Forbidden Waters

Mermen & Magic #1

by L.M. Brown

For the dying race of mer people homosexual relationships are forbidden. When Kyle falls for Prince Finn he knows he is navigating forbidden waters.

To save his clan from the ever-increasing shark attacks, merman Kyle seeks sanctuary for his people in the sunken city of Atlantis, even though he knows that as a homosexual merman he will be sacrificing his own chance for love. Love finds him anyway in the form of Prince Finn, the rebellious young heir to the Atlantean throne.

When their relationship is discovered Kyle is the one to pay the price. Banished from the oceans he seeks shelter in England and finds a new love with human, Jake Seabrook.

For Jake, Kyle is the chance to move on from the crush he has on his straight best friend. The strange man he found naked on the beach seems to fit into his life with ease. If only Kyle weren’t keeping secrets from him, Jake could see them having a future together.

Things are not what they seem for either of the men and when Kyle discovers the truth about Finn he knows he must return to Atlantis.

Three men, a tangled relationship, and one chance for happiness, if they can trust enough to take it.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, M M Romance, M M M, LGBT, Shapeshifters, Mermaids

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2014

About the author

I live in England, in a quaint little village that time doesn't seem to have touched. No, wait a minute- that's the retirement biography. Right now I am in England in a medium sized town that no one has ever heard of, so I won't bore you with the details. Keeping me company are numerous sexy men. I just wish that they weren't all inside my head.

Please note, L.M. Brown is no longer active on Goodreads. Although she does occasionally check in to comment on another's blog the visits are few and far between.

Reviews

[SheReadsALot · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 HEARTS--Well hello L.M. Brown! What a fabulous world and series you've created with Mermen & Magic!

This isn't my first time reading this author, most certainly will not be my last! Forbidden Waters had so much to hold my attention - mythology suspense, Atlantis(!), a love triangle, twists and turns, humor, magic and of course mermen! It was great!

You know what it reminded me of? Early Sherrilyn Kenyon back when her series wasn't super stretched out. (I'm sorry Kenyon fans - I've been there but until Savitar's book comes out, I'm not going back there.) Kenyon had hot characters, great back story and plot mixed in with world building and light snark.  L.M. Brown does this but she went to the ocean with her series and travels to England and...you know gay mermen. Plus, subplots that actually make sense. I recently got burned by a urban fantasy book that was dragged out for no reason. Not the case, in Forbidden Waters.

Kyle is the sudden leader apparent of his nomadic merfolk clan. He is openly gay but can only seek sanctuary in the homophobic Atlantis. He has to hide who he is but that proves to be hard for the happy bottom when he catches Prince Finn's eye. The two can't deny their passion and don't try to hide or fight it. But the author makes merman anatomy cool with heats and only being able to have sex in human form. This factors into some other twists and turns. Kyle and Finn fall for one another but this is a menage book, so things are put on ice on the mermen/merman love front.

As the blurb states, Kyle is banished from Atlantis and ends up in England where he meets human, Jake Seabrook. They both have wounds to heal and they comfort each other. And while this story does have sex and hot moments, the world building, is key to moving the plot along.

How the three men come together is pretty cool. And I expected it to be a sweet little HEA once they all agreed together but nope. There are gods and goddesses and so much more! You know my mythology geek self was all over this! Plus, I really enjoyed the way the author broke down each section of the book.

And get this...the triad, Jake, Finn and Kyle, they do this newfangled invention where they open their mouths and not just put penises inside. They SPOKE to one another. They actually talked before making decisions. And if they made a mistake, well by golly, they discussed that too and learned from it. WTF?! A relationship is hard work with just two people, three or more can be chaos but when all hands are on deck (horrible water pun I know), it can be work. And this throuple definitely are putting in the work.

Now this story does have a few minor hiccups (spoilerish):

- The virgin is penetratively deflowered off page. WTF?! That's the money shot!! No, no, no! Don't tease me in such a way. I wanted to read that scene and savor.
- Kyle/Finn - their side of the triangle - I think there should been another scene with just the two of them after all three men met each other. Something to maybe to not make it seem like it was Jake/Kyle more.
- The trident power thing? What's up with that? It kind of fell off after Atlantis use. There seemed to be something there. Is it tied to the throuple?
- Two out of the three visits Medina. Why not a scene with each man? The last 15-20% got a little rushed comparing to the rest of the novel.

