Fury's Fire by Lisa Papademetriou (ARC)

Fury's Fire (Siren's Storm #2)
Lisa Papademetriou
Exp. Pub.: July 10, 2012

Synopsis: At the end of Siren's Storm, the Sirens were defeated, and now the town of Walfang is once again a peaceful beach community.

Or is it? Gretchen and Will are still haunted by the memories of the night the Sirens were destroyed—Gretchen because she can't remember what happened and Will because he doesn't know how to tell Gretchen what he saw. He doesn't even understand what he saw, but he does know now that Gretchen is more than what she seems, more than a human girl. And at the same time, he is more in love with her than ever.

Gretchen knows there's something wrong, too. She feels like an alien in her own body, but she doesn't know why. And she feels a presence stalking her at every turn. Have the Sirens returned to Walfang? Or has some other force come to claim her?

Will is annoyingly overprotective of Gretchen. She just sent a group of malicious sirens to their death, but just like the time before, she doesn't remember anything other than the hints that come through in her dreams. Will was there and could tell her, but it's like he thinks she's too fragile to learn what she is, or maybe he doesn't want to admit that Gretchen's strong enough to take care of herself without his help. Sorry, but males that try to bottle up women 'to keep them safe' just really tick me off.

I read Siren's Storm and Fury's Fire back to back, but I have to say I enjoyed the first better than the second. There just wasn't enough suspense in Fury's Fire to really keep me captivated. What you just read in the synopsis...yeah, that pretty much sums up the whole story, sans learning what is plaguing Gretchen, so I can't really add anything more without giving away one of the book's two secrets, and if I do that, what's the point of you reading it? The characters came off a little blah to me, and I didn't really seem to care if Gretchen or Will died in the end. I just didn't feel connected with them. And I guess you could call this a paranormal romance, but it's a weak one. Although Gretchen and Will are interested in one another, neither of them seemed willing to step up and make a real go of it, because their relationship is filled with nothing but mistrust and unspoken truths. FYI...couples that don't talk things out and keep obvious secrets quiet, aren't likely to succeed, and can be incredibly frustrating to read about.

Sorry, this book just wasn't for me, but maybe it is for you. If you really liked Siren's Storm, there's a good chance you'll be okay with what was given in Fury's Fire.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for honest review.

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Ripple
Mandy Hubbard
Publication: July 21, 2011

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

When Lexi turned sixteen, she felt the sudden urge to go for a late night swim. Her soon-to-be boyfriend Steven, whom she had longed to be with for soooo long, got dragged along.  Once she burst into song, Lexi's sudden urge felt fulfilled, and to her horror, she found Steven's body floating lifelessly in the ocean. Shunned by her friends, Lexi spent the next two years being tortured by her ex-best friend (Steven's sister) because no one bought that such an excellent swimmer just happened to cramp and drown with Lexi by his side. Except Cole, Steven's best friend, who incidentally had been attracted to her for years regardless of the accusations.

Lexi's finally on the verge of being happy again when Erik shows up and tells her he's a Nix, her male complement. He's on the verge of becoming a Nix at eighteen and claims that if a Nix and a Siren can fall in love and accept one another for what they are, both their curses can be broken. And though she tries desperately to fall in love with Erik, her heart seems to remain with Cole...

Ripple was completely predictable, so don't start this book thinking you're gonna get a whopper of a twist thrown at you. However, I still found the story really enjoyable. The prose was simple and sweet, Lexi had decent character growth and her romance with Cole developed at a believable pace. All in all, Ripple was a good book and worth picking up.