Captain James Erickson was once a prince but is now cursed and bound to the sea. With a reputation for being fearsome and ruthless, he has weathered many storms. But nothing could have prepared him for the storm that took his entire crew—a storm conjured by a siren, a creature believed to be extinct. Consumed by revenge, Captain Erickson is determined to find the siren who destroyed his crew. But when he captures her, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. As they journey together across the treacherous ocean facing countless dangers, their forbidden love may be the greatest danger of all. Will Captain Erickson let go of his desire for revenge and give into his connection with his sworn enemy? Or will the curse live on?
New York Times and USA Today bestseller, R.J. Lewis, is the number one bestselling author of the Ignite series, the Loving Lawson series, the Borden series, and numerous other titles. She has been writing all her life and looks forward to sharing her stories with readers who are interested in character growth and romance of the unconventional kind.
MAY 18 RELEASE! Cannot wait for you to meet the Captain <3
Excerpt: "I answered your question,” I state, my eyes narrowing with irritation.
“No, you—”
“Yes, I did. Dead is dead.” I’d cross my arms over my chest if I could to drive my attitude home, but I’m still shackled, and my arms are growing more numb as time passes.
He surprises me by remaining silent. Coming to a stand, he strolls the room with languid steps, back and forth, before settling on the wall opposite of me. He presses his back against it, then crosses his arms and watches me. The attention is a little disconcerting because he isn’t speaking.
Deciding to seize the moment, and desperate to ease the desert dryness inside my mouth, I break the silence. “I’m dehydrated. If you’re going to hold me as your prisoner, could you at least give me the basic necessities and get me some water?”
“You’re dehydrated,” he repeats, vacantly.
Something about his tone unnerves me, but I steady my voice. “I am.”
In a blink, he’s on me, his hand gripping my cheeks and jaw and squeezing tight. His fingers dig into my skin, forcing my cheeks to hollow. His movements are so sudden, his eyes blazing, looking like a complete barbarian. The strength of his hold pries my mouth open. My eyes flare wide as he leans over and spits in it.
“Drink up, Little Mermaid. This is all the generosity you’ll get from me.” He releases my face, pushing it backward as he does.
Without missing a beat, I close my mouth and swallow, raising my chin to him. His Adam’s apple bobs down his throat and satisfaction permeates through me, appreciating the shocked reaction he wasn’t fast enough at hiding. And frankly, I’m impressed with my response despite my heart battering inside my chest, fearful of that crazed look in him.
There’s also another reaction he isn’t able to hide, and as my eyes drift lower, I take note of the swell of his cock that threatens to burst out from the fabric of his pants.
The bastard liked that.
Excerpt 2:
“It’ll take ten lifetimes to pay off what you destroyed.”
“I can’t give you ten lifetimes, Captain. I live and die like everyone else.”
The silence that returns feels loud somehow.
As if ruffled, he lets out this deep grunt. Suddenly, he comes to a stand and throws his clothes off, one layer at a time. I know this because I’m peeking shamelessly over my shoulder, unable to look away from those muscled legs and tatted torso.
Captain James Erickson is the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen, and I’m in serious trouble.
R.J. Lewis is an author who I have loved (Sex, Lies & Nikolai), felt deeply ambivalent about (Captive), and despised (it's this one).
Siren makes me so mad because the character assassination for Aria and James is A COMPLETE 180 when the first 30% is atmospheric, eerie, humourous at the right times, sexy as hell, and dark. It gives characters autonomy to be powerful and does not condescend the reader.
I truly respect every romance reader has different tastes and preferences, but the one thing I hate is when safe and lighthearted is interpreted to do not trust the reader's intelligence to parse out meaning and subtext.
