Fanning the Flame

The Fire Trilogy #3

by Kat Martin

The London ton is abuzz with the latest scandal. Jillian Whitney, well-born but penniless, has been living under the roof of a wealthy nobleman old enough to be her father. When Adam Hawthorne, the mysterious Earl of Blackwood, meets the lovely rebel, he's intrigued enough to want to lure her into changing protectors. Suddenly, Jillian's beloved guardian is murdered, and she is the only suspect. Forced to flee, she falls into the arms of the earl, who offers refuge from the law but no escape from an intoxicating passion. Although Jillian swiftly loses her heart, she knows that the eligible earl would never marry a woman tainted by scandal. But is Jillian underestimating the strength and depth of a man's passion?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Fiction, Adult, Ebooks

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2002

About the author

Kathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)

Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."

"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

Reviews

[♥ℳelody · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quizás, de todos los libros de Kat Martin que he leído este haya sido el que menos me ha gustado. No por nada en especial porque no se puede decir que la trama sea pobre o que este mal redactado, pero no ha conseguido emocionarme como otros.

[Mayu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Este es el único libro de Kat que me gustó ligeramente, pero también es el último que leí de ella.

Al principio todo empezó muy bien, el primer tercio me gustó mucho, era romántico, divertido, sensual, encantador, y sus protagonistas hacían una pareja fascinante. Pero llegados a ese punto, la novela se estancó. En dos tercios no volvió a pasar nada más. Así que, esta novela tendría cien páginas buenas y doscientas de relleno.

Fue doloroso y decepcionante ver como Kat desaprovechaba esta novela con las mismas tonterías de siempre, y repitiendo en bucle una y otra vez las mismas cosas.

Adam me gustó, era un hombre amoroso, y el único que al final no fue infiel, pero se pasó desconfiando de la protagonista y aferrándose a sus miedos. Ella me cayó bien. Sí, la primera prota de Kat que no me pareció una idiota o una damisela en apuros, y eso que esta es la que más peligro verdadero corre, pues están apunto de condenarla por algo que ella no ha hecho.

La novela podría haber sido bonita y un soplo de aire fresco, pero como siempre, Kat lo estropeó ¬¬.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído en mayo 2010

PELIGROSA INOCENCIA

RESUMEN: Por la mañana paseaba a caballo. Por la noche caminaba por las callejuelas del West End. Adam Hawthorne, conde de Blackwood, había pasado casi ocho años en el ejército, viviendo al aire libre, y le resultaba casi imposible dormir si antes no andaba un rato. Sus salidas nocturnas se habían convertido en una costumbre, y Adam conocía cada rincón de aquella zona de Londres. Sabía exactamente cuál era la casa del conde de Fenwick, una enorme mansión georgiana en Brook Street. Lo que no sabía era qué lo había conducido hasta allí esa noche. Adam soltó un juramento para sus adentros. “¡Por el amor de Dios, la chica es amante del viejo!” Se había malvendido a sí misma a cambio de ropas caras y paseos en elegantes carruajes. Conocía a las mujeres como Jillian Whitney. Había estado a punto de casarse con Caroline Harding, y lo habría hecho si no la hubiera sorprendido en la cama con su primo Robert.

Estuvo bien... pero no fue el mejor de esta autora

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read with a few hiccups

This was a very good read and would have been near-perfect if not for a few little things which always drive me crazy in historical romances (details below, because some of them are slight spoilers). The murder mystery that is weaved throughout was not painfully obvious, as you sometimes find, and I liked how it was solved and what the explanation ended up being. There was a secondary romance between Maggie, Adam's sister, and Garth Dutton, Jillian's lawyer and standing alone, the romance was good, well-developed, etc., but personally I don't usually like romance sub-plots with other characters and in this case, it really drove me crazy because _____ (spoiler, so see specifics below to know more).

