Rockin’ Heroine: Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra
I’m constantly asking people for book recommendations on twitter. It’s not really the most effective tactic to ask people at random to be honest, because I have very quirky but eclectic taste. I like books from all genres, but I like very specific things about them. Nonetheless, I’m always willing to give a book a try, so I often troll twitter going, “Hey, what should I read?!”
A couple weeks ago I got a recommendation from Anne Scott, our fabulous editor at Samhain. She’d recently read Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra and had really enjoyed it. I found the first chapter with a quick google search, and by the 5th paragraph I was hooked.
Why? Well, there are a couple reasons, and the first one is all my own. I grew up on the coast of Maine, and I love stories set in tiny fishing towns. (Though for the record, anything with a year round population of over 1,000 is NOT tiny! My village had a year round population of around 60. We only broke 100 when the summer people came to town.)
But that’s not why I bought the book. I bought the book because in the first chapter we meet a seven hundred year old heroine who has come to the coast of Maine to find herself a hot fella so she could get her groove on.
Oh yeah! squealed my inner fangirl. Because while I like a good journey of sexual (and sensual) discovery as much as the next person, sometimes I want a heroine who knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it using any means necessary. Margred was bold, confident and ready to get down with her bad self. And I loved it, because I don’t think heroes should get to corner the market on understanding lust better than love.
The fact that the opening paragraphs make it clear that Margred has found and lost a mate already was the cherry on the top. One!True!Mate! stories are like fine gourmet meals for me. Only the masters can serve them up in a way that I like, and even then I only indulge on special occasions. But no worries here, the hero in this story is decidedly human. 
Double oh yeah with extra sprinkles!
Margred is a 700 year old selkie who has lost her mate and lives a solitary and peaceful life in the sea. On the rare occasions she gets a yen for a little skin-on-skin contact she can always find a handsome man and frolic under the moonlight. The lack of lasting connection implied in such interactions, however, certainly puts one in mind of behavior more often seen in the brooding, distant heroes we love to, well, love.
Heroes certainly can get away with more, that’s for sure. Margred is not an an easy heroine, and that’s part of why I like her. No one who’s lived so long as a powerful, immortal creature is going to be warm, soft and snuggly just because she meets a handsome man. My friend Shannon and I discussed how Margred’s aloof and occasionally condescending behavior could grate on the nerves. If you don’t like your heroines prickly and slow to learn love, she might not be the character for you.
Me? I love it. It shows a depth of characterization and consideration of world-building that makes a story real and vivid. Perhaps a heroine who goes from Zero to Melty in 2.6 seconds and is kind and generous to strangers, children and kittens is easier to cheer for, but how realistic would those traits be in a woman who has spent most of 700 years alone and content to be that way? And Shannon agreed with me that the characterization would have felt a good deal more shallow without that prickly outer shell.
It also makes her eventual capitulation that much sweeter. 
She does fall in love, and watching it happen, watching her fight against it and then fight for it, makes it so much more meaningful. And while I could go on and on about the ways I adored Caleb as a hero, this isn’t a post about Rockin’ Heroes. 
I’ve been urging people left and right to buy this book, but I’m so excited about it I’m going to buy someone else a copy. On Friday May 22nd I’ll pick someone from the comments and order them a paperback copy. Meanwhile, I’m going to be busy reading Books #2 & #3… unless you ask my editor (in which case I’m writing Crossroads) or my husband (in which case I’m packing up my office.)
(Really, Anne brought this one on herself. Now we have to make deadline with our next book, or she’ll never give me awesome recommendations again.)
My Question To You: Do you like books with heroines who are olders/more experienced than the hero? And I’m talking centuries, not decades. If so, what are some books you’ve read that you liked? If not, what bugs you about them?
Click here to read the first chapter of Sea Witch at Virginia Kantra’s website.
Categories: All Posts, Contests, Rockin' Heroines FTW · Tags: free stuff, paranormal romance, Rockin' Heroines FTW, selkies, urban fantasy, virginia kantra
Hmm… I haven’t read any books that I can think of with that as the plot, but I’m really intrigued by this. Damn it, Bree, I have a huge number of books in my “to be read” PDF file, and now you want to add more? *shakes tiny impotent fist of rage*
Now that I think about it, not a one of my books that I can think of has an heroine older then the hero. Funny that I never noticed that before. Not that it would matter. As long as the story is great, age is just a number right? But after reading this post, I’m definitely interested in starting this series. So plese enter me for your contest and thanks!