I was so excited for the set-up but after Aria shifts, it became a stunningly predictable read. My jaw dropped at how by the numbers it became with its bland attempts at humour, relatable heroine who is a doormat/no will to live beyond hero/dumb as shit even though we are told she taught herself to fight (AND SHE IS A SIREN WITH POWERS TO CONTROL THE SEA AND MINDF**K MEN'S MINDS) and a hot, sardonic hero who knows how to banter turn into the most boring ass brooding neanderthal who always tells the heroine how to act in situations that require subtlety/save the heroine (snore).
sorry for the shouting :')
The way Aria turns into a doormat heroine who gets herself into situations where she looks a fool and also constantly berates herself IS NOT THE ARIA WE ARE INTRODUCED TO and the way James becomes the most annoying, unattractive alpha male in the male gaze—not the female gaze sense— is infuriating.
Aria, bad ass who is enjoying her life even when she is held prisoner and James hot, bad but on equal footing:
He studies me, his head tilting as he assesses me silently. "I'm going to take the rope out of your mouth so you can answer my questions, but make no mistake, if I even get a slight intuition that you're about to use your song, I'll slit your throat and rip your vocal chords with my bare hands." I swallow a combination of a laugh and a grunt, my natural born snark wanting to come out to play. Don't threaten me with a good time, buddy.
The spit scene. I don't want to share the passage because it's hot. But basically he spits into her mouth as a way to be like, oh you want water, you fish? Well there you go. and she immediately swallows it like thanks with maddening confidence.
And after the story becomes predictable?
This is supposedly the same woman:
I'm still on the deck, pretending to be a try-hard.
She was literally controlling men with her voice and now is doing bitch-work happily. ✋🏽😭
She cries after she runs away from James in a pub where she sees depictions of siren taxidermy souvenirs. Into the jungle where she immediately feels lost and overwhelmed, blaming herself (?!) This is your fault, Aria. Not even the curse is responsible for this—you are. And not only that... gets herself caught in a goddamn fishnet trap by bad men. Like c'mon. 🔪🔪🔪
James, pedantic patriarch who is always smarter than the heroine (ugh):
"Quit stalling," I icily say now. "Tired of your shit, woman. If you're not dressed in five minutes, you're going as you are."
💀💀💀 First off, the dialogue becomes so contemporary all the time it is distracting and second of all, this is not how you write rude heroes! This is so garden-variety. Is this supposed to make me think he is a "bad boy"? Because it's not making him a complicated character by speaking like a bro.
If she doesn't loosen up, she's going to attract attention. My tether calls to her, forcing her to look up briefly at me. I give her a hard look, one that says, do a better fucking job. Her body loosens and she stiffens a nod.
I tell Aria to make herself scarce, and she doesn't question me.
What happened. This book is written by two authors. I don't know whose decision it was to go the light route but this was shaking up to be an amazing Little Mermaid retelling that reminded me of the excellent work, The Hunted. It is complete novel with HEA for the main couple but clear the author was teasing out a series that she never completed.
I know I am precious about this but I honestly felt like the wool was being pulled over my eyes. What I saw was definitely not what I got, and it feels like a betrayal because the beginning was so goddamn promising for an original dark romance favourite.
If you want to know what my biggest pet peeve is in reading a romance novel? It is seeing an author's internal misogyny come out by how she humiliates the heroine. I honestly find the way Aria is depicted much more degrading than actual smut stories where the plot is literally about a woman learning to objectify herself into a pet/brood mare/slave. At least these plots are honest about the kink where I find these moments of internalized sexism just reveal the author's hatred of women, especially when the men turn out to always be on top, all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful.
That's a no for me 💩💩💩
But from the time Aria shifts, it becomes a pretty reductive read that feels more sexist than usual at the predictable antics of a heroine who has no self-determination and a hero who gets to have all the power.
Just know that any interesting shelves I've tagged this under refers only to the spectacular beginning, but is quite downhill from after Aria's shift.
The way this story chokeholded me from out of the gate, I even messaged AR and said so 😂
This thrilling new read takes a twist on the little mermaid in a very interesting way. Just remember retellings are made for 18+ readers, and check for TW’s.
James is the captain of the trident, a ship left from his past royal days. Aria, is a siren (only three days a year) having been bewitched long ago to hide amongst the humans, yearning for the sea year round.
When James captures the siren whom wrecks his ship and crew, he’s set for revenge willing to kill the creature luring his men to their death but yet he cannot, and for some reason, he can feel a strange sensation in his chest- connecting them together.
I look forward to the next book in the series, thanks for the arc 💙
I absolutely LOVED this book. Captain James Erikson is my new book boyfriend. He’s dark, dreamy, dangerous and oh so delicious!
I don’t want to give away too many spoilers but I have to say this story was absolutely amazing- from page one to the very end I didn’t want to put it down.
Aria is a Siren and wreaks havoc on the Captains ship. She becomes his hostage and so much more. I love the tether aspect and that they can feel each other’s presence and feelings. I love the side characters- Luca and Grimy were great and Briggs with his hair… I loved their banter.
I love RJ Lewis’s writing style. She has such a way with words that you can see it in your head. The attention to detail is really on point. This is my first AR Rose book, I have to say I’m a big fan- I’ll be checking out more of her books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
the hero did too much pushing away, but i enjoyed the journey. the steamy scenes were almost poetic, they were so gorgeously written. a very good mermaid/siren story. probably won't reread it though, since it really did bother me how cold the H was towards the heroine for so long. and the heroine wanted him anyway, which was a bit fucked. i would've loved it if the H had to prove himself more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
🩶Fairytale Inspired-Little Mermaid 💜Enemies to Lovers 🩶Forbidden 💜Age Gap 🩶One Bed 💜Captive
The Sirens are nearly gone, so the ones left have taken to blending into the current world. But they get 3 days a yr to be themselves, and Aria decides to destroy James ship and most of his crew on day one. Giving James every right to take Aria prisoner.
But little did he know he would be tethered to her.... and that tether is so hot!!!
This was an amazing read. And even with it being dark it had some cute humor and bantering that was 🤌!
This was such an amazing reimagined story of The Little Mermaid. It is perfect for those who loved the fairy tale but wanted an adult version. It was the perfect mix between enemies-to-lovers, action, suspense, and sizzling as hell scenes!
I absolutely love this novel!!! I love retellings no matter how twisted or different the story unfolds. This one is the little mermaid in so many ways. 🧜🏻♀️
The Main MC is Captain oh Captain Prince James Erickson. 🏴☠️ Determined to conquer the high seas, capturing her was not quite planned. Now she has captured his heart ❤️
“My heart and soul belong to you forever now, Little Mermaid.” - James
Siren, Little Fish, Little Mermaid, Aria is many names to him. 🧜🏻♀️ 3 days a year she is powerful and a danger to all around. The remainder nothing more than a beautiful human.
“We’re too alike. We’re two burning fires, and we’ll consume each other.”
Check out this amazing novel with many twists and turns!
⚓️ Enemies to Lovers ⚓️ Forbidden Love ⚓️ One Bed ⚓️ Age Gap ⚓️ Fairytale Reimagined 🧜🏻♀️
The first thing you should know about me is that The Little Mermaid is my favourite EVER Disney movie. Ever. So a dark reimagining of this story, co-written by one of my one-click authors? I couldn’t be more in if I tried!
And they didn’t disappoint.
Aria is one of the last few Sirens in the world. Over the years, they’ve had to take refuge and hide amongst humans, only to shift for three days a year. But of course, this particular year she manages to be caught by James on the first day of her shift.
In his defence, she did just basically destroy his ship and maim almost his entire crew, so you can understand his hatred of her.
Oh, and did I mention that James is cursed much like Davy Jones and his crew in Pirates Of The Caribbean?
Their tether though. Why was that so hot? The fact they could sense each other’s emotions, and later in the book basically send mating calls down the line too. Yeah, they fucked a lot. Like I said, it was hot.
Of course there were some frustrating moments because drama and moving the plot forward…and most of these moments were impulsive decisions made by Aria. But after my initial annoyance I find I’m ok with it, when usually I dwell in irritation.
