What do you think?
Rate this book
Verzehrende Leidenschaft
August 1400: Nach einem Schiffbruch findet sich Moira Robertson an der rauen Nordwestküste Schottlands wieder – das Unwetter hat ihr alles geraubt, außer den Kleiderfetzen, die sie am Leib trägt – und dem geheimnisvollen Fremden, der ihr auf dem Schiff zur Hilfe kam. Auch wenn sie langsam zu dem restpektlosen Unbekannten Vertrauen fasst, fürchtet sie, sich an dem Feuer, das er in ihr entfacht hat, zu verbrennen…
"Wenigen Autoren gelingt es, die schottischen Highlands so kenntnisreich und farbenprächtig zu beschreiben wie Hannah Howell" [Publishers Weekly]
"Wenigen Autoren gelingt es, die schottischen Highlands so kenntnisreich und farbenprächtig zu beschreiben wie Hannah Howell" [Publishers Weekly]
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1995
74 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Anna Jennet
4 books23 followersShe has also used the following pseudonyms:
Hannah Howell, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
Hannah Howell, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 15, 2014
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Generally I like a good historical romance and some of the worldbuilding was excellent, but after a while I kept finding myself annoyed.
The way the characters kept talking back and forth, talk talk talk talk, aggravated the heck out of me. More action, less talk next time please? The use of Scottish dialect seemed realistic to me (who speaks maybe 6 words of Gaelic in real life), but at some point it felt like I was trapped in a nonstop writing exercise instead of an actual book that had a plot.
After the first time when , you'd think they'd be smart enough not to do the same thing again. But no...
The heroine's worry about her 'gift' was realistic at first, but then it went on and on and on (and on and on and on and on and on...).
And the confrontation by Jeanine in the cow barn, and she didn't blurt that little tidbit out? Nope. Not buying it. Someone like her, that would have been the first words out of her mouth.
Mungan? With Una? Nope. Just ... nope. That whole 'ransom' subplot could have been handled w-a-y better.
And they'd bring their women into battle? In that time period? No way. Uh-uh. Didn't buy it. Couldn't believe it.
It wasn't a bad book. It was cleanly edited, but there were multiple things that kept knocking me out of the story. I hate to leave a not-so great review, but I didn't leave this book with a warm fuzzy feeling like I expect from a romance novel, and truth be told, by the big 'I love you' at the end I was pretty much skimming. Sorry :-(
The way the characters kept talking back and forth, talk talk talk talk, aggravated the heck out of me. More action, less talk next time please? The use of Scottish dialect seemed realistic to me (who speaks maybe 6 words of Gaelic in real life), but at some point it felt like I was trapped in a nonstop writing exercise instead of an actual book that had a plot.
After the first time when , you'd think they'd be smart enough not to do the same thing again. But no...
The heroine's worry about her 'gift' was realistic at first, but then it went on and on and on (and on and on and on and on and on...).
And the confrontation by Jeanine in the cow barn, and she didn't blurt that little tidbit out? Nope. Not buying it. Someone like her, that would have been the first words out of her mouth.
Mungan? With Una? Nope. Just ... nope. That whole 'ransom' subplot could have been handled w-a-y better.
And they'd bring their women into battle? In that time period? No way. Uh-uh. Didn't buy it. Couldn't believe it.
It wasn't a bad book. It was cleanly edited, but there were multiple things that kept knocking me out of the story. I hate to leave a not-so great review, but I didn't leave this book with a warm fuzzy feeling like I expect from a romance novel, and truth be told, by the big 'I love you' at the end I was pretty much skimming. Sorry :-(
September 8, 2008
Romance books aren't really my thing. That said, this one was interesting enough to make me want to read it cover to cover. I will make an attempt to pass this one along to someone who likes pure romance more than I. Not enough conflict and *grit* I suppose to make me want to keep it in my collection. Keep in mind of course that my idea of grit is Drizzt Do'Orden and Felix and Gotrek. A google on those two book series will show I have a funny preference for dark fantasy tales. =)
April 16, 2017
3.75 stars
September 6, 2013
Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 1995 as Fire by Anna Jennet.
Length: 304 pages, 4795 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1400.
Paranormal: light paranormal - Hero has premonitions, heroine has a healing touch.
