ARC Review: Siren's Call - Devyn Quinn

Between desire and love there are some things that can’t stay buried, even in the deep of the ocean.

As a woman with a secret, lighthouse keeper Tessa Lonike savors her solitude on the island of Little Mer, off the coast of Maine. During a violent storm, Tessa spots a man thrashing in the ice cold waters and dives in to save him, using her ability as a mermaid to easily pull him to shore.

When Kenneth Randall awakens on the beach he is alone, left with the haunting memory of his beautiful, flame-haired savior. But a year later, when Kenneth meets her again, he’s determined not to let Tessa slip away. Just as the desire between them begins to burn, Tessa’s archaeologist ex-lover comes back to town with a tantalizing clue to her murky heritage.

The trio travel to the Mediterranean in search of answers, and when Tessa inadvertently opens an underwater portal they find a lost mermaid city. But in the deep, not everything is as it seems, and Tessa must decide if she wants to take her place as the royal heir, or follow the call of her heart…


Dark Tides Trilogy:
Siren's Call (Published in the US on 3rd August 2010 & in the UK on 28th October 2010)
Siren's Surrender (release date TBC)
Book 3 title & release dates to be confirmed
 
Visit Devyn Quinn's website for more information

Review:
When Tessa sees a man close to drowning in the sea near the isolated island she lives on she uses her mermaid abilities to save his life.  Kenneth should have been left with no memory of her but a year later he is still haunted by her face and decides to search her out to thank her.  Tessa isn't keen on having someone invade her island but she is in desperate need of help to fix up her house and the lighthouse that she has been looking after alone since her sisters moved to the mainland.  The attraction between them flairs but Tessa has been burned before and isn't looking for a relationship.  Kenneth has his own reasons to be wary but he finds Tessa impossible to resist.

Tessa and her sisters know very little of their mermaid heritage so when Tessa's ex Jake arrives claiming to have evidence proving the location the lost mermaid city they are keen to find out more.  Tessa and Kenneth soon find themselves in the middle of the Mediterranean sea with Jake looking for traces of the mermaid city.  When they do find the city it isn't at all what they expected and Tessa is going to find herself with some difficult decisions to make.

Siren's Call is the first book I've read by Devyn Quinn and also the first book I've read about mermaids but it won't be the last in either category. Devyn has created a fascinating world full of mermaid mythology that I really enjoyed visiting and I'm already looking forward to reading future books in the series.  The romance between Tessa and Kenneth is sweet and passionate and I loved the action and adventure when they discovered the mermaid city. 

If I had one very minor niggle it would be that I really don't like the hero Kenneth's name but like I say that was a minor thing & I found his character irresistible.  Tessa is bad tempered and snarky but as you get to know her better you discover that her attitude is a front to hide her loneliness and to stop herself from being hurt again.  The relationship between her and Kenneth develops quite quickly but I didn't find that unbelievable in the circumstances.  Although I have to confess I did feel for Kenneth after the way Tessa treated him sometimes but she had redeemed herself by the end.  I liked both of Tessa's sisters (Gwen and Addison) and I'm hoping we'll get to see more of them in future books in the series.  Jake (Tessa's ex) was someone I absolutely hated from the very first time we got to meet him - I'm not sure I found a single redeeming quality that made me understand what Tessa ever saw in him!

Siren's Call was a great start to a new series and although I liked the ending I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen next.  I really liked Devyn Quinn's writing style so will definitely be checking out some of her other books too.  If you like your romance with plenty of action or are curious to find out more about mermaids then I'm sure you'll enjoy this book.

Source: Thanks to Devyn for sending me this eBook ARC for review

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