Customer Reviews

A Mermaid's Ransom

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A Mermaid's Ransom by Joey W. Hill
Paranormal Romance- Dec 1, 2009
4 ½ stars


Joey Hill has out done herself with the third installment in her mermaid series. This daring book explores the dark side of human nature. What is really evil?

In her latest book, Alexis (the daughter of the angel Jonah and the mermaid Anna) has always kept herself slightly apart because her power to feel other's emotions can be overwhelming. When she begins to have erotic dreams of a mysterious and sensuous lover she is troubled but not worried. Unfortunately, Alexis does not realize she is part of magical spell of binding. The man of her dreams is actually real and part of an evil world where there is only death and despair. During one of her dreams Alexis suddenly finds herself transported to the Dark One world where she finds herself a hostage.

Dante has dreamed of this moment. His spell has worked and the goddaughter of the witch who trapped him here will finally do his bidding. Dante plans to use Alexis as leverage in an attempt to get the witch to open the doorway into his mother's world. A world of freedom from the Dark One world. Dante is half vampire and half Dark One and as such is feared innately evil. To survive in this harsh work he has killed and sacrificed. When his vampire mother was brought to this world, she was raped and grew pregnant with him. Both were unable to escape. Dante has had to: beg, scrape and terrorize to gain his independence in a world that only respects violence and cruelty. To survive he has had to be cunning and brutal. When his mother finally went insane and died, Dante only had the cherished stories of her world and vowed to find his way there no matter the cost. But when Dante transports Alexis into his world her beauty and gentle nature make him feel emotions he has never felt before. With Alexis he finds there is another side to life, one that scares as well as enthralls him. As he reaches for the world that was stolen from him he must come to grips with his past of violence. One which he realizes Alexis has no part of.

This was a thrilling read from start to finish as I was quickly drawn in the powerful relationship between Dante and Alexis. Each needed each other to realize their full potential. Alexis may be gentle and caring but she in extremely understanding with her empathetic skills. She is the ideal person to accept Dante's special individuality as she guides him in this new world. Her courage and fortitude as she stands up and stands beside Dante are inspiring. As Dante grows and realizes the new world he has claimed is not easily mastered I was fascinated with his odd mix of: shrewdness, naivety and ability to work through his troubled past. Dante is the most darkly charismatic hero I have ever read. Even as I was repelled by his past I was enthralled by his compelling nature. His drive to change himself and make sense of his new world was transforming and mesmerizing to read.

I really feel Mermaid's Ransom pushes the envelope. For anyone who is bored with the typical romance and loves the paranormal, this is a book you will not soon forget. It is both edgy and magical. I would not recommend it for readers who enjoy light romances. The scenes between Dante and Alexis are sexually charged and the many characters are not cut and dried. Dante's struggle to make sense of his new world and redeem himself with the help of Alexis was gripping and intense. And Dante's history of violence and torment do not make him an easy hero to read. As he fights against his dark and dominant nature there is very real angst and emotion. This is a memorable book that I found difficult to let go!

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Mermaid's Kiss and decided to read the subsequent books A Witch's Beauty & A Mermaid's Ransom. The very dark theme of the subsequent books was such a contrast to the first one. While the first one was by no means light reading, it was nowhere near as dark as this book which included the hero being repeatedly rape/sodomized while growing up & living in the Dark World...not to mention David being forced to have sex with his mother in A Witch's Beauty. There was nothing that twisted in the storyline of the first one which would make me expect this kind of thing when I started to read these books.

I would've given this book a 4 star but the switch to the more violent abusive theme just kinda turned me off.

Ms. Hill has created a world worse than Hell. Hell is about redemption, but in the Dark One world, there is only utter evil. No light. I cannot express how much her work affects me. I was honestly horrified at the evil of Dante's world, where murder was not bad, only blinked at, accepted. Dante is a savage, beastial creature who, at first, seems incapable of anything beyond violence. Meet Lex, a girl whose happy little world is smashed apart when she realizes that she does not get to choose who she loves. Lex's life is ripped open and made vulnerable to the evil of the human heart. A MUST read. You will NOT be sorry.

The merangel daughter of Jonah and Anna, Alexis has been sheltered, coddled and loved her entire life, not just by her parents but by an entire battalion of angels and sea creatures alike. Her mere presence alone is enough to brighten even the most hardened of hearts and the joy she brings to others is enormous. Her empathetic abilities, or her gift, as her parents like to call them, help her know the emotions of others, even when they overwhelm her. Able to force frightening images from her mind, Alexis is surprised and somewhat afraid when she begins dreaming of a sinister and dark lover, especially since bad things in life have never touched her. And she has most definitely never been touched by anything remotely resembling the Dark World. Alas, her mysterious dream lover is a dream, right? Alexis has no idea the lengths a Dark One will go to escape the prison in which he lives.

