A Mermaid's Ransom (Daughters of Arianne Book 3) by Joey W. Hill

I first discovered Joey W. Hill when she was actively writing her Nature of Desire series. I fell in love with her writing in that series - the characters, the emotions, and the trust she brought to the table in the relationships.

I have enjoyed her more mainstream books, but I've felt that they are missing the fire that was in her earlier books. After reading A Mermaid's Ransom I wondered if perhaps I'd imagined the difference, so I went back and read Rough Canvas again. I wasn't imagining it. The depth of character and emotion was better back then.

With that being said, I mostly enjoyed the story in A Mermaid's Ransom. It was a nice third book to the series. But was it a great book? Sadly, it was not.

While Alexis' character was drawn out in fairly good detail, I didn't really feel that I knew her. And I had a hard time seeing her as Jonah's daughter.

I did feel that we were given more of Dante, eventually. And I appreciated the fact that he wasn't just given a free pass, that he ended up being held accountable for his past actions. Even though part of me wanted to give him an excuse, a free pass. Ms. Hill did not, and I appreciate that.

Book Rating: A Mermaid's Ransom: 6 of 10

Series Rating: Daughters of Arianne: 8 of 10

1. A Mermaid's Kiss
2. A Witch's Beauty
3. A Mermaid's Ransom (Dec 2009)