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Desert Fire
Desperate to escape the scandal of her divorce London-born Charlotte Drake flees to the Las Vegas Territory, where she enters into a business arrangement with gambler Max Grant. Original.
- GenresRomance
447 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1992
35 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Rogers
46 books35 followersDon’t get me wrong...I love my husband...but I’ve spent a lifetime caught in a passionate affair. My lover taunts, teases, enrages, thrills, amuses, and ultimately satisfies. His name? Language. Readers, you know what I’m talking about. Whether written, spoken, or sung, words entice me as no other human invention could ever do. Okay, music is a close second; when you put the two together, the result is sublime.
Like most writers, I came to this devilish profession through a love of reading. I’ve worked as a crime reporter, teacher, librarian - challenges all. They culminated in the creation of stories of my own, both contemporary and historical. My wish is that you let them seduce you
I live in San Antonio with my husband, dote on five grandsons, and travel whenever and wherever I can. My photo was taken on the dock in Liverpool, England, in front of a modern sculpture of a “lamb-banana,” the artist’s whimsical cross between a lamb and a banana. This was shortly before an emotional trip to the boyhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Like most writers, I came to this devilish profession through a love of reading. I’ve worked as a crime reporter, teacher, librarian - challenges all. They culminated in the creation of stories of my own, both contemporary and historical. My wish is that you let them seduce you
I live in San Antonio with my husband, dote on five grandsons, and travel whenever and wherever I can. My photo was taken on the dock in Liverpool, England, in front of a modern sculpture of a “lamb-banana,” the artist’s whimsical cross between a lamb and a banana. This was shortly before an emotional trip to the boyhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 30, 2016
I picked this book up at the thrift store because it was set in Las Vegas. Imagine my surprise when I found out it wasn't that Las Vegas, but the other Las Vegas, in New Mexico. Ha!
Well, this turned out to be a surprising little gem. Given the year it was written, 1992, I didn't actually expect much more than an annoying douchebag hero and a pseudo-strong heroine, with a thin plot designed specifically to throw them together.
But this book had so much more to offer. The heroine, Charlotte, comes to Las Vegas with ambitions to open her own bank. Naturally, she comes up against sexism left and right by people who just don't think womenfolk should work as anything other than waitresses and prostitutes. Charlotte was quite a feminist character, yet realistically so for the time period (late 1800s). She is divorced and embraces her sexuality. She even goes to the doctor for birth control at one point. Several times in the story she comes into contact with other, sometimes less fortunate, women, and never once does she look down on them or judge them. Never once are they described in a nasty or uncharitable way, which is not the norm when it comes to older (or even newer) romances.
Yes, the hero, Max, was quite the douche at times. At first it seemed literally all he could think about was getting under Charlotte's skirt. How dare she want to talk about bank-related things over dinner when all Max wanted to talk about was having sex with her! The nerve! She calls him out on this behavior, saying he's just like all the others. Although he eventually calms down, for a while I was hate-reading because of him.
Naturally, there is a bit of no-no-yes in this book, as one might expect. But overall, I found the romance rather sweet. There was some surprisingly dirty talk between them, and Max thought nothing of saying shocking things to Charlotte in random places other than bed. I liked reading about his softer feelings for her too. Although the cheese was strong at times, I really enjoyed it.
The characters had interesting backgrounds that fleshed them out well, and never was the past used as an excuse for present behavior. Although they were far from perfect, I found them sympathetic and entertaining.
This book, while not completely free of tropes, was a breath of fresh air compared to what I'm used to reading in paperback romances. I'll definitely check out more of Rogers's work.
3.5 stars.
Well, this turned out to be a surprising little gem. Given the year it was written, 1992, I didn't actually expect much more than an annoying douchebag hero and a pseudo-strong heroine, with a thin plot designed specifically to throw them together.
But this book had so much more to offer. The heroine, Charlotte, comes to Las Vegas with ambitions to open her own bank. Naturally, she comes up against sexism left and right by people who just don't think womenfolk should work as anything other than waitresses and prostitutes. Charlotte was quite a feminist character, yet realistically so for the time period (late 1800s). She is divorced and embraces her sexuality. She even goes to the doctor for birth control at one point. Several times in the story she comes into contact with other, sometimes less fortunate, women, and never once does she look down on them or judge them. Never once are they described in a nasty or uncharitable way, which is not the norm when it comes to older (or even newer) romances.
Yes, the hero, Max, was quite the douche at times. At first it seemed literally all he could think about was getting under Charlotte's skirt. How dare she want to talk about bank-related things over dinner when all Max wanted to talk about was having sex with her! The nerve! She calls him out on this behavior, saying he's just like all the others. Although he eventually calms down, for a while I was hate-reading because of him.
Naturally, there is a bit of no-no-yes in this book, as one might expect. But overall, I found the romance rather sweet. There was some surprisingly dirty talk between them, and Max thought nothing of saying shocking things to Charlotte in random places other than bed. I liked reading about his softer feelings for her too. Although the cheese was strong at times, I really enjoyed it.
The characters had interesting backgrounds that fleshed them out well, and never was the past used as an excuse for present behavior. Although they were far from perfect, I found them sympathetic and entertaining.
This book, while not completely free of tropes, was a breath of fresh air compared to what I'm used to reading in paperback romances. I'll definitely check out more of Rogers's work.
3.5 stars.
January 11, 2019
(Read it years ago)
August 30, 2013
Surprisingly, I liked this book. First time with this author. Well developed characters, the romance part was well done with the proper amount of tension.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews