I loved the exploration of history, not only in the preservation of histories that are actively silenced and hidden, but also the character's passion for sharing that history with others. I don't usually read books with big mystery elements, and it turns out all I was missing was romance because I had been hooked from the beginning. The only reason I was struggling to figure out my rating was a result of my preferences and is truly no reflection on the quality of the story. I always forget why I struggle with second chance romances until I read another and it hits me again. I get too emotionally invested in the stories I read, imagining myself in the position of the character. It becomes all too easy for me to truly start feeling those emotions and when the characters aren't reflecting those emotions or actions, I get frustrated. It was largely the beginning of the book that I struggled with the most. When they come together for the first time in three years, I need some sort of true tension, I need to see her feelings of loss, hurt, and betrayal because I am feeling the loss, hurt, and betrayal. It felt like almost immediately they were falling right back into each other with little to no reflection on what had happened between them, and for me to feel it with them, I would have had to have some sort of proper conversation between them (or even a more verbal acknowledgment). It's difficult because logically I understand this is because they never stopped loving each other and all they truly wanted from the beginning was to be together, so it does make sense, but I was too busy feeling betrayed for her to let it go. Despite my early reservations I quickly got over it as I got more invested in the story and the couple as they came together again. I loved learning about the history of the Underground Railroad in such a way. I think it is so easy to forget that learning about these things can be done in fun ways that don't always mean academia, and for those who do love that aspect of learning the author included discussion questions at the end of the book, which were incredibly intriguing to go through and reflect on after finishing the story. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to read and review this book, which I received a copy of through NetGalley.

I am both satisfied and dissatisfied, and it's a terrible position to be in. On one hand, it honestly makes sense that it ended in such a bittersweet way, and I approve. On the other hand, I WANTED ROMANCE. Obviously, this is not a romance story, and it is not why I picked it up, but I was introduced to not one but TWO possible relationships, and I'm upset at where everything ended up because I got my hopes up. Despite my wants, I loved the introduction of Linlin's character and this was a great addition to the story.

I love the premise of this series and think it has the potential to get so much better throughout the books. I enjoyed this first one but there were certain issues throughout the book that are keeping me from rating it higher. Some of the dialogue between characters felt a bit juvenile and certain plot points just didn’t make sense to me (it's not stated that mating with an incubus changed the human's biology so I feel like it should have been Dante who got pregnant). Overall I’m very excited for the next one and to see how the series progresses.

There’s just something about a broken man that really does it for me.

I knew I would like the book because it has two of my favourite things; dark romance and mermaids, but I didn’t expect it to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

There is nothing better than a badass murderous beautiful black siren. I’m so frustrated at myself that I started reading this right when my course load starting ramping up because it took me way to long to finish and this book deserves better from me. It physically hurts that I can’t read the next book till summer next year.