The main books of The Silver Isles series follow the siblings of the royal Rees family of the Southern Silver Isles. These stories feature fated mates, a several-generations-old family curse, and three kingdoms with a long history of mistrust and animosity. The stories are set in the Omegaverse, which means every character has a secondary gender: alpha, beta, or omega. Alpha females are capable of impregnating, and omega males may become pregnant. (If you’re new to Omegaverse stories and would like to know more, check out this resource.)
If you’re looking for a light and fun read that’s still full of plot and adventure, then these books are perfect. I would describe these treats as sugar and spice — filled with warm, fluffy moments, and seasoned with the perfect amount of spicy goodness.
Just so you know, I want to live in the Silver Isles. The world-building is so fun, and includes mythical creatures, shifters, and oh-so-many Mer. One of my favourite things is the different fish tails of the merfolk, from angelfish to parrotfish to seal tails to octopus tails and everything in between.
These stories are the novel equivalent of chicken soup for your soul.
The mating call is a sacred gift from our goddess. Not everyone hears it, and those that do, must honor the sea and follow the call.”
Notes:
- I’ve aimed to keep this review spoiler-free, but you may find the brief descriptions of the plot in subsequent books to be spoiler-y. If this might bother you, you may want to read those reviews after reading the previous books.
- While this is an ongoing series (there’s still one book to come), you can dive right on in. There’s no dramatic cliffy to keep you up at night.
Affiliate Disclaimer: I participate in the Amazon Affiliate program. As such, if you purchase a book through one of my links below, I’ll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (but I’ll be ever so grateful for your support).
Silver Isles Book 1: The Guppy Prince
🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Dual POV, Third person limited, past tense.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes/Themes: Omegaverse with Mpreg, Fated Mates, Instalove, Found Family, Familial Curses, Corruption, Royalty, shiny treasures, an ever-expanding family of animal friends
Locations: The Southern Silver Isles (a fictional land located at the mid-Atlantic Ridge near South America; the Northern and Southern Silver Isles are separated by a deep underwater city); and North Carolina
Synopsis:
Dover Rees, reluctant prince of the Southern Silver Isles, is the youngest of thirteen children. Because of his guppy tail—the most common type of tail—his siblings have always looked down upon him and made fun of him. Accordingly, he’d much rather spend his days at his creek waterfall with his friends and otter companion than in the palace. When he hears the mating call, he can’t wait to set out and meet his alpha. But his family has other plans for him: an arranged marriage for political gain.
Ben, a human, estranged from his family because of his sexual orientation, lives by the sea in North Carolina. His neighbour is a hedge witch, and his best friend is a beaver shifter. When his fishing boat capsizes, and he’s rescued by an attractive stranger — an attractive naked stranger — his life changes for the better.
My Review:
Stories with found family are personal favourites of mine, and The Guppy Prince has this trope in spades—of both the human and animal kind. I couldn’t help but smile at the antics of Chubber the otter, Otis the golden doodle, and Rachel, the world’s best guard chicken. I was immediately drawn in by Dover’s plight and kept laughing with the innuendo and puns (Eloise, Ben’s beaver shifter friend, named her boat The Wet Beaver). Their story is both sweet and tender, and saucy in just the right ways. And really enjoyed how Ben’s presence shook things up in the Southern Silver Isles. I was so intrigued by the curses and am curious how things will turn out throughout the rest of the series.
The Guppy Prince by CW Gray (The Silver Isles Book 1)
Silver Isles Book 2: The Not So Little Merman
🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV & Tense: Dual POV, Third person limited, past tense.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes/Themes: Omegaverse with Mpreg, Fated Mates, Shifted Sex, Royalty, Found Family, Familial Curses, Pirates, Sea Monsters, Acceptance (just as you are), adorable child moments
Locations: The Northern and Southern Silver Isles
Synopsis:
At the end of The Guppy Prince, Prince Tack of the Northern Silver Isles decides to marry one of the Southern Silver Isles royals to cement a bond between kingdoms, and he’s set his sights on Kit. At first, Kit is resistant, having grown up with stories about the ‘horrible’ northern kingdom, but he decides to go ahead with the marriage. But there’s another problem… The curse on Tack’s family means he can never touch Kit without causing him unbearable pain. Tack is determined to make Kit love him, and Kit yearns to find a creative way around the curse.
My Review:
The Guppy Prince was a joy to read, and this one was just as much fun. One theme is being your authentic self vs what’s socially acceptable, and the scenes surrounding it were heartwarming. It made me sad to see Kit being fat-shamed by his own mother, but I loved how Prince Tack loved Kit and thought he was perfect exactly as is. Despite his initial reluctance to the arranged marriage, it was beautiful to see Kit open up and see the possibilities of his new situation. And of course, his daughter Pearl (from the heat swarm), was precious and a source of comedic relief. I enjoyed the differences between the Southern and Northern Silver Isles, especially how the Northern Isles Mer have shark companions.
The Not So Little Merman by CW Gray (Book 2)
Silver Isles Book 2.5: A Mate from the Deep [Novella]
🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV & Tense: Dual POV, Third person limited, past tense.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes/Themes: Omegaverse, Fated Mates, Instalove, Curses, Royalty, Found Family, Injured Soldier, Tentacles, Shifted Sex
Locations: The Northern Silver Isles and The Deep
Synopsis:
Injured in the line of duty, Luca, a shark-tailed merman from the Norther Silver Isles, is forced to take time off to recover from his injuries. Ashamed and feeling worthless for letting the royal family down, he relents and accepts the opportunity to stay in a small cottage by the sea. The mating call has been a persistent beacon for the past month, but he’s ignored it because he knows his mate is from the Deep. When the Sea Witch sends her general, Kristoff, away on a forced vacation, he decides it’s time to heed the mating call and heads to the Northern Silver Isles. But can two grumpy soldiers from disparate kingdoms find common ground?
My Review:
As it’s a novella, this side story is a lovely bite-sized morsel that introduces us to the Deep ahead of the final novel. I enjoyed watching Luca and Kristoff getting to know each other and learning about the differences between the Northern Silver Isles and the Deep. I adored Luca’s shark companion, Horus, and their telepathic connection. As per usual, CW Gray delivers a sweet story punctuated with brief angsty moments, fluff, and spice.
A Mate from the Deep by CW Gray (Book 2.5 [Novella])
![A Mate from the Deep by CW Gray (Book 2.5 [Novella])](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JCcOGdkmL._SY346_.jpg)
Final Thoughts:
If it weren’t obvious, so far I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Silver Isles series — all the angsty moments, the fluff, especially the animals, the kids, and the friendships — and eagerly await the upcoming final installment called The Sea Witch, an M/M/M romance between Prince Kai of the Southern Silver Isles, Prince Seamus of the Northern Silver Isles, and Sea Witch Marlowe of the Deep.
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
CW Gray writes Omegaverse M/M romance in the paranormal and science fiction genres.
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Have you read The Silver Isles series? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
~~If you like books about mermaids, check out my Mermay reclist~~
Does she still write? I’ve been waiting for the last book of this series for years but she’s basically disappeared
Sorry for the late reply (I didn’t see your comment until now). She had a 2022 blog post talking about grief and writing (her dad passed away) which understandably has an impact on writing. But it looks like she put out two books last year in other series (which is great news). The blog post also mentioned that the characters weren’t cooperating for the final book but she’s determined to finish this series before starting another paranormal romance series. So to me that sounds very positive. Writing is hard, and I feel like we’ll get that final book when it’s ready to come (and it will be all the better for marinating rather than forcing and rushing it). Thanks so much for your comment 😉