I haven’t read adult fiction for a very, very, very long time. That is unless it showed up on a Young Adult or Juvenile reading list… I used to jump off of my children’s diet whenever a new Dune, Wheel of Time, or Clan of the Cave Bear novel was published, until recently. It was just hard to switch between the two. It was a shock to my system. I used to read a lot of Ken Follett and Anne Rice and I am SO ashamed that I haven’t read the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth yet. It might be close to my all-time favorite ever and even my husband managed to beat me to it. He isn’t a reader unless it is Catch 22. Ah yes! I “listened” to Catch 22 in 2007 or 08. That was the very last one!
Well, my dear Miss Marsha, the lovely teacher who supplies me with my Ranger’s Apprentice fix, and whom I convinced would LOVE The Wheel of Time (I was right!), presented this enormous work to me and said I had to read it. I did. It is a guilty dessert for sure and more tame than I remember Anne Rice.
I hate to spend my time reading it and not presenting it here. Forgive me, please, then for this sidebar here.
Diana Bishop is descended from a looooooooooog line of witches and powerful ones at that. Ever since her parents were murdered when she was seven, she has chosen to live without her magic despite the fact that she was a natural as a child. Instead, she has sought a noticeable career as an historian in academia. She is a professor at Yale, currently doing research at Oxford.
She is requesting rare books for her studies in alchemy when she finds one that has been enchanted. Two of her instincts begin a battle. Use her magic to discover the secrets of Ashmole 782 OR treat it as nothing more than a book needed for her research. After enticing it to open, (can that really be called magic?) she chooses to treat it as research and sends it back without further exploration.
Unfortunately, her ability to request and receive a book that has been missing for 150 years draws the attention of every single creature in London – other witches, daemons and vampires. And of course when so many creatures congregate, the humans begin to take notice as well. Among the creatures that become suddenly interested in Diana, is an extremely powerful vampire, Matthew Clairmont. Diana knows she cannot associate with a vampire because it is far too dangerous, but he will not leave her alone.
Is Diana mesmerized by Matthew or is Matthew bewitched by Diana? Neither is certain. But if the creatures were interested in Diana and her connection to Ashmole 782 before, they are even more interested in a witch and a vampire that choose to associate so openly together. Being in the presence of a vampire is dangerous enough, but falling in love with a vampire is grounds for execution.
Yes, it’s a love story and a mystery with a bit of science and history. And yes, I couldn’t find enough time in my day to return to it. And, gasp, there was sex (without intercourse.) I’m blushing red. I told you, a shock to my system and my sensibilities. But definitely not graphic in anyway shape or form. If you like witches and vampires, this is one you’ll need to read. Sequels on the way! (YEA!)
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