Sex: frequent, pretty erotic. Sex with no expectation of marriage on her part - he knows they will marry eventually. Some talk of his promiscuity prior to meeting Moira.
Heroine: suffered years of physical, emotional, and economic abuse by her guardian / EvilUncle. The abuse has been difficult to recover from - trust is difficult, as is a belief in her self-worth.
Hero: has been declared a murderer and is running for his life.
Includes: Excerpt from "Highland Sinner" by Hannah Howell, Book 16 of her Murray series.
I like Hannah Howell's medievals. They are fun, solid, tales with *different* stories and appealing characters.
Okay, the heroines are always petite women, often with red hair and unusual/piercing eyes. They tend to be damaged, often abused. But very strong. Their Heroes are caring, braw highlanders. They protect and defend their women. They treat them with respect (mostly). And they have hot sex. Together they are stronger.
There is a predictability in Howell's story - but most of that predictability is through the characters. We know who they are and how they will treat each other.
The stories, OTOH, differ.
In "Highland Fire" Moira and Tavig are running for their lives. Unusually, it is Tavig who knows first that she is The One. He is doing the chasing/wooing. That's nice. And so is having his past catch up with him and it being accepted/dealt with in an adult fashion. Moira is a real character with a real past and motivations and emotions I can engage with; Tavig less so. But it's Moira I want to believe in, and I did.
On an historical note, Howell explores superstition and witchcraft. She demonstrates how easy it was to name a woman "witch" and also touches on the trials and ordeals used to "prove" it.
I really liked this one. It hits all the right notes. Well worth it.
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 1420105930)
-CR-
First published: 1995 as Fire by Anna Jennet.
Length: 304 pages, 4795 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1400.
Paranormal: light paranormal - Hero has premonitions, heroine has a healing touch.
Sex: frequent, pretty erotic. Sex with no expectation of marriage on her part - he knows they will marry eventually. Some talk of his promiscuity prior to meeting Moira.
Heroine: suffered years of physical, emotional, and economic abuse by her guardian / EvilUncle. The abuse has been difficult to recover from - trust is difficult, as is a belief in her self-worth.
Hero: has been declared a murderer and is running for his life.
Includes: Excerpt from "Highland Sinner" by Hannah Howell, Book 16 of her Murray series.
I like Hannah Howell's medievals. They are fun, solid, tales with *different* stories and appealing characters.
Okay, the heroines are always petite women, often with red hair and unusual/piercing eyes. They tend to be damaged, often abused. But very strong. Their Heroes are caring, braw highlanders. They protect and defend their women. They treat them with respect (mostly). And they have hot sex. Together they are stronger.
There is a predictability in Howell's story - but most of that predictability is through the characters. We know who they are and how they will treat each other.
The stories, OTOH, differ.
In "Highland Fire" Moira and Tavig are running for their lives. Unusually, it is Tavig who knows first that she is The One. He is doing the chasing/wooing. That's nice. And so is having his past catch up with him and it being accepted/dealt with in an adult fashion. Moira is a real character with a real past and motivations and emotions I can engage with; Tavig less so. But it's Moira I want to believe in, and I did.
On an historical note, Howell explores superstition and witchcraft. She demonstrates how easy it was to name a woman "witch" and also touches on the trials and ordeals used to "prove" it.
I really liked this one. It hits all the right notes. Well worth it.
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 1420105930)
-CR-
June 27, 2021
The hero, Tavig McAlpin and the heroine. Moira Robertson have both paranormal abilities. Tavig can „see“ future events, especially bad ones and tries to prevent them with varying degrees of success. Moira has „healing hands“, meaning that she can heal wounds or make pain go away by putting her hands on the affected area of the human body.
Moira always hides her extraordinary ability as she knows that others will accuse her of being in league with the devil. So when fate brings those two together and Tavig doesn’t do much to hide his „gift“ from her, she is very much afraid to reveal her healing powers. She knows that they do not belong together as it will be more dangerous to survive.
What was really irritating in this story, was the repeated offer for marriage by the hero and the repeated refusal of them by the heroine. Although throughout the story the main characters got themselves in dangerous situations when they encountered other people. These people were very superstitious and the christian priests were to ready to accuse them of being in league with the devil (the story takes place at 1400 AD).
