Series: The Sea Monster Memoirs #2
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mermaids, Paranormal
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing
Publication Date: November 20, 2013
Hosted by: Enticing Journey Book Promotions
Synopsis:
Hell hath no fury like a selkie separated from his true love.
The gate to the sea creature realm is finally open. Rownan assumes the worst is behind him when he returns home after years of waiting to be reunited with his wife, Vienna. Only to find out that Vienna didn’t wait for him. She traveled to the evil realm of Harte years ago, hoping the legend of another gateway to Earth’s realm was real, but she was never heard from again. Rownan claimed he’d go through hell to be with Vienna, and now he must prove it.
Yara wanted to bask in the glow of her happily ever after in the magical realm of Rathe. She planned to explore Medusa and Poseidon’s world and dive deeper into her relationship with Treygan, but as the new leader of Rathe, her powers are needed to save more than one member of her own kind. Treygan vowed to always be Yara’s guardian, but long ago he also swore to go any lengths to protect his brother Rownan. Now, he must fulfill his promise to both of them.
Rownan, Yara, and Treygan are about to put their lives and souls at risk by traveling to the most dangerous realm of the worlds. Love should conquer all, but no one has ever conquered Harte.
When I first started this book, I was prepared to not like it. I was perfectly content with how Tangled Tides ended and Treygan & Yara’s happy ending. I didn’t want anything or anyone to get in the way of that. Then I realized, that Rownan didn’t have his happy ending. I normally would’ve just said, “screw him” but Rownan had really redeemed himself for me in Tangled Tides, so I wanted to see if this book would make me fall in love with the world all over again. And surprisingly, it did. I fell right back in to the wonderful world of mermaids and selkies and gorgons and sirens and pixies and krakens, and… well you get the point. Rathe was just as beautiful and wonderful and magical as I imagined it would be, and it makes Earth seem so… dull in comparison.
This book reads easily without the need to read the first one. It helps you recap the important parts of the first book and easily introduces you to this one. Each book can stand on their own, but it’s nice to read them together.
This story is told in the POV’s of Yara, Nixie, and Rownan. I missed Treygan’s POV the most because his POV was my favorite one in Tangled Tides. Especially considering that Treygan’s swoon-meter was off the charts in this one :D.
Nevertheless, being introduced to Nixie was great because she was such a refreshing character! We were basically being introduced to the “antagonist” of the story, and realizing that she wasn’t actually an antagonist.
I loved how this story had character development all around: from Nixie, to Rownan, to Yara, everyone seemed to mature and develop much more in this book. We see a whole new romantic and wonderful side from Rownan ( a little sappy, too ;D).
“You won’t lose me. Even if you do, I swear on the oceans and heavens, I will always find you again.”
–Dangerous Depths by Karen Amanda Hooper
This side of Rownan is so determined! His love is what makes him go to the ends of the Earth in search of his true love, Vienna.
I loved the romance in this book! It was so much more… mature (in other words: STEAMY ;)) than in the first book, and that didn’t stop me from loving it! Treygan & Yara can finally be together without anyone or anything getting in their way, and Rownan & Vienna have to fight to be together! Even if Rownan & Vienna had been together for years, it felt like they were falling in love again for me. It was so sweet!
I also really enjoyed the conflict in this book much more than in the first one. I loved how the conflict here was that they had to go to Harte, a place very similar to hell. I loved how Harte was set up; full of mystery and mischief.
The only aspect that I didn’t enjoy much was that it was a bit slow at the beginning. I again disliked Yara for some strange reason, but that changed quickly as I kept reading.
