I read Sacrifice the Sea for the mermen and the tentacles, but I became utterly enthralled by the character development and the world-building. I’m so invested and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. (Update: Check out my reviews for book four, Temper the Flame, and book five, Kiss the Slipper.)
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Sacrifice the Sea by Anna Fury and Amy Pennza
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Multi POV, first person, present tense
Genre: Dark Romance, Paranormal Romance, MMM Romance
Tropes/Themes: Little Mermaid Retelling, Age Gap, Deception, War, Loss of Innocence, Tentacles, Shifters, Class disparity
Sacrifice the Sea by Anna Fury and Amy Pennza (Beautiful Nightmares Book Three)
Synopsis:
To secure victory over the Leviathans, King Triton, Lord of the Sea Syndicate; and Ari, Triton’s second-in-command and lover; must do terrible things for the greater good. But there’s one line they won’t cross: killing an innocent. Instead, they confine Ursan, the sea witch child, to a cave. Out of sight, out of mind. But when Ursan comes of age and comes into his power, it might ruin everything.
Crallek’s power would defy the grave, reaching across time and space to live again in his son. And that can’t happen.
My Review:
Sacrifice the Sea has stayed with me since I finished it. It’s a powerful story, and the writing is fantastic. First-person can be a bit hit or miss for me, and it’s so well done here that there were many times I forgot it was first-person.
Complicated Relationships
Ari and Triton’s relationship is phenomenal. It’s complicated and compelling, and there’s so much left unsaid. Triton’s leadership is shaky, and he’s forced to command Ari to do things he knows Ari doesn’t want to take any part in. But as Triton’s second, Ari complies, both out of duty and love. But the tremendous weight of duty and hideous actions drive a wedge between Ari and Triton. There is so much love between them, but there is also baggage that poisons their love. And it comes through loud and clear via the words unspoken and the actions that aren’t followed through. I love the push-pull nature of their relationship, each trying to best the other regardless of status.
We stay that way, wrapped up in each other in the quiet of my bedroom. But we both know that tomorrow might not solve our problems. If running the syndicate has taught me anything, it’s that tomorrow can always make everything worse.
Loss of Innocence
When we first meet Ursan, he’s delightfully innocent. He spends his days excavating human treasures and makes up names for them (just like Ariel). But he’s also a fully-fledged adult, and one meeting with the gorgeous Ari brings up many feelings and desires. We are privy to a gorgeous cross-section of Ursan’s life where he comes into his powers, forms opinions on right and wrong, and gets involved with not one but two lovers. I loved his relationships with Ari and Triton, individually and together. He learns and gets something different from each of them. And, of course, there’s the delightfully semi-taboo idea of them being his father’s friends (unbeknownst to Ursan), the ones responsible for his confinement and innocence, as well as defiling that innocence.
It’s ten kinds of fucked up to lust after my dead friend’s son, but I can’t deny the desire that still simmers under my skin.
Strong Character Arcs
I can’t say too much about the specifics without giving away the plot, but all three men undergo profound character arcs throughout Sacrifice the Sea. I love a strong character arc, and Ari, Triton, and Ursan become completely transformed throughout the course of the novel in such a heartfelt and awe-inspiring manner.
I sit in one of the chairs that face Ari’s sofa. Triton sinks into the other. Both males are stiff. The feeling from the beach returns. It’s like we’re all fragile and the slightest upset will shatter us.
The last 20% of the book had me biting my nails and clenching my fists. It’s a tumultuous ride, and I loved every moment.
Final Thoughts:
While Sacrifice the Sea can be read as a standalone, be prepared to be sucked into the whole series. It’s so good and so addictive. There are five novels total including Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella retellings, all MM.
Beautiful Nightmares Series by Anna Fury and Amy Pennza
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
Anna Fury is the author of spicy paranormal romance novels (she also writes under the pen name Hazel Mack).
Website
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Amy Pennza writes smoking hot MMF and MM paranormal romance novels.
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Twitter
Goodreads
Bookbub
Banner Image Credit: Ocean Coastline
~~If you like spicy books with tentacles, check out my SPICY TENTACLE REC LIST~~
~~If you want more mermen and mermaids, check out my MERMAY REC LIST~~
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