Innocent Fire is the story of Miranda and Derek. This book starts your trek into the lives of the Bragg Dynasty, as I will call them. The book opens up with a look into Miranda’s family, though very brief, and you get the idea of Miranda’s innocent ways. She is sent to a convent and all of a sudden her father, Edward, Earl of Dragmore, because he wants grandchildren, betrothes her to a friend of his in Texas, John Barrington, who happens to be a very good friend of Derek Bragg. So Miranda is sent to Texas with her aunt and because her betrothed met with an accident, she is introduced to Derek Bragg. Derek is a Texas Ranger and is sent to pick up Miranda. So, on the trail, escorting his best friend’s fiancée, Derek becomes attracted to Miranda. He find’s he is lusting after her and fights his feelings.. So he delivers her to John Barrington, his best friend, they marry, she has a nightmare of a wedding night. And the physical side of her relationship with her husband, goes down hill after that.. But she is widowed shortly, and Derek feels that to protect her, makes Miranda marry him. Miranda thinks of Derek a savage because earlier they had a run in with the villain, Chavez, who he almost killed, and should have. So she insists that he ‘follow a period of morning to allow him his rights, like 1 year. So with all this angst going on, Derek is off doing ranger duties, and right before he leaves, Miranda finally indicate her feelings for him.

So off Derek goes, and the villain, Chavez kidnaps Miranda. He is very attracted to Miranda and she tries to rebuff him and Chavez ends up raping Miranda..But Derek rescues her and all is bliss for awhile, as Derek notices symptoms and recognizes that she is pregnant! Miranda the innocent, she is, does not even realize that. Now this is where I finally like Miranda. Derek wonders how he could be father to a baby born of the man that raped her. He wants Miranda to give the baby up, but Miranda, though she regrets that the baby is not Dereks, wants him to love and protect the baby. He responds “ I’m no saint. Every time I look at this child I’m going to remember what Chavez did to you, and I’ll be filled with anger and hate”.Miranda feels it is time to go back home, Derek say no and is willing to give the baby his name, but not his love and becomes bitter.

But Derek tells Miranda how important she is to him and she realizes the same is true with her. But they are attacked by Comanche and Miranda is kidnapped again, only this time she thinks they have killed Derek.

She is sold off to a house of ill repute and they think she is a loon , but she is in a lot of pain with her grief over loosing Derek.

Derek, half-dead, survives, and searches for Miranda and finally finds her. The passionate scene uniting the two of them is very satisfying..

I did not care for the heroine, Miranda, till 3/4ths into the book. Brenda redeems her, and the end is very satisfying. I thought she was weak and whinny,and was no match for Derek a very strong hero. And the son born at the end of the book is Nick Bragg. And we are introducedto the other children, Storm and Rathe, and thus the Bragg dynasty continues.

I gave this book, a 5 star rating, my highest, because it kept my interest, could not put it down, the characters were memorable and the passionate scenes intense.