"There was that funny, rather strange woman who sat in the first row — the one who stared at him all the time... funny name... Nivala Gilarthus — thirteen students altogether." Nivala, is there a meaning behind her name? Is there a reason for her being in Professor Walter Hendricks' class? The mystery woman and her evil purpose are alluded to throughout the story as the plot thickens and Walter starts having visions of a beautiful woman, one other than his lovely wife, Alexis. Even Alexis and her boss at the flower shop, Michael, seem to come under some sort of a spell. Alexis loves her husband, but does she also love Michael? Then there's Alexis' mother, another mysterious woman who seems to be there in Alexis' time of need, but is there some ulterior motive behind her good deeds? Is she really the evil, malicious Nivala? That quirky smile towards the end makes the reader wonder.

C.W. Henney usually writes children's books. Hellfire and Snowdrops is her first adult novel. Her wild imaginings translate into her characters as she weaves a spell of magic, fantasy, and witchcraft around a perfectly normal community and a perfectly normal couple, Walter and Alexis. Her use of description invites the reader right into the story so that they (the readers) can judge as to whether or not things are as 'normal' as they at first appear. Henney develops her theme of man versus an unknown paranormal being with a plot that moves well enough, although at times it can be a little confusing and convoluted with its multiple unanswered suggestions and sexual attractions. An interesting tale.

Hellfire and Snowdrops is a romantic psychological thriller written by C.W. Henney. Walter Hendricks is an English professor at Landis University, and he loves what he does. He loves the campus commons and his jogs from home to the university, but most of all, he enjoys both teaching and learning from his students each semester. His enthusiasm is contagious, and his classes are popular. Walter also teaches a class for adults at night on a voluntary basis, and this class has always been, in many ways, his favorite as the students at these classes have a more mature outlook to share. This semester is different, however, as there's a strange woman named Nivala who persists in sitting in the front of the class and staring at him. She never volunteers a word in class, and Walter is beginning to dread these discomforting sessions.

C.W. Henney's romantic psychological thriller, Hellfire and Snowdrops, is lush and haunting as the reader watches Walter Hendricks' life go from idyllic to the stuff of nightmares. The author hints at past lives and ancient wrongs in her narration of Walter's descent. Hellfire and Snowdrops is a marvelous tale that's beautifully written about Walter, his wife, Alexis, and Michael, Alexis' boss, and how Walter's startling transformation into someone else rocks the dynamic of these three lives. Nivala and her seeming accomplice, the girl-woman who appears only to Walter, seem as harsh and implacable as the Furies of classical mythology as they, oh, so patiently accompany him to his doom. I wanted to read more about the frozen wastes Walter dreams of at night, and to understand just what had followed this kind and attentive man into this life, and I'm hoping to do just that in Henney's sequel to this story. Hellfire and Snowdrops is most highly recommended.