Customer Reviews

Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed Virginia Kantra's Sea Witch (Children of the Sea, Book 1) so much that I was counting down the days until Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2) was released and I was not disappointed.

If I were to debate the merits of the two, I could argue that Sea Witch (Children of the Sea, Book 1) had the better mystery, but on the other side, Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2) has a better romance (and that's saying something because I really enjoyed Caleb and Margred's romance) and better character development because the motivations of the characters felt very real and understandable.

Regina Barrone grew up on World's End. Due to circumstances, she returned to the island to work at her mother's restaurant and make a life for herself and her young son. But as any single parent can tell you, it gets lonely and Regina is no exception to that rule. So on one night, a slightly drunk Regina and not so drunk Dylan hook up.

It was a one night stand that had consequences that goes long past that night.

Dylan Hunter is the older brother of Caleb (Sea Witch's hero). He's also the sibling who pulled the selkie bloodline when he turned 13. As such, his mother and he disappeared into the sea. He's determined to remain a selkie, but his prince, Conn, has ordered him back to World's End, the island of his childhood, to find out why the demon world is interested in the goings on and if it has anything to do with a prophecy that involves Dylan's mother and their bloodline.

Once Dylan returns to the island, he finds himself drawn back to Regina and her life as he finds that Regina may be as much in danger as Margred before her. In spite of himself, he is drawn into the human world that he wants to run from but cannot.

The strength of Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2) isn't in the paranormal plotline. That's the flavoring, but not the meal of the story. The strength is in the characters. Regina is proud and prickly with every reason to be. Dylan has issues about his mother, his father, and his own identity conflict. Regina's mother Antonia is more strongwilled and stubborn than her daughter. Regina's son, Nick, loves his mother, wouldn't mind a father, but has reservation of his own as Dylan and Regina seem to grow closer. Add to that mix is the tenuous brotherly bonds between Dylan and Caleb as well as Dylan's difficulty in coming to terms with his father and you've got a story that doesn't completely rely on the novelty of the paranormal touches.

In fact, the paranormal touches are almost a distraction. Almost but not quite. Because the world of the selkie, the humans and the demon world are colliding and this installment of the series highlights that conflict that is coming.

What Kantra does well is that she balances the two elements: the characters interaction and the action. In Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2), the characters drove the action more than the action driving the characters and I really liked that.

Still, there was enough action and intrigue and questions still hanging in the air to set up for the next installment of the series, Sea Lord, which isn't due out until 2009.

As I did with Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2), I am looking forward to that book and read Lucy's story.

I was LOVING the supernatural theme in this book. It was extremely well written, and though I don't usually like heroines that are moms already, it wasn't as much of a damper on the book as I thought it would be. The intimate scenes were so erotic, (more so than many of the other novels I've read). The author's usage of explicit language added the right touch to the story and kept me clinging on for more.

I see why this got 5 stars from everyone else. Tender, sincere, and deeply passionate. You will be impressed!

Regina Barone is lonely. She is a single mom raising her eight years old son Nick while working as a cook at her mom's lobster shack on the Maine barrier island World's End where she was born. She has no personal life at all and no hope for one in the future as she personally understands the name of her home.

While the town celebrates a wedding, a depressed Regina sneaks away to get drunk at the beach; she miserably thinks she has no one to share her bottle with. However that proves wrong because Dylan, brother to the groom police chief Caleb Hunter, is also on the beach getting away from the festivities. His ruler the Selkie Prince sent him here to investigate a demon existence. The human and the Selkie are attracted to one another, but neither see a long term relationship brewing between them until danger makes both reassess their priorities.

This direct sequel to SEA WITCH is a fantastic romantic fantasy as Virginia Kantra enables the readers to look deep into the souls of a lonely single human mom and a Selkie. The story line enables the reader as we did in previous Children of the Sea tales to believe in the existence of Selkie and half-breed Selkie. Fans will enjoy this fine thriller as Selkie are a commitment phobic species as Dylan keeps on reminding himself even while he suffers from SEA FEVER caused by his attraction to a surface dweller.