Despite my minor issues, I can only really knock off 1/2 a heart from my entire rating. It was that good for me. The story really kicks ass. Major ass. So much so, I'm all over the next in the series. I have so many things I want for the next book. The biggest being: CASPIAN. Please, please, tell me he's getting a book. I don't even know anything about him. I have a theory about the sort of crass, sort of tight lipped, snarky...magical man but...I'm not telling.

Loved this book. Wished I read this earlier but so happy I came upon this now. Because I'm all over this mermen/mythology tale!



A copy provided for an honest review.

[Heather the Queen of (Smut)Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5- "It wasn't horrible but I was bored" stars. HA!

Another mer-tastrophe. How hard is it to write mer-sex in tails? Can I get some retractable peens please? Geez. Ugh.

However, the characters were very likeable....though so likeable they were kind of bland. I liked Finn a little better when he was being naughty. Once the 3 of them came together they got along well and communicated openly and honestly which is refreshing in any menage book BUT I think I found the progression a bit too smooth. Even though both men were in love with Kyle their was hardly any conflict and it felt completely unrealistic. So the relationship between Jake and Finn didn't really have any chemistry and felt forced.

But I think I'm mostly pissed off about the lack of steam in this. This is a threesome of 2 mermen and a frickin Atlantean God. And I was.not.feeling.it. Most of the happy times appeared off page, were fade to black or lacked any kind of steam whatsoever. *shakes fist in anger*

I liked the world building but I think some of the conflicts were too easily solved for all the talk of turmoil.

[Eva Millien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrificing his chance for love, Kyle seeks sanctuary for his clan in the Sunken City and ends up banished to the foreign world of humans and finds that things are not what they seem and three men become entangled in a relationship with one chance at happiness if they trust enough to take it, in this fascinating m/m paranormal romance. Excitement abounds as secrets explode and several lives are altered forever and three men become entangled in a relationship that impacts the course of not only their lives but many others as well including the gods. The author has certainly created a wonderful mythological fantasy world that is intriguing and has many interesting elements and a different spin on the city of Atlantis. I was completely enraptured with the story from the beginning…I was so very angry at the Queen that I was inventing mer curse words. Where was I, oh yeah, the author has certainly caught my attention with the story and the promising conclusion leads me to believe that this will be one of my favorites.

See my full review at:

http://www.thejeepdiva.com/review-for...

[~ Lei ~ Reading Is An Adventure ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆½ ~ 3.5 Stars
A little too much angsting and second-guessing. This could have been so much more, seriously, sex only if you're human. The guys are nice, too nice, vanilla. Still an enjoyable read. Probably won't continue the series.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I want to start this review why saying I have not read a book about merman before and I really did like this book! I know I defiantly want to read more now. L.M. Brown built such a amazing world in this book and I was drawn into this book from the start.
Now I will say why I am rating this book 4 stars. I am just so picky when it comes to ménages and with this one I really felt like Finn was added on at the last second. To be really honest I had a hard time feeling the connection between Jake, Kylie and Finn. Now please don't get me wrong because I still really liked this book a lot I just had a hard time feeling the connection between the three of them.
Kylie falls for the prince Finn and it is a big no no for merman to be with other merman. So when he is banished from his love he meets Jake on land where he falls in love with him too. So there is a huge dilemma that Kyle faces. There is some angst in this book and a lot of steam with I loved. You also meet a lot of new characters too, which I loved also!

All together I really liked this book a lot!

I would recommend this book!

[Free_dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. I've never read anything about merpeople before, so "Forbidden Waters" certainly was an intersesting read. I liked all three MCs. The first part was the best though. I liked that it was set solely in the sea. Definitely interested in the next book!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!! Really want more. Love the hints at what is to come and especially love the way the story develops.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this take on the 'shifter' genre and am looking forward to more. I am not much on the menage theme but this was handled in an interesting way. I loved the world building and the characters.

[Lee Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is there to say: it has mermen and ménage written by a fantastic writer. So of course I loved it!!! Can't wait to see what happens in the future of this series!

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so

It was an interesting concept which I liked but it needed a little expanding on. The plot moved too fast to be believable but it wasn't horrid.

[Qin · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, no, and no ! That was catastrophically hurried, despite the fair length, lacking a huge deal in the areas of description, psychology, plotting and pacing, and so damn bland that the appeal of this fresh take on such hugely overdone topics as Atlantis, the awakening of an entire pantheon of forgotten gods, and below-the-scenes tug of war for the safekeeping of humanity, does not appear at all. Mrs Brown has to be exposed as a dullard who has written a story of mermaids that is about as well plotted (the intrigue has so many holes in it that it could serve as a colander to make pasta) and exciting as the average episode of that old cartoon Snorks; she managed to make the fabulous sunken city a joke, not excluding the few temples housing Oracles, and her gods (only two of whose fortunately appear in this first instalment) living clichés. Nothing looks fully fleshed out, not even the wonders from deep in the seas - there only seems to be sharks, tridents, varech and grottos down there -, and if by chance details have been provided, those tend to belong to the realm of utter caricature; thus the dragons (!) that serve as sentinels at the outer edges of the city or the way by law the mermaids temporarily mate to try and reproduce looks to have been taken straight from the discarded sheets for a school pupil's English composition (why, on God's green earth, cannot they screw underwater instead of going through the tedious process of swimming to the mating grounds on a deserted island, changing to their human form, and having sex in the sand the two nights of the solstices at the apex of a week of sexual frenzy ? does not seem at all a fire-proof reproductive strategy). As for the characters, none of them exhibits a modicum of depth, the worse offenders being the two echoing families (the Atlantean royals and the Seabrooks) who tend to talk and behave like lunatics with a bee in their bonnet. Last but not least, the plot itself is as trite and unmemorable and full of fortunate coincidences and instances of the writer playing omnipotent god over her creation, as could be crammed in three hundred pages; for example, it is really a decree of fate that has the Seabrook patriarch get a son from a beautiful passing mermaid (yeah right!), the other of whom she kept for herself - for she bore the human twins - and passed off to her husband the king of Atlantis as their legitimate child under certain specific provisos and in circumstances that no ruler worth half their crown would not have seen through. In so many words: quixotic to the point of lunacy without any redeeming qualities of imagination, visualization and originality, written in undistinguished, boring prose that only seems to command a restricted number of verbs, adjectives and substantives, horribly paced with no balance between action sequences, tibidts of world building and flabby passages of bland fluff, Forbidden Waters is the literary equivalent of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans that taste of earthworm: all grease and bad meat with no sinew.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im Unterwasser-Reich des Königs Nereus sind gleichgeschlechtliche Beziehungen verboten und können zur Verbannung führen. Das weiß auch der Meermann Kyle, der seinen Clan unter Nereus‘ Schutz gestellt hat. Und doch geht er eine verbotene Liebelei mit dem Prinzen Finn ein, für die er verbannt wird. Seine Reise weg von Atlantis führt Kyle nach England, wo er auf Malcom trifft und welcher ihm in der Welt der Menschen helfen wird. Zumindest hat es die Königin versprochen.

Und Malcom hält sein Versprechen. Er gibt Kyle ein Heim und einen Job. Und bei Malcom lernt Kyle auch Alex kennen, der Finn zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht. Nun, das ist kein Wunder – sie sind Zwillinge. Doch es gibt noch einen Mann, der für Kyle wichtig wird. Jack, ein enger Freund von Alex. Kyle muss seine Geheimnisse hüten. Und als sie dann doch ans Licht kommen, reagiert Jack naturgemäß wenig erfreut über die Entwicklungen. Sein Lover ist ein mysthisches Wesen und hat auch noch eine verlorene Liebe, über die er hinwegkommen muss. Das muss Jack erst verarbeiten und verstehen.

Zeit für diesen Prozess bekommt Jack, denn Kyle und Alex gehen ins Wasser um dem Königreich Nereus einen Besuch abzustatten. Alex will seine Mutter sehen und es gibt Ungeklärtes aufzuarbeiten.

Meine erste Geschichte über Meereswesen und ich war sehr skeptisch. Doch sehr schnell hat mich die Story gefangen genommen und ich konnte den Reader kaum aus der Hand legen. Kyle ist das Zentrum der Geschichte. Mit ihm beginnt sie und er ist auch die Person, die verschiedene Lebenswege zusammenführen wird. Er ist sehr sympathisch und ein sehr starker, leidenschaftlicher Charakter. Sein Clan ist in Gefahr und er stellt das Wohl seiner Leute über seine eigenen Bedürfnisse. Das wird sehr schnell klar und zieht sich auch durch das ganze Buch.

Finn scheint erst als der verwöhnte Prinz, doch sein Schicksal wird erst nach und nach klar und später umso tragischer. Auch Jack strauchelt. Er glaubt in seinen besten Freund Alex verliebt zu sein, doch der ist stock-hetero. Er nach und nach begreift er, dass es mehr Lust, denn Liebe war. Doch auch Kyle scheint nicht für ihn bestimmt zu sein und es fällt ihm wirklich ssch sich mit allem abzufinden und doch einen Weg zu finden, der sie alle glücklich machen könnte.