The rest of the - minimal - crew provided some comic relief, and I love their dynamic as a whole.
A fun read, as darker books go, with plenty of action, sexual tension (and relief), banter, and intense, alpha male brooding.
And I 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 all the Easter eggs tying it into the original story. But like the lighthearted Disney one and not the brutal Hans Christian Andersen nightmare.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first fantasy book and I loved it so much!!! James and Aria have such a great enemies to lovers story. This is also a Little Mermaid retelling. I loved every moment of this book. The love story and the spice was so freaking good.
Tropes: - age gap - Little Mermaid retelling - enemies to lovers - forbidden - one bed
(Check TW- dark themes)
This is one of the best fairytale retellings I have read. It stays close to the original where you can easily point out the references without following it exactly. Sirens are mortals that shift every year for 3 days. Durning that time, they lure ships and the people on the ships to their doom. Until Captain Erickson's ship, Trident, finds a way to evade the lures of the siren's song.
Siren has the suspense, the angst, the struggle between the characters who come from different backgrounds. Add in a sheltered Siren, a cursed captain bound to the sea, and a forbidden love neither one of them could have predicted, you'll get a retelling that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire book.
This is my first little mermaid retelling and she did not disappoint! Not only was it a hot erotic read but damn she made aria sound hot ASF! This is definitely not for the weak ones there is a lot of dark, dirty talking and kink play in this read but I myself loved every minute of it!
Siren is a dark and thrilling new twist on the Little Mermaid. However, this is not the Disney fairytale you remember...It is much, much more dark and steamy! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it absolutely DID NOT disappoint!!!
Captain James Erickson was once a prince but after being cursed by a witch, he became an immortal man, destined to sail the seas. Consumed by revenge, he searches for Sirens who took the lives of his.
Sirens haven't been seen in decades. Those that have been found were captured and slaughtered, their tales fetching a hefty price on the Black Market. The Sirens that do remain have adapted to living a double life, walking among humans but for three days a year, they take on their true form and wreak havoc upon the men who dare sail the sea. A Sirens song can lure a man to them, only to have their hearts ripped from their chest
Aria is a Siren who lives a double life. Unlike the other Sirens who continue to live a villainous life even in their human form, Aria forces herself to let the beast within her terrorize the sea but feels empathy for the destruction she causes in her Siren form. When she attacks Captain Erickson's ship, nearly killing his entire crew and wrecking his ship, she is captured and taken prisoner by the Captain himself. What neither of them are prepared for is the connection they have. Destiny has created a tether between them that allows each of them to feel whatever emotion they're feeling. However forbidden their feelings for eachother may be, they cannot deny that they're destined to be together.
This book was amazing. The world and character building was phenomenal and the storyline kept me turning page after page. The enemies to lovers aspect of this book was heavy. We have two people who share total hate for eachother and no matter how much they fought their connection, they inevitably were meant to find one another. If you're a fan of fairytale retellings and fantasy romance, this book is 100% for you. Not only was the book itself absolutely phenomenal but the cover of the book is freaking gorgeous. This was the easiest book I've ever given 5 stars to. It's also a book that I know I'll reread more than a few times.
