Perfect Fire Trilogy: Book Two - White Heat

Picking up where Blue Flame left readers, Raimon has escaped the pyre and is hiding deep within the mountains of the Occitan. He longs to follow Yolanda to Paris, where she has been forced to marry Sir Hugh. However, he knows he must instead fulfill his duty of protecting the Blue Flame and save their beloved country from the advancing forces set on destroying it. In Paris, Yolanda believes Raimon is dead, she still resists her marriage, and as Sir Hugh’s war train—backed by the French king—heads for the Occitan, Yolanda must find new ways to fight. Weaving a satisfying, complex tale, master storyteller K. M. Grant draws readers right back into the dramatic love triangle and the chaos of war. Can Yolanda and Raimon’s love survive the ravages of a siege, her forced betrothal, and the growing divisions within their beloved homeland?

 Language

Damnable appears 3 times, 'By God' is used 17 times, some in correct context, and 'damn' appears once.

Sexual content

Well, see, Yolanda is forced into an arranged marriage. Ahem. That's where things get a bit dicey. First of all, Grant addresses a rather necessary question. And she pulls it off with rather stunning delicacy. She merely says "You know as well as I do that the wedding does not end with the ceremony....but with every step forward he took, she wrapped the dress tighter and tighter around her legs and hands." Or something of that sort. I stress - Grant *never* becomes graphic or profane. Hugh then comes to 'make Yolanda his wife in more than name' but then doesn't. Laila makes an allusion to the bath that she gave Raimon. Yolanda then goes swimming with Raimon - in what was the equivalent of buck naked: her shift. They kiss. The kissing wouldn't exactly trouble me, except that Yolanda is married, even if it was forced.

Other Negative Elements

Laila calls down a curse on a beggar, and clearly means it, it is not just a bad language curse, it has to do with pagan gods and things.

This was a good book. I am still not clear as to where to Occitan is, or what exactly is going on, but I still enjoyed it. I can't wait for the next one to come into the library! Because of the whole wedding thing, I'll have to give it a PG-13, but not a severe one, if you catch my meaning. K.M. Grant is an amazing author, and always manages to answer those questions without being explicit.