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Fires of Innocence
Nursing a wounded stranger back to health in her Yosemite Valley home, naturalist's daughter Scotty MacDowell is swept up by her feelings for him, until she learns of his plans to take away her homeland. By the author of Forbidden Moon. Original.
375 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
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40 people want to read
About the author
Jane Bonander
26 books27 followersJane Bonander has always had a flare for the dramatic. Just ask her mother. When she was five, she ran home from kindergarten and scrambled under her parents’ bed, hiding there until her mother came looking for her which was longer than Jane had anticipated, for she fell asleep. When her mother woke her, she told her that a big, hairy monster had chased her home. Since over an hour had passed, the drama of the moment was gone. She sold her first novel, SECRETS OF A MIDNIGHT MOON, to St. Martin’s Press in 1990. Since then she has published twelve more novels and novellas.
Although Jane lived in California for nearly twenty years and wrote most of her novels there, she returned to her roots in Minnesota in 1997, where she makes her home in St. Paul.
Although Jane lived in California for nearly twenty years and wrote most of her novels there, she returned to her roots in Minnesota in 1997, where she makes her home in St. Paul.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 7, 2014
3.5 stars actually, but rounding up since I did enjoy this even though it was far from perfect.
I tend to be a fan of angst and this was much more fluffy than my usual fair. The heroine had a pet raccoon and a Indian friend who spoke like Tonto (cringe). However, it was engaging. The beginning drags a bit with the two being stuck inside her isolated cabin, but after that it definitely picked up. What I liked was that my predictions were either dead wrong or not exactly what I'd expected and that kept me interested.
Basic storyline: the heroine is living alone in her isolated cabin located on what is now Yosemite Nat'l Park. Her father had recently died and that left her and her assortment of animals alone. She knew the government was trying to evict all settlers in the area to make it a national park, but she thought she had the winter since the passes close due to snow.
The hero makes it through just before the big freeze, however. He shows up at her door bleeding from a gunshot wound inflicted by an angry evictee and she nurses him back to health. She is very young, naive, and sheltered. She has no idea how a young lady is supposed to act so she just says and does whatever she feels like. The hero, who's in his 30's is obviously attracted to her but feels he should leave her alone due to her age, inexperience, and the basic situation. However, it doesn't happen that way. And that's about all I'm going to say. I won't spoil the rest. However, I will say that the h was a virgin and there were no multiple partners. I know those are a biggie for some.
A few weird things: There was one sex scene that was lol worthy. If you read it, you'll know exactly which one I was speaking of. Another odd thing was the story takes place shortly after the end of the Civil War and the hero was in the war. He mentions at one point being 'with Jackson'. I really didn't get that, since I automatically think of the Confederate General 'Stonewall' Jackson and don't see why the hero (a native Californian with no ties to the South) would have been in the Confederate army to begin with. If he was, why/how was he being employed by the U.S. government to be their legal representative in evicting the settlers so soon after the war? It just doesn't make sense on several different levels. Possibly I heard wrong, but I could have sworn he mentioned 'Jackson'. *shrugs* Also, the heroine had all these cutesy little folksy sayings and it was WAY overdone. I think she should have just spoken plainly in many places to avoid overkill.
On a side note: the cover is a gigantic fail. The heroine is quite definitely described as someone with very dark hair, not a a blond. Also, she is only 18 and that figures heavily into her personality, actions, etc. The lady on the cover is lovely, but too mature and too blonde. Seriously, couldn't the publishers at least look at the old covers and take a clue from that before picking the characters from their revolving stash of stock photos used these days? Is that too much to ask?
Re: the Audible. The narrator should not try to do accents. Enuf said.
I tend to be a fan of angst and this was much more fluffy than my usual fair. The heroine had a pet raccoon and a Indian friend who spoke like Tonto (cringe). However, it was engaging. The beginning drags a bit with the two being stuck inside her isolated cabin, but after that it definitely picked up. What I liked was that my predictions were either dead wrong or not exactly what I'd expected and that kept me interested.
Basic storyline: the heroine is living alone in her isolated cabin located on what is now Yosemite Nat'l Park. Her father had recently died and that left her and her assortment of animals alone. She knew the government was trying to evict all settlers in the area to make it a national park, but she thought she had the winter since the passes close due to snow.
The hero makes it through just before the big freeze, however. He shows up at her door bleeding from a gunshot wound inflicted by an angry evictee and she nurses him back to health. She is very young, naive, and sheltered. She has no idea how a young lady is supposed to act so she just says and does whatever she feels like. The hero, who's in his 30's is obviously attracted to her but feels he should leave her alone due to her age, inexperience, and the basic situation. However, it doesn't happen that way. And that's about all I'm going to say. I won't spoil the rest. However, I will say that the h was a virgin and there were no multiple partners. I know those are a biggie for some.
A few weird things: There was one sex scene that was lol worthy. If you read it, you'll know exactly which one I was speaking of. Another odd thing was the story takes place shortly after the end of the Civil War and the hero was in the war. He mentions at one point being 'with Jackson'. I really didn't get that, since I automatically think of the Confederate General 'Stonewall' Jackson and don't see why the hero (a native Californian with no ties to the South) would have been in the Confederate army to begin with. If he was, why/how was he being employed by the U.S. government to be their legal representative in evicting the settlers so soon after the war? It just doesn't make sense on several different levels. Possibly I heard wrong, but I could have sworn he mentioned 'Jackson'. *shrugs* Also, the heroine had all these cutesy little folksy sayings and it was WAY overdone. I think she should have just spoken plainly in many places to avoid overkill.
On a side note: the cover is a gigantic fail. The heroine is quite definitely described as someone with very dark hair, not a a blond. Also, she is only 18 and that figures heavily into her personality, actions, etc. The lady on the cover is lovely, but too mature and too blonde. Seriously, couldn't the publishers at least look at the old covers and take a clue from that before picking the characters from their revolving stash of stock photos used these days? Is that too much to ask?
Re: the Audible. The narrator should not try to do accents. Enuf said.
October 19, 2019
The hero is an ass and I didn't even get through chapter one.
September 25, 2017
Very good book. Scotty is alone in the valley after her father dies. A wounded man with a gun needs her help. They are snowed in till the passes open. She finds out he works for the Governor who has made the valley and all the land around it a government land so he's in the valley to make her and her neighbors move. The trials and tribulations that Scotty and Alex face are going to be hard on all of them. Really liked this book.
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October 25, 2021A pro rape book!? 😬 Do I have to go to the first time, when they met and he almost killed her!? 😰
Now he's drunk and she drank a bit for first time in her life, will he really take advantage!? Oh my god, I could vomit all over me... 🤢😩
Now he's drunk and she drank a bit for first time in her life, will he really take advantage!? Oh my god, I could vomit all over me... 🤢😩
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews