Heart of Fire (Heart Trilogy #2) Book

As a viscount's daughter, vivacious Coralee Whitmore is perfectly placed to write about London's elite in the outspoken ladies' gazette, Heart to Heart. But beneath her fashionable exterior beats the heart of a serious journalist.

So when her sister's death is dismissed as suicide, Corrie vows to uncover the truth, suspecting the notorious Earl of Tremaine was Laurel's lover and the father of her illegitimate child. Corrie infiltrates Castle Tremaine posing as a wide-eyed country relation whose charming figure— and reduced circumstances—make her irresistible to the confirmed scoundrel. But Corrie finds the earl is not all he seems…nor is she immune to his charms, however much she despises his caddish ways.

Far from a society column, Corrie's life soon reads more like one of Mr. Dickens's serials. But the danger of her ruse is hardly fictional: someone is bent on ensuring Corrie's questions go unanswered—and unasked.

Publishers Weekly

In Martin's newest, the second in her Heart Trilogy (after Heart of Honor), writer and aristocrat Coralee Whitmore is in mourning for her late sister, Laurel, believed to be a suicide. Brave, impetuous Coralee, however, suspects foul play, and so she starts an investigation of Grayson Forsythe, Earl of Tremaine, the man she suspects was her sister's lover. Disguised as Forsythe's impoverished cousin, Coralee gains admittance to his world and discovers that things are not what they seem-especially her own feelings for the roguish earl. A night of passion and a dollop of danger kick the smart, sexy protagonists into high gear, though they play off each other superbly from the start. Martin's Victorian is blessed with a strong plot and a rich supporting cast of family and friends, making this fun, full romance a surefire crowd pleaser. (Jan.)