Jamie, a knight in shining armour, is here to save the day! He's protective and gives everything to his lovers. His trend of lovers has been piss poor. He seems to home in like a heat seeking missile on the hot mess men who take and never give back. Even though Jamie is a sweet bartending guy, his character can easily be swapped out for a female character – the one who wants to "save" the guy and help him become better. Once the proverbial changed man is on his two feet, he dumps the emotionally invested gal (Jamie in this case) and finds something better to suit his needs.
I cringe at this type of character. Still, I think since this is an m/m book, I'm more forgiving and found Jamie to be rather loveable and funny. Jamie is accosted by Marin who is a merman or better yet, a Selkie from another dimension. Pause. Yes, from another dimension where homosexuality's penalty is death by ripping to shreds from other mermen. This would definitely explain Marin's desire to cross over to Earth side.
Marin is a strong and virile Selkie. Basically, he is a steaming hot merdude. I like Marin quite a bit and wish he played on the same team as me. Then I could envision getting down and dirty with him. His frolicking sensual manner in the water is a dream come true. I'd love to be able to enjoy some smexy fun in the water. It's not easy to do.
Marin doesn't come to Jamie unattached. There is a complication as Marin is mated with a female Selkie to reproduce young. Due to his attraction to men, baby making mechanics are not functioning as required. Marin's mate, Sally, comes up with a plan which involves a non consenting Jamie. It all works out in the end since this is a happily ever after Siren story.
I like this story because I love stories with Selkies and mermaids or in this case, merdudes. The story line is simplistic and at times funny. While reading through this story, I couldn't help but think that Jamie is merely a female character written as an anatomical male. This is what distracted me and made the story just okay for me. The reason why I found it to be this way is because Jamie's pondering and responses are ones I observe more frequently from a woman, not a man. I tend to be heavily loaded on male friends. None of them think or respond the way Jamie did in the book. Even my gay male and female friends don't think that way. It's only the few more girlish female friends of mine who behave and think like Jamie. My recommendation to Ms. Harris is to observe and question more men - hetero, bi and homosexual alike. It will give her better insight into a man's minds and create a more realistic and complex male character.
The world building is light and since it is only book one in a series, I'm hoping the following books will shed more insight into the Selkie world. It seems more fascinating and fun to me over there. Then again, I'm not a gay man so I'm safe in the Selkie world. I recommend this paranormal romance book to those who enjoy mythical water creatures.
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