"A truly excellent Human/selkie romance - the 3rd in an incredible series!"
The sea king, Llyr, had long ago given in to the lure of the
sea leaving his son, prince Conn with the responsibility for
the children of the sea. Conn had kept an iron rein on
himself, denying himself both the pleasure of "the change"
and that of the flesh as well in order to keep Sanctuary and
his people safe. The children of the sea had grown fewer and
fewer in number and their magic had grown weak, while the
children of fire had grown stronger and opposed the creator,
the children of air and human kind. The children of land and
sea had been neutral until recently when a fire demon had
murdered a selkie woman and injured another in World's End,
Maine. The children of fire had hoped that the blame for
these crimes would fall upon the humans, thus bringing the
children of the sea into the war as their allies. Conn had
sent the last selkie child born, Dylan Hunter, to World's
End to spy and report, but Dylan had not returned. Lately what remained of Conn's magic had produced visions
that he could no longer ignore. They would lead him half a
world away to that very place where he would find the woman
whose face haunts him --- Lucy Hunter, daughter of Atargatis
and perhaps his peoples' only hope for survival. Prophecy
foretold that a daughter of the sea witch would change the
balance between the elementals forever. Police Chief Caleb Hunter had learned of his mixed heritage
that summer when he'd rescued the beautiful selkie Maggie
from a fire demon attack and had fallen in love with her.
Then the prodigal brother, Dylan Hunter, had returned. Caleb
was fully human while Dylan was selkie like their mother.
Dylan had fallen for a human woman and had chosen to stay in
World's End with her and her son. Both women were pregnant
and because of the prophecy, susceptible to fire demon
attack. Dylan's love, Regina, had already been attacked
twice. Believing their baby sister, Lucy, to be fully human
and unattached the Hunter men had chosen to keep her in the
dark about their heritage, focusing on their women and
unborn children instead. But Lucy isn't completely "normal" either. Though she had
tried several times to leave her island home, she had been
unable to go more than twenty miles from the sea she both
loved and feared. She'd become violently ill each time and
had reconciled herself to living and working in the tourist
town where she'd grown up. Being the daughter of the town
drunk she's also learned to keep a low profile and as a
result was practically invisible to the men in town. When
the powerfully built and handsome Conn approaches her in the
school garden, her first instinct is to run. But when she
realizes the magnetic stranger is sporting her brother
Dylan's best suit, she does not know what to make of it and
takes him home to her family. Though the situation is dire at World's End, Conn's first
concern is for his people. While he also believes Lucy to
be human, she possesses a certain allure and a strong magic
which he needs to help him keep his people safe. Because
Lucy fears the sea and loves her family she would never come
willingly. Oh yes, she was strongly attracted to Conn,
desired him in fact, and Conn was not above using his
seductive powers and a little of his magic to get his way.
Thus, Lucy finds herself half a world away from home in
Sanctuary with creatures she'd only thought existed in fairy
tales. Torn between duty and desire, Conn must win Lucy
over. A delegation from Hell is on the way to meet with him
and having Lucy on his side might very well determine the
fate of his people. Gau and the children of fire are aware of the threat Lucy
poses to the balance among the elementals. Could she be the
daughter foretold by the prophecy? Knowing full well that
Lucy's love is divided between her family and the selkie
prince, the fire demons will force Lucy to make an untenable
choice. Who will she attempt to save, her people or his? Oh this was a marvelous coming of age story, and the best in
a truly excellent paranormal romance series. This book had
it all, passion, magic, conflict and a truly amazing
heroine. Shy Lucy whom everyone had sheltered and protected
rises to the occasion with courage and strength, I dare say
surprising all including the reader! Of course there are
other surprises in store as well, but I won't spoil the fun
by mentioning them. I truly hope that this Hunter siblings'
trilogy will not be the end of the Children of the Sea
tales. Since the novella "Sea Crossing" in the anthology
SHIFTER dealt with a previous human/selkie generation, I'm
hoping to see the next generation of Hunters grow up and
fall in love. Of course Caleb, Dylan, and Lucy must survive
this adventure in order for that to occur. I highly suggest
reading SEA LORD to discover whether or not they do.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted March 23, 2009
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**A PNR STAFF TOP PICK** One family. Three loves that will change their lives . . . and whose destiny could change the world. For centuries, the children of the sea have co-existed in uneasy peace with their fellow elementals, the children of fire. Now that balance of power is tested as three siblings born of a human father and a selkie mother become embroiled in an ancient rivalry. Follow their stories:
Caleb, the soldier, who returns from the desert to fall in love with a woman from the sea ;
Dylan, the loner, who must choose between the freedom of his mother's kind and the bonds of mortal love; and
Lucy, the dreamer, whose heart and fate are tangled with the sea king's son . Set off the coast of Maine, the Children of the Sea series was inspired by the Celtic legends of the selkie, immortal creatures of the sea living apart from humankind but able to shape-shift into seductive human form. SEA LORD: Lucy's story
He was born of the sea... Selkie prince Conn ap Llyr denies his deeply sensual nature to rule over the immortal Children of the Sea. But when the Children of Fire threaten the Selkies’ Sanctuary, Conn must obey his haunting visions—and seek a woman thousands of miles away... She was born on land... Schoolteacher Lucy Hunter knows nothing about her Selkie heritage or the prophecy that drives Conn to find her. She is content with her life on the quiet Maine island of World’s End. That is, until a proud, compelling stranger appears to challenge her assumptions and awaken her desires… Their love will tear them between two worlds… To combat Fire, Conn needs Lucy's magic -- even if this means stealing her away to Sanctuary. As the demon threat grows, so does their passion, overcoming Lucy's fears and Conn's guarded heart. But soon they face a devastating choice. Will their love be enough to save them? Or will their destinies tear them apart? Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifter, Mermaid, Fantasy CHILDREN OF THE SEA books
- Sea Crossing (Prequel) from SHIFTER anthology
- Shifting Sea (Prequel) from BURNING UP anthology
- Sea Witch
- Sea Fever
- Sea Lord
- Immortal Sea
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