....
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews