A Torch In His Heart
(The Wanderer #1)
By Anna Belfrage
In the long lost
ancient past, two men fought over the girl with eyes like the Bosporus under a
summer sky. It ended badly. She died. They died.
Since then, they have all tumbled through time, reborn over and over again. Now they are all here, in the same place, the same time and what began so long ago must finally come to an end.
Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognises him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other’s guts. Helle’s life is about to become extremely complicated and far too exciting.
Since then, they have all tumbled through time, reborn over and over again. Now they are all here, in the same place, the same time and what began so long ago must finally come to an end.
Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognises him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other’s guts. Helle’s life is about to become extremely complicated and far too exciting.
“You know why I’m here,” Jason said.
“I’m here for her...”
Three thousand years ago,
Jason Morris lost the only woman he had ever loved. It was an agony like none
he had ever experienced, it had torn at his soul and irrevocably broken his
heart. He longed for death so the pain would stop. But for Jason, death was no
escape. By the cruel hand of fate, he is on an endless loop of birth and death
as he searches for his lost love through the ages.
However, Jason is not the
only one who is on this endless cycle. The man who raped, tortured and murdered
his beloved all those years ago is also on the same seemingly infinite journey.
Sam Woolf has never forgotten, nor has he forgiven Jason. Time has not
diminished his hatred. It has instead fanned the fire into a raging inferno.
Helle was supposed to be his. She had deserved everything he had done to her
and more for daring to choose a Wanderer over him.
Helle is determined to make a
good impression on her first day working at Woolf & Partners. However, when
she meets Sam Woolf her every instinct screams to run and never look back.
Woolf looks at her as if she is something to eat and paralyses her with fear
every time she looks into his eyes. However, she needs this job and the
opportunities it could bring.
Jason has spent too many
years and too many lives looking for Helle. Now that he has found her, he will
do everything in his power to vanquish Woolf once and for all. This time he and
Helle will have the life that was so cruelly snatched from them three thousand
years ago.
Helle Madsen did not know why she
knew Jason’s name or why he seemed so very familiar. But with him, she feels
safe. With him, she feels loved. Moreover, as she comes to the shocking
realisation that the dreams that haunt her nights are, in fact, memories, Helle
cannot rebuke the truth that is standing right in front of her. If she wants to
live, then Sam Woolf must die. It is time to stop running from the past. It is
time to embrace it…
When the book slipped from my
hand as I read the last sentence, only one word came to mind. “Wow!” A Torch In
His Heart (The Wanderer #1) by Anna Belfrage is not only an intensely gripping
story that spans over three thousand years, but it is also profoundly moving,
wonderfully evocative and totally absorbing. The hours flew by as I lost myself
in one of the greatest time-slip romantic journeys that I think I have been on
this year. From the opening sentence, I was utterly enchanted, and by the end
of the book, I was reaching for the Kleenex and crying out in anguish.
Belfrage presents her reader
with two highly appealing protagonists. Jason’s story is utterly heartbreaking.
In each life, by the age of 12 years old, he remembers who he was and all of
the experiences that he has lived. He dedicates each life to finding Helle in
the hope that he can protect her from Samion, Prince of Kolchis (Sam Woolf).
However, each life brings a different set of challenges and yet, many times,
Jason wanders the world without ever finding her. However, this time, it is
different. Jason can sense her presence, and he is determined to do everything
in his power to keep her safe. I absolutely adored Jason. He is genuine, loving
and very human in the telling. In fact, that is a trait throughout this book.
Belfrage creates incredibly believable characters, and they react to situations
in a very human way. Jason’s nervousness at introducing himself to Helle, was
incredibly sweet, his determination to keep her safe melted my heart. His
character is beautifully drawn and so very compelling that I found it very
difficult to put down this book. Never has a novel begged so much to be
read in one sitting as A Torch In His Heart.
Like Jason, Helle is a
fabulous protagonist. Her confusion as to what on earth was going on, kept me
turning those pages well into the night. Unlike Jason and Woolf, Helle thinks
that the dreams she has are just that, dreams. It is only later that she
realises that these dreams are memories, and because of this, she does not
listen to her gut-instinct with regards to Woolf. Woolf is highly unappealing
and scares the life out of her. However,
she is blind to the real danger of the man, and it isn’t until she meets Jason
that things start to fall into place, although she has a terrible time accepting the truth of her situation, and even when she does she has moments of
doubts, as would anyone in her situation.
The antagonist of this tale
is, of course, Sam Woolf. He is vile, both in thought and mind. This book is
very much a darkness and light story with him portrayed in the darkest of
terms. Woolf is incredibly powerful, manipulative, and cruel. He is determined
to get his own way, and he does not care what he has to do to achieve his aims.
Woolf is exceedingly dangerous but also very intelligent and devious. To defeat
such a foe will not be without considerable challenges, and Belfrage certainly
does not make it easy for her protagonists. They live in constant fear of him.
I loathed him from the beginning, but his obsessive determination certainly
drove this story forward.
A Torch In His Heart is very
much a time-slip novel. Although the majority of the story is set in the modern
world, all of the back story is set in the ancient one. Both are rich and
vibrant in the telling. The historical detailing of the ancient world has to be
commended. It is wonderfully portrayed and rich in historical accuracy. It was
interesting to witness the change the different eras had on all of the
characters, but especially with regards to Woolf. Woolf’s ability to adapt and
to embrace the dark underworld of modern life drove home how deplorable his
character truly is. He is just awful, which I should imagine is precisely what
Belfrage intended her readers to feel about him.
Despite the danger and the
immediate threat to life, A Torch in His Heart is romantic and oh so sensual.
The level of sensuality really suited this story. It is filled with passion,
whether that be love or hate and the fact that both protagonists know that each
hour could be their last together made their desperation for each other
understandable. I think Belfrage got the balance between this compelling story
and the love scenes just right.
A lot happens in this book,
and there are many twists and turns — enough to keep a reader up all night! I
thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I cannot wait to get my hands on book
#2 of what promises to be an unforgettable series.
If you are looking for a
passionate, enthralling and unforgettable love story filled with danger and
heat, then A Torch In His Heart by Anna Belfrage is the book for you.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Pick up your copy of
A Torch in His Heart
(The Wanderer #1)
Anna Belfrage
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have
become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial
professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has
authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century
Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The
King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century
England. She has recently released the first in a new series, The
Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context and A Torch
in His Heart is with a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with
paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
Find out more about Anna by visiting
her website, or herAmazon page.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx