Melanie Jackson, Divine Madness

Divine Madness

Melanie Jackson

Love Spell, September 2006, $6.99

ISBN: 0505526905

To remain an immortal, Ninon must bathe in Saint Elmo's Fire every fifty years. As the semi-century event approaches, Ninon is concerned. If she fails to bathe she will die, but if she goes to Saint Elmo's Fire she knows her enemy Comte de Saint Germain awaits her there to ambush and kill her. Still, she heads to Mexico.

Ninon also learns that her deadly adversary plans to release devastating evil on an unsuspecting world. She needs an ally, but has doubts whether to trust the vampire Miguel Stuart, the offspring of a malevolence that his late Scottish father feared, whom she has just met in Mexico. As he battles to control his inner demon craving for blood, and she considers how to renew her existence, they begin to fall in love. However, both know that first they must save a world from Saint Germain's repugnant minion, especially his "Xeroxing" machine before they can begin considering a lifetime, in this case eternity, together.

DIVINE MADNESS is a wonderful romantic horror thriller, with the love subplot for the most part taking a back seat to the supernatural spin, as the storyline cleverly intertwines the paranormal elements into the mundane world. Ninon and Miguel are a wonderful pair of champions, who together might succeed, but apart will die. Though reading the previous tale (see DIVINE FIRE) enhances this novel, fans of dark thrillers will appreciate Melanie Jackson's divine hell on earth book.