A Wager For Land and Wealth Sets Two Friends in Conflict While a Woman’s Heart Turns to Revenge in Sweet Fire by Jo Goodman –1852,London; 1869, San Francisco, Samoa and Sydney, Australia– Told all her life that she was plain, Lydia Chadwick knew no man would come courting. So it was with some suspicion that the shy, sweet, San Francisco heiress woke one morning with a tall, dark, dangerously … morning with a tall, dark, dangerously handsome husband she couldn’t recall marrying. Lydia had lost her memory, and was desperate to discover if there was truly a love to remember. For as she looked at Nathan Hunter’s lean, muscular frame, she longed to abandon herself to the sensual stranger, and believe–if only for a little while–that the possessive passion in his smoky gray eyes was really for her.
Business and pleasure weren’t supposed to mix, but in this case Nathan Hunter was willing to make an exception. After all, it was in his best interests to keep his new bride’s mind off the secrets of her past and her hatred for him. Keeping focused on his goals proved difficult as Lydia’s sweet surrender wove a seductive spell around Nathan’s heart, arousing emotions he had thought forever buried.
But past transgressions have a way of catching up to the future. When Nathan’s former friend and rival, Brigham More, seemingly returns from the dead, he stands to ruin Lydia and Nathan by unleashing an unspeakable secret.
Publisher Note: For new and old fans of Jo Goodman comes one of her classic works, freshly edited by Jo Goodman for today’s audience. Fans of Mary Jo Putney, Kat Martin, Jo Beverley, Courtney Milan and Kaki Warner will enjoy this spirited adventure and romance.
ALSO BY JO GOODMAN:
Violet Fire
Scarlet Lies
Sweet Fire
THE MCCLELLANS
Crystal Passion
Seaswept Abandon
Tempting Torment
THE HAMILTON FAMILY
More Than You Know
More Than You Wished
THE COMPASS CLUB
Let Me Be The One
Everything I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Needed
Beyond A Wicked Kiss
THE DENNEHY SISTERS
Only My Love
My Heart’s Desire
Forever in My Heart
Always in My Dreams
Only in My Arms
THE MARSHALL BROTHERS
Her Defiant Heart
His Heart’s Revenge
THE THORNE BROTHERS TRILOGY
My Steadfast Heart
My Reckless Heart
With All My Heart
MEET JO GOODMAN:
Jo Goodman is a licensed professional counselor working with children and families in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Always a fan of the happily ever after, Jo turned to writing romances early in her career as a child care worker when she realized the only life script she could control was the one she wrote herself. She is inspired by the resiliency and courage of the children she meets and feels privileged to be trusted with their stories, the ones that they alone have the right to tell.
Once upon a time, Jo believed she was going to be a marine biologist. She knows she is lucky that seasickness made her change course. She lives with her family in Colliers, West Virginia.
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Very good read
Very cute!
Nathan Hunter grew up in the streets of London doing what he had to do to survive. His “friend” and mentor Brigham Moore is right there with him when they are robbing a place and find a dead body. Of course the evidence that they were there suddenly ended up in Nathans shoe and he is arrested and convicted of Murder. Brigham ends up making it so he gets convicted too and they are both sent to Australia to work camps. Next thing we see they are both in America in San Francisco trying to win the heart of Lydia Chadwick. Brigham plays both Lydia and her mom and tries to win everyone over pretending to be someone he is not. Nathan is brutally honest and gruff at time. He is very guarded for the most part. Lydia is a very insecure woman because her mother is intimidated by her and puts her down at every moment she can. Lydia also is used to men trying to attach themselves to her because her dad owns a very successful gold mine and she has money. They also try to get closer to her mother. After the courting by Nathan and Brig she figures out that they are up to no good and sends them away. Someone tries to black mail her and she ends up blacked out on the ground. She wakes up married to Nathan with no recollection of her past. She goes to Australia with him. She does recover her memory. More interesting things happen but I would give away too much if wrote about it.
This book was a good length. It was not too hard to read. I liked it. I liked Nathan and Lydia. Although she seemed taken in by Brig right away and then all of a sudden knew exactly what kind of person he was. It was quite a change over.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own
Sometimes even though my interest is immediately captured by the first page of a book, the story can lose its momentum for me if it takes awhile for the motive and the identity of the murderer and key elements of the murder mystery to unfold. What saved that momentum in Sweet Fire was Jo Goodman’s uncanny ability to elicit my anger, tears, fear and joy at the unfolding romance between Lydia and Nathan. The San Francisco and Australian backdrops as well as the many extraordinary colorful secondary characters also kept my attention riveted to each and every page. I received this book for free from ebook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
A plot that takes one across three continents, this dramatic story of murder, betrayal and a love that grows out of deceit, keeps one on tenterhooks throughout. Being of a squeamish disposition, I personally found the book horrifying in parts, but the romance that slowly grows between Lydia and Nathan does touch one’s heart. Motivated by a wager, Nathan and Brigham set out to win Lydia’s heart. She isn’t the beauty that her mother is, but she has a generous heart and an intelligence that thwarts her suitors on more than one occasion. Nathan has also been the victim of manipulation and Brig’s desire to win at any cost, almost costs him his life. The novel is generally well written, but not for the faint of heart. It is a standalone and does finally come to a successful close. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
A Suspenseful Historical Romance
Though raised as an heiress, society would be scandalized by Lydia Chadwick’s devotion to St. Andrew’s orphanage. She even frequents the seedier side of San Francisco when necessary in order to save a prostitutes newborn.
They grew up in the slums of London and climbed the ranks of the street gangs. But life took a decided turn when Nathan Hunter and Brigham Moore were transported to the penal colony in Australia.
What happens when two such diverse segments of society collide is the lengthy plot of Sweet Fire by Jo Goodman. Although the pace is a bit slow, this saga that spans two continents is very well written with just the right balance of historical descriptions, private thoughts, believable dialogue and complex characters. At first it seemed that events of this novel would be pretty predictable, then the came the first of a number of twists and turns. True, I knew the identity of the true villain, but how true love would survive and find a happy-ever-after kept me reading. I was rewarded with a satisfying ending that even included a smile-worthy epilogue.
Content alert: In addition to some swearing (d*mn, h*ll, g*d), there is some very passionate kissing and some very descriptive sexual intimacy.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
I really enjoyed this historical romance. I usually do not read this genre but received the book free from ediscovery. I read this book in one sitting. The characters were realistic and enjoyable. The interaction among the characters kept the story moving to a happy ending. This review is my honest opinion
Once again, Goodman delivers a stunning story. Full of intrigue and passion, Lydia and Nathan’s individual and combined storylines are fascinating. The antagonist Brig portrays himself in a flattering light but is evil. The story and characters are so well thought out and one is not disappointed. I received this book from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.