Overall, a great addition to the series that re-introduces us to the wonderful world of mermaids and shows us how powerful love really is.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
After I read Tangled Tides, I felt like that was it, like there was no need for a sequel. My main motivations might have been that Treygan and Yara had their happy lives now, and I didn’t want that to be ruined. I didn’t care for Rownan one bit as much as he had redeemed himself in the end. In this book everyone is happy as they can be in Rathe after 18 years on Earth when the gate was closed. Yara is part of the gorgon sister’s trio, both her and Treygan are together with no impending doom (*squeals*), but not everyone is as happy. Rownan is met with the terrible truth that Vienna, the love of his life, had gone to Harte in search for another entrance for Earth to be with him. Not a single soul that enters Harte, literally hell, has ever gotten out. Nothing can come in the way of this selkie to be reunited with his wife, and Treygan and Yara won’t let him go alone to his impending doom. Together through thick, thin and hell.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t like the book the first 30% because the narrative was a bit slower than what I’m used to of Karen Hooper. I also didn’t like Yara. I felt her to be incredibly stupid and foolish to what she was planning to do, even if it was for love. I guess I have a heart of stone in some things… Even with these things I continued to read and boy was I met with something…
Nevermind those chapters at the beginning. It was all for show, we could say, a preparation for the big bomb to fall and break everything into havoc. In this book we are met with a whole new thing from Tangled Tides. It’s like taking what we had and amplifying it into something bigger. There’s more romance, action, prospect of eternal doom and damnation, more romance from Treygan and Yara… It was all a perfect combination for a sequel.
The plot was rich into keeping you intrigued and guessing what is going to happen next. Once the golden trio makes it to Harte it’s all action after action after action. I loved how the tiny pieces got together in the end making much more sense. Anything you thought was unimportant is actually important at some point. There was also great character development in this book too. When I started this book and saw the different POV’s (Yara, Rownan, and Nixie) I started to complain because I wanted to know things with Yara only, and Treygan was always welcomed. But then it makes sense to add them since the name of the series is The Sea Monster Memoirs. Might feel boring at first, trust me I got all those thoughts running through my mind at some point, but it’s worth it. Each character here is so unique, it doesn’t matter what perspective you’re on because it just adds more flavor to the narrating of the same events, just with different thoughts and reasons. It also gives space to personal development of each character, which is great, like always ❤
Now that I got through all the basic stuff I should add in a review, I shall take time to appreciate first, Nixie, a greatly funny, unselfish, spirited, and utterly amazing Siren/ex-sprite. To Rownan, because even with his depressing thoughts I got to know him better and empathize with him, and at the end actually like him. To the all-so-amazing sprites Jenna and Keeley, who made me squeal in delight and laugh out loud with their cuteness and bravery.
And the most important, Treygan and Yara!
Dear Karen, why do you make me suffer with these two? With this utterly and swoony couple that just make me smile like an idiot each time I read of them, who make me sigh in contempt, and want to steal Treygan all to myself… Why why why?! Here in Dangerous Depths, Oh My Time Lord, there really is a lot of romance. And it’s more steamy! :O It made me think of how in another book of Karen’s, Taking Back Forever, the romance was more mature content and oh so enjoyable to read. This book doesn’t disappoint IN THE LEAST in these aspects.
And speaking of Karen’s other series, was I glad I wasn’t met with a heartbreaking and mind-blowing cliffhanger like in Taking Back Forever. I was scared of reading the last chapter in fear that I’d be met with that AGAIN. Karen took someone’s advice in killing her darlings, and I did not want to end this book with something to keep my mind busy for another year. I wasn’t, so YAY! The end was amazing, as the rest of the book. This book, in addition to Tangled Tides, are definitely worth it. It’s a fast and understandable read, quite easy for me since Karen has a great way of using words to flow easy and fill your head with perfect images. Another great book by one of my favorite authors ❤
Rating: 4 stars
Overall Rating:
Teasers and Excerpt!
#1 Rownan’s POV
Vienna and I had sat on this beach, and so many others in Rathe, more times than I could count. I turned my head and the glittering sand turned into a mirage of a young Vienna. I wasn’t delusional, I knew it was just me reminiscing, but there she was, skipping down the beach several yards away. She saw me, waved, and ran over to me.
She looked so real. My mind retained every detail, right down to the sand in her black, windblown hair. “Have you seen all the shells that washed ashore?”
Of all the conversations we ever had, this one was my favorite. One of the first times we discussed being more than friends. “Yeah.” I smiled. “How many have you collected?”
She bent down and picked up a piece of sea glass, holding it up and admiring it in the moonlight. “Only one. The rest belong here, on the beach—or in the ocean, if the tide chooses to carry them away.” She tossed the sea glass back into the sand and sat down beside me. “I don’t keep them. I just like admiring them, holding them between my fingers and feeling how different each one is. Except for this one.” She removed a shell from her armband. At first it looked all white, but then I noticed the hints of green and silver. “Feel it. It’s hard and soft at the same time. The edges are ragged, but run your fingers along the silver veins—they’re soft as silk.”
I rubbed it, noting all the different textures. “You’re right.”
“It reminds me of you.” Her ivory cheeks blushed and she looked down, studying the shell in my fingers. “Something so unique should be treasured. Forever.”
“The shell?”
She leaned toward me—barely an inch—but it was enough to feel the energy building between us. “You, Rownan. I would treasure you forever.”
It was the first time I kissed her. The first time I had kissed anyone. We were barely teenagers, but I remembered it like it happened yesterday.
I pulled away and smiled at her.
She groaned, frustrated. “I was afraid that would happen.”
“What’s wrong?” Panic flooded me. Had I turned some part of her to stone like Treygan had done when he kissed Kimber?
“I knew if you kissed me, I’d be forever ruined for anyone else. No other selkie, or any creature for that matter, will ever top that.”
Sweet relief. “Good. Because I hope you never kiss anyone else.” I handed her shell back to her. “I want to keep you—I mean, treasure you. Forever.”
#2 Yara’s POV
I arranged all the pillows on the floor. “How about some pillow talk instead?” I sat down, retracting my wings so they wouldn’t get in the way of what I hoped would be a lot of rolling around together.
Treygan silently stared at me for a few painstaking moments, but the desire in his eyes kept building.
All the tips Nixie had been teaching me about how to be seductive rattled through my mind. I reclined and raised my arms over my head. According to Nixie it was a demonstration of power and sensuality, but I felt silly and exposed. “Care to join me?”
Nixie’s tip worked. Treygan licked his lips, unsuccessfully fighting back a smile. Slowly, he lowered himself on top of me. His left arm stayed braced beside my head. Hallmarks swirled over the taut muscles in his neck, chest, and arms as his right hand caressed my skin more softly than the petals of a star-flower. He stared at me in his signature way that made my skin feel like it was melting off my body. I considered morphing into human form, but human skin was more sensitive, and I could barely think or breathe already.
Treygan’s gruff voice dripped with as much longing as I felt. “It’s a shame we can’t take these pillows on our trip.”
I replied breathlessly. “Then we better get good use out of them before tomorrow.”
Giveaway!
ONE Grand Prize Winner will get: Sea Monster Memoirs Prize Pack Including Signed Paperback Set of Tangled Tides & Dangerous Depths
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YmFlODE0ZTNiYjMwNDdkM2MxZjE1N2VmZjNhYjFjOjIx/
About the Author:
Karen was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years, and is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. She’s addicted to coffee, chocolate, and complicated happily-ever-afters.
Karen has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. Due to her strong Disney upbringing, she still believes in fairy tales and will forever sprinkle magic throughout all of her novels.
Connect with Karen!
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Boricuan Bookworms 
You girls are rock stars. And I swear you find such awesome GIFs. They always make me smile. Thanks so much for celebrating me release with me and writing reviews. ❤
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Wow a mermaid book that’s actually decent? Sounds good! I like how the complexity of the book weaves everything together and you can’t argue with a steamy romance. Great review girls!
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