A mysterious castle. A deadly gift. A missing, unwilling bride. And a Norman knight determined to conquer all. Ordered by his King to carry out a cryptic command—kill a wicked sorcerer lord, seize his castle, and take his daughter as a wife—Alain de Crency expects a fierce battle. Instead he discovers a defenseless castle, the daughter missing, and the sorcerer dead, shrouded in a magnificent purple cloak. With no knowledge of the evil lurking within it, Alain takes the cloak as his own before investigating the whereabouts of his supposed betrothed. Upon Alain’s arrival, Melisande, the sorcerer’s daughter who begrudgingly learned her father’s sinister trade, hides in plain sight as a servant. But Alain suspects this beautiful blonde knows more than she claims, and he resolves to uncover the truth—if he can resist his burning desire for her. Soon Melisande realizes her father’s infernal magic reaches beyond the grave—and that only Alain can save her people from the menacing evil. But with Alain’s new cloak dyed in poison, can Melisande save her people’s savior without revealing her dark secrets to the man who’s captured her heart? |
Fire Dance was a freebie on Amazon when I picked it up with the old cover above, it's since gotten a facelift and is currently priced at $2.99.
Overall this was an enjoyable historical romance taking place in the England of 1092, when Norman and Saxon hostilities were high. The author has created characters that I genuinely liked from Alain and his men to Melisande and the knights who were loyal and protective of her, to Rufus, who reminded me of a jovial Henry VIII, without all the wife trouble. The only part I really didn't care for, or would have liked to see a little tighter and more filled out was that of Melisande's father. We get very little of that in the beginning, only Melisande's fears that if anyone knew the truth they would kill her, and that her father was the Spawn of Satan, in his own words. I think more of that storyline earlier on would have helped make that aspect of the story more believable. I really never got the evil sorcerer bit until later on, and the spawn of Satan part was a little silly to me. However, I'm willing to concede that in 1092, when there was no huge paranormal romance genre, this was probably the scariest thing those people could have heard.
My rating for this would be 3/5, I did like it, there was action and romance, likeable characters, and an interesting storyline. I found myself wanting to read it, rather than feeling like I had to get through it, and that's always a good sign! ;)
Delle Jacobs Website