People’s superstition at that time is portrayed in a chilling and intense way. This part of the story was really frightening.
Moira always hides her extraordinary ability as she knows that others will accuse her of being in league with the devil. So when fate brings those two together and Tavig doesn’t do much to hide his „gift“ from her, she is very much afraid to reveal her healing powers. She knows that they do not belong together as it will be more dangerous to survive.
What was really irritating in this story, was the repeated offer for marriage by the hero and the repeated refusal of them by the heroine. Although throughout the story the main characters got themselves in dangerous situations when they encountered other people. These people were very superstitious and the christian priests were to ready to accuse them of being in league with the devil (the story takes place at 1400 AD).
People’s superstition at that time is portrayed in a chilling and intense way. This part of the story was really frightening.
July 3, 2018
August 1400: Nach einem Schiffbruch findet sich Moira Robertson an der rauen Nordwestküste Schottlands wieder – das Unwetter hat ihr alles geraubt, außer den Kleiderfetzen, die sie am Leib trägt – und dem geheimnisvollen Fremden, der ihr auf dem Schiff zur Hilfe kam. Auch wenn sie langsam zu dem respektlosen Unbekannten Vertrauen fasst, fürchtet sie, sich an dem Feuer, das er in ihr entfacht hat, zu verbrennen…
Mir gefiel die Geschichte wirklich gut, denn Sie wurde jeweils aus den Sichten der beiden Hauptfiguren erzählt und somit konnte man sich einen guten Einblick einholen. Ich finde das der Roman, diesen typischen Stil der sogenannten „Klatschromane“ hat, wobei ich persönlich mag das ganz gerne.
Deswegen gibt es von mir dafür 4 von 5 Sternen 😉
Mir gefiel die Geschichte wirklich gut, denn Sie wurde jeweils aus den Sichten der beiden Hauptfiguren erzählt und somit konnte man sich einen guten Einblick einholen. Ich finde das der Roman, diesen typischen Stil der sogenannten „Klatschromane“ hat, wobei ich persönlich mag das ganz gerne.
Deswegen gibt es von mir dafür 4 von 5 Sternen 😉
November 8, 2021
I've figured out that if I don't read the romance in 2 days or less I lose interest completely. I got to the last 70 pages before I realized I read the same romance in September. Like the plot was a centimeter away max. This author also loves adding unnecessary children. The first book I tried to read had a pedophile and abused children as the plot. Side by side with the romance WTF. This one had a bastard son added in for 50ish pages and then he just gets forgotten about. What was the point? The world may never know.
February 9, 2023
Not my favorite from Howell. The storyline has been overdone many times before and the characters aren't very deep. The "love story" entwined in the book was sweet but the whole book left more to be desired. Howell is still a favorite, though! And I liked the fact that BOTH the hero AND heroine had special "gifts"!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2018
War ganz nett muss man aber nicht unbedingt lesen
April 4, 2020
It's so boring. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. but no, it was all boring details and stupid stuff.
Truly disappointing.
Truly disappointing.
April 11, 2020
This book was alright. It had some humor and interesting bits. However, the heroine was a little annoying and the story dragged on longer than it should have! However it is a useful read.
January 26, 2025
#13 - 2025
Genre: Historical Romance, Highland
Genre: Historical Romance, Highland
June 27, 2013
Moira is on a ship heading to deliver the ransom for her cousin Una when a storm rises up and she falls into the Sea. Tavig has the vison of sight and knows Moira is fated to be with him so he jumps in after her. They wash up onthe beach and start a journey across Scotland on foot. Of course they become lovers and deal with a lot of trouble on their adventure.
This book was an okay read for a historical romance. The characters both have a secret talent/skill that can condemn them as witches or devil followers. They fall in love while running for their lives. I liked Moiras character and Tavigs character was okay. Overall I thought it was a good romance read but I dont see myself re-reading.
This book was an okay read for a historical romance. The characters both have a secret talent/skill that can condemn them as witches or devil followers. They fall in love while running for their lives. I liked Moiras character and Tavigs character was okay. Overall I thought it was a good romance read but I dont see myself re-reading.
March 6, 2015
Really, 1.5 stars
There's a whole goofy reason I picked up this book, and I expected it to be pretty cheesy based on the description, but I was hoping it might be cheesy and interesting.