Zuviel will ich nicht verraten. Es gibt jedoch nicht nur prickelnden Sex und zwischenmenschliches Drama zu entdecken, sondern auch viel Fantasy und Mytholgie. Dabei spielen die Götter von Atlantis eine große Rolle und Prophezeiungen, die sich rund um die drei Männer und um die Kultur der Meereswesen drehen. Teil zwei liegt schon auf dem Reader!

[Susan Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of Mermen & Magic: Part One: A Box Set by L. M. Brown from Pride Publishing in exchange for an honest review. After being exposed to the paranormal world via vampires and werewolves, I now look for books with different species and mermen are a pleasant change of pace. The fact they have to go to land to have sex even among themselves is a nice twist on their biology. Adding in the lost city of Atlantis allows for a whole mythos about that world and its pantheon of gods and goddesses. I enjoyed the first book because it included humans as important characters who alter the lives of the mers they are involved with. These characters reoccur in the next two books in minor roles but the emphasis is on the mer culture. These books focus on two mermen who have lived different lives but wind up being perfect for each other. While it is best to read the series in order, as is true for most series, the author does resolve the main issues facing their protagonists in each book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very impressed. This was a bit slow, a bit more mythology building than the average gay romance... it ended with an interesting world and established relationship. But it took a rather long time to get to the relationship. The relationship is a menage a trois with pretty thorough avoidance of cheating. It is a story of Mermen and Atlanteans and Gods. It deals with creepy fish issues by saying Mermen don't have genitalia underwater and have to be on land, on legs, to mate. But the sex is quite good and the magic powers and Gods are cool ideas introduced that make me want to read more. There isn't a sequel relationship teased in this book. But I found it very sold and enjoyable.

[Not that · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5

This book should have been splited into two if not 3 books, and allowed each event and as well as characters to develop. What we get here instead is a series of time-skips and 1-dimensional characters.

Not to mentioned every conflict in the story was stripped off their potential with a quick and easy resolution. For example when the mer ppl got to land and suddenly the god appear to gist them with the knowledge of English. This take away the chance for the character to bonded as they teach the Kyle their language. Also why does Kyle got such a human name?

Maybe it's because I watched Siren recently where they deal with a mer/human menage much better.

[Tag Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gay mermen, yay! Sometimes you just need a gay human/merman threesome. This was a great one, too! I loved the dynamic between Kyle, Finn & Jake. Interesting plot line behind the love story too. Can’t wait to read the rest of this series to see what other powers Jake & his mates develop. Fun read?

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars

Part one shows Kyle’s world and his decision to relocate his clan for safety. There is a good lead up initially to being in the underwater world. There is some world building showing how the mer people communicate and live, but ultimately there was a lack of detail to fully being immersed in their world. There was a lot of detail regarding their mating needs, but not as much about every day life. We are led to their defensive trident training and are told there is a machine to sharpen the tridents, but are not told how that works underwater. We are told that guests come over for dinner, but not what they are eating, where the food comes from, or how it is prepared. A few more details of how life works in the underwater world overall would have given a better feel to being in a completely different world. Finn and Kyle say they are in love with each other, but other than their physical need for each other, the emotion stays on the page. The lust was there, but the love was not leaping out at me.

Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 but good enough. Lot of secrets and twists in this story that I didn't expect. There was some decent world building and some likable characters. I enjoyed Finn and Kyle's little romance alot especially how Finn was the aggressor at first. I also liked how Kyle met Alex, Jake, and Malcolm. Towards the end I was a little less thrilled with Jake coincidentally being Atlantian and how the three of them having sex is a portal to talking to goddess. It seemed a little corny and way to easy for the three to end up together. It also felt really rushed towards the end where the book starts pouring in Atlantian gods into the mix and Jake's new found powers.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a creative, well-thought out story. Oh and did I mention sexy??

Full review to come on my blog. Stay tuned!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good!! I want the next book please!

[Henry Northcott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Really enjoyable,melds, Atlantis with mermen and is exciting. Looking forward to reading the next instalment when it comes out . Thanks

[Aure1ia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* I was a bit irritated at the beginning and nearly hadn't bought this book, but it got better and better.

No Cliffhanger, but also not the whole story.

Can't wait to see what will happend to Jack.