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The Mermaid's Song
The Bargain
Falsely implicated in a terrible crime and desperate to flee England, young Flora O'Donnell strikes a desperate deal with mysterious and aloof Blaise Cheney. She will go to France-his wife in name only-to usher his ward, Johanna, into society.
The Enchantment
But at Chateau Morgaine, Blaise's ancestral home on rocky Breton coast, Flora finds herself swept into a different world. An ancient enchantment seems to possess the chateau, and the townsfolk whisper of mermaids and faerie spells. But they also tell darker tales-of a curse that has claimed the lives of Cheney brides for centuries.
The Mermaid's Song
Now, helpless against a growing desire for her mysterious husband, Flora finds herself drawn into a realm where secrets pas and present cast a shadow over her heart. What unspeakable tragedy haunts Chateau Morgaine? For only when she releases the dark secrets locked within its rocky walls will she be free to love at last...
Falsely implicated in a terrible crime and desperate to flee England, young Flora O'Donnell strikes a desperate deal with mysterious and aloof Blaise Cheney. She will go to France-his wife in name only-to usher his ward, Johanna, into society.
The Enchantment
But at Chateau Morgaine, Blaise's ancestral home on rocky Breton coast, Flora finds herself swept into a different world. An ancient enchantment seems to possess the chateau, and the townsfolk whisper of mermaids and faerie spells. But they also tell darker tales-of a curse that has claimed the lives of Cheney brides for centuries.
The Mermaid's Song
Now, helpless against a growing desire for her mysterious husband, Flora finds herself drawn into a realm where secrets pas and present cast a shadow over her heart. What unspeakable tragedy haunts Chateau Morgaine? For only when she releases the dark secrets locked within its rocky walls will she be free to love at last...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 15, 1997
2 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Willman
39 books10 followersAka Sabina Clark and Marianne Clark.
Marianne Willman, a former Critical Care Head Nurse, lives in the Great Lakes area with her husband Ky.
She is the founder and First President of the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA, has served on the Board of Directors of Romance Writers of America, and is a member of Novelists, Inc. and Western Writers of America.
She is the author of sixteen romances, including Pieces of Sky, which has been named one of the ten all-time best western romances by Romantic Times. Pieces of Sky and Yesterday's Shadows both won the prestigious Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times. Marianne is a three-time nominee for the RWA Golden Medallion Award.
Marianne Willman, a former Critical Care Head Nurse, lives in the Great Lakes area with her husband Ky.
She is the founder and First President of the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA, has served on the Board of Directors of Romance Writers of America, and is a member of Novelists, Inc. and Western Writers of America.
She is the author of sixteen romances, including Pieces of Sky, which has been named one of the ten all-time best western romances by Romantic Times. Pieces of Sky and Yesterday's Shadows both won the prestigious Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times. Marianne is a three-time nominee for the RWA Golden Medallion Award.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 22, 2013
This was my second time reading The Mermaid's Song and I can say that I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Enough time has passed between readings that it didn't feel like I knew the whole story already which was nice.
In The Mermaid's Song we follow Fiona and Blaise as they navigate their way through a marriage that was set up between them to fix both of their individual problems. Neither of them have shared with the other the reasons for wanting a marriage in name only but it comes back to bite both of them later on in the story. And of course there is plenty of romance and heart warming scenes to help alleviate the deception between them.
The folk lore alone in this story is worth reading the book. There was plenty of it and a lot of it was new to me. It was very present in the book but it didn't take over the main storyline between Blaise and Fiona. It just added a little something to the background.
I have to say that I really admired Fiona's character. She was very strong willed, independant and didn't let herself be walked on by Blaise. Even though she did her own decieving it was still nice to see her not cave and still continue her relationship right away with Blaise once she found out about his lies.
All of the characters were well written and it was nice to have each of their wants and needs intertwined together even though they didn't know it. Fiona, Blaise and Johanna all needed each other and I felt like the story was done in a way that didn't make me roll my eyes when they all finally got what they so desperatley wanted.
I will definitely be continuing this series and I'm eager to check out some of Willman's other works.
In The Mermaid's Song we follow Fiona and Blaise as they navigate their way through a marriage that was set up between them to fix both of their individual problems. Neither of them have shared with the other the reasons for wanting a marriage in name only but it comes back to bite both of them later on in the story. And of course there is plenty of romance and heart warming scenes to help alleviate the deception between them.
The folk lore alone in this story is worth reading the book. There was plenty of it and a lot of it was new to me. It was very present in the book but it didn't take over the main storyline between Blaise and Fiona. It just added a little something to the background.
I have to say that I really admired Fiona's character. She was very strong willed, independant and didn't let herself be walked on by Blaise. Even though she did her own decieving it was still nice to see her not cave and still continue her relationship right away with Blaise once she found out about his lies.
All of the characters were well written and it was nice to have each of their wants and needs intertwined together even though they didn't know it. Fiona, Blaise and Johanna all needed each other and I felt like the story was done in a way that didn't make me roll my eyes when they all finally got what they so desperatley wanted.
I will definitely be continuing this series and I'm eager to check out some of Willman's other works.
