Thursday, October 26, 2023

The Mermaid's Tale

A Tail Could Tell a Tale

Locklyn Adair has never fit in. The legs she inherited as a result of her great-great-grandmother’s curse make it impossible for her to belong under the sea. When her niece is also born without a tail, Locklyn is determined to save her from similar rejection by sending her to the only place in the Undersea Realm where legs are acceptable – the Lost Island of Atlantis.

Darin Aalto would do anything to protect his family, even spearheading an impossible quest to find treasure that has been lost for over a hundred years. But when his best friend, Locklyn, joins his crew, his ability to keep her safe—and his shot at winning her heart—comes perilously close to being swept away.

A family curse, lost treasure, unrequited love, and a race against time intertwine as Locklyn and Darin seek to save their family, their kingdom, and eventually the entire Undersea Realm without losing each other.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would! The author does a wonderful job of world building. I thought that it was interesting to have the twist where Locklyn and her niece have been cursed to be mermaids with legs instead of tails. The lengths that Locklyn goes to in order to help her niece not live life as an outcast are epic. My only complaint is that this book ends on a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next book in this series and can't recommend it enough!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

L.E. Richmond was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest by an American composition teacher and a German bookseller. Her childhood consisted in a large part of imagining stories for her Playmobil characters and checking out as many books from the library as her family could fit on six library cards. Now she spends her time chasing two blonde baby boys, reading aloud to the hazel-eyed young man who has her heart, and attempting to transfer the stories in her head into words for others. Her passion is for words and stories that thrill the soul and she is continually amazed by the One who crafted the most epic story of all time.

More from L.E.

I am a discovery writer, so when I first started The Mermaid’s Tale, I knew only the general plot and that the romance would be between the main character and the older brother of her brother-in-law.

The catalyst for this choice came from a novel published in England in 1815.

Darin Aalto, famous treasure hunting Merman from the Mediterranean, was inspired by none other than Mr. Knightley from Shropshire. He, like Jane Austen’s hero, is kind, experienced, confident, and attentive to the needs of others. On the other hand, my heroine, Locklyn Adair, is not much like Emma Wodehouse, struggling with a lack of confidence rather than the overabundance which plagues the young mistress of Hartfield.

Even though Locklyn differs greatly from Emma in temperament, she shares one marked similarity with her – a deep devotion to her sister’s children. In fact, it is to save her niece from the rejection which legs bring to Mermaids that leads Locklyn to encourage Darin to claim a disputed treasure which in turn leads to hostility from the warrior queen of a neighboring kingdom which leads to a duel to the death which leads to . . . You’ll have to read the book to find out.