But, I found the huge swaths of expository dialogue--in dialect--to be really, really annoying. There wasn't much plot or character development, other than that. I almost gave up at 50 pages--I mean, really, I have plenty of other things to read--then I skipped ahead a little to see what crazy direction it was going to go, and got interested enough to keep going until the end. Still too much mental hand-wringing, a crazy screwball comedy situation at one point, a few typos...just too much. The love scenes were the best, least annoying parts, though!
There's a whole goofy reason I picked up this book, and I expected it to be pretty cheesy based on the description, but I was hoping it might be cheesy and interesting.
But, I found the huge swaths of expository dialogue--in dialect--to be really, really annoying. There wasn't much plot or character development, other than that. I almost gave up at 50 pages--I mean, really, I have plenty of other things to read--then I skipped ahead a little to see what crazy direction it was going to go, and got interested enough to keep going until the end. Still too much mental hand-wringing, a crazy screwball comedy situation at one point, a few typos...just too much. The love scenes were the best, least annoying parts, though!
May 18, 2015
There was a lot of fleeing and doubt in this book. And passions and fear. Love. I found it full of twists and turns with little respite or ease of turnover. This novel was abrupt and fast paced but it was a good fun read as well. Moira has been under the boot of a bad mon for far too long, so when she finally is free to be herself again we watch her fear of the past cloud her judgement and taking of her future. Tavig is a man with a silver tongue and two huge problems: he is on the run and fate tosses his hearts mate into the ocean. This sets a precedent for the entire story. Fate gives an inch and takes three more, but this clever pair manages well under pressure and gain something just as valuable as freedom: love.
October 20, 2008
From the beginning there was an attraction between the main characters. It also appears they have more in common than they thought. They are both heading towards the same destination and both have a "special" ability. I enjoyed the banter between them as the dialogue was rather saucy. The one thing that annoyed me was Moira's obsession that she couldn't be together with Tavig because of their abilities. It was getting tiresome by the end. Overall a nice quick read.
June 13, 2008
Another excited thumbs up for Hannah Howell. This is a great book. Hannah Howell has such a flair with words and and extensive knowledge of Scotland that I was immediately drawn into yesteryear and transported back in time to Scotland, a land I call home in my dreams. I can't wait to read her next one.
June 25, 2008
Tavig meets Moira, and immediately knows that she is his destiny. But both have secrets and danger chasing them.
This book felt choppy to me. There were quick cuts, and entirely too much overt characterization, where characters muse about others so that we can learn about them. I do like books with a reluctant heroine, but this felt off to me.
This book felt choppy to me. There were quick cuts, and entirely too much overt characterization, where characters muse about others so that we can learn about them. I do like books with a reluctant heroine, but this felt off to me.
December 2, 2013
Overall, enjoyed this story. The only drawback for me was the whole "I love him but can't be with him" struggle between the H and H. To me, it grew tiresome after awhile. I would still probably recommend this book to other readers of historical romance.
October 31, 2014
Road trip! Okay, the Scottish was getting a bit much, which is why I had to stop and do something else for a while. A seer and a healer - and all the superstitious people they meet (okay, not that many, but still). Good read overall.
June 4, 2008
After her last few books, I really don't think I'll be reading anymore.
March 5, 2016
Scotland in the 1400s -- lots of sex, battles, duels, blood and gore, and too many complications to describe. If you like Scottish romances, you'll love this. If not, not.
June 30, 2008
Moira Robertson and Tavig MacAlpin
October 13, 2009
I enjoyed this book but it became tiring when over and over the heroine just couldn't "trust" Tavig although he gave her no reason not to trust him.
Read
March 29, 2011I have yet to be disappointed in Hannah Howell's stories. You get a deep sense of the charectors and are never found in the stereotypical roles of hero and heroine.
March 10, 2013
Moria kind of annoyed me... :/
May 25, 2015
Wonderful story and very quick moving, I enjoyed the banter between the hero and the heroine.
Read
July 23, 2015I have all but 3 of Hannah Howell's books-LOVE them all
September 25, 2015
Boring. Nothing much happened.
January 19, 2016
Another great book by Hannah Howell. Follows the path of a man who knows he is fated to the woman he saves and a woman who has the sense to think him daft. A fun adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews