To Tame a Wild Heart

by Tracy Fobes

Book Overview

Applauded for her unique ability to blend romance, history, and the wonders of the paranormal into unforgettable novels, Tracy Fobes has taken her flair for the otherworldly to the Scottish Highlands,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743412788
• ISBN13: 9780743412780
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Magical Romance in every way

A horrible carriage accident took the life of the Duchess of Argyll, her daughter, her lady's maid and her daughter. Or did it? Seventeen years later Sarah Murphy is approached by the Duke of Argyll claiming that she is his long lost daughter they all feared had died. Sarah was found by a farming couple wandering the countryside seventeen years earlier. She had in her possession a special ring that had been commissioned for the Duchess of Argyll. Sarah is unconvinced of her parentage. She has no recollections of her time before she was found. All she remembers is a white beast saved her life. Sarah is a special heroine. She can speak with animals and they speak back to her. She has no desire to become the Duke's daughter but returns with him to his castle to repay a debt to the family that took her in seventeen years earlier. The Duke is determined that she take her place in society and has called on his friend the Earl of Cawdor, Colin, to assist in remaking her into a society debutante. Colin is a jaded rakehell who was raised by the Duke. He is non repentant of his London social life. The Duke disapproves of his wild ways but loves him as a son. Colin is suspicious of Sarah. He believes her to be a money hungry schemer. This changes quickly as he spends time with her. He has been forbidden by the Duke to entertain courting her as the Duke does not believe Colin could ever love her. Sarah opens her heart to Colin. Together they fall in love in a believable fashion. Of course, there are obstacles like former lovers and the Duke's plans for Sarah. Also, there is a magical mystery to be solved. I have to state that this book was wonderful. I enjoyed the hero and the heroine's interactions. Sarah was no simpering miss, yet she was neither arrogant nor prideful. Colin's transformation was a delight to read, Sarah's powers never scared him off. In fact, he embraced them. I loved how this book ended also. Every loose end is wrapped up and Colin and Sarah enjoy a wonderful life together.

I could not put this book down!

Magic of the characters in this book plus a unicorn and a girl who speaks to animlas. This book is great for every romance book reader! It is not just steam from the pages, it is a real story! With mystery, love, lust, greed, and magic!Read this book!

Poignant and emotional

1796A devastating carriage accident involving a duke's wife, daughter, maid and her daughter opens this tale, hooking readers from page one.1813Sarah knows only that the Murphys found her wandering the Highlands at about age four. With rags as clothes, a panflute we later find out she uses to communicate with animals, and an expensive emerald ring in her possession, Sarah has no memory of how she came to be in the area. The Murphys took her in and sold the ring for the money. Twenty-one years later Sarah has moved into her own croft and is content with her lot in life -- until the day her"father" comes for her, having traced her by following the trail of the sold ring.Colin Murray, Earl of Cawdor and the heir before Sarah's return, is recruited to see to it that she is educated and polished to take her place in society as befits a duke's daughter. Colin is told in no uncertain terms that Sarah is not for him to dally with. The duke hopes the couple will benefit each other -- Colin teaching Sarah the rules of the ton, Sarah teaching Colin how to return to the man he was before leaving the country estate forLondon.Tracy Fobes is a master storyteller with an imagination that knows no bounds. TO TAME A WILD HEART is filled with endearing, charming characters, both human and animal. An unexpected and poignant secondary romance is integral to Sarah and Colin finding their own happiness. Sarah's unusual and magical rapport with animals is a delight to witness, as is Colin's transformation from London rake to hero. Several unexpected twists, turns and surprisesmake this a fast-paced, engaging read.I highly recommend TO TAME A WILD HEART as an enthralling and emotional love story not to be missed.

Fantasy-filled Scottish historical

In a tale combining myth with nineteenth century Scottish history, Ms. Fobes has created a unique read. The Duke of Argyll lost his wife and daughter, Sarah, to a tragic carriage accident in 1796. In 1813, Edinburgh, Scotland, Colin Murray, Earl of Cawdor and heir to the Duke of Argyll, discovered an emerald just like the one worn by the deceased Duchess of Argyll. Mr. Murphy, a Highland farmer, pawned the ring after he took it from Sarah, the orphaned girl he found wandering the moors seventeen years before. When the Duke locates Sarah, he deems her his daughter and asks that she return with him to Inveraray, his ducal estate. Reluctantly, Sarah agrees to return, though she has no memory of the Duke as her father. And Sarah doesn't want to leave behind the animals that she has learned to communicate with using her pan flute. At the Duke's request, Colin returns to Inveraray, to aid in the transformation of Sarah. With the help of Phineas Graham, the Duke's man of business, Sarah becomes a real lady. The attraction between Colin and Sarah is very real, but the Duke has forbidden a match between them. Poor Sarah begins to lose a part of herself, stops communicating with the animals, and almost forgets her quest to find the white unicorn. Ms. Fobes has successfully achieved the task of integrating elements of fantasy into a historical novel. Without being overly fanciful, Sarah's quest of the white unicorn is used in almost an allegorical manner allowing it to mesh perfectly with the main story line. The reformation of the rake, Colin, is more believable than some as it takes place in a gradual and somewhat self-awakening manner. For a story to warm your heart and stay with you for a long time, TO TAME A WILD HEART can't be beat.

Exciting, amusing, and fast paced

In 1796 Scotland, the highwaymen chase after the carriage bearing the Duchess of Argyle, her little daughter Sarah, and their servants including another child. Trying to outrun their pursuers, the carriage goes off the side of a cliff. Everyone seems dead, but a local farming family finds a little girl wandering the moors. In 1813, through the sale of a family ring, the Duke of Argyle hears about a feral female with an uncanny ability to talk with the animals. She is the right age and name to be his little girl Sarah. She possesses a panflute, which makes the Duke believe he found his daughter. He persuades her to accompany him to their home while asking his current heir Colin Murray to help him polish Sarah. If Sarah is the daughter of the Duke, Colin has much to lose, but that cannot stop him from losing his heart to her. She draws him into her world searching for the unicorn that she insists saved her life when she was injured during the nasty carriage incident years ago. TO TAME A WILD HEART changes Mowgie's gender and adoptive species (from wolves to humans) while placing him in a Regency Pygmalion. The story line is exciting, amusing, and fast paced as readers observe a tale on manners sort of like The School for Scandal. Though some fans will feel the subplot involving a unicorn search is unnecessary, it is well written and adds a charming twist to the novel. Still, this is Sarah's story and she engages the audience whether she wanders the moors or the ballrooms.Harriet Klausner