selkie

Review of Selkie by Nataly Gruender

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Synopsis:
Seven years ago, Quinn finally dared to transform from a seal into a human and took her first steps on land. As a selkie, she is both a daughter of land and sea. But when a human stole her pelt, he stole her freedom as well, forcing Quinn to become his wife and bear his children. As legend tells, capturing a selkie will bring you luck, and she became a coveted prize.

Constrained to a life that was no longer her own, Quinn longed for nothing more than to find her pelt and seize her freedom. Then one day, her eldest daughter hands Quinn her pelt and without a second thought, Quinn snatches it and escapes to the sea. But she’s no longer used to swimming and doesn’t know where her herd has gone. And after an almost disastrous encounter with her former husband, leaving her severely injured, Quinn doesn’t have the strength to go searching.

Instead, she finds herself taking shelter on a nearby island with a lighthouse and three lighthouse keepers. Quinn doesn’t trust humans anymore and wants to stay hidden from the keepers. But she can’t survive on her own. Can she learn to trust these humans and shed her hatred of all humankind? Or will she give into her fears and accept the monstrous fate that others have bestowed upon her?

Review:
I spent most of the first 7 or 8 chapters wondering why I was trying to push myself to keep reading, finding it very hard to fall into. The stories of the selkies were excellently interwoven to the story, and this is the first novel I have read that featured them as the main creature. Quinn felt different on land and didn’t get along with humans, but we learn more and more as the time went on how she made no efforts to attempt to fit in, and likely no one understood why she was so standoffish. By the time she had children it was too late; no one would allow her into their circles. Once Quinn makes it to the island shelter the story seemed to take off, for me. I loved the story of found family, of learning to trust people despite tragic happenings in your past. While the ending is adequate, I couldn’t get over that Quinn was willing to do everything she could for them while leaving her children behind when it had allegedly bothered her so much previously.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of Kiss of the Selkie: A Little Mermaid Retelling by Tessonja Odette

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Synopsis:
A handsome fugitive seeking a marriage of convenience.
A selkie with a lethal kiss sent to seal his fate…

To evade a vicious sea queen’s clutches, selkie Maisie hides on land surviving as a thief. But when she rescues a human from drowning and illegally brings him to shore, she must answer for breaking fae law. As punishment, she’ll have to hunt down the man she saved…and kiss him. But with a kiss that can kill, Maisie’s mission means more than seduction. It means murder.

Son of a notorious fae-killer, Dorian was never meant to survive the shipwreck that was orchestrated to assassinate him. Now that he’s on the forbidden fae isle, he’ll do anything to gain citizenship—even marry a fae bride. Desperate for a hasty marriage, he holds a bridal competition in the isle’s most theatrical city, where displays of frivolity aren’t just encouraged—they’re expected. And if Maisie can act like a proper debutante and join the pageantry, she’ll get near enough to deliver her fatal kiss.

But getting close to her target brings complications she didn’t expect. As she pretends to compete for Dorian’s heart, it starts to feel less like an act…and more like falling in love.

If Maisie doesn’t deliver her kiss by sunrise on the last day of the competition, she forfeits her life. But if she succeeds, Dorian dies. When the pageant ends, will there be a true victor? Or only death and broken hearts?

ACOTAR meets Bridgerton and The Selection in this standalone fairytale retelling of The Little Mermaid. If you like enemies-to-lovers romance, bridal contests, and snarky fae royals, then you’ll love this swoon-worthy story in the Entangled with Fae series.

*NOTE this book is upper YA/NA featuring mature situations and some adult language. The romance is slow burn but leads to moderate steam.

Kiss of the Selkie is a complete stand-alone novel set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy. Journey back to Faerwyvae or begin your adventure for the first time with this enchanting tale. Each book in the Entangled with Fae series can be read on its own and in any order. Happily ever after guaranteed!

Review:
I absolutely loved this book. In truth, there was a small element taken from The Little Mermaid, but it was a fully story and then some on it’s own. A completely well flushed out and brilliant story about characters we come to care about. Maisie isn’t your typical princess, and it’s interesting to see how her unconventional upbringing has warped her senses of both propriety as well as morality. We already knew there was something unusual about Maisie, but I loved learning more about Podaxis and all of the other multitude of characters within this story. I absolutely love how this other gives such depth and vibrancy to all of her characters and lets you get to know so many while keeping the knowledge organic within the story. Maisie’s connection with the sea witch is absolutely brilliant, and I very much adored the slow burn enemies to lovers heat and passion between Maisie and Dorian. Highly recommend, and cannot wait to start the next in the series!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Mermaid Bride by Lidiya Foxglove

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The Mermaid Bride
Fairy Tale Heat 6
By Lidiya Foxglove

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Number of Pages: 164

Date Started: October 27, 2017
Date Finished: October 29, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
I was never a conventional sort of mermaid. I’ve been a scavenger and a thief. The surface world has always called to me, and now I’m not the thief, but the prize; my memories lost, my tail turned to legs. In this strange new land, my protector is none other than Prince Wrindel of the high elves. They say Wrindel is a playboy, but he feels so familiar to me. He says he is saving me from a witch, but he can’t tell me anything more. Is he my savior…or did he steal me from the sea?

When I am in his arms, I hardly care. Every sensation of my newborn body is like nothing I’ve felt before, and the more he shows me of his world, the more I never want to return to the ocean. I just can’t shake the nagging feeling that I left something—or someone behind. How did I get here? Who is this witch? And if she is my enemy, why did she deliver me into the arms of a handsome prince?

I’m not the first mermaid to live at the Palace of Waterfalls. The pools and fountains of this famous palace of water hold dark secrets, and if I don’t unlock them, we might never find happiness. But unlocking the secrets might also mean giving up my newfound legs, and I will have to choose between losing the man I love or being his willing captive…

The Mermaid Bride is a standalone fairy tale combining elements of The Little Mermaid and the mermaid/selkie bride tales of Ireland, for those who like an unabashedly adorable happily ever after with a side of serious steaminess! 

Review:
Oh my goodness. Ms. Foxglove has hit her mark, and I believe this to be her very best of all that I’ve read from her so far.

The combination of The Little Mermaid and selkies is excellently done, adding an extra element and depth to the mermaid’s story that wasn’t there before. What was even more awesome, was that all of the side characters were well developed and fun too. I enjoyed her sisters, and the sea witch– oh the sea witch. The Sea Witch was phenomenal. Is she good? Is she evil? What is she exactly? Read to find out.

The romance is stunning. While Prince Wrindel may have been a playboy it’s difficult for our heroine to care, given how dedicated and attentive he is. Together, they have quite the mystery to solve, while he teaches her the mysteries of her own body.

This book was short, but it was every bit as long as it needed to be absolutely amazing.  If you like fairy tale retellings and romance, this book will be absolutely perfect for you. It’s my favourite by Foxglove so far.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Lidiya Foxglove likes her fairy tales to be very naughty indeed. She grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, folklore and fantasy and loves the swoon-worthy romance and happily ever afters, but thinks the best fairy tales also have the thrill of forbidden desires. If she’s not writing, she’s probably reading. Come hang out with her on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Lidiya-Foxglove-1702249670069437/
Contact: lidiyafoxglove@lidiyafoxglove.com