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A Fire in Their Hearts

Claiming their freedom was their only crime
By Philip Paris
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Brief Description
'A memorable novel' - The Sunday Times 'A gripping story' - The Scotsman 'A poignant love story suffused with a deep, moving humanity' - The Herald SCOTLAND, 1662. One love. One belief. One eternal flame. As civil war tears through the country and King Charles II... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Releases 5th January 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "A Fire in Their Hearts" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Scotland, 1662. Hunted, held prisoner and banished for a belief . . .

Scotland, 1662. Hunted, held prisoner and banished for a belief . . .

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'A memorable novel' - The Sunday Times

'A gripping story' - The Scotsman

'A poignant love story suffused with a deep, moving humanity' - The Herald

SCOTLAND, 1662.

One love. One belief. One eternal flame.

As civil war tears through the country and King Charles II tightens his grip on the Church of Scotland, childhood sweethearts Violet and Samuel are drawn into a dangerous struggle for the freedom to follow their belief. Their connection—quiet, instinctive, and deeply rooted—becomes the anchor that steadies them as the world closes in.

Branded as rebels and imprisoned in Greyfriars Kirkyard, they are forced from their homeland and sent to work on the sugar plantations of Barbados. When a shipwreck off Orkney separates them, Violet must navigate a foreign land alone, holding fast to the steady belief that Samuel may still be alive.

From Scotland's lowlands to the Caribbean's unforgiving plantations, A Fire in Their Hearts follows two souls bound by conviction and a love that endures—across oceans, war and captivity. Inspired by extraordinary true events of the seventeenth-century Killing Times, it is a story of resilience, faith and an unextinguished flame.

A Fire in Their Hearts is a powerful, epic tale of love, faith and survival 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

'Touching and dramatic . . . A beautifully written page-turner. Highly recommended.'
ELISABETH GIFFORD, author of The Lost Lights of St Kilda

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781785307751

Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 July 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Black and White Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 270g

Pages: 400

Collections

Coming Soon in Fiction Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Philip Paris Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

PHILIP PARIS is the bestselling author of The Last Witch of Scotland, Waterstones' Scottish Book of the Year 2024 and Blackwell's Edinburgh Book of the Year 2023. His hugely varied work is often inspired by events or issues that have previously had little coverage. Men Cry Alone, a novel about domestic abuse against men, won the Scottish Association of Writers Barbara Hammond trophy in 2019, while his non-fiction book Orkney's Italian Chapel: The True Story of an Icon is recognised as the leading authoritative work on the history of the famous WW2 building.

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