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The Secret

Reviews | April 2019

April started off as a really good reading month, but ended up not being so great towards the end because that's when I went into a reading slump that I couldn't really get out of it. I spent this month trying to catch up to my Goodreads goal so I read a lot of shorter books. It would've worked out if I kept it up but unfortunately, life had other plans. But, reviews! Reviews Bossman by Vi Keeland I don't know what it was about this book that didn't do it for me. I really thought this was going to be another one of those steamy books I love, but for the most part, it was okay. I think the past vs. present story line wasn't something I really enjoyed. While I get that the author was trying to show the tragic past of the male protagonist, I felt like it was dragged on too long. It could've been told as a prologue and then I would've felt more attachment seeing his side of the story as well. I found this to be a little predictable and overall meh in the sex...

\\ Blog Tour \\ Review + Giveaway | Surface by Tiffany Daune [CLOSED]

Title: Surface by Tiffany Daune
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Publication: February 1, 2013 by Noble Young Adult
Format: E-book
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Bound to the water bound to land, a Siren’s soul will never be safe on either side of the ocean’s surface. Hidden beneath the rolling waves lies the secret to Theia’s past and as she unveils each haunting truth, she realizes the last seventeen years of her life have been a lie. Now, drawn into a mysterious new world and with nowhere to turn, Theia must place her trust in Luc, a beautiful boy who stops her heart with each dazzling smile, but even his unearthly charm can’t hide the truth—he has secrets— dark secrets binding him to his world—an underwater world where Theia will never belong—a world determined to destroy her soul.

Thoughts: While not overly fond of the mermaid books I have read, I definitely wanted to give them another shot to see if I could like them. With it's beautiful cover, Surface caught my eye instantly. After reading over the synopsis, I knew I wanted to give it a shot. Surface, while not causing me to fall in love with mermaid folklore, definitely gave me a more positive look on these paranormal creatures, and made me want to check out other mermaid/siren books.

Surface is action packed and detailed from the start, throwing the reader into a scary situation which leads Theia, our protagonist, to learn the real truth about herself. Learning that she's a siren didn't really shock her as much as I expected it to, but partly this is because her few memories of her father were only by the water. With the help of Luc, an extremely handsome Artagasian, she learns more about their history and how she is in danger, not only from others sea creatures, but humans as well. I was mildly put off with how easily she handled learning every thing she learned, but I brushed it off as I read on to find out more.

The story switches points of views among several characters, surprising me at first, but in the end I found it added a lot more to the story. Since we are able to learn more about the characters and their intentions, instead of getting a one sided story, I was able to connect to several of the secondary characters who play pretty important roles in developing the story. The more we learn about every character, the more interesting the book became and, really, this is what captivated my attention most.

I was a little disappointed that some things were not explained in more detail (like how the underwater world really works? I mean, Theia doesn't notice when she is first underwater, and I thought that was kind of weird.) But I did like how the author offered a lot of information (but not an overwhelming amount) on the differences among Artagasian, mermaids, and sirens, along with an fascinating history to back it up.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the story because even though it is short, it presents a lot of interesting surprises that I would rather not spoil, and offers an interesting ending that I really liked.

Overall: With twists and turns, a sweet boy and some romance (which does happen to be kind of quickly formed between the two characters - insta-love, anyone?) interesting characters and back stories to help bond each one with the reader, and an interesting take on mermaids/sirens, I definitely enjoyed Surface. I am sure fans of paranormal and mermaid books will find this one a good read to dive into as well, and I look forward to reading more from Daune in the future.


Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours, you can enter for a chance to win a brand new e-reader, a Starbucks or Amazon giftcard, or your very own e-copy of Surface!
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Check out the other stops and follow the rest of the tour for more chances to enter.

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