"Merman is truly caught in love's net"
Saegar realized too late that the lovely siren's call of
distress was a trap. He could try to outswim the men now
pursuing him, but he would fail. In spite of his speed he
could not outdistance a motor boat forever. A sharp pain
pierced his shoulder, and he found himself entwined in
their net. Now all he could do was conserve his strength,
until he could escape, and vow revenge on the woman who had
lured him into danger. Beth Livingston had never loved the sea. She was afraid of
the water, and was prone to sea sickness. But in order to
spend time with her ailing father she'd taken up residence
on his ship, The Searcher. She has no idea that her
latest attempt to control her nausea had resulted in the
crew's latest catch. In fact she had never believed her
father's
assertions that he'd once seen a mermaid. Curiosity and
compassion had led her down to the holding tank to view the
new creature. It was not a mermaid but a merman, an
injured and very agitated merman. Still she found his human
half quite appealing and couldn't quite bring herself to
treat him like an animal. Attempts to communicate always
ended with Beth being soaking wet and very annoyed. When
her father's assistant had attempted to treat its
infection, it had turned violent. While Ralph is laid up
with
cracked ribs, Beth is Saegar's sole visitor. She talks to
him, and admires him, but his lack of response seems to
confirm that he is just a simple creature. It is not until
she
threatens to give up on him that he finally speaks. It is
then that she finds that he is as human as she is and then
some. He reveals to her his tale of war and separation, and tells
her that if she truly means him no harm, she must free him
to return home to Pacifica, to reunite with his family, and
join his piece of the seal to theirs. This is something her
conscience urges her to do. She has come to care for him,
but her father's health is precarious. She begs him to
understand, to wait, but he does not believe her. Saegar is
already ten years late in going home. He feels betrayed and
decides to take matters into his own hands. He knew he
could never survive in captivity. At this point I should explain that Saegar is a meremer,
one of the cursed ones. Unlike his sisters, he had not had
the choice of seeking safety among the land dwellers.
Should he leave the water, his tail would dissolve in the
sun, leaving him with human legs forever. He would not be
able to return to the sea. But as a man he would be free to
woo and wed Beth, and she would never guess until it was
too late that his promises to love and to cherish, were
meant to fulfill his promise of revenge. CAUGHT BY SURPRISE is quite a different type of
story than
the two that preceded it. Rather than a tale of discovery,
it about choice and sacrifice. Saegar is fully aware of his
nature, and had been old enough at the time of separation
to remember both his home and his family. For him love is a
matter of letting go of the past and looking toward the
future. I guarantee that like Beth, his sisters will love
him no matter what form he takes. You will too! Copyright 2002
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted September 20, 2002
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HE'D MAKE HER PAY...
...for luring him to her ship and ahving her men imprison
him. Yes, the beautiful American had sealed her fate, for
Saegar the royal prince of Pacifica, would claim Beth
Livingston as his wife, brand her with his passion and make
her his forever...
What had her father's crew discovered? Whoever - whatever -
he was, Beth knew the prisoner with the chiseled face and
chest of a Roman warrior directed his anger at her, and if
she didn't convince her father to release him, she would
one day feel the full wrath of his fury - and his heart's
desires....
Look for other books in this series:
MORE THAN
MEETS THE EYE (Phoebe - July 02) by Carla
Cassidy
IN DEEP
WATERS (Kai - Aug. 02) by Melissa McClone
FOR THE
TAKING (Thalassa - Oct. 02) by Lilian Darcy
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