🧜♀️Little Mermaid reimagined 🧜♀️Enemies to lovers 🧜♀️Forbidden love 🧜♀️Age gap romance 🧜♀️Captive romance 🧜♀️Fairytale reimagined
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wow. What a ride. Siren is a true enemies to lovers spicy Romantasy. We get to follow a Cursed captain and a feisty siren, with a new darker and more spicy spin to The Little Mermaid. The authors did a great job luring me in and getting me excited to read this, so when I got an arc I was ready to set sail.. I was quite literally hooked.. from beginning to end. See what I did there? 🤭 I loved the writing. The story was smooth sailing throughout the book. I did get a little sea sick from the dialogue though. It seemed to be a fantasy setting, but with contemporary dialogue. Like the characters are from where we are.. which was a little jarring at times. You’ll see phrases like: f*ckboy, Sunday best, bros before hos, man child, and “blank” is the shit. I’m not sure if die hard fantasy lovers will vibe with the dialogue. But I got used to it. The world building was a little vague and confusing. And my last irk was I wanted more siren. Otherwise I had so much fun with this read. I absolutely LOVED Captain James Erickson. I loved everything about him. 🥵 The side characters were a riot. Would I recommend this?? Aye. 😏
THIS WAS SO FUCKING GOOD! Once in a blue moon there comes a story like this that just sweeps you off your feet. It's a keeper. I couldn't ever pass up a good mermaid romance, and the SEXUAL TENSION, CHEMISTRY AND HATE TO LOVE YOU FEELINGS WERE ON POINT, I WAS ENTRANCED!! IT WAS RAW, ANIMALISTIC AND THE MMC WAS SO POSSESSIVE-OBSESSIVE!
The cherry on top? This wasn't contemporary, but set in a fictional world close to the historical era.
ARIA our dear, deadly siren was gorgeous, headstrong yet meek at the same time. A lethal combination as she is beautiful.
Every year for 3 days, she'll get to wreck havoc in the form of a siren, only to live out the remaining 362 as a human. Frankly, till the end there wasn't much explained about the animosity between human and sirens, but I'm guessing they're natural enemies due to being hunted fervently by humans. To save their species, sirens made a pact with witches to enchant them, so they can live amongst humans. That's how the story goes. SIREN itself begins with Aria orchestrating a massacre of JAMES's crew. She ends up being captured and imprisoned by our male lead, and thus begins their enemies to lovers tale. IT WAS REALLY GOOD - from their animalistic attraction which they fought to their burning hatred and disgust for each other.
Their romance was the manifestation of 'there's a fine line between love and hate'. My favourite moments apart from their initial spicy-gory meeting, was when Aria returned to being human and living amongst what's left of the crew.
I won't go into too much details because NO SPOILERS, right? Just know that Aria may be cruel in her siren form, but as a human, she has a heart and compassionate nature. And no, she doesn't eat humans if you're wondering.
JAMES was a complex character. Sadly, I wish the author had expounded upon his background and also his ancestors'. It was a treasure trove of unspoken stories, which left room for questions about how the human-siren feud began, why it happened and especially the history in between. All I know is that James's father was an evil, whoring bastard who hunted sirens and somehow James himself became cursed - forever immortal, never to die. Imagine those characters from Pirates of the Caribbean 2 : Dead Man's Chest.
He wears an enchanted bracelet that's supposed to protect him from sirens, however, it fails where Aria is concerned. You can imagine his surprise! James was a delight to read - a veritable, orgasmic book boyfriend to swoon for - if you like those hot, possessive and borderline obsessive male leads who would KILL ANYONE WHO WOULD TRY TO TAKE HIS LOVER AWAY FROM HIM. The best part? He hated himself for even being attracted to Aria. There's nothing more delicious than the self-hatred of lust. Call him crazy, a murderer or sociopath...who cares?! I loved watching him struggle to accept his attraction and eventually love for his beautiful siren.
OVERALL if you picked this up, be warned - YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!! The pages were all turbulent emotions - passion, rage and obsession. Trigger warnings : Rape, Killing and Brutal Gore. It wasn't intensely disturbing, but you know your limits best. This wasn't a hearts and roses story. It was mostly aggressively brutal, unhealthy and delusional. BUT I LOVED IT!!
First, I gotta say I love retellings. I've read a bunch varying different spice levels and darkness. But R.J. Lewis and A.R. Rose did a tremendous job at this Little Mermaid reimagined. What's better than a sexy siren and a tormented pirate? Nothing, but both of them together...Holy Hotness!!
Aria is Siren that can only shift for a few days a year. Because of humans hunting her kind down, her and her family are forced to hide in the human world with the help of a witch. But of course, when she can shift into a siren and spots a ship in the ocean, she lets all hell break loose. They destroyed her people so why not destroy theirs.
