Seize the Fire

An Adventure and A Journey

This was an adventure and a journey--physically, emotionally, and mentally. I absolutely loved this book. The incidents on the island were incredibly steamy. It was a riveting story and I didn't want it to end.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow

I enjoy reading a good romance, yet I seldom find one. They're all so stupid! I bought Seize the Fire on a whim about 10 years ago, and couldn't believe what I'd discovered. Here was a romance novelist with a brain. From the very beginning, Kinsale blew me away with the devastating humor of her hero's cynical point of view--including his dead-on understanding of hypocrisy in military and political leaders. Sheridan Drake is a man who has been used so often, by so many, and for so many years from his youth, that he has grown into a beautiful but very dark and ruthless man. Short on cash, he encounters a young noblewoman who is his opposite in every way: plump, privileged, and utterly witless, Olympia is described in early passages as if she were a partridge or some other bright-eyed, stupid creature. Sheridan immediately detects her stupidity (it would be hard to miss) and hopes to capitalize on it; yet, improbably, it is Olympia's very helplessness that eventually draws him to her. She is so soft and harmless, and so certain to be devoured by other predators, that he finds himself protecting her--if only so he can make use of her himself. How does one make a romance of two such characters? One is a rat, the other an idiot. Yet these people come alive for us--they are flawed, but they are real; and like the rest of us, they're trying to survive in this world and maybe find someone they can trust. Many dangers are encountered, and very realistically drawn. Sheridan may save her when it's necessary, but he's no gentleman about it. He often ponders first whether saving her is worth the risk. Yet he's no coward. It's just that he's been burned so often, he's determined not to be anybody's patsy ever again. And Olympia misinterprets the motives of others so consistently as to blunder unerringly into the heart of any and every danger that arises. The sex scenes? Hot. Very hot. Very, very hot. Kinsale's definitely gifted though somewhat inconsistent. After reading Seize the Fire I sought other titles and especially enjoyed The Hidden Heart and Midsummer Moon. These latter two have something you sometimes find in Kinsale books: unforgettable moments of sheer brilliance, in an otherwise readable but less-brilliant story. But when it comes to building a powerful but repressed mutual attraction between two characters, Kinsale has no peer. (You know that feeling: when you're in polite company, and someone present is so gorgeous that you suddenly can't even breathe, and then he looks straight at you.) This is where she excels. Kinsale's heroes tend to be dark. You may not like them all the time. Or, you may not ever like them. Yet I think the novelty of characters that don't fit the tired romance-novel formulas make these books far more interesting than the most.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

highly recommend

very moving and emotional book.

A real adventure<3

The first few chapters were okay, a bit slow. it took me some time to get into the story, but then all of a sudden, I was drawn into Sheridan and Olympia's world. There were so many twists and turns, I was glad i didnt know how they would end up. It felt like a real romance, not some sappy, predictable novel that is like every other. This was different and and amazing.

just great

this is the first book that I've read by this author and it won't be the last. I started reading this book on saturday and finished on monday. If I didn't have to work, sleep, and eat i would've finished that same day. I must say the first 3 chapters were good but not great, but then it picked up and it was really good. oh my I wish it never ended. I do recommend this book anyone who love a good romance.

Intense

What an intense experience! I stayed up the whole night reading this novel. Neither of the characters are likeable at first. Olympia (the princess) started off as one of those too-stupid-to-live romance novel heroines, sheltered from the world and was as interesting as bread dough. Sheridan (the hero) was a class-A scoundrel. Where will you find the hero out to swindle the heroine in a romance novel? Or one who honestly did not care for her existence, and cared only for himself? I actually wished he would fall off a cliff (and the heroine with him) and good riddance! He's a character like none I've ever seen in a romance novel. I was incredulous when Olympia and Sheridan were introduced. How on earth did the author proprose to get these two to fall in love, much less get the reader to like them?? This apparent dilemma compelled me to read on. The transformation in Olympia and Sheridan are gradual, and Kinsale's skill in bringing that about is a testament to her tremendous talent. These are two very imperfect people who come to terms with themselves and each other. I was convinced that the two of them belonged together by the end of the book, and it is no small miracle that the author succeeded in turning my initial animosity into such fondness for the characters. Since this novel was published over ten years ago, I imagine the author has since honed her writing skills to even higher levels. This book is not without flaws: some parts of the plot line are unbelievable (from London to the Falkland Islands, to Arabia and then back to Europe?! Talk about exotic locales, improbable coincidences and reversals of fortune!), and the typical misunderstandings that fuel the angst in romances are a bit over-done here, even though the author did provide plausible motivations for that kind of behavior. However, I chalk it up to Kinsale's inexperience. Ultimately, she got the most important thing about a romance novel right: the characters and the development of their relationship, without which the book will never have the spark of life and vibrancy that sets it apart from much of the drivel in the genre. Kinsale is definitely a writer to watch out for and I will remember this book for a long time. Although the book is out-of-print, it is available as an e-book from eReads.com at a more reasonable price than at used bookstores. You should not miss out on this gem if you are in the mood for an emotionally-wrenching experience.

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