Touch the Flame

Touch The Flame is the 19th romance novel by New Zealand author, Helen Bianchin. Chelsea Houghton is steered into marriage to American Rafael Hamilton by her father, business tycoon Sam Houghton, to cement the merger between their two companies. After a wonderful European honeymoon, Chelsea’s wedded bliss in America begins to turn sour as Raf’s potent masculine attraction continues to draw female followers. Raf does nothing to quell Chelsea’s doubts about his fidelity, and when her father dies, she returns to Australia to run the company alone there. Fast forward two years, a company confidence crisis brings Raf to Sydney where he is intent on demonstrating the strength of the company and their marriage to shareholders. There is nothing to endear the reader to these characters: Raf is constantly superior and mocking, arrogant and controlling, and has supposedly gone 2 years without sex, whilst constantly surrounded by beautiful women; Chelsea is snappy and irritating. The novel is slow-moving and predictable. Now I remember why I don’t read novels by this author. Don’t bother!