Captain James Erickson has always hated sirens. When he was younger, a siren killed not only his father's crew but his father as well. All he has left of this past life is he dog Rex, his father's crewmate who was more like a father to him, Grimey and his ship, The Trident. Things were going okay, not great but okay. Until one night when a siren attacked his ship and crew and tried to take everything from him. Of course, he fought back and captured her. Little did he know she was going to be his undoing. James may have been able to fool himself for so long but as soon as Aria became one of his crewmates, he lost all control.
Their love hate relationship was on fire. I loved how they both kept trying to deny the bond as best they could but slowly started to come together in the end. Their angstyness was something you definitely couldn't ignore. They had it bad for one another. But can you really love and trust your enemy? The tether they had to one another was pretty incredible. They could feel what each other was feeling and they sent waves of love and lust constantly down the tether to either tease each other or sooth their partner. But why is a tether bond so HOT! Like whenever they used to find one another or to torture the other it was hot to me. The protectiveness that came from James was magnificent, it made him that must hotter. The story may seem slow at first but please push through. It gets so much better and then you won't want to put it down.
Thank you R.J. Lewis and A. R. Rose for an ARC copy of Siren. This book took me on a wild adventure just like James and his crew on the Trident. I can't wait to see what else you have next!!
Y'all are not ready for Captain James!!!! Let me just tell you that ANY book that has Little Mermaid vibes mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean are literally going to be my favorites!!! Both of these movies hold a serious place in my heart and LITERALLY anything A.R. Rose puts into this world is pure gold. This book's dedication literally starts us off with with a bang and seriously sets the tone for the entire reading. "To all the girls who loved playing mermaids as a child, who now wouldn't mind being on theirs knees for a pirate." This book is for you.
If Captain James were a real person, I'd sell everything I own to get a spot as a crew member on his ship. He is literally one of my top 5 book boyfriends and I don't think he'll ever get knocked out of his spot. He's dark, dangerous, and delicious!
Aria is one of the last known Sirens in the world. As the years have passed, they've hidden among the people who before hunted and destroyed their kind, except during the 3 days a year in which they shift to their Siren forms and remain in the ocean. However, Aria gets captured by James on the first day of her shift. Captain James, along with his dog and first mate, are pretty much cursed like Captain Barbosa in Pirates of the Caribbean. When James captures Aria, he is however, not aware of the shift that takes place during these 3 days. Like hello! Big shock there when he realizes she and the other Sirens have been hidden in plain sight this entire time!
We learn is that James and Aria are connected to each other by a tether. This tether pretty much lets them feel each other's emotions and sometimes even acts as a general lifeline to help the other know if there is major distress. This tether aspect is sooooooo hot!!! Like being able to feel that you're connected is feeling angry, sad, and even hot for you? That would be literally the greatest superpower ever granted!
The tension between James and Aria is literally off the charts! They're supposed to hate each other, and boy do they ever! I literally craved the tension these two had for each other because I KNEW once they finally gave in and realized how much the other meant to them, it was going to be so freaking good! And did it deliver!!!
As I found myself getting closer to the end of the book, I found that I kept wanting more. I never wanted this book to end. They could do a whole series based on all the other characters in this book and I would devour each and every one.
This book was a major 5 Stars and if I could give it more I would! I can't wait to go back and reread this book and try to pick up on the easter eggs of what the next book is going to be about.
"You're the f***ing North Star, Aria. The only light in the night sky guiding me through my darkness."
"Aria, before you I was lost in a sea of darkness. Cursed to a life of misery. You've brightened my days-shown me how mesmerizing life could be if only I'd give it the chance. Because of you, I've reunited with the part of my past I thought I'd lost- my heart. You are my heart, Aria. The reason it's beating. The entirety of it belongs to you and you alone. With every morsel of my darkness and glimmer of light within, I belong to you. Love is not a strong enough word to grace you with, my siren. Not a single word in any language will suffice."