Setting: England, 1806
Sensuality Rating: 8.5 (a lot of chemistry between hero and heroine, very hot kissing scenes and well-written erotica)

SUMMARY (from the back cover):
"The London ton is abuzz with the latest scandal. Jillian Whitney, well-born but penniless, has been living under the roof of a wealthy nobleman old enough to be her father. When Adam Hawthorne, the mysterious Earl of Blackwood, meets the lovely rebel, he's intrigued enough to want to lure her into changing protectors.

Suddenly, Jillian's beloved guardian is murdered, and she is the only suspect. Forced to flee, she falls into the arms of the earl, who offers refuge from the law but no escape from an intoxicating passion. Although Jillian swiftly loses her heart, she knows that the eligible earl would never marry a woman tainted by scandal. But is Jillian underestimating the strength and depth of a man's passion?"

SPECIFICS:
(* = kind-of-spoiler; ** = spoiler)
(1) I liked that Jillian was an independent woman and able to stand her ground and hold her head high despite the rumors surrounding her regarding Lord Fenwick. Adam was one of those wonderfully-handsome tortured and untrusting heroes just trying to hide his vulnerability, ::sigh::. Jillian seemed to succumb quite easily to him - over and over again!, though I don't blame her - but the erotic scenes were very well written and in the end she proves her strength.
*(2) Adam's unwillingness to bend regarding Christopher's possible parentage and his initial treatment of the boy was not at all in keeping with his otherwise honorable character.
*(3) I CANNOT stand when authors find it amusing to fill their books with constant misunderstandings and things left unsaid or misinterpreted. I thought I was in the clear with this book: I was on page 337, the murder mystery has been solved and now all that was left were the love realizations, marriage declarations, and the usual wonderful happy ending that we all read these books for, right? Wrong! One last obstacle must be thrown in our lovers' paths - of course!
**(4) Regarding the secondary romance between Maggie and Garth, the reason it really soured for me was because in this case it ended up negatively impacting the primary romance and causing the entire misunderstanding. (Garth is from a very prestigious family that puts a lot of weight on being scandal-free; Adam's family is scandal-ridden and his recent harboring of a murder suspect - Jillian - just adds to it all. The fact that he now intends to marry her makes it even worse). Maggie wasn't completely to blame, because she doesn't ask Aunt Sophie to speak with Jillian - doesn't even know their meeting occurs - but still, she should have openly spoken about it with Garth and shown much more sadness and regret over Jillian's rejection of Adam.
**(5) The thing I do have to commend Martin about regarding the words-unspoken/mistunderstanding debacle is that when Jillian goes to Adam because she knows he's planning on proposing and she lies to him, telling him she's in love with someone else and is going to marry that man, Adam responds so amazingly that it was all I could do not to say "awww" out loud. He's so heartbroken, but he's willing to give her up because he thinks that is what Jillian wants: "For the first time in his life he understood the true meaning of love. He understood that when you really loved someone, you cared about their happiness more than you did your own."

BOTTOM LINE:
Read it! A wonderful Kat Martin book that I will definitely reread ... though maybe I'll skip pages 343-380 from now on.

(Written on January 12, 2008)

