Water

Water #1

by Emory Gayle

Cora Reed is haunted by the night her twin sister drowned. Seven years later, she’s still afraid of the water, and can barely keep herself from falling apart completely. The last thing that Cora wanted was to fall in love. But she couldn’t have prepared herself for Darrien Locke, the handsome swim instructor at Camp Crystal.

Unbeknownst to Cora, they are already connected in unimaginable ways. Mysterious things begin to happen to her, plunging her into a whirlwind of danger and chaos. Only one thing remains steady…Darrien. But he’s not at all what he seems.

Darrien must help Cora discover who she really is, before a terrible power in the deep reaches her. To do that, Darrien must commit the ultimate betrayal.

In a stunning reimagining of mermaid lore, Water is the perfect combination of suspense, mystery, humor, and romance. Its gripping tale of love and danger, combined with a terrifically detailed world below the waves, will have readers breathless and begging for more.

Genres: Mermaids, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Mythology

468 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2016

About the author

Things I firmly believe in:
​
1. Nothing is more delicious than a vanilla iced cap in the morning.

2. Reading romance is not a commentary on your marriage, but a safe way of experiencing a sex life that you couldn't have safely in your single days.

3. TikTok might be the death of me...or my phone, depending on how long I'm on the can without my charger.

4. My children are my joy and continue to teach me more about the world and myself than I ever thought possible.

5. Being a parent is freaking exhausting.

6. Communication is the most important thing in any relationship. Without it...not good. Just ask my amazeballs, romantic, hottie of a hubby. Love you, babe!

7. If you've made it this far, we are now friends. Come over to Facebook to inform me of our bestie status! I mean that!

8. Eight already? Bestie, did you tell me we're friends, yet?

9. I will say "yes" to going to Chapters any day.

Reviews

[Lilou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book i ever read with Mermaids in it and tbh i liked it alot. The only thing that botherd me was the love between the two love birds because my relationship just ended and it was sort of love at first sight so yeah. But in the book it is perfectly written! I like the trust she has with the boy in the book, and the weird things that happen when she falls a sleep. I can honestly say this book was a lot of fun to read.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book on my kindle and decided to jump on in and give it a read.

We are introduced to both Cora and Darrien, among others but these two are main characters. Darrien is a merman and works for the King when he gets told he has to do a job he isn't too thrilled but he has to do what he is told right. In comes Cora you think she is a normal teen well as normal as can be, yet as the story unfolds we learn more about Cora and what she is exactly.

Darrien will have his work cut out for him as he is not supposed to fall in love yet it seems that slowly but surely that is what happens. Is he able to do both jobs at once? Keeping Cora safe and show her who she is while leaving his heart to stay in his chest?

Cora was a good character but I sadly just at times wanted to slap her around. She starts wondering who is the lady in waterfall and yet never wants to start asking questions to Pearl or someone else? I mean come on I think I would want to start asking questions if things are turning weird at a camp that I am totally new at.

The author did a good job of combining the two worlds and giving us a bit of how the Merworld came to be. That was actually pretty neat. Though there were a lot of grammar mistakes that needed to be fixed within the pages of the story.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally i have managed to read a book about the Mer people which makes sense, is exciting, has a love story thrown in and a heroine who has no clue that she is part of the mer people. Darrien the guard sent to protect and tell Dora who she really is, is very nice as a character but the fact that all the girls including Dora just gushed all over him and saw only rippling muscles is a bit sickening especially when Dora is meant to be questioning what his role is regarding herself. Also i hate it when the heroine of the story is such a whimp whose legs always give out and has to be carried from wherever she is, so unrealistic no matter the circumstances however apart from these annoyances i loved the book, the mythology behind the story and the beautiful descriptive scenery. The sirens are scary but i do believe that in the next story which just needs to be read we will find out more about the twin sister oceana and the link between Mer and Sirens through Cora the hybred and of course i am rooting for the love story between Cora and Darrien to come to fruition.

[Anne Zemlicka-Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many misspellings. Good story, bit a bit drawn out for me to continue the series.

[joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read! Interesting take on Mermaids! Haven't read anything like this before! Will continue to read the series and other books by this author!

[The Half-blood Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

YA mermaid fantasy
Dual pov
Mer vs Siren ongoing war
Secret identity
MC has been raised as a human
She's a local pariah
He's a royal guard
Hidden Princess
Written in 1st person, past tense
Insta love 🤮
Clunky writing, needs a lot of editing
Overly dramatic

When it comes to the teen dramatics and overreaction, this one is so bad. It is like Mood Swing City in here: likelihood of getting whiplash is high. The author doesn't know how to use a realistic timing for reactions or explosions. And the characterisation could be better as well. It's like common sense doesn't exist. The way everyone keeps pretending nothing happened after life threatening experiences!

Darrien is introduced as this 20yo who was raised to be a soldier, and is gifted, reliable and rational enough to be trusted as the king's bodyguard. The literal last defense against a threat! He is also grumpy and quick to anger. Yet, all it takes is being unfairly slapped by Cora to become whipped af in insta puppy love.

The 18yo MC, Cora, is written as tragically as possible to endear her to the reader: poor anxious social outcast with a house in need of repairs, a dead twin, daddy abandonment issues, mentioned bullies, a paranoid depressed mother, a fear of drowning, and a younger sister in her care.

Yet, when she says she has no friends back home, I can understand why: she is unstable, contradictory and annoying! For all her victimhood, she manages to be judgy, can't take being wrong (she'll scream), she has some internalised sl*t-shaming alongside her beau (clearly transmitted by the author who thought the way to make us hate the love rival was to make her act embarrassingly like a caricature of Idk Jessica Rabbit or some other fictional woman persona I have never seen irl, and of course determining which clothes are indecent, while making our mc someone who covers up and doesn't wear a bikini cuz she's sooo pure. What is it with correlating female antagonists with showing skin?? Are adult authors still bumbling teens trying to make sense of the world and going for the easy attacks?!), and acts way too confident all of a sudden without any reason for this behavioural change.

There are completely absurd moments in the writing like Darrien making this observation about the king, a man he has known since he was young:
"Now that he pulled himself up, he was taller than me. I had never realized that."
What.

The only part I enjoyed was the origin story of both mers and sirens.

[Blueangora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hilariously bad. I was actually laughing the entire time, so don't take my 1 star review as a sign that I hated it. It's not quite "so bad it's good" but it's close. I'm really kinda shocked to see how many people here liked the book unironically; good for them. But, look, this book just hits so many amateur mistakes. Most tellingly, the author uses every single dialogue tag in existence OTHER than "said". So characters grumble, mumble, snap, spit, curse, and grunt their words, but they don't "say" anything.

The author also constantly adds details that just don't matter.

I was too late to catch the school bus home, but I managed to get on the city bus. The ride took a little longer, but I was okay with that.

The fact that she took the city bus instead of the school bus literally does not matter. And the book is full of things like this. And then there's the exposition, which is not very well done.

The front door was a faded pink. It used to be bright red. I remember painting it with mom and Ana. It was Ana's favorite colour. My heart hitched thinking about her. Ana, my twin sister, drowned in a boating accident when we were seven.

Also the names are too much. These are mermaids, right? And their names include Tyde, Pearl, Reed, Sands, etc. etc.

My favorite scene is when one of our main characters, Darrien, is talking to King Zale. Please be aware that the king raised Darrien; he's basically a father to him. From Darrien's POV:

Now that he pulled himself up, he was taller than me. I had never realized that.

He's never, not once, noticed that the man that raised him is taller than him???

[❄Elsa Frost❄]

Ugh, no. Just no. I began and then stopped the book within the first couple of chapters because I felt it needed a lot of edits. A lot. :(

[Cheyanne Lepka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this if you're looking for a new twist on mermaid lore, love the term bunnyhug and enjoy YA books.

