A sexy, romantic, and satisfying continuation to Lorelei and Killian’s story. This picks up about a year or so after the first book ended, and Killian and Lorelei are now engaged. Killian is still working on his boat, the Dawn Chaser, and Lorelei is working at the Haven Cove Marine Research Center with Lila Branson, studying the siren Nireed for a cure to their people-eating hunger.

Much of the cast, we met in the first book already, except for the addition of some minor characters such as Nireed’s siren friends, and Lila and Lorelei’s coworkers from their place of employment.

I still love Killian and Lorelei’s relationship, and how respectful and accepting he is of her. I love that happy ending, and I really enjoyed reading more about siren physiology and mythology, and seeing their home for the first time. And I liked the sirens’ growth as they got their cure and became more accepting of the humans. As always, I also enjoyed the small town vibe of their coastal Maine town.

What I didn’t love - the pacing seemed off. There were multiple times when I thought the story was going to end, and then we had a bunch of “and then” moments that didn’t seem like they tied well into the main plot. At that point I wasn’t sure where the story was going. We also get some random chapters from the other sirens, which threw me off a bit I felt could have just as easily been told from Lorelei’s perspective. The scene with the mermen was brushed over and I wish I could see more of them, how they reacted to a cure and even what they looked like. The human characters seemed static in growth compared to the sirens. And finally, I’m not a fan of girl-on-girl hostility (Carrie and Lorelei) in 2023…we get enough of that in the media already.

This is told mostly from Lorelei’s perspective in third person, with Killian’s POV interspersed, and then a single chapter toward the climax from three of the other sirens.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. ( )

A sexy, romantic, and satisfying continuation to Lorelei and Killian’s story. This picks up about a year or so after the first book ended, and Killian and Lorelei are now engaged. Killian is still working on his boat, the Dawn Chaser, and Lorelei is working at the Haven Cove Marine Research Center with Lila Branson, studying the siren Nireed for a cure to their people-eating hunger.

Much of the cast, we met in the first book already, except for the addition of some minor characters such as Nireed’s siren friends, and Lila and Lorelei’s coworkers from their place of employment.

I still love Killian and Lorelei’s relationship, and how respectful and accepting he is of her. I love that happy ending, and I really enjoyed reading more about siren physiology and mythology, and seeing their home for the first time. And I liked the sirens’ growth as they got their cure and became more accepting of the humans. As always, I also enjoyed the small town vibe of their coastal Maine town.

What I didn’t love - the pacing seemed off. There were multiple times when I thought the story was going to end, and then we had a bunch of “and then” moments that didn’t seem like they tied well into the main plot. At that point I wasn’t sure where the story was going. We also get some random chapters from the other sirens, which threw me off a bit I felt could have just as easily been told from Lorelei’s perspective. The scene with the mermen was brushed over and I wish I could see more of them, how they reacted to a cure and even what they looked like. The human characters seemed static in growth compared to the sirens. And finally, I’m not a fan of girl-on-girl hostility (Carrie and Lorelei) in 2023…we get enough of that in the media already.

This is told mostly from Lorelei’s perspective in third person, with Killian’s POV interspersed, and then a single chapter toward the climax from three of the other sirens.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. ( )

The first romance I ever read was a mermaid theme and I've loved them ever since. Great!

I liked this book. Apparently it is a sequel to "Called to the Deep," two stories that take place in Haven Cove, a fictional town in Maine. This story references individuals and events that took place in the first novel, but the plot is not so heavily intertwined that this one will not stand on its own - I had no problem picking up the thread, even though I haven't read the first book.

As is apparent from the cover, this is a story about mermaids, and about one, in particular: Lorelei. She was born and raised in the Midwest and never knew about her unique abilities until she was at sea, training in her chosen field of marine biology, and the research vessel she was on was attacked by "wild" mermaids.

This story is mainly about Lorelei coming to terms with her "mermaidness," her relationship with other mermaids, and with the sea captain who "saved" her in the initial novel. She is navigating her new career as a sea-themed museum director from the unique vantage point of being a member of the order the museum studies!

Although the premise is somewhat fantastical (there are no real mermaids - at least, not as far as we know) the universal themes of balancing love, family, career, self-care, and friendship are rooted in reality. This story could have just as easily applied to Martians as mermaids, or with a few slight changes to the back story, to ordinary humans. I think that is what I appreciated the most about this story: despite the unusual circumstances, Lorelei often thought what I think I would think, were I in the same situation! It's nice to have a heroine that you can identify with so well.

Despite the solid plausibility of the book, overall, there were a few things that were just too "out there" for me. Like, I would sooner believe that mermaids really DID exist somewhere out in the ocean deep than I would believe that a museum directorship was handed to someone with a BS straight out of college. The author actually addresses this point, though it seems to me that if even the author felt like she had to explain how this improbable event happened, it was probably a little too much to swallow!

I did like almost all of the characters, although I don't think any were as well developed as the heroine. The world-building was solid, especially for the mermaids. The romance aspect of the story was solid, too. Not exceptional, but not terrible, either. Overall, I would rate this book as follows:

Hero: 4 stars
Heroine: 5 stars
Supporting cast: 4 stars
Plot and pacing: 3 stars
World-building: 4 stars
Grammar, spelling, etc.: 4 stars
Sexy times: 4 stars

Overall, I give "Song of Lorelei" a solid 4 stars out of 5.

I don't know that I will go back and read the first book of this duology, but I wouldn't hesitate to read other books by this author.

The preceding is my honest opinion. I am leaving this review voluntarily and have not been compensated for it in any way. ( )

I am absolutely in awe of this book! The way the author describes the mermaids is fantastic. I love how they blend with the human world secretly and the twist at the end is fantastic! It's a definite page turner and I read the whole book in one night! Oh, watch out though! The hot parts are definitely sizzling!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. ( )