"A Spirited Romance You Can't Put Down"
Reviewed by Lee Erin Berryhill
Posted July 1, 2014
Romance
Tori Drumm is fleeing her old life in New York as a Broadway
actress and moving to Colorado to reunite with her brother.
When she ends up stranded in Colorado Springs, Link
Buchannan offers her a place to stay and his help reaching
her brother's home in Cripple Creek. Tori accepts and right
away Link and Tori find themselves attracted to each other,
but there is a reason Tori left New York, and she's not sure
she can trust Link with her past.
Sara Luck has written an engaging romance between an actress
and a businessman in a small mining town. This western
romance doesn't have bar fights or shoot outs at high noon,
but it still has plenty of action and excitement. Luck keeps
the mining town of Cripple Creek historically accurate, and
the conflict between miners and mine owners will keep
readers absorbed until the very end. This conflict sets
HEART AFIRE up for a riveting climax.
Tori is a former actress who is used to being independent
and on her own. Her generous personality and past mistakes
make her endearing and likable. Link is personable, cool
headed, and like Tori, extremely generous. He's not the
usual western hero, but readers will fall in love with his
big heart and kind nature.
Cripple Creek is a wonderful setting for a small mining
town,and the secondary characters are a hoot. Speck, Pearl,
Mollie, and Manny bring depth to the story, adding tension
and humor. Love and excitement fill every page of Luck's
story. HEARTS AFIRE is the kind of romance you can't put
down.
SUMMARY
She left behind fame and fortune, and discovered something
far more precious: the love of a strong Western man. From the spotlight . . . The toast of New York’s theater world, Sabrina Chadwick
dazzled with her raven-haired beauty and brilliant
performances. But her rising star came crashing down after a
disastrous night of scandal and betrayal that left the young
actress with nothing but a broken heart. Now the preacher’s
daughter who found glittering success on the stage must
begin a new life somewhere she can escape her shattered past
as Sabrina Chadwick. . . . to love’s shining light. Lincoln Buchannan had no idea that the lovely lady new to
Colorado Springs had been a star back East. The wealthy mine
owner only knew that Victoria Drumm was stranded without
accommodations in a city bustling with gold rush fever! Link
offers Tori shelter in his sprawling home and agrees to help
track down her brother, a fervent union organizer in nearby
Cripple Creek. As desire flares between Tori and her rugged
rescuer, so do the demands of striking miners in a violent
and historic protest fueled by passionate convictions on
both sides.
ExcerptWhen Link and Tori reached the Union Block, Link tried the
door for the stairway beside the drugstore. When he found it
was locked, he felt Tori shiver beside him.“Don’t worry, we’ll find him. There has to be a stairway in
the alley that will lead upstairs.” Link led Tori down a narrow passageway that led to the back
of the Union Block. He noticed that she instinctively
pressed her body closer to his, and he put his arm around
her and drew her tight against him. When they reached the
back stairway, he turned and asked, “Shall we do this, or
shall we wait until tomorrow?” Tori wanted to say wait, but she had no choice. It was
approaching midnight, and if she didn’t find Manny, where
would she go? As an answer to the question, she placed her foot on the
first step and carefully made her way to the top, with Link
following behind her. When they reached the door, it was
locked. “I guess this is the place to yell,” Link said. “Let’s hope
your brother hears us. What’s his name?” “Emanuel Drumm.” Link swung around from the door. “Emanuel Drumm? A man in his early twenties? Goes by the
name of Manny?” “Yes, yes! He’s twenty-four and he does go by Manny. Do you
know him?” “I know a Manny Drumm, but he doesn’t live here—at least not
that I know of. About a week ago he sat at my table at a
banquet in Cripple Creek.” “Cripple Creek? Is that near here?” “It’s close but you can’t get there tonight.” Just then, Link heard from behind the door the distinct
sound of a hammer being cocked. “Frank? Frank Atherton? Is
that you?” “Who wants to know?” “It’s Link Buchannan, from up on Weber Street. I’m looking
for Manny Drumm. Do you know if he still lives here?” “Hell, no. He left last summer. Went to Cripple Creek like
every other fool out to get rich.” “Thanks, Frank, we’ll leave you alone.” Link led Tori back down the stairs and was surprised to feel
a surge of tenderness for this woman. She had to be dead
tired, in a place where she didn’t know a soul or what she
would do. If she had any belongings, they certainly weren’t
with her now. When he got to the streetlight, he turned and
saw that tears were brimming in her eyes. “I have a suggestion,” he said. “If you don’t think it’s too
presumptuous of me, I have a bed you can sleep in.” He felt Tori stiffen immediately. “No, no, no—not with me. I mean I have a house with four
bedrooms and I live there alone, except for Otto and Hulda.
They’re my caretakers and they live there, too, while I live
most of the time at Cripple Creek.” Hearing those words, Tori collapsed against him in tears,
her body as limp as a rag doll’s. He held her against him, trying to comfort her as he would a
child. “I’ve made a terrible mistake,” she said as she sobbed
uncontrollably. “I shouldn’t have come, and you don’t even
know my name.” Link pulled his head back, and pushing her hat aside, he
smiled. “That’s easy enough to rectify. What is your name?” “It’s Sa—Tori.” “Satori. That’s a pretty name—not one that I’ve ever heard,
but it’s pretty.” “It’s actually Victoria Drumm, but my friends call me Tori.” “If your friends call you Tori, I would consider it a
privilege if you allowed me to call you by that name.” “Mr. Buchannan, I would be honored.” “And my friends call me Link.”
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