Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous Magical Selkie Tale
Review: Scotland, 1929, after the 'war to end all wars' and Hesiod "Hexy" Garrow, an American has come to work for a beautiful widow who is renovating her inherited Fintry castle in Scotland. Life has not been going well for Hexy, her allergies are driving her crazy, her boss Jillian has misplaced her fur coat on the beach, her boyfriend has basically dumped her, her last living relative and brother Rory has died in the war and she just can't seem to stop crying as she talks to the sea. After she has wept into the sea, she does find a fur coat, only it isn't Jillian's - it's a selkie's skin. Packing up the fur and Jillian for a trip to Italy, Hexy remains at the castle to oversee the renovations when she opens the door to a very irate, handsome, and underdressed Scotsman, Ruairidh "Rory" O'Uruisg. What Hexy did not realize is that by inadvertently stealing his fur, along with shedding seven tears in the sea she has summoned this 'selkie' to come lie with her. What Rory was not expecting, was that this woman who summoned him would be so beautiful - but what really shook him was the sense that she wasn't at all what she knew herself to be! This was an amazing, magical, and sensual fantasy bringing some beautiful imagery to mind. Rory, the selkie was intoxicating for Hexy and I quote, "In the space of a few hours, her soul's winter had turned into spring." Ms. Jackson's writing intoxicated me. This was a fast paced beautiful love story with all the elements I look for - handsome lead couple, sensual love play, and edge of the seat thrills as Hexy puts her life on the line to save her 'selkie' and her love. I highly recommend this book - beautiful addition to my keeper shelf!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Magical Selkie Tale
Review: Scotland, 1929, after the `war to end all wars' and Hesiod "Hexy" Garrow, an American has come to work for a beautiful widow who is renovating her inherited Fintry castle in Scotland. Life has not been going well for Hexy, her allergies are driving her crazy, her boss Jillian has misplaced her fur coat on the beach, her boyfriend has basically dumped her, her last living relative and brother Rory has died in the war and she just can't seem to stop crying as she talks to the sea. After she has wept into the sea, she does find a fur coat, only it isn't Jillian's - it's a selkie's skin. Packing up the fur and Jillian for a trip to Italy, Hexy remains at the castle to oversee the renovations when she opens the door to a very irate, handsome, and underdressed Scotsman, Ruairidh "Rory" O'Uruisg. What Hexy did not realize is that by inadvertently stealing his fur, along with shedding seven tears in the sea she has summoned this `selkie' to come lie with her. What Rory was not expecting, was that this woman who summoned him would be so beautiful - but what really shook him was the sense that she wasn't at all what she knew herself to be! This was an amazing, magical, and sensual fantasy bringing some beautiful imagery to mind. Rory, the selkie was intoxicating for Hexy and I quote, "In the space of a few hours, her soul's winter had turned into spring." Ms. Jackson's writing intoxicated me. This was a fast paced beautiful love story with all the elements I look for - handsome lead couple, sensual love play, and edge of the seat thrills as Hexy puts her life on the line to save her `selkie' and her love. I highly recommend this book - beautiful addition to my keeper shelf!
Rating:
Summary: Knock out, warm, witty and wonderful tale of Scottish lore!
Review: Since my great great great...well you get the idea...grandda was said to be a Selkie, I am rather touchy when writers create stories on the lore. Most of the time, I sort of cringe fearing the writers will not do the Selkies justice. When Melanie Jackson said she was doing a book about one, the reaction was 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.