Overall:

There was a lot that I wanted to love about the book. I still think the idea is fantastic and I have plans to read Mer and Siren (when I make it further in my massive to read pile.) I just found it a little slow and predictable, with a couple tropes that I can't stand. However, recognizing that this is a genre that I don't normally read, I do think that for readers who normal read and enjoy YA romance this would be an excellent fit.

Virtues:

Bunnyhug - So, an entire star for the use of the term bunnyhug. I don't know many people who know what it means and even fewer who use it. It made me squeal. :)

Interesting new take - When I first found the book, I was intrigued with the whole concept of sacrificing yourself to the water and also interested in a story that took place in Saskatchewan and featured mer.

Interesting World - I'm a little fascinated with the world of the Mer and the conflict/origin of the Sirens. It seemed well thought out and created, so I'm definitely interested in learning more in the next couple books.

There's a hell of a twist - I won't say more than that. I have said that the story is a little predictable, but this twist got me.

Vices:

Predictable - I found it very predictable, but I think that was because we were presented with information from both Darrien and Cora, so the story was pretty much laid out before us. I'm not sure I would have felt this way had I only been presented with one POV or with only limited Darrien.

A little cliche - This is probably me being biased, since I don't like romance, but I found some of the romance just cliche. It's forbidden, the crazy ex, misunderstandings that could be avoided if everyone was just honest with each other.

Iffy Dialogue - I struggled with the dialogue feeling awkward and overdramatic at times.

[Catherine Milos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like mermaids? If you do, you don’t have to look any further.

Emory Gayle is an indie author who lives in Regina, SK.

Water is Emory’s debut book, and it is an amazing one. I abandoned my life to read it, pulled into Emory’s story, characters, and writing. When I emerged, the world had changed. The snow was falling, hushing the world and my heartbeats slowed their excited rhythms back to normal.

Water is about Cora Reed, an eighteen-year-old Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada resident who is terrified of the water and for good reason. She’s faced tragedy. I won’t spoil what tragedy for you, though. After she graduates high school, she has a clear direction in life. She’s going to university. That is, until her mother’s plans for her and her younger sister Bree change all of that.

Bree and Cora are to work at Camp Crystal in the picturesque Sturgis, Saskatchewan area. The catch, the camp is near a clear, deep lake. Worse, the Camp swim instructor, Darrien Locke, is all sorts of trouble.

Main character Cora is well developed, awkward, clumsy, and incredibly likeable. She’s innocent and determined and strong. She’s also a Mer and doesn’t know it.

Darrien knows, though, because he was sent to watch over her and bring her home to her long-lost father under the sea. When he begins to fall for Cora, his job becomes more complicated. Lying to her and hiding the truth eat at him and threaten their feelings for each other. Not to mention, the constant onslaught of Sirens trying to harm Cora don’t help.

Water is the first book in the series and it is all sorts of fun! So look no further for that great mermaid read, it’s here.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is very good for a debut. There is a bit of Mermaid and greek mythology in it, something fresh in the otherwise fairy, shifter or demon dominated bookworld.
After a bit of a rough start with some unbelievable motives (the whole story of Cora's parents doing what they've done and living away from all responsibility but her dad expecting Cora to fit in this world – the mer people won't accept her and how will her father expect her to not go after her heart/love?), Darrien's character a little too quick in changing (regarding Pearl, Cora, his job) and too much repetition and sounding things out instead of insinuation (regarding Cora's love for her sister Bree and what might be in stock for her), I got cought in the romance between Cora and Darrien. I enjoyed the inner dialogues of both of them as they both battle within themselves.
Sometimes, I wanted to shake Cora and Darrien and make them talk more, be open to each other – quite a few things wouldn't have happening like they had...
And, at the end of the book, I still don't understand the concept of the Sirens completely (especially the part that some are born Siren and some turn later and become evil) but maybe this will be answered in the second book.
Apart from all these logical questionmarks and the awful lot of typos and grammatical errors that kicked my out of the story, I was still able to enjoy it.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so many cliches! But it worked them really well, I was laughing and enjoying it. What took away from the star rating was the HUGE info dump right at the end. Ancient history is not relevant to that particular conversation, even if it was interesting. (Not going to lie, i skipped it, read the end, then went back)

Characters-
Cora is unique and I love her. She did start to come across as every main character in YA ever but she broke out of that by the time she got to the lake.
Darrien was different... in a good way. He reminds me a lot of Jace from city of bones, in a good way.
Pen has made me super curious, she is so sweet.
Bree is a lovable little sister if you ever see one.
Pearl was a bit undefined, I didn’t love her, I didn’t hate her.

Setting-
OMG, it was set in Saskatchewan! I loved reading a book based in a place that’s familiar. I felt like this was taking place a few miles from my house! (It probably was!)

Plot-
Confusing... on purpose so it’s a mystery but... I think it was mostly focused on Cora struggling to trust Darrien. The Mer stuff was almost secondary.

Pacing-
Excellent.

I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for something based in the praires or if you want to see a genuine relationship develop.

It wasn’t the most engaging plot though, so it might not be for every one.

[Megan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of the story is really fascinating and different (although I prefer the Mers with tails, this was a change of pace from the usual mer books I’ve read). It was a decent book but the book, especially the ending was slow and just seemed like it cut off at the end. I know there’s another book but it just didn’t feel like it closed well for me especially with nearly 14 pages of just talking about the history of the mer. I feel like that could have been a prologue or something. Maybe even just summed up. I ended up skimming a lot and got the gist of it. Some of the book didn’t feel believable even for a fantasy. Like how Cora reacted at the end. I dunno. I’ll go on and read the next book just to see what happens. I also had reported a number of typos that could have easily been fixed if the author had several people read it over. I can see one or two but so far there was over five or so I saw. I feel like this could have been so much better and I just want to give my honest review. It’s a great story just not executed as well as I had thought.

[Courtney Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my full review at https://opinionatedbw.blogspot.com/
The main draw for me right off the bat in this series was the depth of the tragedies and set backs that the main character, Cora, has experienced in her young life and the reverberations that still exist in her life because of it. She is responsible for the well-being of her younger sister, Bree, as their mother has become a depressed recluse after losing Cora's twin sister, Ana, in a boating accident and Cora's father walking out on his broken family who were still reeling after Ana's death. You get the sense that because of Cora's mothers depression and anxiety, Cora and Bree are sheltered and limited as to what they're allowed to do and experience in their young lives. You find yourself rooting for both girls to get out of the overprotective and suffocating wing of their mom.

[Yeri (wildflowerreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read.

Feeling really conflicted on how to rate and write this review... The story and the author's writing is good, so good but, I always, always struggle with the YA genre. I wanted to stick to this story be consumed by it, I wasn't. And again, not because the story is not good, hell, it's great! Some of the situations are just so trivial but, they fit the characters, they fit the situations, the fit into the story. The angst and steam were a lot more tame compared to my usually reads but, this I loved the most.
Darrien is such a well-done character. The author promised I'd love him and I did.
Cora on the other hand, I both liked and disliked her. She made me want to slap her and yell at her to get a dang grip and then she made me want tell that all would be okay.
I feel for Aurelia, I wanted to dislike her but, something about her leaves room for redemption, maybe.

I'm pretty excited to dive into Mer. Let's see how that goes.

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book and I had high hopes for it. Having to sacrifice yourself to the sea in order to become a Mer, now that is a new element that I have not come across yet in my Mer-book experience.

Slow development, it took forever for anything to really occur, and unbelievable characters, but once again it was a great idea. Not to mention it was somewhat predictable, you are given two sides of the story so you are able to kinda connect the dots throughout the book - so due to the fact that I knew what was going on, as the reader, made it seem like an extremely slow book.

Interested in seeing how this book series progresses and I may read the next book once it comes out - if it comes out.

[C.J. Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

Cora is a very quiet girl. She has her sister Bree and a dysfunctional mother. She rarely gets away from home, but this summer she is offered a job working at a summer camp, and she can take her sister along. At camp, she meets Darrien. Other leaders at camp include his ex girlfriend, who immediately hated Cora.

