"A wee bit of Scottish Magic!""
Since my great great great...well you get the general
idea...grandfa' was said to be a Selkie, and we have a
wonderful, loving Selkie story passed down in the family
for over three hundred years, I am rather touchy when
writers create stories on the lore of Scotland. Most of the
time, I sort of cringe, fearing that they will not do the
Selkies justice, when the tales are so close to my heart.
However, when Melanie Jackson announced a year ago she was
starting work on a book about them, the reaction was
totally different - Joy, for I knew Melanie and her
heritage (I have it on good insider info from the Wee
People that she is one of the Fey!!), and her love for All
Things Scottish would do right by the Selkies. She is a
true child of the Highlands and proves it with the
marvelous novel. Melanie has written an utterly charming tale of a Selkie
accidentally called from the Scottish Sea...and OH DOES IT
STEAL THE HEART!! I applaud Melanie for setting the period
in 1929, since it seems the romance market considers
anything after the Turn of the Century to modern day not
worthy of writing about. So in 1929, Hexy Garrow is
maid/companion to widowed, blonde bimbo lady of the manor,
who pulls a blonde moment and leaves her expensive sable
coat on the beach of the Scottish Coast. Hexy is sent to
fetch it because her mistress is departing for Italy the
next morn with her latest boyfriend and cannot leave
without her coat. Hexy takes a few moments alone for herself at the beach at
sunset, to shed a few tears - 7 to be exact - for the loss
of her beloved brother who drowned, for her failed romance,
for the loose morals of today's wild young women, and
because her nose is red from allergies. She has no notion
the 7 tears she shed into the swirling sea summons the
Selkie - in this case one sexy, irresistible Ruairidh
O'Uruisg - or that the seal coat she mistook for her
mistress' is really Ruairidh's Selkie skin! One he must get
back! For those not familiar with Lore of the Scottish Highlands,
the Selkies were/are magical seals that could came ashore,
shed their sealskin and take human mates. They were so
breathtakingly beautiful that no human could resist their
lure, but they were only permitted to live on shore for a
year and a day before they had to return to the sea. So you
can imagine Hexy, a very practical modern- day girl, has a
wee bit of difficulty dealing with irate Ruairidh when he
comes storming into the manor to reclaim his sealskin coat.
He asserts he has no time to be her lover - maybe later
when the time is right for such things at MidSummer's Eve -
but is horrified to learn HIS coat is on way to Italy via
Wales. It is vital he gets it back. It is a charming
romance, whimsical, light, and so true to the ancient lore
of Scotland. Melanie's Hexy and Ruairidh are so wonderful,
bright and will absolutely steal your heart. So if you love Scotland, ever wish to visit there and would
love to have a wee grand adventure, I can heartily
recommend Melanie Jackson's best book to date. She is
simply magical...but then, what else would one of the Fey
be??? I have truly enjoyed many of Melanie Jackson's works
before, but this is by far her best!! I am sure my great
great...grandfa' would have heartily approved of the highly
original, charming tale of Hexy and Ruairidh! Slainte Mohr! Posted March 25, 2003
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted January 3, 2007
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While the technology of the wars had changed the face of Europe, some things stayed the same; the tempestuous Scottish coast and the surrounding sea remained a place of unquenchable magic and mystery. Sequestered at Fintry Castle by the whim of her mistress, Hexy Garrow spared seven tears for her past -- all of which were swallowed by the waves. By joining the water, those tears completed a ritual, and that ritual summoned a prince. He came for Hexy -- and for something she didn't know she had stolen. His very nature went against all Hexy had ever believed, but his love was everything she'd ever desired. And he'd come not to collect her for the insatiable ocean, but for himself.
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