Melanie has written a utterly charming tale of a Selkie accidentally called from the Sea...and OH DOES IT STEAL THE HEART!! I applaud Melanie's setting the book in 1929 - seems the romance market considered anything after the Turn of the Century to modern day is not worthy of writing about. So in 1929, Hexy Garrow is maid/companion to widowed, blonde bimbo, who pulls a blonde moment and leaves and her expensive sable coat on the beach of the Scottish Coast. Hexy is sent to fetch it because her mistress is leaving for Italy and cannot leave without her coat. Hexy's take a few moments for herself at the beach, two shed a few tears - 7 to be exact - for the loss of her brother who drowned, for her failed romance, for the loose morals of today's (1929) young women, and because her nose is red from allergies. She has no notion the 7 tears shed into the sea summons the Selkie - in this case one Ruairidh O'Uruisg - or that the seal coat she mistakes for her mistress' is really Ruairidh's Selkie skin! For those not familiar with Scottish Lore, the Selkies were/are magickal seals that could came ashore, shed the skin and take human mates. They were so beautiful that no one could resist them, 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 Ruairidh when he comes to reclaim his seal skin coat. He asserts he has no time to be her lover, maybe later when the time is right for such things, but is horrified to 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, and wish to have a wee grand adventure, I cannot recommend Melanie's best book to date. She is simply magickal...but then what else would one of the Fey be??? I have truly loved many of Melanie's works, but this is by far her best!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story
Review: The People, the selkies, are in a crisis. Their numbers are diminishing and no females have been born in decades. Nor have any human women capable of bearing their children have been born either, to their knowledge. When Hexie weeps into the ocean and accidentally steals Rory's sealskin, she unknowingly completes a ritual that may bring new life to the selkies. Rory comes seeking the woman who has taken his skin, thus binding him to her until it is returned or she is with child. Hexy is unsure of what to make of this strange man with unfamiliar speech. However, their is a pull between them that is undeniable, and unexplainable. When they come together passionately, Rory realizes that this woman is more than she seems, and might be the hope of his people. Before they can find either happiness or hope, they must defeat monsters who steal souls and find a way to make a terribly mixed marriage work. ***** Those of you who have missed fairy tales will be enchanted by this story set in a time between the old world and the new. Magic and reality mix in a gray area where the only real truth is love. In what seems to be a situation made for heart break and tragedy, joy comes to pass. Hessy demonstrates a strength that is usually displayed in novels such as Tolkien's, while Rory has the charm of a handsome space alien blended with a fairy prince. Fans of pure fantasy and romance both will enjoy this one and be begging for more. The sea truly does hold magic and peace. *****
Rating: 
Summary: A New Take on Mythical Sea Creatures
Review: THE SELKIE by Melanie Jackson is not your everyday romance. First, it is set in 1920s Scotland, featuring a heroine who actually works for a living. Second, her hero is a selkie, a gorgeous man who lives in the ocean and can transform into a seal with the aid of a magical pelt. Third, the heroine not only accidentally calls the mythical hero into her life to be her lover, but she ends up being much more than he anticipates - she is, in fact, the means to help the dwindling selkie population survive.
I rather enjoyed the mythical aspects of THE SELKIE. I had no idea what a selkie was until I read this book, which also features fairies who can't cry and evil mermaids. Plus, Jackson easily incorporates the myths into the story, making you accept that a "modern girl" like Hexy doesn't need too much convincing to believe in magic and other-worldly creatures (or monsters).
There were two things, however, that I had issues with. One, Jackson uses bizarre "big" words throughout the story, which were jarring (did she have to choose the hardest-to-pronounce words from a thesaurus to add variety to her prose?). Second, I couldn't help but wonder how much Hexy and Ruairidh really loved each other. From what I understood, he had a special aphrodisiac on his skin that made Hexy all hot and bothered (she actually becomes obsessed with him), whereas Hexy became vital to the selkies for her special breeding capabilities, and not because they liked her personality or anything. These two factors combined made me wonder: if Ruairidh wasn't a walking sex drug and if Hexy were a normal human girl, would their attraction have gone anywhere?
Regardless of these issues, I still enjoyed THE SELKIE. It is well written and reads almost like a fairy tale, yet the heroine is pretty modern. The world that Jackson creates is fascinating, whether it is human or selkie or mermaid (and finman), and the story doesn't drag. In fact, I was so interested I read it in one afternoon. Plus, the selkie, Ruairidh, is a unique hero in a story that stands alone among myth-themed romances.
For those interested in other romances featuring mythical sea creatures, I recommend THE LAST MERMAID by Shane Abe (four beautiful stories) or GODDESS OF THE SEA by P.C. Cast (a fun mermaid switch-a-roo).
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