Mazarine by Cece Louise

 

From Goodreads:
She's cursed. He's dead. How far will they go to change their fates?

Princess Marilee is cursed. A mermaid by day and a human by night, she made a fateful decision that has left her trapped between two worlds.

Disgraced Prince Darius is dead. At least, that’s what he wants everyone to think when he’s thrown overboard from a prison ship.

When Marilee and Darius meet, they reluctantly make a deal—Darius will help Marilee return to her family in exchange for enough money so he can disappear forever.

A doomed woman and a condemned man. Can they find redemption, or will they be lost to an unforgiving sea?

My Take: 

First, I started this series backwards. Meaning I received an early reader copy of book 4 first. That's where I first had a glimpse of Marilee. I enjoyed book 4 so much, I immediately picked up book 3. Seemed like reading backwards might be a good idea since I was curious about where the lost princess had been that whole time.

Merilee's story is the Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean. It's well thought out, well-written, and once again the world is rich enough to get lost in. You forget you're reading a book. I was afraid I might quickly not like Darius because he was so bitter, and the memories of what put him on the prison ship did not paint him as a good person. However, there was just enough pain visible behind his "I don't care" attitude that it never happened. Just like Marilee, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see who he really was. I'm glad I did. Marilee isn't only kind, she's stronger than she appears on so many levels.

All in all, this was a wonderful read. I give it a solid 4 stars and a Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no intimacy on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, intimacy is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to intimacy), more talk about intimacy, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but intimacy is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen intimacy

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” intimacy, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the intimacy and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always