The Touch of Fire

I'm a sucker for kidnapping stories where the heroine falls for the kidnapper. But I was a little uneasy about Rafe's lack of control when she was still so scared of him. Where do you draw the line?

Another great historical Western by Linda Howard. Annie Parker came west to practice medicine but didn't count on the outlaw Rafe McCay kidnapping her away to treat his gunshot wound. Bounty hunters are chasing him for a crime he didn't commit. In reality, there's a fascinating historical reason concerning the South's missing gold after the Civil War.
The historical details are wonderful, and I liked how actual history was incorporated into this story. Annie and Rafe are an interesting pair, with her being a female doctor and him being one of Morgan's Raiders previously. It's a sweeping story that encompasses the breadth of the country.

I don't know how many times I've read this book. Linda Howard is one of my favorites authors and for me this is one of her best works.
Annie Parker is a doctor in a small boomtown, trying to make a living. Rafe McCay is an outlaw on the run, wounded by a bounty hunter and in need of a doctor. Annie treats him but he needs her to take care of him and the best solution is to kidnap her. While on the run, they get to know each other and while the sparks ignite, they discover that the world is much more than black and white.
A romantic story placed in the Old West that all the lovers of Romantic Western stories should read.

Poor writing (e.g. many instances of "..., for she frequently had to travel..." Overly formal and archaic in comparison to the tone of the rest of her text. Also many instances of the author obviously conveying historical and situational context using characters as mouthpieces, a little clumsy. E.g. a distraught, grieving character exclaiming, "He was only about seven-years-old!") Good physical descriptions though.Solid, interesting hero. Heroine was a mite too perfect for my tastes. Hero was very convincing as a good, strong man on the run, driven, because of circumstances, to be ruthless. It was very interesting to learn more about him as the plot and their relationship progressed. Believed him as a skilled gunslinger. All around hot show more guy, LOL. (Even his name is cool: Rafe.) Much more developed than the heroine, who is just... perfect, that's all, a stand-in for the reader to place herself in the action. -1000 points for her trite response ("pain on both sides") to the colonials' conflict with the Indians. Give your readers some credit, please. Don't dumb down history. The colonials were the aggressors, let's face it, and this is a modern, PC sugar coat and an amateurish approach to dealing with historical subjects. I don't think that has a place in literature (art imitating life and all that). Is this really what a colonial woman's reaction would have been? Almost certainly not. For those who expect novelists to have a responsibility to teach, here you are. Have some respect and gravity towards history. I'll grant that she did bother to consider the Indian perspective, at least, but spinning centuries-old history? One can educate without bending facts and trust a sensible audience to come to the right conclusion. At least she researched some, even if she didn't cover this subject respectably (in which case I prefer an author not to go into the subject at all). Pet peeve. At any rate, this is a small part of the plot. Moving right along, secondary characters are a trifle stereotypical Western. A few provide some lighter notes to the story.Good plot. Heroine's resistance to a physical relationship with the hero is rather contrived, but once that hurdle's passed, the real plot arc begins and that's very interesting, involving escape from pitiless bounty hunters, a political conspiracy and a setup, etc. Gradual development of relationship and trust between characters believable.Bedroom scenes were more heated for the urgency and passion conveyed by the hero than the heroine (passive). He took the lead there. They are not very long, and after the first one or two, they are not detailed, although still heated. (Though I was struck by the fact that the hero often foregoes foreplay and still finds the heroine exceedingly receptive each time. Different strokes, I suppose.)Not a big fan of the supernatural element tossed in, but the plot did need a little something more to power it another xx pages and the characters treated it in a believable fashion.I'm between three stars and four. I'm assuming since this was one of her earlier books that the somewhat amateur mistakes seen here in her writing improve in later books. show less

Western romance. An outlaw who didn't do it and a lady doctor who only wants to practice medicine are an excellent combination. The historical setting using famous individuals is a nice touch.

not her best...was a little bored with the whole kidnapping thing.