Night Fire by Catherine Coulter features one of her few truly nice guy heroes. This romance was a pleasant surprise–despite its dark themes–due to the charming Burke Drummond.
This romance is the first in Coulter’s “Night Trilogy,” which is set in Regency-era England and in the final book, America.
The Plot
In Night Fire, Arielle and Burke had met years prior when she was 15 and he in his twenties. Burke instantly fell in love with Arielle but couldn’t do anything about it as he was called to war against the French.
In the interim, Arielle was forced into marriage with a cruel, elderly lecher.
Burke returns to find Arielle a bitter widow, suffering post-traumatic stress from the abuse she endured. She wants nothing to do with men.
Meanwhile, Burke’s feelings for Arielle still run strong. He wants her and pursues her. When he discovers the horrors of her marriage, Burke changes to a gentler approach.
Thus unfolds a tender, emotional love story where Burke patiently woos Arielle–although he is a randy rascal. Her recovery takes time, and Burke is there to give her genuine support and understanding.
Meanwhile, a wicked villain has his eye on Arielle. Will Burke also be there to save her before it’s too late?
Read Night Fire and find out!
Final Analysis of Night Fire
I’ve read a handful of Catherine Coulter romances and disliked more than half of them. Night Fire was one of her bests due to the wonderful hero, Burke.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the final entry in her “Night Trilogy,” Night Storm, whose arrogantly condescending hale protagonist made me rethink my penchant for blonds. But that’s a review for another day.
Night Fire is a solid read for those who like to see a heroine recover from trauma and be healed by love.
4 Stars
Rating Report Card
Plot
4
Characters
4.5
Writing
4
Chemistry
3.5
Fun Factor
3.5
Cover
4
Overall:
3.9
Synopsis
ONLY HIS BURNING LOVE COULD SAVE HER.
Trapped into a loveless marriage, Arielle Leslie knew a life of shame and degregation. Even after the death of her brutal husband, she was unable to free herself from the shackles of humiliation. Only Burke Drummond’s love could save her . . . if she let it. But as his passion blazed, his patience wore thin . . . and Arielle risked a future as terrifying as her past.
Catherine Coulter takes her propensity to create unlikeable heroes and dials it all the way up to “11” in her so-called romance, The Lord of Hawkfell Island.
The Plot
Mirana is a young, unmarried woman who lives with her brother in a fortress in Ireland. When he’s away, their home is attacked by Viking raiders seeking vengeance against him. Their Viking leader Rorik blames him for the death of his wife and child.
Usually, a hero grieving over his lost love is grounds for me to dislike a historical romance, but thanks to Rorik, I had plenty of other reasons to despise this “love story.”
I shouldn’t even call this a love story because–let’s get this right out the gate–Rorik never says a single word of love to Mirana. And it’s not because he’s so filled with sorrow over his loss. He’s just an unfeeling, cruel, petty, boorish boar.
I detested him so much that I created a Goodreads shelf labeled “jerky pig hall of fame” for him and his porcine brethren.
Rorik kidnaps Mirana as a hostage, not out of lust, but because he’s on the boys’ team and Mirana’s on the girls’ team, and boys are supposed to torment icky girls because boys rule and girls drool.
Rorik, The Viking Philosopher
Although externally Rorik has the appearance of a strong, 30-something Viking warrior, his demeanor is that of a gangly 10-year-old-boy who’s on the verge of adolescence. He thinks girls are gross and stupid, yet gets a weird, tingly feeling whenever a particular one is around.
So instead of reacting like a mature, well-adjusted male to that particular sow (or female) who gets him hornt up, our hero spouts insults like:
“I told you that my men really have no interest in you. You’re skinny, not at all appetizing. A man would have to be starving for a woman before he would turn his eyes to you.”
Saying mean things to Mirana alone wouldn’t merit Rurik a place at the Big Pigs’ table, though. Sure, he gets naked and bathes in front of her, taunting her in an “I-know-you-want-me-but-you-cannot-have-me-so-look-at-how-hot-I-am” sort of way. That’s cute.
He also threatens to sic his dog on her:
“I’ll have my dog kill you. He’s vicious. He protects me and my island.”
Rorik accuses Mirana of incest (and being damn good at it):
“Do you lust after him, your own kin? Is that why you’re still unwed? Perhaps he has already bedded you. You aren’t young, after all. Does he hold you above his other whores?”
He chains her up with heavy iron links–no cloth under the metal to protect her skin–and keeps her that way for days on end, deprives her of food, beats her, and neglects her. Later he gets more brutally physical, punching Mirana in the jaw, stepping on her throat, and whipping her!
So, to sum up: Rorik abducts Mirana, tells her she’s so ugly no man would sleep with her, except her brother, of course, threatens her with murder and rape, abuses her, tortures her, and spouts Schwarzenneggerian brilliance as:
“The man rules. It is he who protects the woman, he who provides shelter and food for her. It is his right to bed with a bear if he wishes to. It is I who am the lord here, and all obey!”
