Devil's Fire

by Jean Evans

"I don't care for company, Miss Tarrant, and in particular I don't care for yours."
When Abigail Tarrant is employed to escort the young Sophie Farraday to join her father in India, she is shocked by the coldness of their reception. For Brett Farraday, ruthless owner of the ruby mines in Mandara, makes it quite clear that both she and his own daughter are an unwelcome intrusion.
Why does Brett have such a vengeful anger against the past? And what really happened to Sophie’s mother? His cold-blooded decision about their future only reinforces the enmity between them. But Abigail is torn, for she has fallen under the magical spell of Mandara ...

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Pseudonym of Nichlas Demetropoulos (who also wrote one book under the name Marianne Evans - "A Splendid Passion").

Reviews

[JR · Rating 2 out of 5]

- Hero spurns young daughter because her (dead) mother had an affair with neighbour
- Hero bullies heroine, who is a quasi-governess, into marriage of (his) convenience
- Hero forces himself on heroine
- Hero allows loyal servant to be torn to pieces by ravaging tiger

It's a great pity the tiger didn't get the "Hero"...

Rating 'Devil's Fire' a one-and-a-half star vintage romance read.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off quite well but the romance took a long time to develop. The heroine is a patient suffering soul who believes in morals while the H has never been celibate even after their marriage and "rape alert" not once but twice. Om ow drama nearly wrecks the marriage. However the backdrop of colonial India was interesting though I really don't understand how the tiger got inside the house since it was being guarded by the gunmen.
Personally I thought the last episode used for the Hea was too disgusting and graphic for the romantic ending.

[Bea Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The H in this is complete dog shit. He rejects his child, despises the h, rapes her multiple times (awful, physical ordeals where the restraint, pain and fighting-back are detailed in a really disturbing way) and she is 'I love him, oh how I love him' and all I can do is scream 'WHY???' Only decent character was Gopal and he fuckin' dies so fuck this.