"Woman , I am steering a ship," he groans. "Just a quickie, Captain."
This is one that you are going to make time to get lost in. Perfect summer read, with dark twist on The Little Mermaid, with magic and hidden truths, steamy scenes and so much more.
Captain James Erikson and his crew are stuck in an awful storm all created by a Siren (Mermaid). She destroys a lot of his boat and kills most of his crew. But he is able to catch her and keep her prisoner on his boat. He has a painful history with Sirens so he plans to torcher her. He doesn't expect to have strong emotions towards her and a tether to feel her emotions as well. He also will find she has some pretty big surprises, but so does he.
Aria is a Siren that for most of the year is in human form living with her father and sisters, but 3 days out of the year she returns to her true self as a Siren or as more recognized as a mermaid. She reeks having on ships and humans who have long destroyed her kind and forced them into hiding among them for their safety to not become extinct. Just as she thinks she has destroyed the ship and all of the captions crew she is captured and taken aboard the ship, drugged and imprisoned below deck. She knows soon she will return to human form and she doesn't know why but feels an attraction to the Caption. She also can feel all of his emotions and doesn't know why. Boy does she.love to mess with him and rattle him even while he is treating her so badly. She knows she must try and escape before she is returned to human form, not to just save her self but to save all of her kind, humans must bit find out about all of the Sirens magical secrets. She has no idea that the captain has some of his own very dark secrets.
I don't want to give away much more because it is a lot and you will enjoy the book so much more discovering all the secrets, magic and big surprises. It is such an amazing story, told by two authors that have quite the nack for some incredible story telling. I must say this book is the perfect beach read this summer
This 5-star gem is everything I crave in a dark romance—an age gap, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, and the irresistible one-bed trope. Honestly, this book had me in a chokehold; it's that hot and erotic!
From the moment I dove into the pages, I was swept off my feet by Captain James. His broody demeanor and complex character development kept me hooked, and the chemistry between Aria and James was palpable. The mystery surrounding their relationship amplified the angst, longing, and love that simmered throughout the story.
The writing was phenomenal, creating a rich world that pulled me under like the tide. It's rare to find a book that so perfectly intertwines passion and suspense. "Siren" is truly a keeper, and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a captivating read. Trust me, you won’t be ready for the depths this story takes you!
I’m a big fan of AR Rose and she is usually my pallet cleanser! This however is not. Check your triggers, there are some dark themes and red flags 🚩 Red is not my favorite color but I sure do love red flags 😂😂😂. James is angry and miserable and that defn comes through in the story. I loved Aria, she was just enough sweet and stubborn to put up with James. They are both resisting the pull, or tether as the book refers to it, serving lots of angst throughout the story. This is a bit of a slow burn since they are resisting each other but the spice is great. I love a dirty talking MMC is my favorite and James defn delivers. There’s also a bit of found family with the crew and boy did Luca make me laugh! Love a great side character. Even though life got in the way and some days I only got a chapter or two through I couldn’t wait to get a moment and jump back into the story!!
This book is a great twist on the little mermaid. A siren captured by a cursed sea captain that hates sirens. What could go wrong? Accept he can’t seem to harm her for real and suddenly he feels something for her. He should be torturing her but instead he talks to her. They can’t deny their attraction for each other but they also hate each other. The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because once they get over themselves all she does is apologize for her nature(like ugh) and he never once says sorry for what he did to her and that makes me upset because of the two of them he did worse in my opinion and that’s annoying. He should’ve groveled and hard. Overall it has the best tropes: enemies to lovers, spice, one bed, captured, forbidden, magic, and more. Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 Sweetness: 💗💗💗
I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the first page. James Erickson is the captain of the Trident. He has been cursed to live forever on the dangerous Black Sea. He is cruel and ruthless. Aria is a Siren, she takes her true form three days out of the year. The rest of the year, she is a human. She sees a ship and attacks it, killing most of the crew. James captures her and refuses to let her go.