May 18, 2022
marianna willman has a way with words. the writing in this novel was almost lyrical. the poetic writing and creativity were there but everything else was not. everything starts out very slow and it took a while for the plot to really get going but once it did, boy i was hooked. however, things started becoming sloppy, rushed and made little sense. this book ended without ever addressing the curse, blaise's moms suicide, the mermaids soul, etc. everything was very abrupt and it was more than a little jarring. second, this was probably the most anticlimactic book i've ever read. it was almost spooky in the beginning but everything sputtered out. i felt absolutely no connection between blaise and flora, one minute they were tolerating eachother and the next they were in love. i think this had the potential to be something great but unfortunately it wasn't.
February 22, 2023
On the run and posing under a secret identity, the heroine suddenly finds herself propositioned by the uncle of one of her students to become his wife. It's to be a marriage in name only and after the 2 years are up, they will get an annulment and go their separate ways.
Though the hero tells her the reason for this shame marriage is to finds suitable companion for his niece, it's very clear that he has ulterior motives. From the description of the mermaid curse that is said to claim the life of one of the family every generation, I thought that it maybe he was marrying her in order to sacrifice her to the curse to save himself and his family. It makes sense. But despite how heavy the folklore and mythology of the curse is throughout the story, it actually has absolutely nothing to do with the real reason for the marriage or how the story ended. Which was a bit of a disappointment. There is however a paranormal element in the form of the presence of a ghost and the dreams of the hero and heroine. And the truth of why the hero so desperately needed to take a wife was 100% more exciting and the more pressing of urgency that the curse ever could have been. Turns out the niece is pregnant. She was raped by the vicar of the boarding school she attended and where the heroine taught and, in a bid, to save the girls reputation, the hero takes a wife in order to pass the child off as his own. This is a great plan but he stupidly keeps the heroine in the dark, which results in a big argument later in the book when the truth comes out and puts a severe strain on their relationship. Perhaps one would think the heroine overreacted a bit to the news but I think she just couldn't take the fact that another loved one had lied to her. She'd already dealt with the lying scumbag who frame her in the past and she's been fighting her feeling towards her husband for the entire book only to finally allow herself to love again and have it all crash down around her.
This was such an amazing book because, a; the secrets and mystery were juicy but also b; because the heroine was such a marvelous character. She's strong, independent and intelligent but she's also horrible scarred by her past and so terrified of being hurt again. To be far the hero was a bit of a dick with his games and teasing but it's clear that somewhere along the line, he grew to love his wife. It's evident in the jealousy he feels towards the other men who ogle her beauty, despite the fact the he told her she could take a lover. And he really was just trying to save his family by lying and is obviously such a caring man. I did feel cheated by the lack of magic the book had by the end when it's so built up around the curse and such and the ending was a little awkward and totally came out of left field but I loved the story and the interaction between the characters. The subtle yet exhilarating cat and mouse game played by the two characters was full of tension and intrigue.
Though the hero tells her the reason for this shame marriage is to finds suitable companion for his niece, it's very clear that he has ulterior motives. From the description of the mermaid curse that is said to claim the life of one of the family every generation, I thought that it maybe he was marrying her in order to sacrifice her to the curse to save himself and his family. It makes sense. But despite how heavy the folklore and mythology of the curse is throughout the story, it actually has absolutely nothing to do with the real reason for the marriage or how the story ended. Which was a bit of a disappointment. There is however a paranormal element in the form of the presence of a ghost and the dreams of the hero and heroine. And the truth of why the hero so desperately needed to take a wife was 100% more exciting and the more pressing of urgency that the curse ever could have been. Turns out the niece is pregnant. She was raped by the vicar of the boarding school she attended and where the heroine taught and, in a bid, to save the girls reputation, the hero takes a wife in order to pass the child off as his own. This is a great plan but he stupidly keeps the heroine in the dark, which results in a big argument later in the book when the truth comes out and puts a severe strain on their relationship. Perhaps one would think the heroine overreacted a bit to the news but I think she just couldn't take the fact that another loved one had lied to her. She'd already dealt with the lying scumbag who frame her in the past and she's been fighting her feeling towards her husband for the entire book only to finally allow herself to love again and have it all crash down around her.
This was such an amazing book because, a; the secrets and mystery were juicy but also b; because the heroine was such a marvelous character. She's strong, independent and intelligent but she's also horrible scarred by her past and so terrified of being hurt again. To be far the hero was a bit of a dick with his games and teasing but it's clear that somewhere along the line, he grew to love his wife. It's evident in the jealousy he feels towards the other men who ogle her beauty, despite the fact the he told her she could take a lover. And he really was just trying to save his family by lying and is obviously such a caring man. I did feel cheated by the lack of magic the book had by the end when it's so built up around the curse and such and the ending was a little awkward and totally came out of left field but I loved the story and the interaction between the characters. The subtle yet exhilarating cat and mouse game played by the two characters was full of tension and intrigue.
September 30, 2010
Liked this book - it had a lot of Folk-lore that i had not heard of. Which was surprising considering how much i read! Very happy with this book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews