‘I want to watch you while I love you,’ he breathed fiercely. ‘I do not want you to forget who I am.’

A Fiery Baptism by Lynne Graham, first published in August of 1991, brings to readers the tempestuous world of Sarah and Rafael, a couple whose past is marred with passion, betrayal, and heartache. This is classic Mills & Boon, with of course the emotional highs and lows that only an author like Ms. Graham can properly deliver to her fan-base.

The story begins with 25 year old Sarah, who is a single mother of twins, whose life has been a constant struggle with loneliness and insecurity, primarily due to her emotionally distant adoptive parents, finds herself running into her estranged husband Rafael at a party. Thus, a man whose confidence and charisma are as unforgettable as his betrayal, re-enters Sarah’s life, igniting old wounds and unresolved emotions.

Readers are taken through the shared history of Sarah and Rafael, Sarah’s elopement with Rafael against her parents’ wishes, and the subsequent turmoil that had made Sarah miserable to the point where it had been easy for her parents to manipulate her into surrendering to their wishes. Their marriage is portrayed as one that is passionate and yet destructive, where Sarah had had hopes of escaping the controlling nature of her parents, only to find that Rafael too, treats her as his possession.

When Rafael discovers that he is in fact father to twins, the betrayal he feels is immense, and Ms. Graham does a remarkable job of taking readers through the central themes of passion, heartbreak, betrayal, and redemption with her usual fervor. Sarah’s character is one that makes you feel for her – the lack of emotional affection that had shaped her most formative years which has turned her into a nurturing soul, whose spirit had been crushed under the weight of the expectations of her parents and her husband.

Rafael too is a man shaped by an upbringing that is painful. While Sarah had grown up in an environment that had lacked affection, Rafael had grown up in a harsh environment that makes him cynical and dispassionate about the finer emotions of life. His emotional vulnerabilities and passionate nature creates a complex character who is both possessive, while at the same time yearns for deeper connections and also rejects the very notion of the vulnerability that would be associated with such a connection.

The passion that blazes out of control as Sarah and Rafael engage in heated exchanges and raw confrontations as they navigate their shared life a second time around, all reveal the deep-seated grievances and misunderstandings between them, painting a vivid picture of their troubled past and the lingering emotions that bind them.

I found Sarah’s sexual awakening to be rather intriguing which comes later in the novel, a deviation from the almost formulaic nature of category romances. In 99.9 percent of the novels, the hero never fails to satisfy the heroine in every single sexual encounter from the onset, and to see their sexual relationship also evolve with their maturity as individuals in this novel, was truly what stood out for me.

Recommended for fans of Ms. Graham’s stories which are roller-coaster rides on the emotional bandwagon.

Final Verdict: A Fiery Baptism serves a captivating read for fans of classic Harlequin romances, offering just the right touch of passion, drama, and emotional intensity to keep the pages turning.

Rating = 4.25/5

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Sarah and Rafael met while she was on a trip with her school associate in Paris. It was instant attraction.

She came from a very, very controlling family and although she didn’t show it, she was deeply affected by her restrictive childhood.

Rafael was outgoing, passionate, gorgeous and a talented artist. He knew what he wanted and went after it. He wanted Sarah and he got her. Unfortunately, he got her awful parents too.

There was no love lost between her parents and her husband. So when her marriage ran into problems while visiting her parents, they did everything they could to drive a wedge between Sarah and Rafael. They succeeded by showing her proof of his alleged infidelity.

Five years later...

Sarah is at a party with a friend and runs into her estranged husband. This led to him following her home and finding out that she had not one, but two children for him. He is lividly angry. There are the usual threats and brow beating. He forces her to go to Spain with the kids.

There she met his horrible family. Learned about his horrible childhood. And came to terms with the fact that her children loved their father and he adored them. She made the decision to stay, but she didn’t trust him. He cheated five years ago so who is to say he won’t do it again.

This book had waaaay too much angst, anger, and agony for a sunny, late summer, Saturday morning read. I wasn’t prepared for this much drama. I loved every moment of it though.

Lynne Graham is one of my favorite HP authors and this is one of her best books. She had every raw emotion in this one. I will read it again, but on a dark, snowy night when I’m buried under a blanket with a bottle of wine.