"an involved, often intense tale of horror, humor, intrigue and romance"
Alex Dumas writes bestselling novels of action-packed
intrigue and derring-do. Little do his fans and publisher
realize that his stories are thinly-veiled, lightly
embellished accounts of his own life, for Alex Dumas is
really Alexandre Dumas, the French novelist, now an
immortal. And he is about to confront his greatest arch
enemy again—the Comte de St. Germain, who killed his lover
decades earlier, and who now threatens the first woman to
catch his interest in years. Harmony Nix came to Mexico on a working holiday—she needed
distance from her obnoxious ex-boyfriend, and her alter-ego—
The Spider, a radical environmentalist turned author—wanted
to do a little investigation in the region. She never
imagined she'd end up fighting an ancient evil alongside
her new lover, who just happens to be her favorite
swashbuckling author. I admire Melanie Jackson's knowledge and love for classic
tales and their authors. I stand (or sit) in awe of her
facility with language, and her ability to differentiate
her characters' voices, to make me believe she is speaking
for famous authors long gone. I delight in the tidbits from
those authors' personal lives—quotes from correspondence,
memoirs, etc.—that she sprinkles through her text. Also,
how many other writers can use the word "epistolary" in a
contemporary novel, and make it sound natural and not
pretentious? In other words...I really, really like her,
o.k.? So when I say I had a hard time getting through the
first 80 pages of this book, it pains me. After I finished
reading it, I even let the book sit for a couple of days,
then went back to it. Same thing—I found myself slogging
through, waiting for the payoff. That being said, the
payoff did come. Once Alex finally meets Harmony, the
action kicks in, sparks fly (literally and figuratively),
and I had no problem finishing the story. The chemistry is
there, the emotion rings true, and the action is excellent.
I also enjoyed seeing her characters from previous books
joining the fray. In the third installment of Melanie Jackson's "Divine"
series, Ms. Jackson once again gives readers an involved,
often intense tale of horror, humor, intrigue and romance.
While I found the pacing a bit uneven, her grasp of
characterization—knowing her people and staying true to
them—is great, and her use of language continues to draw me
in. Not for those looking for a quick, easy read or light
fare, Divine Night should satisfy those who love a
complex, "literary" style with broad, rich vocabulary.
Reviewed by Julia Clark
Posted February 16, 2008
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