Called to the Deep is a mermaid romance. The book starts out with a shipwreck with one survivor. The survivor is Lorelei, who finds out she’s a decedent of mermaids. Not just any mermaids, mermaids that eat people. This was definitely a more unique take on a mermaid story. I felt like the beginning was a bit slow but the further I got the more interesting it was. I really enjoyed the instantaneous attraction that killian had! Overall, I loved the unique horror like themes to the book as well.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students.

I received access to this tale via netgalley, but my opinion is wholly my own. The story seems to dawdle a bit at the beginning, but the second half screams by with various twists and turns ending in a way to make you eager for the sequel. It's definitely a different take than most in this kind of genre, but it's fresh and enjoyable.

This was going to be a 3 but the last 2 chapters take it down just a peg. Felt rushed in a way

Overall the book was interesting but had some pacing issues. It took a long time for anything paranormal to rear its head and the relationship between Killian and Loreli felt rushed and too insta-love/lust for my liking to continue on with the series. The conflicts were resolved far too quickly and easily to create a lot of tension needed. I was tempted to make a drinking game out of every mention of "canned meat" which is obviously just SPAM, but I think I'd kill my liver in the process.

This book goes from nothing happening to everything happening with no transition.
The romance, although very sudden is sweet and hallmark movie worthy.
I realised this was the first book in the series and although I'd love to know how things work out - the pacing of this one puts me off.
There is no doubt that Niccoli is a great writer and I think a few of my friends would love this book. It just wasn't for me.

The characters were not compelling and didn’t draw me in. The plot was boring. I DNF at 20%. This book just wasn’t for me.

This is so tricky to review without spoiling the whole thing but WOW. I am such a sucker for a mermaid story and this one was pretty unique. The love story is slow burn but really well written, you get a good dose of plot while still wanting more of their story. I can’t wait for the sequel! LOVED IT.

If you enjoyed reading about the mermaids Alexandra Christo's 'To Kill a Kingdom' I'm sure you'll love Desirée's Lorelei.

It felt like a slow burn romance for me and I rarely read light romances these days yet surprisingly I enjoyed reading Killian and Lorelei's lovestory.

I always think that the ocean is scarier than our caves and forests and always thought of mermaids as dangerous creatures, that's why I said I enjoyed reading this book, because it wasn't the 'Little mermaid' that I grew up with rather a darker one.

I also liked the incorporation of little science in it, I always enjoy reading books that bring opposite theories and beliefs together, just like this one, it's a fantasy with science in it.

It's a little tricky to write a review of this book without spoiling anything from the plot so I'll leave it up to you guys to satiate your curiosity.

Just know that I can't wait for book 2 already!

It's not too late for another chilling read, might as well pick this up and enjoy reading this by the beach or at night before you sleep.

Before I begin this review, I would like to state that all opinions in this review are my own. This review might contain some spoilers so anyone reading this review please be aware of that.

Killian is the captain of a ship called the Dawn Chaser. He finds Lorelei in the shipwreck of The Osprey (I believe that is the correct spelling of the name) after receiving a distress call. This is the adventure of Lorelei and Killian and the problems they face.

When I saw this was a mermaid/siren novel, I was instantly excited to read it. I don't find/read many books about sea creatures, so I was really intrigued to read this. The cover is absolutely beautiful and was one of the things that drew me in. Overall, I felt this book/novel was really good and a lot of its content was good.

Lorelei finds out she is a people-eating siren one day and also gains her memory back about what happened that night. Along the way Lorelei and Killian reveal their love for each other.

I really felt like we could see the romance blossoming from the first few chapters, and I remember thinking "Killian, just tell her how you feel!" "Lorelei, tell him!" but it was a great moment when they did admit their feelings for one another.

Personally, I felt like the first chapter was a bit too slow for me. In my opinion, the end of the first chapter had something hooking to get someone into the book. The rest of the book until chapter 19 was okay for me too. I did appreciate seeing (as said above) Lorelei and Killian's love growing for one another. I felt like for me I needed some more action.

I also felt like the first maybe 18-19 chapters were setting us up for the story. Chapter 19 was where things really hit off with Lorelei finding out about her siren side (her people eating side) It was interesting to read and I really enjoyed reading about it.

I really liked how the author wrote the feelings and such throughout the story. I could really see how much Killian cares for Lorelei and how much Lorelei struggled when she first found out about her other side.

Aside from what I wrote above, there were some things I felt (they are just small things) that bothered me a little bit while reading which I will mention. There were parts where it was just dialogue without a dialogue tag or actions and I would appreciate some actions or something with those just so we as the reader feel like we are there with the characters, seeing everything and such.

There was the part where the suit for Lorelei came, and we time skipped to her diving in the water. Did she need to practice with the suit? Forgive me if I don't remember some details by the way.

I felt like we skipped time sometimes too fast/abruptly.

With all being said above, I loved the book, and I would rate it 4.5 stars. This was a great book and I'm excited if there is a second book

Called to the Deep
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

My honest review of Called to the Deep by Desiree M Niccoli will be posted to my Instagram @chronicledbycait on 10/24!

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for the eARC of Called to the Deep in exchange for an honest review!

Killian Quinn knew responding to a distress call from a fellow ship was going to be hard. What he didn’t expect was to find the ship in ruins and the crew gone, save for one mildly hypothermic woman.

Lorelei Roth is fascinated with history and has always felt called to the sea. So when the opportunity to sail presents itself she can’t say no. The last thing she expects is to be rescued from the sea by Killian Quinn.

And she definitely didn’t expect to catch feelings for him.

But with nightmares that pull her from her sleep and deep into the ocean, and a hunger for flesh - human flesh - Lorelei is faced with the harsh reality that there might be more to her survival than she realizes.

Grappling with the reality that she’s a mermaid and that mermaids are less like they are portrayed in Disney movies are more focused on eating people, Lorelei struggles to balance her new identify, her feelings for Killian, and her desire to be back in the sea.

I’ll be honest, there was a lot I really liked about this story! I really wanted to give it four stars for that reason.

Killian and Lorelei’s relationship was adorable, but I was very interested in the mermaid aspect and the mystery of why Lorelei survived while the rest of her crew drowned. The pacing was great and it was a quick, intriguing read!

I *did* struggle with the pacing of the romance, however. Killian and Lorelei fell for each other too fast which made me wonder of Siren influence had something to do with it? It felt like there was so much potential but ultimately it just fell a little flat for me.

That being said, it was definitely a good read and I will for sure be reading the next one!

I loved this book! It was everything I was expecting, and a little of what I wasn't! 4.5 stars!

The story is told from a dual-perspective, first from Killian, the captain of a fishing boat in the Haven Cove, Maine area. He and his crew rescue the only survivor of a shipwreck, Lorelei, who now has to wrestle with the guilt and confusion of why she survived, and what to do now that she's landed in an unfamiliar place. The book is the first in a series.

What I liked:
- The imaginative writing and the creative use of ocean-based phrasing that didn't go too far to be annoying
- The descriptions of the ocean were beautiful
- The romance had the perfect amount of spice, and I appreciated the internal conflict the main characters had about the somewhat insta-love they fell into
- I thought the author handled Lorelei working through her trauma and survivor's guilt very well.
- I love a grown-ass adult romance. Killian is in his thirties and Lorelei is in her late twenties. And major bonus points for characters who talk to each other and work through conflict in a healthy way instead of fights being due to immaturity or a lack of communication.

What I didn't like:
- Given that this is a contemporary setting, it seemed a little strange that more people didn't absolutely lose their sh*t when they found out mermaids exist.
- I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I think some of the truth bomb tension (trying to avoid a spoiler!) was a little hand-wavey, but I can see how some it might be resolved in the next book.

And I will definitely be reading the next book!

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

Wow…I really enjoyed this book! the tension, the storyline, the character development…I was hooked (no pun intended!) Little slow start but will worth it. I really loved the main characters and found they were so well done!

Following a massive storm, Captain Killian Quinn responds to an SOS from another ship, only to find a lone survivor. Lorelei doesn’t know how she survived in the freezing water, especially after her rescuers find evidence of some kind of bloody attack on the rest of the passengers. When Lorelei begins to have odd symptoms following her return to land— bizarre cravings, sleep walking, the urge to bite people— Killian and Lorelei begin to realize that the tragedy of the shipwreck might have involved mermaids, and that Lorelei is one of them.

The premise of this book is absolutely phenomenal, but I felt super disappointed by the execution. Even though the premise of the book is fictional, it was hard for me to feel immersed within the world of the story and suspend disbelief— and not because the plot was so out there, but because the way that the characters acted and interacted felt unbelievable.

While I’m not a huge fan of the insta-love trope— characters meeting and being ready to confess their love for each other within the span of a paragraph really just bothers me to no end— almost every single character dynamic in this book just felt really odd to read about. Killian and Lorelei’s relationship never felt like it grew— it just happened— because the highs and lows of it were never truly resolved— they just kind of bounced back to an equilibrium with no cause. Even relationships between Lorelei and secondary characters (don’t even get me started on her job, her career trajectory pissed me off) mirrored this same relationship wherein there was no real effort to build anything, they were just suddenly her found family. Dialog felt stilted, rivalries felt so one dimensional, and every character (with the exception of Lorelei) felt so flat.

As far as setting goes, Called to the Deep reads like a mystery set in a small coastal fishing town in the early 90s (a la Murder She Wrote), but that vibe was thrown off by the almost random and jarring dropping in of it taking place in 2016 and super sporadic mentions of cell phones. Normally that wouldn’t bother me in a book, but here it definitely did because it felt so out of place and was never really incorporated well into the story.

I really wanted to love this book: the way that it considers the worldbuilding and science of mermaids and plays with classic fairytale-esque tropes in Killian and Lorelei’s relationship is absolutely fascinating, but the way that the story that exists between these key plot points really did not hold up well for me.

Lorelei, a lone survivor to a ship wreck. Killian, the captain to his ship. Killian saves her and sparks fly instantly for the two. When Lorelei discovers she is a siren, after having nightmares and sleep walking in the sea. Killian stays by her side and his love for does not waver. A love story between a fisherman and mermaid. There are ups and downs. I love their fiery connection. When Lorelei starts to tell others and their accepting reaction to her was sweet but not everyone will be as accepting. Someone discovers what she is and the ending will leave you wanting more. I can't wait to continue this story and hope for a second book.

Mermaid/Siren Romance

Lorelei is the only survivor of a shipwreck, and is saved by the charming Captain Killian. As the story progresses, Killian and Lorelei quickly develop feelings for one another, all the while, Lorelei is going through big changes herself. She suddenly develops some usual cravings.

This book had a very slow start. I was almost halfway through it before I really found myself getting interested. It wasn't a bad read. The writing was super easy to read. It has lots of potential, it just fell a little flat for me.

Thank you Net Galley for sending me an eARC to review.

I simply couldn’t finish this book. I’m not in the headspace for third person storytelling. I would love to read it at another time though.

This was my first book by this author and I must say I really like how she wrote this. While I do enjoy a good romance I appreciate the fact that this book had a plot and stuck to it. Love the way it ended and leaving us with questions and hinted to what the second book in the series will be about. I enjoyed tale Desirèe spun 😉 (get it?) and all the little mermaid references because they were cute. I do look forward to book 2.

Now this is just pure fun. A very, very enjoyable novel.

Lorelei has secrets of her own, in between a romance with sailor Killian. In Haven Cove, mermaids are real. And they're incredibly dangerous. Man-eating, dangerous creatures that rule the deep, Lorelei is a rare example of one who can live on land and adopts a more human form. The problem is Lorelei struggles to contain her desires to consume humans with occasionally grim and violent consequences.

The novel is all about Lorelei's struggles on land, adapting to her feelings for Killian and her growing life on land, coupled with the broader ramifications for humans and mermaids. This is a romance story and it succeeds. Lorelei and Killian are a great couple. The beginning of the book is a touch slow, but it ramps up well and keeps the reader well involved all through.

It took me too long to get into this book. The beginning was too slow, but I gave up on so many books lately so I decided to push through this one. And I ended up enjoying the story.

The story follows Lorelei, the only survivor from the crew of The Osprey. She is saved by Dawn Chaser's crew, where she feels immediate attraction to the captain Killian, despite the horror she survived.

What I found too tiresome was describing every room in excruciating detail. Setting the scene and everything, that is fine. But it's too much detail for a room that will be mentioned only once in a book. That is one of the things that made me want to give up on the book too much in the beginning. Too much detailing.

And some conversations were in too much detail, while the others were, she explained this, she explained that.

Chapter Nineteen is when it happened. When I stopped skimming through the book and started to enjoy the story. Before that, chapters are filled with fillers and unnecessary details. Getting to the part when she found out she was a mermaid was the moment I was waiting for, and yet, I felt like it was too rushed and anticlimactic, but I didn't care. Something was finally happening in this story.

I liked Lila, and I liked her scientist/friend moral dilemma. Lorelei's acceptance of her heritage wouldn't be so easy without Lila, maybe even not possible.

But there was one point in the book where Lorelei was, let's go to the beach, I want to show you something, and Lila was, all right, let's go. Does she have a job where she can do that? Can she just drop her work and go somewhere, or did I skimm so much in the beginning that I'm not remembering the correct details about her job?
And I hoped she answered Lila's question about what-to-put-where in mermaid sex.

"Was he was supposed..." I like nitpicking grammatical errors. English is not my first language, so I always have watchful eyes for that.

"You're really knowledgeable about first-aid." ... But maybe he didn't know how to respond to a compliment. That was not a compliment. It's stating the fact.
And, as a ship's captain, very necessary.

And this book made me wonder too much about stupid things, Things like, is it possible to lick the blood from your lips underwater? If you were underwater, and then bit someone, wouldn't the blood just float away, instead of staying on your skin?

"Nireed's lower half appeared completely human . . . This is Nireed." Knowing character's name before she was even introduced. I like nitpicking in general.

Maybe I'll read the next book in the series... it all depends when it comes out. If I won't remember much of the story, I'll probably just skip it. Although I enjoyed the story in the end, I'm sure I'm not going to re-read it.

It's nice how everyone is warm and welcoming, and I like the concept of a found family. But I don't think it's possible for almost every character to be so good. Everyone is comprised of good and bad characteristics. And in my recollection, besides Killian ex-girlfriend Carrie, everyone is too gentle and too kind.

And nobody is really a hero nor villain, it only depends on who's telling the story. If we were to get the same story from Carrie, I'm sure Lorelei would be the biggest, the baddest of them all.

The story is good. If anyone is intrigued, I'd tell them not to give up on the story and push through the tedium of the first 40% of the book.

I never knew I needed this in my life and now im hooked. I was gripped all the way through and couldn't put it down. It is spicy and brutal and I need more of this in my life immediately