"Born in fire you were like one of your finest and boldest statues." (Tom Concannon)
It was my sister who indirectly encouraged me to give Nora Roberts a try. She's a Nora Roberts fan and would probably sell her soul to read Nora Roberts grocery list. I decided to start with the first Nora Roberts book that I remembered my sister reading and that's the Born In Trilogy. After finishing this book, I'm astounded to realise that my sister has good reading taste!
Born In Fire centers around Margaret Mary Concannon or Maggie. She's feisty, rude, moody, independant, compassionate, loyal and has an 'artist's personality'. Maggie isn't a perfect character. she's flawed and human in the most perfect of ways and I love her so much! Most of her flaws stem from the fact that there was no love between her parents, the emotional and physical abuse that she received from her mother and ultimately the loss of her father. Her flaws are believable and part of her personality and they make her character development extremely satisfying.
Maggie is a glass artist and a really amazing one at that. I enjoyed learning more about glass blowing and the glass-making process through Maggie's career. It's woven seamlessly into the story and I definitely have a new appreciation for it.
Maggie's abilities at transforming glass into amazing artwork is noticed by the president of the international Worldwide Gallery, the wealthy Rogan Sweeney who wants to become Maggie's manager in the art world. Rogan is a businessman through and through. He's organised, calculating, punctual and sophisticated.
Naturally when Maggie and Rogan meet, they annoy each other and don't see eye to eye, but the chemistry between them is sizzling! Maggie and Rogan are such different people. Maggie's feisty and passionate and Rogan's calm and calculating, but they are both independent, ambitious and love art. It was amazing to read about two polar opposites who are definitely meant for each other. I was rooting so hard for Maggie and Rogan!
Born In Fire is also a refreshing romance book. Rogan might have alpha male tendencies, but he doesn't hesitate to admit his feelings for Maggie. Maggie's extremely passionate, but she's the one who is hesitant, unsure and afraid of her relationship with Rogan. Their romantic relationship is realistic. It isn't perfect and there are a lot of issues that need to be sorted out, but it's their issues that develop Maggie and Rogan as characters. I was cheering for Maggie and Rogan not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because Maggie and Rogan are extremely likable characters and Rogan is extremely swoonworthy.
Born In Fire isn't just a romance. It's a book about family, the past, the future and dreams and ambitions. It's a book with great main characters and secondary characters and a swoony romance that hit me in the feels and put a smile on my face. I can't wait to read Brianna's story, Born In Ice, but before I do that, I want to hug Born in Fire close to my chest and never let it go!