Meridia Hancock has been different her entire life.  She is a fire starter and until recently has worked in a traveling carnival.  No one can touch Meridia without being seriously burned and that includes any would be lovers.  Meridia just wants to live a normal life, which includes a lover who can actually make love to her.  Meridia decides to make a deal with a two-bit rag reporter when he says that he knows someone that might just be able to help her.

Dr. Jonas “Iceman” Anderson has been doing research for a think tank.  However, assistants and secretaries that want to do much more than just type up his notes and make coffee have constantly interrupted his work.  Jonas knows he is good looking in an inhuman way, however he is on a tight timeline and needs to focus on finding the firesnake.  Jonas is not amused and is very doubtful when a reporter tells him that he has found a fire starter – but Jonas agrees to meet with Meridia.

The meeting between Jonas and Meridia literally sets things on fire.  After Meridia arrives at Jonas’ house, she soon learns that he is not what he appears to be and she is even less, and more, then she ever thought she was.  Changes happened quickly that night for both Meridia and Jonas.  Changes that can only be seen to be believed, well maybe.  When their story is later told in a sensational rag paper, who would believe anything written in it?

Firesnake is a mix of science fiction and pre-determined romance.  Meridia has spent her life knowing she was different and only wanting the classic dream of a family and lover.  Jonas has come to search for the firesnake and after a few years has not had any successes.  When Meridia learns of her true history, future and how Jonas joins into it, she does not believe him.  But like we have heard before, truth is much stranger than fiction and Meridia and Jonas are perfect examples of this.  I found Firesnake to be a fun and unusual story – a shifter in a very different way.  Meridia and Jonas are still trying to find their way, but I believe that their happy ever after isn’t too far away (well in some aspects).  If you are looking for a slightly different story for a bit of summer reading, Firesnake should be on your short list.