@ Anna: Sorry, darling. Your tiny fists of rage are helpless in the thrall of awesome books!
I think you would find this book interesting without a doubt. Something I didn’t touch on in the post that I want to talk about at some point is the question of sacrifice: how I don’t like books where the heroine is the one who must sacrifice everything for love and has no choice & no options. This book did a good job side-stepping that danger!
@April: I agree, age doesn’t usually bother me as long as I enjoy the story. But I read a lot of paranormal, and after a while I do wonder why all the immortal women have to be evil. It does seem unfair!
I have read a few paranormals with heroines older than the hero, and I love them. First, she knows what she does and doesn’t want, second she knows what she is willing to do to get what she wants, and she knows what she will or will not settle for. Give me a strong willed woman in charge any time. It usually makes for much more sensual reading. I’d love to get this. Count me in.
Yes! Bring on the tough girls who know what they want. These are the women I write mostly (not published yet…workin on it!) and wish I could read more of. I don’t ever hate the innocent women in alot of the books I read, but I do always wish they were more experienced, more demanding. There have been a few, but are less likely than the girls I like. The one’s who know what they want, maybe are a little self conscious even about the fact that they are so strong and blatant, but too far gone into independance and their own strength to let it bother them. Much
I would love to see alot more bad a** girls who can kick butt with the guys, love just as hard, and give as good as they get!
Caprice
Hrrm, I haven’t read too many books like that and I think it’s a damn shame. (I’m hardly an ancient immortal, but I’m old enough to know what I want and appreciate that trait in my heroines.) And I love books set on the coast of Maine, so if I’m not lucky enough to win, I’ll have to check it out for myself.
One of my WIPs has an immortal heroine and mortal (if not exactly normal) heroes. She can be cute and cuddly, but mostly because it’s useful for manipulating men–she’s a kitsune. It works until she meets a male fox shapeshifter who prefers her tricky, sharp-tongued real self!
@ Nancy Gilliland
I have read a few paranormals with heroines older than the hero, and I love them.
Titles! I need some titles!
I really got a yen on to read a few more now!
@ Caprice Castano
I don’t ever hate the innocent women in alot of the books I read, but I do always wish they were more experienced, more demanding.
I’m with you. I don’t dislike innocent heroines. And I’m a little annoyed that I’m starting to resent them, but it’s all about balance for me. Innocent heroines are great until someone tells me that innocent is good and experienced is bad. I want a range of experience in my reading, everywhere from, “You put what where?!” to an immortal being who’s been a hooker for a thousand years. Seriously, I’ll read them all!
@ Teresa Noelle Roberts
And I love books set on the coast of Maine, so if I’m not lucky enough to win, I’ll have to check it out for myself.
I have seen a few of those pop up recently, and I find it really awesome! I live in the Deep South these days and I seem to have no trouble finding hot southern heroes (LOVE them!) but there just don’t seem to be a lot of stories in small town Maine.
I have only read one book where the heroine was more experienced than the hero, It was a nice change of pace. It is the book No Man’s Mistress by Mary Balough.
Good luck with your search, I will have to look on my shelf for more titles.
I have not read too many books like that but I owuld love to read more. I jsut enjoy good writing. Anything will make me happy/.
I don’t know that I’ve ever paid that much attention to it. I like a huge variety of story lines and I know I’ve come across some paranormals where the heroine is much older. They’ve been a bit hit or miss dependent on the writing. This one sounds really fantastic, though, and I’ll have to figure out some way to fit it in to my huge TBR pile.
I actually don’t know if I have ever read a book where the heroine was more experienced….lol at least by centuries. Hmm….I am going to have to find this book
With me it depends on the mood I happen to be in at the time I pick up a book (and I shudder to think about some of the genres I’ve read).
I like a mix of both the innocent wide-eyed young’un and the older (even very much older) experienced lady.