[Deborah Gebhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first read from this series and it took a while for it to grab my interest. Don't be confused by the outer cover, this story takes place in 1806.
Almost 9 years ago, Adam Hawthorne caught his fiancée with his cousin. He broke his engagement, challenged his cousin to a duel (it was declined), his cousin didn't marry the lady and instead fled to other climes. Adam subsequently joined the army, see terrible things that have given him nightmares.
And then the wife of a fellow officer pursed him, he gave in, they were caught, she claimed rape, he was challenged to a duel, he only defended himself, and now bares a scar, to remind himself of the perfidy of women. He sold his commission and returned to England, finding his brother dead and his gaining the title, Earl of Blackwood.
He now rises pre-dawn, galloping his stallion to exhaustion and then walking the streets at night, ago to exhaustion, hoping to avoid the nightmares.
For the past few mornings he has noticed a young woman, feeding the ducks. Seeking an introduction, he meets Jillian Whitney, orphan daughter of a famous Egyptologist, living with the old Lord Fenwick, her father's best friend. It is rumored that she is the old man's mistress. That night Adam's wondering takes him to Fenwick's house, once there, he hears a shot, and shouting, and a sees a figure fleeing the house. Lord Fenwick is dead, and Jillian is presumed to be the murderer.
Adam doesn't want to believe her capable, brings her into his home and with the help of friends, a hired detective and a hired barrister seeks to prove her innocence.
Add to the mix, his younger sister, who is seeking a husband, whose chances may be tainted by her brother's scandals both past and present and a small boy purported to be the son of Adam's former fiancée and either himself or his cousin.
So, is Jillian the exception to the perfidy of women, or is she guilty; can Adam's sister make a love match, despite the scandals; and is the little boy Adam's son?

[LadyAileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

La fiamma della passione è il terzo volume della serie Heartless e racconta la storia d'amore tra Adam, conte di Blackwood e Jillian, figlia di un famoso studioso caduta in povertà. Si legge tranquillamente singolarmente in quanto i personaggi dei volumi precedenti in questo compaiono con ruoli minori.
Le vicende sono ambientate nel 1806 in Gran Bretagna e raccontate attraverso vari punti di vista (naturalmente quelli di Adam e Jillian sono i predominanti).
Jillian è una donna coraggiosa perché nonostante le voci che circolano sul suo conto continua a tenere la testa alta mentre Adam è un eroe tormentato, diffidente, arrogante ma allo stesso vulnerabile e generoso.
Il risvolto romantico è al centro del romanzo (non vedrà coinvolti solo i due protagonisti ma anche due personaggi secondari) ma non mancherà un omicidio su cui fare luce.
All'inizio il romanzo parte un po' in sordina perché tutto ruota attorno al primo incontro tra Adam e Jillian e al fatto di crederla o meno colpevole di omicidio ma poi si sviluppano altre vicende più o meno interessanti.
Nella prima parte del romanzo il livello di sensualità è limitato a qualche bacio per poi diventare più hot ma senza essere volgare o inutile.
E' vero che alcune situazioni danno un senso di "già visto" (l'ex-soldato tormentato dagli incubi della guerra e la vergine oggetto di ingiuste maldicenze che lo salva) ma tutto sommato la storia è piacevole, lineare e con la giusta dose di suspense.
La soluzione del caso non è stata per niente prevedibile e anche la spiegazione è stata soddisfacente (l'aspetto più intrigante del romanzo).
Una lettura carina ma da quest'autrice mi aspettavo di più.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine was like a damsel in distress. I wanted her to be more independent, but she literally needed help from everyone. She could do nothing by herself. In the other book of this series that I read, the heroine left the hero and found herself a job and the hero had to fight for her attention again, but this heroine needed a friend of hers to find the job for her. The hero was kind of selfish in the beginning and kind of manipulative too, but it worked out in the end. Despite his growing feelings for Christopher, I do believe that if he did not find out his cousin could not have kids then he wouldn't be able to really see Christopher as his.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta esta escritora, pero en este libro no me cautivó. Los textos son cursis y las descripciones de los personajes principales son muy burdas. El siempre está pensando en llevarla a la cama, se estimula con cualquier cosa y ella que es una inocente doncella, está todo el tiempo pensando en lo guapo que es él y que es muy tierno y que en lo hermoso de su sonrisa. Es cierto, que leí una traducción, pero he leído otros libros de ella y eran mejores.

[Christine Jalili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

I was so absorbed from page one and couldn’t stop reading. Jillian has been accused of killing someone. Adam isn’t sure if she’s really innocent but he plans on seducing her. Loved how they fall for each other. There’s some heartbreak and I cried so hard. Thankfully they finally get a very happy ever after. I also loved the secondary romance too. I highly recommend this book.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting

Another perfectly tantalizing book by Kat Martin. I savor new reads and try to keep other authors between my next Kay Martin book. This one is even better than the last. Enjoy!

