A
Magical Moment, June 1999
Magic and Mystery . . .
From
Library Journal
Taylor Cates, the psychic legal adviser
for a shelter for abused women, finds herself tuned into an avenging
angel who is using demonic methods to rid these ladies of their
main problem--their husbands. When the avenger goes awry and threatens
Taylor's beloved, private detective Stone Emerson, Taylor prepares
for the ultimate battle between good and evil. Jackson (Heart's
Desire, Kensington, 1998) has crafted an edge-of-your-seat novel
that sparkles with snappy dialog, clever turns of phrases, and
some real X-File moments.--JC, SM Copyright 1999 Cahners Business
Information.
From Gwendolyn Osborne - The Mystery Reader.com ...Monica Jackson's fourth and, I think, best novel....Despite the various plot twists and themes in the novel, the basic love story between Stone and Taylor never suffers. The characters are likeable and refreshingly honest. Opposites attract....All the elements in A Magical Moment came together. I liked it...a lot.
Unconventional Atlanta lawyer Taylor Cates is fiercely dedicated to her work helping battered women at a non-profit shelter. So far she's avoided falling in love and losing her hard-won freedom. The shelter is threatened by a series of mysterious murders and private investigator Stone Emerson comes back into her life. With the shelter--and Taylor's life--in danger, Stone is willing to do anything to win her trust . . . and her love.
A Magical Moment is definitely not your run-of-the-mill romantic suspense. Refreshing characters, an edgy murder mystery thread and more than a touch of the paranormal all make this book special. If you remember Taylor from Heart's Desire, she's psychic, outspoken and a little more complex than your usual romance heroine. I think you'll like her a lot too.
My name is Kendra and I was just writing to let you know of
my praises for your work. I usually enjoy all of your novels,
but I was quite disturbed by "Magical Moments". I
enjoyed the suspense portion of the novel, but the good versus
evil, demonic tendencies were a little much for me. In fact,
my sleep was quite disrupted the night I finished reading your
book. I wonder if you might considering separating your work.
If you want to write with a touch of suspense, that's great,
but my opinion is that witchery is best left out of the romance
genre.
Thanks for your attention,
Kendra,
I scared somebody! I don't know whether to be dismayed or thrilled.
(I admit it, I LOVE scaring people. I'm addicted to the thrill. Boo!)
Seriously
Kendra, I'm really sorry I disturbed your sleep.
I do agree that book falls squarely into the romantic suspense
category. What the Arabesque African-American romances have
in common are African American characters along with a primary
romance story line--romance being defined as the relationship
between the heroine and hero. Otherwise, anything else goes.
Most other (white) romances are clearly romantic suspense, paranormal
romance, fall within some other romace subgenre or have indications
whether the book's a mainstream or traditional romance. An African
American romance might surprise you if you're unfamiliar with
the style of the particular writer because it's primarily defined
by the race of the characters.
