Title: Sea Witch
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea, book 1
Publication Info: Berkley, July 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Imagine, if you will, a protective, wounded hero who discovers a celtic fairy tale brought to life. Add in stunning imagery of the sea, metaphors that flow lyrically through the story like ocean currents, and you will have a novel that reads like a love song.
Plot:
Selkie (seal shape-shifter of celtic mythology) Margred is at home alone in the sea, but she’s got an itch that needs scratching so she journeys ashore on a tiny island off Maine and finds herself a tumble in the sand. Humans have never caught her interest before, but somehow she can’t stop thinking of this one after she leaves him. When a second trip to shore lands her in hot water, she must learn to trust the human with not only her life and her secrets, but also her heart.
Caleb is an ex-soldier wounded in Iraq who comes home to work as a police officer for the tiny island town where he grew up. He wants nothing more than peace and quiet so he can heal from his demons. He isn’t a one-night-stand kinda guy, but what warm-blooded man would say no when a beautiful naked woman jumps him on a moonlit beach? When he finds her wounded and amnesiac three weeks later, he gets the opportunity to take care of her, giving her the benefit of his trust even though she won’t tell him where she came from or who she is.
Someone is killing people on the island, and Caleb suspects the murderer plans to come after Margred. How can he protect her if she won’t tell him the truth? They both discover that love can transform even the most recalcitrant souls: healing, strengthening, and ultimately saving the day.
Discussion:
I heart protective heroes. Cal is a soldier turned cop. He’s tough and kind. He wants to settle down and have a quiet life with family. When trouble stirs, he’s the first one on the front line saving the day. *swoon* Maggie is a strong heroine who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take it. Their passion sets the page on fire.
What really made this story rock for me is Ms. Kantra’s poetry. Since the heroine is from the sea, all the allusions and metaphors are of the sea. It makes the setting come alive.
“…as she lay sprawled across him like kelp over the rocks, warmed by the sun, moving in the tide,” (p30).
“Waves boiled over the rocks at the selkies’ island Sanctuary. White veils of spray caught the afternoon sun. Drops glittered in the air like diamonds. Farther out, long lines of whitecaps rolled, their crests curling over the deep blue green–the horses of Llyr, running before the wind…. The mingled scents of land and sea, life and decay, climbed to her window like the rose vines in a fairy tale,” (p35).
“Fog shrouded the beach and clung to the rocks like a thin film of tears. The trees rose against the dawn like the black masts of pirate ships, silent and threatening. The gray waves whispered and mourned,” (p182).
My one complaint in the entire book is this sentence on page 133:
“Margred had never begged for a lover. (And dismissed the memory of her own voice, saying “Please.”)”
The author intrusion jarred me out of the story. The sudden omniscient voice confused me, but worse are the parentheses. When does anyone use parentheses in a novel? As Susan Elizabeth Phillips says, “Keep The Reader In The Story.” This single sentence was the only time I bumped. The rest of the writing is wonderful.
The cover is also quite lovely. I strongly recommend this book. It is one of my favorite paranormal romances of 2008. I look forward to reading the rest of The Children of the Sea series.
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