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The McGraths #2
The Fire Still Burns
A blue blood woman. A blue collar man. A red hot night of passion.
In the uptight world of design, Colin McGrath is a rebel, with brilliant, risky ideas that thrill his clients and frustrate his competitors. Grace Hathaway is a junior architect at her father's firm. A woman whose last name opens doors and whose life is defined by strict rules. Now, Colin and Grace are rivals for a project they both aim to win….
But this isn't the first time Colin has disrupted Grace's life with his brand of chaos. Neither one can forget that scorching night long ago when an elegant society girl claimed her blue-collar crush. And the current business that pits them against each other is nothing compared to the burning desire that threatens to melt them both down.
When the competition requires them to share a house …Colin has three weeks to tell her the truth about what really happened the night they spent together. And Gracie has secrets, too.
Originally published in 2004.
In the uptight world of design, Colin McGrath is a rebel, with brilliant, risky ideas that thrill his clients and frustrate his competitors. Grace Hathaway is a junior architect at her father's firm. A woman whose last name opens doors and whose life is defined by strict rules. Now, Colin and Grace are rivals for a project they both aim to win….
But this isn't the first time Colin has disrupted Grace's life with his brand of chaos. Neither one can forget that scorching night long ago when an elegant society girl claimed her blue-collar crush. And the current business that pits them against each other is nothing compared to the burning desire that threatens to melt them both down.
When the competition requires them to share a house …Colin has three weeks to tell her the truth about what really happened the night they spent together. And Gracie has secrets, too.
Originally published in 2004.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2004
19 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Roxanne St. Claire
266 books1,833 followersI don’t know about you, but when I check out an author's bio, it’s usually because I’ve read a book I liked and wondered about the person behind it. Let's skip the formal bio and I'll give you the inside scoop on who Roxanne St. Claire really is.
First of all, call me Rocki. Everyone does. Evidently, when my mother brought me home from the hospital I seemed too scrawny and small to pull off “Roxanne” (she’d read Cyrano de Bergerac while pregnant or I would have been Judy) so they called me Rocki.
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, the youngest of five (overachievers, every one), and fell in love with words and stories the summer I read Gone With The Wind. That year, for my twelfth birthday, my parents gave me a typewriter (with italic font – it was the coolest thing) and from that day on, I’ve had my fingers on a keyboard, pounding out love stories for fun. My AP English teacher taught me the two most important lessons an aspiring author ever needs: 1) verbs are the key to life and 2) a writer should get a real job. After attending UCLA and graduating with a degree in communications, I tried acting and television broadcasting. Oh, they aren’t real jobs? I learned that the hard way. I changed my last name from Zink to St. Claire because a news producer told me Roxanne Zink had too many harsh consonants for a TV personality – apparently Katie Couric didn’t get the memo. I got some fun gigs, and even met Tom Hanks when I did a guest appearance on Bosom Buddies. I liked on camera work, but wasn’t too crazy about starvation, so I moved to Boston and got that “real” job. In fact, I placed my foot on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder and didn’t look down until I’d climbed all the way up to the level of Senior Vice President at the world’s largest public relations firm. On the way up, I met the man of my dreams in an elevator. Two years later – in the same elevator! – he asked me to marry him and I wisely said yes.
I stayed in PR, moved to Miami, had a few babies, lost my home in a hurricane, built another one a few hours north and all along, I kept writing my “stories” for fun. One night, I read a particularly fabulous romance novel that changed my life for good. That night, I decided I wanted to make someone else feel as whole and happy as that author made me feel. (Everyone asks! It was Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.) With two small children and one big “real” job, writing my first novel wasn’t easy, but I did finish a manuscript that managed to get the attention of a literary agent. She told me to do one thing and one thing fast: write another book. (The first one is usually a “learner” book, honestly.) That second manuscript sold to Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books and was released in 2003 as Tropical Getaway. Since then, I’ve written almost thirty more, in multiple genres, and long ago replaced the corporate ladder with the rollercoaster of publishing as a full-time novelist. Finally, writing is my real job.
Today, I live in a small beach community in Florida with my husband and two dogs. Our kids are off to college and law school, which means my nest is empty! I spend my time writing, working with the kids at my church, enjoying my husband's gourmet cooking, and hanging with my many writer friends. Of course, I love to read. I’m still crazy about words and stories and hope to write at least a hundred books in my lifetime. And, yes, verbs are the key to life. My favorites? Love. Work. Believe.
xoxo
Rocki
First of all, call me Rocki. Everyone does. Evidently, when my mother brought me home from the hospital I seemed too scrawny and small to pull off “Roxanne” (she’d read Cyrano de Bergerac while pregnant or I would have been Judy) so they called me Rocki.