He’s a beast, all right. Well, charisma goes a long way, thank goodness.
Alas, Rorik has zero charisma to back up his nasty demeanor.
So What’s To Like?
Then, why didn’t I one-star this book if the hero is so loathsome?
For one thing, Mirana gives back as good as she can. She’s a solid character who deserves a better man. How about her evil brother? 😉
And second, it’s kind of funny if you can disassociate from it all. Rorik is so childlike in his hatred for Mirana. I’m surprised he didn’t wipe his boogers on her or play “I’m not touching you” with his finger hovering an inch from her face.
Sure the guy’s a looker, and he’s lord of an island, but with his protozoan personality, who wants him?
Sleeping with Rorik would be akin to doing it with Colleen McCullough’s “Tim,” inhabited by the spirit of “South Park”‘s Eric Cartman on D-Bal Max.
(SO WRONG)
+
(SO VERY WRONG!)
X
(AND ON STEROIDS!!)
Sisterly Love
Ultimately, what pulls this book together has nothing to do with romance. It’s all due to Mirana and a supporting cast of female characters who forge a strong network of relationships They help each other grow and thrive in a world that’s brutal and unfair.
On the one hand, we have Rorik and his dopey gang of followers with their collective IQ & EQs of (I’ll be generous) 105.
On the other hand, we have the Hawkfell Island women’s team.
The central theme is all about “The Battle of the Sexes.”
Caring for Mirana is a servant woman, Utta, married to one of Rorik’s men. A beautiful yet simple slave girl named Entti is treated as a bounce house for the Vikings to play with, and she gets no respect. The women unite to get back at the men in ways they can, like giving them inedible food and refusing sex.
After a while, the men determine that Mirana’s behind the women’s uppitiness. Rorik attempts to rein her in. He decides he will marry Mirana and control her through force of will.
Mirana, for some reason, develops feelings for the Neanderthal.
At last, Rorik and Mirana share something in common: love for Rorik. INow, there’s a match made in Valhalla!
When the men get fed up with the women’s antics, they threaten Mirana with all kinds of bodily harm. Rorik does nothing to stop it.
He spouts perplexing threats like: “I will rape you if you force me” when Mirana refuses him his marital rights.
By The Lord of Hawkfell Island’s conclusion, Rorik and Mirana are paired off… because that’s what a romance demands. Rorik remains the same unfeeling brute he was in the beginning.
Final Analysis of The Lord of Hawkfell Island
The kindest, most intimate thing Rorik says to Mirana is:
“You are very nice,” he said forcing his eyes back to her face. “You are pleasing to me.”
If that’s enough to spark your interest, and you have a perverse curiosity to observe an exaggerated caricature of a supreme male chauvinist pig in action, while a crew of much savvier women maneuvers social politics and gender roles, then by all means, take a gander at this book.
Whatever “this” is, that Catherine Coulter wrote.
On a certain level, The Lord of Hawkfell Island is fascinating. I wouldn’t call it a romance, though.
2.74 Stars
Rating Report Card
Plot
3
Characters
3
Writing
2.5
Chemistry
2
Fun Factor
2
Cover
1.5
Overall:
2.3
Synopsis
Rorik is a Viking warrior, as fierce and savage as the North Sea during the winter solstice. Mirana is a Viking woman who loves birds, is more ingenious than most men, and loyal down to her toes. Her life changes utterly one fateful day when Rorik and his men come to Clontarf, a Viking fortress on the eastern coast of Ireland, to kill her half-brother. But she is the one taken as hostage to use as a pawn against him.
Rorik is the Lord of Hawkfell, an island off the east cost of Britain. The moment he brings his captive home, it seems that everything begins to fly out his control. The women are out to teach the men a lesson with the result that food is rank, Rorik’s family is out for Mirana’s blood, a murderer is on a loose, and a huge mongrel, Kerzog, dotes not only on his master but also on his master’s captive.
Rorik and Mirana are two strong-willed people, ardent in their opinions, who will have you rooting for both of them equally.
I enjoy playing the game of “I Spy” with my vintage book romance covers. Can you guess this week’s theme? Spot the common thread in the covers, and the first one to mention the correct answer in the comments wins the satisfaction that they were right! 🙂
For the week of Aug 2 to Aug 6, here are some contemporary and historical covers for you to look over and play “I Spy.”
(From left to right) Witchstone Anne Mather, Harlequin, 1975, Don Sinclair cover art Shadows at Dawn, Sheila Holland, Playboy Press, 1979, Gerry Hoover cover art Difficult Decision, Janet Dailey, Harlequin, 1980, Will Davies cover art Devil’s Embrace, Catherine Coulter, Signet, 1982, Elaine Gignilliat cover art