[SP · Rating 1 out of 5]

.5 *

Half a star for words on page and a semblance of plot. Barely. This joins the ranks of some of the worst books I’ve ever read. Calling Adam trash would be an insult to trash. Truly one of the most despicable characters. Every character was ridiculous and awful in their own way. Just ugh.

[Gaylina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story line. I didn’t want to put it down.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó bastante, como todo lo que escribe esta autora.

[Adela Viña · Rating 5 out of 5]

Súper romántico, súper erótico, y te llega al corazón 🥺🥰🥰🥰

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books would be better if the heroes weren’t always walking around in a constant state of arousal.

[Elis Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before he died Jillian Whitney's father told her that if she should ever need help, she should seek out his friend, the Earl of Fenwick. Fenwick (not a man who is loved by all he knows) took the penniless orphan into his home. He was kind to her, and she cared for him, and because she lived in his home without a chaperone, people think she's his mistress. Then…



Somebody shoots the earl, and there's plenty of good reason to think it was her. She runs for it before the authorities arrive.

Coincidentally, a man she just met, who has been sort of kind of bumping into her every morning in the park, "just happens" to be there to rescue her.



It's not as creepy as it sounds.

Adam Hawthorne, the Earl of Blackwood, agrees to help her out (and right into his bed—but he doesn't tell her that part). He was accused of a crime he didn't commit, and he saw a friend and comrade hanged, even though that man was innocent as well. So he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and harbor the fugitive until he can investigate the murder and figure out who really did it.

Naturally, he puts her in the rooms adjoining his. And naturally, his military career leaves him with LOUD nightmares, and naturally, lots of other things keep putting them in the way of each other. The big conflict in the relationship is that Adam has been betrayed by the two women he loved. The first, his fiance, he caught in bed with his cousin (why he joined the military). The second, when her husband (whom she said she wanted to leave for Adam) caught them en flagrante, accused him of rape.

There's a LITTLE mystery in this one, and enough threat to the heroine to keep things moving along. My only grumble was the final crisis in the romance part of the story. Seriously, don't read this unless you're cool with having the ending totally spoiled. Once she's cleared of all charges, he finally realizes he wants to marry her. Problem is, even if she's not a murderess, in the eyes of the ton, she's a scarlet woman, and Adam and his family have already been the subject of a few too many scandals. His sister is in love with a young man who comes from a prestigious and high-in-the-instep family, and there's no way she can have her happy ending if Adam makes the "mistake" of marrying Jillian. His aunt, rather than, oh, I don't know, going to him to point out the problem, and oh, I don't know, letting him troubleshoot the problem in a way that might make things work out for everybody, goes to Jillian. Jillian knows his history with women and doesn't want to hurt him. So, instead of, oh, I don't know, just telling him that she is concerned that marrying him might jeopardize his sister's chance at happiness, she tells him she is in love with another man and is marrying him (because THAT is NOTHING like the betrayals he's previously suffered, and SURELY won't hurt his feelings). Of course, it's all cleared up when everything is said and done well, except that the interfering aunt wasn't told to keep her nose in her own business, but the whole thing just felt a bit manufactured, just to keep the pages turning. Yes, I did keep turning the pages, because by that time I was invested enough in the characters I wanted to see the HEA, but it seemed to me the TRUTH could have created that final crisis well enough on its own. Oh, and there were historical issues with this one, too. I'll admit I'm no expert in the laws of the period, but I'm pretty certain that primogeniture and entailment were nigh impossible to break, and a barrister would know that.

3.5 stars.

[Sabrina (Soter) Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Per quanto il suo futuro fosse incerto, non avrebbe mai venduto l’anima al diavolo.
Nemmeno a quello specialissimo e bellissimo diavolo di cui si era innamorata."