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, the youngest of five (overachievers, every one), and fell in love with words and stories the summer I read Gone With The Wind. That year, for my twelfth birthday, my parents gave me a typewriter (with italic font – it was the coolest thing) and from that day on, I’ve had my fingers on a keyboard, pounding out love stories for fun. My AP English teacher taught me the two most important lessons an aspiring author ever needs: 1) verbs are the key to life and 2) a writer should get a real job. After attending UCLA and graduating with a degree in communications, I tried acting and television broadcasting. Oh, they aren’t real jobs? I learned that the hard way. I changed my last name from Zink to St. Claire because a news producer told me Roxanne Zink had too many harsh consonants for a TV personality – apparently Katie Couric didn’t get the memo. I got some fun gigs, and even met Tom Hanks when I did a guest appearance on Bosom Buddies. I liked on camera work, but wasn’t too crazy about starvation, so I moved to Boston and got that “real” job. In fact, I placed my foot on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder and didn’t look down until I’d climbed all the way up to the level of Senior Vice President at the world’s largest public relations firm. On the way up, I met the man of my dreams in an elevator. Two years later – in the same elevator! – he asked me to marry him and I wisely said yes.
I stayed in PR, moved to Miami, had a few babies, lost my home in a hurricane, built another one a few hours north and all along, I kept writing my “stories” for fun. One night, I read a particularly fabulous romance novel that changed my life for good. That night, I decided I wanted to make someone else feel as whole and happy as that author made me feel. (Everyone asks! It was Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.) With two small children and one big “real” job, writing my first novel wasn’t easy, but I did finish a manuscript that managed to get the attention of a literary agent. She told me to do one thing and one thing fast: write another book. (The first one is usually a “learner” book, honestly.) That second manuscript sold to Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books and was released in 2003 as Tropical Getaway. Since then, I’ve written almost thirty more, in multiple genres, and long ago replaced the corporate ladder with the rollercoaster of publishing as a full-time novelist. Finally, writing is my real job.
Today, I live in a small beach community in Florida with my husband and two dogs. Our kids are off to college and law school, which means my nest is empty! I spend my time writing, working with the kids at my church, enjoying my husband's gourmet cooking, and hanging with my many writer friends. Of course, I love to read. I’m still crazy about words and stories and hope to write at least a hundred books in my lifetime. And, yes, verbs are the key to life. My favorites? Love. Work. Believe.
xoxo
Rocki
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 21, 2018
The Fire Burns HOT!
Second chance romances are oh, so satisfying, at least they are for me. Colin McGrath and Grace Harrington had a thing for each other back when they were in college but neither of them had let on about their feelings. When fate decided to try again ten years later, she had better luck. “The Fire Still Burns” is a lovely feel good story with characters that can charm you down to your toes. This romance is peopled with such well drawn characters, even the secondary ones, that you’ll likely not care that it’s a tad short on plot. The thin plot and the too quick ending are why I rated it four stars instead of five. Roxanne St. Claire is still one of my favorite go-to authors. I can always depend on her for a satisfying read.
Second chance romances are oh, so satisfying, at least they are for me. Colin McGrath and Grace Harrington had a thing for each other back when they were in college but neither of them had let on about their feelings. When fate decided to try again ten years later, she had better luck. “The Fire Still Burns” is a lovely feel good story with characters that can charm you down to your toes. This romance is peopled with such well drawn characters, even the secondary ones, that you’ll likely not care that it’s a tad short on plot. The thin plot and the too quick ending are why I rated it four stars instead of five. Roxanne St. Claire is still one of my favorite go-to authors. I can always depend on her for a satisfying read.
July 22, 2018
A Re-Release Worth Reading!
Roxanne St. Claire has always been a favorite of mine and I’d thought I’d read every single book she’d written, but I was wrong. This book captured a bruised, tender man who’d been betrayed in the worst way a child can be. It also introduced a woman who’d always lived in her father’s shadow and done the “right” thing. The emotions poured off the pages in a way only Ms. Sinclair can orchestrate. Once again I fell in love with the story, her characters, and the eternal hope of finding true happiness.
Thank you Roxanne St. Clair.
Roxanne St. Claire has always been a favorite of mine and I’d thought I’d read every single book she’d written, but I was wrong. This book captured a bruised, tender man who’d been betrayed in the worst way a child can be. It also introduced a woman who’d always lived in her father’s shadow and done the “right” thing. The emotions poured off the pages in a way only Ms. Sinclair can orchestrate. Once again I fell in love with the story, her characters, and the eternal hope of finding true happiness.
Thank you Roxanne St. Clair.
December 18, 2018
The Fire Still Burns
This was a second chance at love story. They had meet in college and both had crushed on the other. But never did anything until one night she took liquid courage. The next morning she found herself in his room with no memory. She was horrified by her own behavior. So she ignored him. Now they are competing for a contract. And are having more contact to get it. Will they ever talk about that night? What happens when he lets her know? Will she get her father's approval? This was a fast read for me. Will look into the other books in this series.
This was a second chance at love story. They had meet in college and both had crushed on the other. But never did anything until one night she took liquid courage. The next morning she found herself in his room with no memory. She was horrified by her own behavior. So she ignored him. Now they are competing for a contract. And are having more contact to get it. Will they ever talk about that night? What happens when he lets her know? Will she get her father's approval? This was a fast read for me. Will look into the other books in this series.
May 21, 2018
OMG, can’t stop the tears. It’s official. I have another favorite in Roxanne St. Claire books. This was written so long ago and is still so fresh. Rocki, thank goodness you haven’t quit writing. You have so much greatness in you still. I love this book, just like I love the books you write now.
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November 2, 20217/17/18
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews