The Merman's Kiss

This is by far the strangest book I've read to date.
I enjoyed how different is it. It makes a real change reading about mermen!.
The story itself is well written, nicely descriptive and flows pretty well. I love the different take on the merman/mermaid world, the fact that the mermaids are the bad guys and the merman are victims to them was definitely different and interesting. Brianna and Zantu are decent characters with great potential and I definitely enjoyed reading them.

Why only 3 stars? It's not that it's a bad story because it's definitely not and I enjoyed it. It's just for me it was very rushed without enough explanation. I know Brianna's husband was an ass but what happened to him?. The fact that none of that was explained was definitely frustrating. Why are the mermen so weak compared to mermaids?, what is so special about human merman bonds?.. loads of unanswered questions for me that were vital to connecting to the story more. And regardless of unanswered questions it would have been nice to have read about them together settled after that ending I feel like it was left so unfinished and leaving me feel a little disconnected to them.

Like I said it's definitely a good story with a heap of potential. It's very original and I loved the writing style the author has. I love the world she created and I enjoyed the story itself. Just for me I didn't connect to it as much a I'd hoped however I do hope there is more to this as a series?!. There's so much potential to love this as it's so different for me.

I kindly received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I primarily asked to read this because of curiousity. I'd read mermaid stories in the past, but not merman and I wondered how Ley would handle it. Ley created a very interesting world for the Mermen and a very intriguing mythology. My only complaint was that it was short, so the world building and characters were rather stunted. I really would like to know about this underwater world and hope Ley revisits it with more depth.

Mermaids are my favorite mythical creature so I was really excited to dive (no pun intended) into this novella. I wasn't quite sure what to expect because I haven't read a mer-romance before but I was pleasantly surprised. I was hooked from the first chapter and the story moved at a very steady pace from there. What I enjoyed the most was the role reversal of male and females in the merworld. It was an interesting concept but also heartbreaking, especially how mermaids are so uncaring for their young. The chemistry between Zantu and Brianna was instantaneous but the constant sex was excessive and repetitive. That's really my only complaint with this novella. The story was original and engaging and it has a happy ending. Definitely give this novella a shot!

While this book was enjoyable, it was far too short and I wanted more story. I know, I know, "who reads this kind of book for the story?" Well, I did. I loved the premise, getting to see why the Mermen would be secretive - spoiler, the females are just as bad as the stories say.
I greatly enjoyed this, and recommend it for those who are interested in this type of book, however it was just far too short for me. At about 80 pages, I started it and finished it within an hour. It feels like there is a sequel coming, but there were no hints to that affect.

Um, this story was maybe a little on the macabre side. In the length of a novella, we deal with two dead babies, a suicide attempt, a gang rape attempt and child abandonment. Yes, it's freely decorated with gratuitous sex scenes (of which I'm always a fan and appreciate) but its length didn't give the reader any time to see silver linings to any of those scenarios. There was closure of a sort, but it was rushed and didn't shine over the bleakness of the plot. It felt like a Tarantino version of Finding Nemo. Not entirely in a good way.

This book is very different from those I have read before and that alone gives it four stars. We have read about mermaids before but this time we get the merman's side. Seriously there are some spots in here that will honestly make you scratch your head and go huh? but other than that it was different. It was good, and I really enjoyed it.

This book was a little silly. Like a short story you would submit for English class. Not much depth to it, so if you're looking for a short, easy read, then go for it.

This book was okay nothing spectacular about it. It was a short book too. Brianna has a tragedy in her life and finds herself in the ocean where she ends up meeting a Merman. She it taken to his world and lives for a short time. I will say that you did feel like you were underwater most of the time. If you are looking for a quick love story I would say read this book.

Interesting! I am not usually a Mermaid ( or Merman in this case ) fan but I enjoyed this book once I got past the sadness at the beginning!

I found this book on netgalley while poking around and looking for something new. The cover caught my eye – hello there handsome…fish? So, I read the blurb and thought, well, to put it mildly, that looks new and different! I haven’t read anything by Tamsin Ley before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

And, I gotta say, I really enjoyed this story. First off, it is a fabulous piece of world building. You get a little taste of Mer people society, as well as how they typically interact with humans. The concept of Mermen being like male seahorses in that they take care of the young was very appealing to me. I also enjoyed how Zantu and Brianna adjusted to their fated mate status – not the *ahem* romantic aspects *cough* so much as the mental and emotional shifting that took place. They both had to move beyond rocky past relationships and some major trust hurdles. Though *cough* the romantic stuff was pretty interesting too. While it could have ventured towards tentacle porn, it stayed fairly traditional in its tone and execution.

I have two big drawbacks for this story. First is that it is only a novella. Given the newness of the world and the differences between the character’s cultures and experiences, I would have loved this to have been expanded to a full-length novel. There were a lot of questions unanswered – How did they speak the same language? What did Eric do while she was with Zantu? Did she die or not? How does he adjust to his newly mated life? What happened to his family once he was with Brianna? Etc. All of this factors into the second big drawback – it required a massive amount of suspension of disbelief. How did the food stay (for the most part) in the bowl? Wasn’t she freezing? Why wasn’t her hair constantly in her face? What was the light source for his garden plants? And about 500 other questions that kept buzzing around in my head while I was reading the story.

But, that being said, it really was a fabulous bit of world building and a fun way to dip my toe into a new to me area of paranormal romance. If you’re looking for something different, go ahead and give this a try!

This was a very sexy and fun read, especially since I love everything mermaids (and mermen!). Zantu, the male lead, is a very attractive alpha-type male, fighting his instincts to mate since females in the merworld are promiscuous and unfaithful, while the males only bond with one female and are left to raise the children. Brianna is a human who's in a loveless marriage and still emotionally recovering from losing a baby to stillborn birth. When she thinks that drowning herself is the perfect escape, she instead finds herself in the arms of sexy Zantu. It's a hot and spicy thrilling romance from there. I felt the action or controversy in the plot wasn't enough to carry the plot along, but I was perfectly entertained with Zantu, so it was fine with me. If you want a quick mythical romance, Zantu is the one to provide it.

Leaving reviews on Goodreads, and Amazon.

This is a quick, surprisingly easy read in which a merman has lots of sex with a human. It also had a potentially interesting take on promiscuous mermaids and their devoted, loyal mermen. Plus lots of sex.

The thing is, despite the rather emotional beginning – the lingering effects of a still birth, a soulless marriage and a suicide attempt – and the threads of broken hearted mermen and maternal abandonment running through it, I found this quite a light read. It moves too fast to leave much of an emotional imprint. The characters aren’t very well developed and the sex was rather lacking in passion, but I still found it enjoyable. Mostly because I loved the underwater world and the merman culture. It’s beautifully done and absolutely the best thing about this book.

However, there are a few things that I want to take issue with. Firstly, Brianna is in the process of drowning when along comes Zantu and kisses her to save her. Suddenly, lust! It happens so swiftly and ridiculously that I couldn’t take it the least bit seriously. Especially as the mating drive is on Zantu’s side. Brianna’s instant switch from dying to sex didn’t even have a magical compulsion to sort of save it. Guess drowning made her horny?

Then there are the mermaids. As fun as the idea of gender-flipping the traditional merpeople roles was – though sadly not going the full seahorse – it was unfortunately predictable that promiscuous mermaids = evil hags, out to seduce and destroy. While mermen were reduced to heartbroken shells forever pining after their heartless mates. A little more nuance to the issue might have been nice.

The ending. Not only was it rushed, I was kind of sad at how it ended. And if it had to go that way, a little look at how they managed everything in the future might have been nice. Plus, just how did that work anyway?

So overall it’s okay. More character development would have been great, along with a more complicated set up regarding the mermaids and a little more passion in the sex, but the underwater world was beautiful and left me curious to see what this author can come up with next. (Mostly because it involves a centaur. A centaur! I mean… how? I may regret trying to find out…)

Fun,quick easy read i really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more.If your looking for paranormal inta love then this is for you its just a bit of fun

Overall the story was written rather well. I enjoyed the story and I liked it.

This is an interesting fantasy book that is very creative. It is a love story between a merman and human female.

Mermen, once the bond to their mate, never break that bond. They are nurturing to their offspring and nest builders. The conundrum is how to help a human female survive under water. A merman's touch can instill the ability to breathe underwater, but there are many other perils underwater than the ability to breathe.

I found this story very attractive and would recommend it to other readers of this genre. I have voluntarily reviewed this story..

This book was really good it just took me awhile to read because I work a lot but you won't regret reading it 😁

I was pre-approved by the publisher for this book and kind of just took it without reading the description. It is not the type of book that I normally would choose to read but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I was interested from the first page and kind of got a little shock once I discovered that it was high in sexual content, but there is nothing wrong with that, I just wasn't expecting it. As I started reading, I quickly felt wrapped up in the the thoughts and feeling the characters were having and there really is an interesting story in the book. The characters as well as the scenery are well described. The story is unique and creative but don't expect to find a sweet story like Disney or Andersen's the Little Mermaid, it is anything but. It is a quick read and interestingly enough, I found that I would love to read more of this story. Overall, I really liked this book.

After the death of her child, Brianna seeks to end her life within the ocean’s final embrace. Instead, she falls into the arms of a sexy, sleek-tailed monster. He’s wild, seductive, and sets her blood on fire every time he touches her, and soon she begins to need him for more than his magic to breathe underwater. He might just give her a new reason to live.

Zantu has evaded the mate-bond for thirty-five years, dodging promiscuous mermaids with vile intents. Unlike mermaids, mermen bond for life, and Zantu refuses to accept the heartbreak most mermen die of. That is, until the glint of gold catches his eye, and a simple salvage mission turns to passion. Now he’s bonded to a human, and begins to wonder if bonding to the right mate might not be so bad. The problem? A finless female won’t live long among the dangers of the sea.

Now Zantu must choose between keeping her at his side, and keeping her safe. Either way, he’s sure he’ll end up with a broken heart.

This is definitely an 'X' rated book meant for adults. Apart from the sex, there isn't very much to this book. I'm afraid I didn't enjoy it very much 2.5*

It was good. I've never read anything by this author so I didn't really have any expectations but I found I liked it.

- - Gifted copy through NetGalley - -
L

**My thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I wasn't quite sure about this one at the beginning, as things between Brianna and Zantu move lightning fast to the point it feels like i rolled ever sentence.

I did like the fact that the mermaids were the baddies, yet the mermen were the ones that tended the babes and were the more emotional ones for a change.

The book is edited well and the story well written, there are just bits that seem a little daft or too fast, but otherwise this was an ok book.

A melancholy start blends into a beautiful love story with sad undertones. New to me author, Ms. Ley entices me into her world of merman and mermaids. In this world, mermaids are evil cold hearted seductresses. They are more like the sirens who sing a male to their death. These females are hateful vile creatures that should be spear hunted and slain. Well, that's my opinion after reading what happens to Zantu and his brothers.

Zantu is a merman who tries to protect his sanity and virtue from the fickle mermaids. Still, he is a hopeless romantic and wants to have a female who will love him as much as he wants to devote himself to her. This is an interesting flip of the usual female who is lovelorn and tossed aside by cads. Zantu finds a human female, Brianna drowning and cannot help but save her. He does have a soft heart as he tries to save his nephew, brother and pretty much any underdog who needs saving. Zantu is a white knight fight a losing battle. Fortunately for him, saving Brianna gives him another option.

This story is lovely because it is heartbreaking. I loved the depressing world that beats on Zantu and all the merman. To take this bleak world and give just a bit of hope, in the shape of Brianna makes a nice emotional impact. These bittersweet stories where good and evil are clear as black and white may be simplistic but they are fun to read. Ms. Ley does a lovely job with her character creation. Her world building is a fresh look at merfolks. The conflicts in this story do tug at the reader's heart strings. Just as Zantu's little nephew is too adorable. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who are hopeless romantics and want their happily ever afters.

A delightful read! What are you waiting for? Go purchase a copy!