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A Fire in Their Hearts: Claiming their freedom was their only crime
'A gripping story' - The Scotsman
' A poignant love story suffused with a deep, moving humanity' - The Herald
'A memorable novel' - The Sunday Times
SCOTLAND, 1662.
Hunted, held prisoner and banished for a belief...
As civil war rages and King Charles II tightens his grip on the Church of Scotland, childhood sweethearts Violet and Samuel are swept into a violent struggle for religious freedom. They pledge their hearts to each other - and to a cause that will test their faith, courage and love beyond measure.
Hunted as rebels, imprisoned behind the walls of the infamous Greyfriars Kirkyard and torn from their homeland, Violet and Samuel are sentenced to a life of indentured servitude on the brutal sugar plantations of Barbados. But when their ship wrecks off the coast of Orkney, they become separated.
Alone and captive in a foreign land, Violet must summon every ounce of strength to survive the horrors she faces - and to cling to the hope that Samuel is still alive. Can love endure across oceans, through wars and captivity?
A Fire in Their Hearts is a powerful, epic tale of love, faith and survival, inspired by the extraordinary true events of the seventeenth-century Killing Times, by the bestselling author of The Last Witch of Scotland, Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2024.
'Heartfelt and devastating . . . Philip Paris's remarkable story-telling brings some of the darkest episodes in Scottish history memorably to light.'
S.G. MacLEAN, bestselling author of The Bookseller of Inverness
'An utterly heart-wrenching novel.'
FIONA VALPY, author of The Sky Beneath Us
' A poignant love story suffused with a deep, moving humanity' - The Herald
'A memorable novel' - The Sunday Times
SCOTLAND, 1662.
Hunted, held prisoner and banished for a belief...
As civil war rages and King Charles II tightens his grip on the Church of Scotland, childhood sweethearts Violet and Samuel are swept into a violent struggle for religious freedom. They pledge their hearts to each other - and to a cause that will test their faith, courage and love beyond measure.
Hunted as rebels, imprisoned behind the walls of the infamous Greyfriars Kirkyard and torn from their homeland, Violet and Samuel are sentenced to a life of indentured servitude on the brutal sugar plantations of Barbados. But when their ship wrecks off the coast of Orkney, they become separated.
Alone and captive in a foreign land, Violet must summon every ounce of strength to survive the horrors she faces - and to cling to the hope that Samuel is still alive. Can love endure across oceans, through wars and captivity?
A Fire in Their Hearts is a powerful, epic tale of love, faith and survival, inspired by the extraordinary true events of the seventeenth-century Killing Times, by the bestselling author of The Last Witch of Scotland, Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2024.
'Heartfelt and devastating . . . Philip Paris's remarkable story-telling brings some of the darkest episodes in Scottish history memorably to light.'
S.G. MacLEAN, bestselling author of The Bookseller of Inverness
'An utterly heart-wrenching novel.'
FIONA VALPY, author of The Sky Beneath Us
- GenresHistorical Fiction
400 pages, Hardcover
Published August 31, 2025
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 16, 2026
A thoroughly researched historical fiction novel based during the years when Scotland was torn apart by brutal fighting over religion, Covenanters versus Royalists.
The story follows 2 fictitious characters over a 30 year period.
Violet has particularly harrowing, wretched experiences while enslaved on a sugar cane plantation on Barbados. While these scenes are not pleasant reading, they depict the reality for both female and male slaves.
The story follows 2 fictitious characters over a 30 year period.
Violet has particularly harrowing, wretched experiences while enslaved on a sugar cane plantation on Barbados. While these scenes are not pleasant reading, they depict the reality for both female and male slaves.
December 16, 2025
I really wanted to love this book. I studied the Covenanters at university, so I went into A Fire in Their Hearts genuinely looking forward to seeing that period brought to life in a novel.
Sadly, I just found it grim. And not in a powerful, thought-provoking way but more in a one awful thing after another way that started to feel a bit much. I know the history is brutal and it would be wrong to dampen that but the constant stream of misery felt overdone, to the point where it stopped being engaging and just became draining.
It reminded me a lot of The Four Winds with its relentless hardship, very little breathing space and not much light to balance the dark. For the first time this year, I actually didn’t want to finish a book. I did, but it was more out of stubbornness than enjoyment.
That said, the subject itself is fascinating, especially if you’ve any interest in Scottish history or the Covenanters. There are interesting moments and the research clearly went in. But for me, the tone just sucked the life out of it.
Sadly, I just found it grim. And not in a powerful, thought-provoking way but more in a one awful thing after another way that started to feel a bit much. I know the history is brutal and it would be wrong to dampen that but the constant stream of misery felt overdone, to the point where it stopped being engaging and just became draining.
It reminded me a lot of The Four Winds with its relentless hardship, very little breathing space and not much light to balance the dark. For the first time this year, I actually didn’t want to finish a book. I did, but it was more out of stubbornness than enjoyment.
That said, the subject itself is fascinating, especially if you’ve any interest in Scottish history or the Covenanters. There are interesting moments and the research clearly went in. But for me, the tone just sucked the life out of it.
July 28, 2025
Historical fiction is my favourite genre, so I was captivated by the description. The prologue really drew me into this story, but unfortunately it is a slow read until the book catches up to where we met the main characters in the prologue. After that, I enjoyed the read and learning about the history of Coventers in Scotland.
Samuel feels like a back character in this novel, whereas Violet goes through major character development in Barbados. Bittersweet ending that may have some readers feeling disappointed.
Also trigger warning for violence, suicide, and a graphic rape scene for those who may be uncomfortable with such reads.
Overall, I wish the pace would’ve been kept up at the beginning after the prologue, but I think it is well researched highlighting some history that I think isn’t well known. A solid 3.5 for me!
Thanks Black & White Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!
Samuel feels like a back character in this novel, whereas Violet goes through major character development in Barbados. Bittersweet ending that may have some readers feeling disappointed.
Also trigger warning for violence, suicide, and a graphic rape scene for those who may be uncomfortable with such reads.
Overall, I wish the pace would’ve been kept up at the beginning after the prologue, but I think it is well researched highlighting some history that I think isn’t well known. A solid 3.5 for me!
Thanks Black & White Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews