SOUL OF FIRE

Author: Sarah A. Hoyt ISBN: 9780553589672 8/2008 HISTORICAL FANTASY Publisher: SPECTRA
Time Period: Victorian

Filled with adventure and danger, intrigue and romance, this thrilling new fantasy from Sarah Hoyt follows the quest for a rare treasure—by a man of rare breed—in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was… British gentleman and were-dragon Peter Farewell has embarked on a daunting task: to recover the Soul of Fire, a magical ruby said to lie at the heart of British-controlled India. But finding one stone in the heart of a land simmering on the cusp of rebellion, and rife with hostile magics, seems an impossible task—until Peter saves the life of a young virgin fleeing a distasteful arranged marriage. For unknown to Sofie Warington, the flawed gem that is all that is left of her dowry is the very one Peter has been seeking. And if Peter can keep her safe from the sinister factions desperate to gain control of both Sofie and her dowry, he will find more than a jewel; he will find his heart’s destiny.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SOUL OF FIRE, Hoyt's second novel set in her alternate 'Magical British Empire' series, follows a minor character from Hoyt's first novel in the series, HEART OF LIGHT, Peter Farewell, British gentleman and were-dragon.

After his promise to Nigil, the hero of HEART OF LIGHT, to return the second of two legendary magical jewels said to have been in Charlemagne's (yes, that Charlemagne) possession once upon a time, Peter sets off to British occupied India in pursuit of the jewel. He doesn't expect to become embroiled in a family's dark secret, a young girl's bid at freedom or the truth behind the whispered rebellion of the natives.

If you read HEART OF LIGHT before this, then you'll know all the references Peter makes throughout the book without help. For those who haven't read the first book, there is enough referencing to the events of HEART OF LIGHT to cover anything that might be mentioned.

Peter is a likeable hero. Maybe because I went into the book expecting it to be like other historical romances I read and I thought he would be less flawed than he was. Those flaws endeared him to me, however, from the eye patch to his mixed emotions over his father's death, and his almost clumsy courtship with the heroine, Sofie. Peter seemed real to me.

Sofie at times annoyed me. She was a little younger then I would have liked (she was only seventeen) and at times acted very much the spoiled brat she insisted she wasn't. I don't think she meant any of her selfish tendencies out of spite, but all the same, they more often then not landed folks in trouble because she didn't think things through. She was all impulse and determination. She does mature however, and I did enjoy her and Peter's relationship as it progressed along.

The others in the story—Sofie's (mercenary) parents, handmaiden/friend Lalita, the other weres and even the natives that came and went, were all well written and interesting. I especially liked Lalita's Uncle, who fit his title quite well.

As previously mentioned, this is the second book in Hoyt's Magical British Empire series, preceded by HEART OF LIGHT (out now) and shortly to be followed by HEART AND SOUL (due out end of October 2008).

Alexandra Cenni