"Jackson fire that is divine!"
Melanie Jackson is simply a beautiful writer. I could sit
and read her prose without worrying where the words would
carry me, just enjoying the beauty of her craft. This gift
is coupled with a second talent -- a vivid imagination.
Jackson has taken us to Scotland where seven tears summons
a Selkie and a ghost of a lonely piper still haunts and
ancient castle. She lured us down moonlit moors where
smugglers still plied their trade. More recently she has
been taking us on one wild ride as the host of Fae fight
the encroaching menace of the Goblin Horde as they peddle
their dangerous Goblin fruit (and by the way, they were
likely responsible for the mess in several cities of
late!). These tales mark Jackson as one of the most
original writers in Paranormal Romance. Often in Romance,
you see books being similar. No one touches Jackson. She
boldly blazes forth to write highly fresh tales, and Divine
Fire is yet again one of these brilliant gems. This time Jackson pokes her finger at Lord Byron and
Frankenstein. What really happened that weekend when they
Shelleys, Byron and John Polidori wrote their tales of
vampires and monsters? Well, to learn the answer, you must
approach Damien Ruthven. A man with dark secrets and long
memories of that night over a hundred years ago. Brice Ashton has written a biography about Lord Byron. She
is surprised to get a message from Ruthven telling her she
made three mistakes. Three mistakes only he holds the
knowledge to correct. Intrigued, Brice accepts the
invitation with the belief Ruthven has in his possession
documents about Byron and Lady Caroline Lamb. Only the
knowledge is not on paper, it's locked inside Damien's head. In 1816, Dr. Johann Dippel invites Lord Byron to his
chateau with the offer of curing his epilepsy. He did. But
it had side effects that have caused ripples through the
centuries. Ruthven's summoning of Brice now puts her in
danger as there are those who want Ruthven to atone for
that long ago night when vampires and monsters were born. To say any more than that, would take the edge off this
highly charged romance tale that delivers on so many
levels. Once again, Jackson weaves her magic as few can do! Posted February 28, 2005
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted December 4, 2006
|
