Book Type: Adult Romance
Author: Blaire Edens
Pages: 136
Summary(amazon.com):
When a slave uprising threatens the life of Syreena, the daughter of an eighteenth century plantation owner, a servant uses voodoo to transform her into a mermaid. The spell will be only broken when she returns to the beach where it was cast. After three hundred years of swimming, she’s ready to trade fins for legs. The only problem is she can’t find her way home. Dylan, a twenty-first century Coast Guard Officer, has sworn off love for the sea. When a wave throws him overboard, Syreena uses her amulet to ward off the sharks and save his life. With Syreena and Dylan stranded on a remote cay in the Caribbean, Dylan has the know-how to build a raft and navigate but his near-drowning has made him terrified of the water. Syrenna will use every charm she has to convince Dylan to take her home. Even if it means falling in love. . . An Officer and a Mermaid is part of the Falling In Deep Collection. From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the “Falling in Deep Collection” are bringing you mermaid tales like you've never seen before.
My Review: A historical romance with ancient magic elements, this book had the promise of a great love story. However, I was let down by the amount editing errors and stale plot.
The first problem I found with this book is that it's poorly written. There were multiple errors and repeating words within the same sentence. Here are some examples:
They were eating a breakfast of fish eggs and seaweed for breakfast.
Syreena hadn't had many formal occasions, or any other kinds of occasions, in so long that she'd nearly forgotten the excitement that fluttered in her chest when it was time to get ready for an occasion. Dylan certainly was an occasion. The occasion.
Need I say more about the editing? Unfortunately, when so little attention is paid to basic writing, it's hard to take the book seriously or focus on what's happening. I also found a lack in detail about Syreena. Since this book focuses on a mermaid, what color is her tail? Is she a strong swimmer? Does she sleep in the ocean or on the one island Dylan is stranded on? Does she travel to different places or wander around? What does the change feel like? There was little detail about the female protagonist.
Dylan, the male protagonist, accepts his fate too easily. After a terrible storm strands him on an island, I expected him to panic, but when Syreena tells him who she is and her backstory, he doesn't seem shocked. How does he believe a random mermaid lives on the island he's stranded on, and is cursed by voodoo? The plot line was also rushed, along with the erotic tension. Within a few hours of knowing each other, they have sex! It would've been more exciting if their feelings were more developed.
This was a poorly edited mermaid book with tame erotic heat. I give this book (**) 2 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie