Gina’s Reviews > Between the Tides > Status Update

Treasured Tails of the Heart by Kali Willows. Nerissa lives in Atlaria and works in the family's tourism business. One of the tourists, Wyatt, captures her attention but the two come to disaster when they're near each other. Neither one is honest with the other about who they really are, and the secrets held by them and a few other inhabitants could cause the end of Atlaria. Good story with editing issues. 4 stars

The Blue King by LJ Vickery. King Waylon is dealing with a thief and trying to forget the stubborn Lavarette who stole his heart and left him. Lavarette is a skilled warrior, a valuable member of her IT team, and she's in love with a man who wants her to be a pretty decoration on his arm. Now, she has to help him catch a thief. This is a refreshing twist on the typical romance and I really enjoyed the byplay. 5 stars

The Mermaid with the Seahorse Tattoo by Karen Vaughan. Mikayla, a mermaid, watches a cruise ship get attacked by pirates. When the pirates blow up the ship, the blast sends Mikalya to land where she's rescued by Damien, a DEA agent on vacation. This is another story that suffered from lack of editing. Dialogue is not realistic - even for a story about a mermaid. The story itself is good. Three stars.

Shark Bait by TM Payne. Olivia loves the water. At one time, so did her schoolmate, Owen. Til Owen disappeared. Or did he? This story doesn't get started until Chapter 3. Everything before that is backstory, told in 3rd person. A few paragraphs into the 3rd chapter, the book switches to 1st person. There was clearly no editor or beta reader used and the errors and writing problems leaped out at me. 2 stars

The River Siren by Andi Lawrencovna. Roark is a man haunted by his past, a past that killed the love of his life. Serving his sentence on a slave ship on the Amazon River, he pulls a woman from the river one night, but Iara is no ordinary woman. She is the justice of the river. Now Roark belongs to her. This is a terrific story of myths and legends, the perfidy of man and the endurance of woman. Four & a half stars.

The Mermaid's Kiss by Darlene Kuncytes. Marissa, a mermaid, witnesses the attack of a man on the beach. Chase, a dragon, has been waylaid and robbed by a group of cutthroat mermen. When Marissa rescues him from the sea, a bond is formed between them they can't deny. This was a cute story, with minor editorial errors. 4 stars.

Let Go the Shore by Marj Ivancic. Maye is a sprite who serves the Crow Queen when the Romans come marauding. Among the invaders is Valens, a man who has lost his wife and wishes only to die. But when he is found by Maye, sparks fly between the two. Each must be ready to sacrifice all they hold dear if they want to hold onto love. A beautiful story. Five stars.

Signy Ketilsdottir Vs. The Sea by Genevieve Gornichec. After her father died at sea, Signy cursed the sea goddess, Ran, and refuses to apologize. Now, she has a chance at love again, but the sea goddess has other plans. This is a new to me author and I was wowed by her voice and the story she let unfold. 5 stars.

Sea No Moor by Jennifer Daniels. This story clearly needed editing and I found myself skimming through to get past the many errors in missing words, misused punctuation, stilted dialogue, run-on sentences, and gobs of backstory done in "as you know, Bob" style. 2.5 stars

Heart Stones & Diamonds by Linda Boulanger: Kalen, a sea dragon is drawn to a fairy in a moonlit pool and watches her toss stones into the water. Harmony seeks her true mate and senses him nearby. Each feels the romantic pull but are afraid to act on it to keep from hurting the other. The author creates a magical world, but misunderstandings keep the characters apart too long. 4 stars