Half vampire and half Dark Spawn, Dante is a Dark One who was banished to this horrible Dark World twenty years ago by the sea witch, Mina after a horrific battle between light and dark. After searching and scavenging for anything he could find to help his escape, Dante has finally found the means to open a portal to leave his prison and Alexis is the means by which he can make his escape. Kidnapping her to the world in which he is imprisoned, and with thoughts of her ransom topmost in his mind, Dante doesn't care what happens to the tiny beauty. His only concerns are his freedom and how to obtain it. With one touch of his hand upon her body, Dante never believed that his dark nature would want to possess something as adorable as the merangel in his arms. With his freedom in sight, Dante has to make a decision. Will he sacrifice his freedom for Alexis or will she be the salvation he needs in order to begin living? His past, however, isn't so forgiving and previous indiscretions and sinister deeds come back to haunt him. Will Alexis be able to save the lover she craves or will his dark side win out in a battle for dominance?

A Mermaid's Ransom is everything I hoped it would be and then some. Not a happy joy and snugly bunnies kind of romance, it is more dark and dreary. The first few chapters might be difficult for readers expecting a pretty romance - they made me tear up more than once. The heroine, Alexis, is an innocent, one of the most innocent characters I have yet to meet. Her innocence is in her goodness and inherent idea that all people with a soul have certain decency within them. Her devotion to Dante never falters, nor do her feelings for this hardened vampire. In everything there must be a balance and Dante and Alexis were the scales on which good and evil were weighed.

Joey W. Hill has deftly penned an unchanging story of light and goodness versus darkness and evil. Dante has no idea what love is, he never experienced anything of the sort growing up in the Dark World. Dante knows how to invoke pain and tenderness is beyond him. Or so he thinks. While Dante might think he is evil incarnate and often showed his evil side, his treatment of Alexis was Dominant but tender. His thoughts and feelings for her confused him, except he knew one thing and one thing only. She was his and he takes the necessary steps to keep her with him. Forever.

A Mermaid's Ransom now holds first place in my heart as my favorite Joey W. Hill novel to date. Good versus evil, love verses hate, light versus dark. I felt every range of emotion experienced by the characters and can't help but highly recommend A Mermaid's Ransom - in fact, consider this outstanding book joyfully recommended!

Please note that A Mermaid's Ransom is the third book of a series, and as such, I feel it is important to go back and read book one, A Mermaid's Kiss (the story of Alexis' parents), as well as book two, A Witch's Beauty (the story of Mina, Alexis godmother and the witch who imprisoned Dante so long ago). You won't be sorry.

Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I love paranormal romances.if I'm addicted to any thing it;s reading.I keep my books and some I've reread so many times they are falling apart.joey hill's book's are keepers.kathryn h.

I love all of Joey W. Hill's books! This is just another great romance from her.... Very good read and I would suggest reading the pre-quals to the story line first.

This is the story of Alexis, the daughter of Anna and Jonah from the wonderful Mermaid's Kiss. Alexis had been sheltered and brought up surrounded by love.

She starts having dreams of an incredibly sexy but lonely man, and the next thing she knows he's taken her prisoner.

Dante, who was a minor character in A Witch's Beauty has taken Alexis as his way to finally escape the Dark one world. He is a very wounded hero but the evolution of his relationship with Alexis is truly a beautiful story.

This is a stand-alone but there are characters from Mermaids Kiss and A Witch's beauty in the story, and really if you haven't already read those, you should! :-)

Highly recommended!

A Mermaid's Ransom was very good, a perfect sequal to A Mermaid's Kiss. I was very excited to start this book after finishing the first one, I must admit it's darker than the first one but that's the author wanted it. I recommand this book to anyone who's looking for a steamy, sensual, and very sexual romance. Make sure you read them all!!! :D I loved this book!!!

~Ariel~

After reading A Mermaid's Kiss and A Witches Beauty, I couldn't wait for this book to come out....I absolutely loved it. I hope that Mrs. Hill's next book will be on the daughter of Mina. Now that book will be exciting. Especially if Marcellus falls in love with her.

Joey W Hill is relatively new to me, having read almost all her books just this year...still, I cant get enough, and A Mermaids Ransom was one of my favorites...I just love her writing style, with all the emotion and detail to her characters...She really made me feel for Dante, who was evil, but still a victim also...and Alexis was pure goodness, like her mother, Anna...I love this series, although I guess she wont be writing anymore of them, its too bad because I kind of felt like this story wasnt really over..I would like to see where exactly these characters ended up...and there were a few other characters, Clara and Marcellus who could use a story also...I especially liked how Joey W Hill intersected other series in these books, with David the Angel and Lyssa the Vampire queen...what a surprise, since I had read the other books relating to these two characters..I thoroughly enjoyed this series and the Vampire Queen also, since I really like paranormal romance...everyone should read anything written by Joey Hill!!!