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)

A Witch's Beauty (Daughters of Arianne Book 2) by Joey W. Hill

I didn't care much for the first book in this series, A Mermaid's Kiss. I hadn't actually intended to read A Witch's Beauty just yet, but it kind of fell into my lap. And I'm really glad it did. This is the Joey W. Hill that I fell in love with when I first read the Nature of Desire series. And this book even had an unexpected link back to that series. The kind of link that gives you goose bumps when you figure it out.... but I won't give spoilers by telling you what it is.

In this book I felt for David and Mina as I've felt for other characters written by Ms. Hill: Mac and Violet, Tyler and Marguerite, Marcus and Thomas. Characters with depth, with character. People who continue on, who have us cheering for them and hoping and hurting and loving right along with them, despite their faults, their baggage, their issues.

We met David and Mina in the first book, but we didn't really know them, understand who or what they were. Now? Now I feel that I know them both, inside and out. And what an unexpected turn of events, to go from the Mina and David of the previous book, to the Mina and David that exist at the end of this book? Wow.

Okay, before I blather on much more, here's the blurb:

Mina is Dark Spawn, half-mermaid, half Dark One. A sea witch who lives in the shadows, she is shunned by the merpeople. She seeks no friendships, however, no lasting relationships. Every day is about surviving, fighting the call of the dark blood within her, which demands she submit her ever-increasing powers to their cause. But Mina submits to no one. Until she meets David.

At thirty, David is one of the youngest angels in the Dark Legion, the angelic host dedicated to eliminating Dark Ones. Unlike many of his fellow angels who feel Mina-s death is inevitable, he believes her power can be used for good. When he entreats his commander to be assigned as her guardian against the Dark Ones, he also finds himself cast in the reluctant role of her executioner, if she turns to their cause.

The only problem is he is falling in love with the prickly sea witch. Which means he might risk the universe itself to turn her away from the darkness, and into his arms.

One thing I've noted is that while this series has a few elements of D/s, and A Witch's Beauty touched on pain as a control mechanism... these books are not BDSM, or even D/s.

I'm giving A Witch's Beauty a 10 of 10, and the series a 9 of 10. I didn't like A Mermaid's Kiss, but A Witch's Beauty was good enough that I don't regret reading the first book, as I had to have read the first book in order to understand the second. I'm looking forward to the third book, A Mermaid's Ransom, due out in December of this year.

Book Rating: 10 of 10
Series Rating: 9 of 10



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

A Mermaid's Kiss (Daughters of Arianne Book 1) by Joey W. Hill

I wanted to like this book. I really did.

I first discovered Joey W. Hill when I read her Nature of Desire series (my review). I loved those books. I've read some of them again and again.... Mac and Violet, Tyler and Marguerite, Marcus and Thomas. Mrs. Hill wrote those characters, and their stories, so well that I feel as if they are old friends. I feel as if I know them.

I was expecting something similar from this book, and I'm very sad to say I was disappointed.

I mean, I like Jonah and Anna, but I don't feel as if I know them. I wasn't drawn into the story, into their lives, as I was for Ms. Hills earlier works.

The story itself is kind of a remade fairy tale, and it was good in an Urban Fantasy sort of way. And the pacing was well done: action interspersed with talking, good stuff interspersed with bad stuff. So what was the problem? The inner dialogue and inner drama, I think, is what caused problems for me. It just didn't work for me, it seemed... I don't know.. forced? No, that isn't exactly the right word. Maybe... maybe it's that Mrs. Hill writes BDSM relationships so good, that a not-BDSM relationship is hard for her? There were elements of D/s in this book, but certainly no BDSM, and not really even D/s. I mean, sure, Anna considered herself as "belonging" to an angel, and she kind of gave herself over to Jonah, the complete trust in bed thing. But, most of the time Anna did whatever she wanted and went against what Jonah told her to do. She thought she knew better than him. And, most of the time, she really did know better than him. So, it wasn't a D/s relationship. Not really. Not even an "only in bed" D/s relationship, though it did skirt the edges of it.

I was pleased with the ending, and I'm curious about the next book, about Mina and David's story. I will likely read it, just not right now. Later, maybe.

I'm giving A Mermaid's Kiss a 6 of 10. Once again, I love Joey W. Hill's other writings, and it pains me to give one of her books a low rating. But this book just didn't work for me.

Book Rating: 6 of 10



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