But nothing is as it seems. Pearl, the camp owner, is in on what is happening. Cora doesn't know that she is just a job to Darrien. One that gets harder by the minute. But Cora isn't safe. The siren queen is after her. But she won't go in the water. Her twin sister drowned in a boating accident. And her father left the next day.

Follow Cora as she braved the uncomfortable, the ridiculous and the danger of just being her.

Read on my friends

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I have read that involved mermaids. I originally wasn't going to read it, but eventually kept seeing it and decided since it was free to give it a shot. I am very glad I did. The way this book is written is fantastic! The story is wonderful with some twists thrown in. There is a romance blossoming throughout the entire book, and the way it grew was great. The only issue I had were some spelling/grammar issues. I could still read it pretty well though. I highly recommend this book.

[Vanessa Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

So to start off this is my second mermaid book and I found this one more entertaining than the other one I read which was a retelling of the little mermaid and that was awful. To me this book was not an "omg I need to read/can't out the book down" it was an enjoyable read. I did have a lil issue with the female lead being passive and not really having a back bone. I will continue the series and hopefully it gets better.

[Kirsten McNeill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so very pleasantly surprised by this book! Loved the fantasy/adventure aspect of the Mer storyline tied in with the romance. I related to the character of Cora who seems so clumsy and awkward and she doesn't realize how amazing she is, as is true for most teenagers I would say. I enjoyed the read and I look forward to the next book in the series. Glad I branched out into a genre that I don't usually read!

[Heather Bishoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story

I found myself laughing out loud as Darrien and Cora teased each other and was equally enthralled by their concern and protection of each other. It was a great story although the beginning had a little too much setting dialogue for me. Once I got past that and small typos I was fully engaged in the storyline.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets in the water

Don't go in the water. When you lose your twin in a drowning accident,you stay away from water. Then one summer your mom sends you and your younger sister to work at a summer camp on a private lake. You will face your fears and so much more as you find who you truly are. This was a great story,will keep reading h the series.

[Blue Sapphire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this one. I was so excited to see characters from a location near me! But in truth it was about the only interesting thing about the book. The spontaneous romance, the kitschy names, the psycho ex girlfriend that made no sense… it was all too much. Had a lot of potential but didn’t live up to it

[Barbara Marie Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Water: A Paranormal Romance (Water Series Book 1)

What a fantastic book and I definitely recommend this book 📕 and series 📚 and I cannot wait to start reading the next book 📖 now. Love the dynamic ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️��🔥 between Cora and Darrien. So many twists and turns and the ending OMG 😱….

[Mal]

dnf 22%

im in school now I have other shit to do
.
also very boring. the dude is spicy mayo. literally nothing in his head but always angry. the setting is epic Iove Saskatchewan but nah nah I got bored.

I just have bad luck with mermaid books with pretty covers on kindle unlimited. tryna scam me fr

[Katie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

There aren’t a lot of mer-stories out there, so in many ways WATER felt fresh. If your love of YA fantasy novels allows you to overlook typos and some contrived plot devices, you will enjoy WATER.

Read full review at undergroundbookreviews dot org.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Riddled with cliches, stereotypes, sexism, atrocious dialogue, extremely explanatory prose, flat, too -perfect characters, ridiculous "romance", cringy "humour" and a heroine who constantly needs saving, this book is pathetic. It needs some serious editing.

[Mxnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my

At first I was like okay this is boring but then things took a turn. It is amazing book full of details that create the perfect scene in your brain. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!!! Highly recommend this series.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story, but I couldn't give it 5 stars simply because it's like no one thought to edit the book before publishing. Being the Grammar Police, I notice EVERY. LITTLE. MISTAKE. It kind of drove me crazy, but not enough to put down the book.

[Nakeeta Mother of dogs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNFd this after like 120 pages. I hate the multi POV, but maybe I'm just not in the mood for mermaids ATM. It's slow too.....giving it 2 stars for now. I will probably come back to this one at some point, but my KU has like 20 other books that I want to dive into.