"La fiamma della passione" pur essendo il terzo di una serie si legge tranquillamente anche singolarmente, per fortuna visto che come al solito non ho letto i precedenti XD Non è stata una brutta lettura ma di quest'autrice ho letto titoli più belli...non male la parte relativa al mistero dell'omicida, per un momento ho temuto davvero che Jillian sarebbe dovuta emigrare per evitare di dondolare appesa ad un cappio, tanto lentamente procedevano le indagini! XD Per il resto mi è piaciuta la storia parallela tra la sorella di Adam e l'avvocato Garth, pronto a sfidare ogni scandalo e la sua stessa famiglia pur di sposare la sua amata Margaret ;D La storia d'amore dei due protagonisti invece è abbastanza classica (e banale, diciamolo XD), poi lei che si dispera per gli scandali che la seguono non fa certo nulla per evitarli, anzi! (della serie. chi è causa del suo mal pianga se stesso! XD) In generale la nostra pseudo-assassina si ritrova in balia degli eventi ma cade sempre in piedi e il nostro ex soldato tormentato e diffidente si fa ripagare i suoi sforzi per scagionarla...con l'amore ovviamente, che pensavate? ahahah XD

[Geovanna Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue un buen cierre para la trilogía, sin duda sabía que Adam me iba a gustar y no me decepcionó el personaje como la protagonista.
Un punto a su favor fue que este libro siguió un ritmo diferente al de los anteriores, y eso se agradece.
Quede satisfecha con la historia, el romance, los personajes y ese final ♥

[Fhany kmino · Rating 4 out of 5]

me encanto ya que de por si me encantan los libros de epoca, ademas me parecio entretenida la trama debiudo a la busqueda para demostrar si la protagonista era inocente o no, ya que de verdad que hubo momentos donde no estube segura de quien era el culpable en realidad y me encanto com o se desarrollo el romance entre los protagonistas, aun mas el de "el" ya que practicamente tubo que confiar completamente en ella a pesar de sus crrencias y de todo lo que le habia pasado..!1

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my problem with this book is the problem I always have with Kat Martins trilogies, by the time I get to the last book I'm just tired of hearing the same story. I loved the writing and I liked the characters, but I honestly don't see how it differed from the other two very drastically, except that Adam wasn't an illegitimate child who only got his title on his fathers death-bed.

I always do this to myself with these books and I probably always will, I just like how She writes.

[Nameh dah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bonito, pero hasta allí. Personajes típicos, ambiente típico, y lo que más debería aprovechar, que es el misterio tras el asesinato del cual culpan a la protagonista, solo resulta interesante al final.
Es la primera vez que leo uno de Martin, así que me obligaré posteriormente a intentarlo nuevamente.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fanning the Flame" by Kat Martin is more than just a sexy regency-era romance in London. Martin has created many interesting subplots: an unsolved murder, scandal, family loyalty. friendship, parenting. Readers who like this genre will enjoy this book. It is 392 pages of Jillian Whitney and gorgeous Earl, Adam Hawthorne!!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jillian Whitney’s mother died giving birth to her. Her father doted on her and loved her to distraction. However, when he died he left her penniless. She went to live with an elderly aunt who also died. Lastly, her dad’s close friend, Oswald Telford, the Earl of Fenwick took her in as his ward.

I wrote a whole review but internet glitched and I lost all of it. Ugh!

[Valeria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esto fue bueno, pero tuve alguno que otro issue, pero leí los dos primeros hace algunos años, y me quede bastante intrigada con Adam. Aunque sentí que hubo muuuucho tiempo muerto en la historia, lo cual me molesto bastante, el crimen me gusto y la intriga fue entretenida.


3

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is mystery in this Regency romance. It is not the usual fomula and therefore a good read.

[Sanjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

teehee. guilty pleasure.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I liked this sweet yet spicy romance about a woman unjustly accused of murder and the man who becomes her champion. A good escape read.