It's not a pretty read, but you won't be able to put it down. And the images may haunt you. The rest of the book deals with Hannah's continued attempts to escape the brutal and sadistic Malcolm, and the Aldmans' realization that she is a woman of courage and honor after all. The writing is clean, the characters are sympathetic, and Touched by Fire has a lot to recommend it. There is a fun secondary romance between John and the irrepressible daughter of a wealthy family who forces him to unbend.
Amelia is cute without being too precious, too.
It did feel too long, though, as though the story was dragged out. The story became darker, if that was possible, and the focus shifted from Daniel and Hannah to a plot-driven story structure where the romance took a back seat. For most of the second half of the book, Daniel and Hannah hardly spend any time together. So while I was happy to see Malcolm get his ultimate comeuppance, the romance left me fairly unmoved. But Touched by Fire is a strong debut that deserves a look based on its setting and use of a fascinating historical event as a catalyst.