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyment: 5/5 Sexual Level: 🔥🥵🔥 Series: Book 1 HEA: Yes 🆓️ on KU
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book
This book was pure chaos in the best way. James is a cursed prince: immortal, but doomed to sail the seas lest the Siren's finally end him. Aria is a siren doing what sirens do: killing. James captures her with every plan of ending her or his curse, but something between them keeps him from doing that. This is the most epic enemies to lovers story, filled with wacky sidekicks and plenty of sarcasm. I'm so glad I read this!
- Fantasy - Enemies to Lovers - Pirate/Siren - Little Mermaid Reimagining
Aria is a siren who used her powers to lure the majority of Captain James’ crew to their demise and also attempted to destroy his ship in a conjured-up storm. But thanks to the captain’s magic bracelet those powers didn’t work on him and now he has her held captive and wants his revenge.
Ya’ll I’m obsessed. This book was so good and so beautifully written. There were a couple world building parts that felt a little bit drawn out, but other than that I found the book to be an enjoyable read. The banter and chemistry between Aria and James was so strong and addicting and I also really loved the interactions we got with the remaining crew members. If you’re looking for a fantasy with the right amount of plot and spice, I highly recommend giving this one a try!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 🔥🔥
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It’s very rare that a book pulls me in and stays on my mind even when I can’t read it. This book had me enamored and constantly thinking about it and wanting to read more.
I’m obsessed with the tension between Aria and James, sexual and otherwise. The banter is spot on! I loved the way the tension was intensified by the way that they were connected to one another. I have so many feelings about them but don’t want to give any spoilers so I am trying to be vague. All I can say is James is just 🤤🤌🏻
Luca was hilarious! Grimy was such a loyal, caring, beautiful man. Briggs was ridiculous, but in the best ways possible.
I loved this book so much and highly recommend it to everyone. Be sure to read the trigger warnings though cause it is spicy and based around pirates so they do tend to be a bit reckless.
Readers, lovers of fairytales and retellings, feast your eyes on this beauty of a read. You do not want to miss Siren by A.R. Rose and R.J. Lewis! This book is so tense and atmospheric I couldn’t get enough of this read! James, our Captain/Private is a dark tangle of scoundrel and broody Alpha with all the fixings of a morally grey character that I love in my romance novels. And while I know that this is romance and the ending will always conclude in a way that satisfies, the journey to get there is the biggest treat of all. Lewis and Rose know how to write morally get characters and they know how to leave you feeling despair and a sense of the impossibility and dread for any kind of conflict resolution! This is why I keep coming back to these authors!
Aria is a formidable FMC and the perfect albeit enemy of captain James Erickson. I mean, she wants to punish all men f the sea and he wants to eradicate all mermaids. Their hatred a clear and yet their chemistry is palpable.
Siren isn’t exactly a retelling as it is a reimagining of the fairytale classic but it was absolutely perfect!
Siren is so unlike anything I’ve read! It begins with the darkest version of a mermaid nightmare- and then quickly turns into a captive story on a pirate ship. The hatred and danger between both the pirate and the mermaid make Siren a story full of tension. There’s a lot of mystery happening here and it feels like the dynamic between these two can turn deadly.
There is a huge push and pull going on throughout the story. The storyline is so unique and unexpected and I was pulled in completely by all of the twists and turns. For those of you who need it, rest assured, there is plenty of 🔥🔥🔥🔥! (And also a HEA-phew!)
Definitely a great, dark story and unlike anything you’ve read before.
okay WOW A.R Rose really never misses… this book is on another freaking level. the writing, the characters the detail I CANNOT! these two writers bring something to the table that is just otherworldly. thank you for the masterpiece that is Siren. I’m not personally a huge fairytale or fantasy reader but HOLY MOLY this book had be HOOKED from the beginning. THE SPICE!! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. 🌶️🔥 do yourself a favor and read this asap