Hello fellow swoonies and book lovers! Welcome to my Blog Tour stop for the first book in Anna Belfrage’s The Wanderer Series,  A Torch in His Heart. This blog tour is hosted by TLC Book Tours and you can check out the rest of the stops down below. I also have a short and fun interview with the author and a few of my favorite quotes from the book.

Published: September 1, 2018

Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Genre(s): Romance, Fantasy, Light Erotica

Pages: Paper 394

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In the long lost ancient past, two men fought over the girl with eyes like the Bosporus under a summer sky. It ended badly. She died. They died.

Since then, they have all tumbled through time, reborn over and over again. Now they are all here, in the same place, the same time and what began so long ago must finally come to an end.

Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognises him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other’s guts. Helle’s life is about to become extremely complicated and far too exciting.

ADULT CONTENT: This book contains explicit sex scenes 

A breathtaking and exquisitely written tale of passion, betrayal, revenge and love

A Torch in His Heart by Anna Belfrage is a seductive, atmospheric, and intoxicating romantic fantasy thriller.

I have never read anything by Belfrage before, but this book absolutely made me a fan. I thought her writing style is immensely mesmerizing, sultry, unexpected, and affecting. Within the first few pages, I found myself completely enamored and could not stop reading. Belfrage’s storytelling is just so incredibly magnetic that even when some parts moved relatively slow, I was still really invested and intrigued.

The plot is engaging, suspenseful, twisty, and sensual. There’s plenty of tension, drama, and heartbreak that kept me turning the pages. It’s brutally intense at times, but the delicious anticipation of what will or will not happen had me on edge in the most amazing ways. I also liked the flashbacks and slowly learning what truly happened between Helle, Jason and Sam. I thought the concept of reincarnation was really interesting and I enjoyed the fantasy elements. The romance was scorching and sexy. I loved the chemistry between Jason and Helle and also liked their playful bantering. But what I really liked most about this story was the raw and relatable emotional aspects that left a wonderful burning feeling in my heart. Being able to feel and experience what the characters were going through was harrowing, but also satisfyingly exhilarating.

I loved all the characters and thought they were well-rounded. They’re perfectly flawed, wonderfully realistic and fascinating individuals that made me feel so many emotions. They’re deeply tangled in their own turmoil, anguish, and inner desires. I cared about them all in one way or another and wanted them to just be happy.

Sam is the absolute perfect villain – brutal, menacing, vindictive and cruel. He’s manipulative and will stop at nothing to get his revenge. He’s filled with so much pain, anger, and hate. I shouldn’t care what happens to Sam… he is the villain afterall and has been preventing Helle and Jason from being together. Yet, there’s something about him that made my heart ache. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about Sam later on, but for now… even knowing everything I know about him, I’m not completely convinced he’s purely evil. I’m really rooting for him to have a change of heart and redeem himself in the end.

Jason is the hero you dream about. He’s brave, determined, and passionate. He wants nothing but to protect Helle and just love her. He’s genuinely good and has such a big heart. However, he’s not without faults. He’s insecured and have made plenty of mistakes throughout the centuries. He can be impulsive at times and impatient. But, it’s those imperfections that makes him so much more lovable and the kind of hero who’ll steal a piece of your heart.

I adored Helle and really enjoyed her character development. She’s vulnerable in so many ways, but she’s also fierce, courageous, and driven. She’s caring, kind, and forgiving. I love that Helle fights for what she believes in, speaks her mind, and loves with all her heart and soul. Of course she sometimes doubts herself and makes rash decisions, but she overcomes her fears and admits her faults. She definitely grew into the type of heroine I root for and admire.

Aside from a few awkward moments and dialogues here and there, I truly enjoyed and loved reading this book. I thought it was a unique story and I really liked the concept and themes. It was an addictive read and I never wanted it to end.

A breathtaking and exquisitely written tale of passion, betrayal, revenge and love, A Torch in His Heart ignites, thrills, and surprises. Anna Belfrage beautifully balances intrigue, angst, humor, suspense and romance leaving readers utterly desperate for more. It’s so irresistibly twisty, steamy, and exciting and I honestly cannot recommend it enough!

I received a free copy of this book from the author for participating in a blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do know that when I’m with you, when I touch you, I feel whole. When your eyes meet mine it jolts me to the core of my being, and to be without you would be unbearable. Had I known you forever or just met you, I think I would have felt the same.

This was not just love — this was a need, a pulsating ache when he wasn’t close, a paralysing fear that one day he would leave. It was a want, a sense of incompletetion in his absence, a glowing sense of wholeness in his presence.

This isn’t about romance. This is about the sordid reality of love in all its gritty, painful glory.

Thank you Anna Belfrage for taking the time to do this interview. 

Describe this book in 3 words. Passionate, dramatic and intriguing

Have you always loved writing? Yes. Ever since I decided some book had the most unsatisfactory endings (read things did not end happily) I have written stories of my own, stories in which my poor protagonists suffer and suffer but at least get a Happily Ever After in some form

What is you favorite part about being an author/writer? I love the first re-write. Usually, I’ll write a first draft, let it sit for a while and then take it out and start a major re-write. This involves culling some parts, expanding others, assessing plot twists, considering just how realistic a scene is (poor hubby has to do a lot of standing in along the lines of “If you’re sitting down and I attack you with a knife, would you be able to save yourself?” after which I “attack” him with something to see how it all works out). Plus I do some serious adverb weeding during that first re-write.

Which authors have inspired your writing? Too many to mention, I think. But if I have to name a few it would be Sharon Key Penman, Barbara Erskine, Jayne Ann Krentz and Ernest Hemingway. Odd combo, right?

If there was a zombie apocalypse and you could only take 3 books with you, which ones will you choose? Three books I haven’t written myself? Agh! Well, Lord of the Rings is a given as is For Whom the Bell Tolls. I also think I’d take Shakespeare’s Collected Works.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? I’d like to be able to fly. Imagine hovering like a hawk way up high and peeking down at all the people on the ground. I think it would involve feeling genuinely free – or scared silly at the thought of falling down

If you could have any other job/profession other than being a writer, what would it be? Well, I have another profession: I’m a financial professional with years and years of working at management level under my belt. Had I started anew, I would have liked to be a teacher of history and languages.

Six months ago, Helle Madsen would have described herself as normal. Now she no longer knows if that terms applies, not after her entire life has been turned upside down by the reappearance of not one, but two, men from her very, very distant past.

Helle Madsen never believed in mumbo-jumbo stuff like reincarnation—until she came face to face with Jason Morris, a man who purportedly had spent fifty lives looking for her. Coping with being reunited with the lover from her ancient past was one thing. Having Sam Woolf, her vindictive nemesis from that same ancient past join the party was a bit too much. Suddenly, Helle finds herself the reluctant heroine of a far-flung, time-transcending epic story, one in which pain and loss seem to play a very big part.

This time round, Jason and Helle are determined to make it to the happily ever after. Unfortunately, Sam Woolf will stop at nothing to crush them. That ride into the golden sunset seems awfully far away at times… 

COMING AUTUMN 2019

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does not exist, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavours. Plus she always finds the time to try out new recipes, chase down obscure rose bushes and initiate a home renovation scheme or two.

Her most recent release, A Torch in His Heart, is a step out of her comfort zone. Having previously published historical fiction & historical romance, with this first book about Jason and Helle Anna offers a dark and titillating contemporary romance, complete with a time-slip angle and hot & steamy scenes.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this post and get to meet Jason, Helle and Sam! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour and add this book on your TBR.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments down below.