Harriet Klausner

Regina Barone's hopes for finding Mr. Right go out the window as Caleb Hunter, the last eligible single man on the island, ties the knot with island newcomer Margred (Maggie). Judging men had never been her strong suit anyway, accounting for her status as a single mother of five year old Nick. At least Caleb had been pleased with her catering efforts and had given her the rest of the evening off. And so she slips off with a bottle of wine to wallow in her woes, but not for long. Out of the darkness appears a man she'd been two young to remember, Dylan Hunter, Caleb's long lost brother. Beware Regina, for although the sexy newcomer is undoubtedly different from anyone you've ever met, what he is looking for tonight is not commitment.

Dylan Hunter is a man of mystery to be sure. When Alice Hunter (a.k.a. Atargatis) had left her husband along with Caleb and his sister Lucy, she had taken the oldest son Dylan with her. When Dylan has reached puberty at thirteen he'd discovered his parents' secret the hard way. Imagine a teenaged boy suddenly transforming into a creature that he had never even known existed. Shortly thereafter Dylan had discovered his mother's pelt and returned it to her. She had taken him back with her to the sea. Imagine a confused teenaged boy opened up to a whole new world, a world of wonder beneath the waves where he would be immortal and never age. He draws his own conclusions and turns his back on the father he believed had betrayed his mother in the worst possible way.

When Dylan's mother drowns a year later in a fisherman's net, his resentment against the humans builds further. He is then fostered by the selkie prince Conn ap Llyr. Dylan sees the world in black and white. Either you are human or you are selkie. He is selkie; the family he'd left behind was human. He'd not given them much thought since. However, in reality the half breed selkie doesn't completely fit into his adopted world either. His heritage is a little too human for him to be considered for the prince's elite guard, the position he covets most. His selkie magic is weak as well and when he is finally given an important mission it just has to be in World's End, Maine. The peaceful island fishing town where he'd spent his childhood had recently experienced a fire demon attack. Two selkie females had been attacked, one brutally murdered. The other, Margred had been rescued by his brother Caleb and two had fallen madly in love.

Dylan had followed Margred to the island and now chafing in his human wedding attire, he goes in seach of what selkies desire most, sex, and happens upon a lonely and slightly drunk Regina. It doesn't take much of Dylan's considerable seduction capabilities to convince her as Regina has been alone for a very long time, unfortunately neither is thinking of birth control until it's too late. Dylan plans to walk away and not look but then he is assigned the job to discover the reason for the sudden shift in the balance among the elementals and how it relates to the human race. He is also told of a prophesy which claims that a daughter of the line of Atargatis will one day change the balance of power between the forces of good and evil and the destiny of her people. Since Lucy is obviously human (at least that's what everyone believes), the only current possibility would be a female child of Caleb's union with Margred, until he learns that Regina might be pregnant and as the fire demons' focus shifts from Margred to his woman and her young son, Dylan finds himself drawn back into the world of humans not by duty but by love. But is love enough?

As much as I loved SEA WITCH, as with most first books in a series much of the tale was given to setting up the plot. Caleb had not had an easy life to be sure, but for the most part one felt he had his act together. Dylan on the other hand has so many issues to work out. His perception of his parent's marriage, whether true or not (there are some details in SEA FEVER which lead you to believe it was not quite so simple) left him bitter and resentful. Yet there are moments when you feel his wistfulness beneath his carefully laid mask of indifference to the world he left behind. His feelings for Regina, her son, and their future child contrast sharply with his deep love of the sea. But as danger threatens what is his, he finds his true strength and the choice becomes simple. Regina is great as well. She's been rejected in the worst possible way and has picked herself up and gone on with her life. She is a strong woman who loves deeply, enough to let Dylan go if it is what he needs. She never asks him to be anything but what he is and I think this makes it all the easier for him to let the past go and embrace all of what he is. I have no doubt we will see him again in selkie form soon, for although the demons have been thwarted temporarily they are sure to regroup, but I'm equally certain that the prodigal son is back home to stay.

The youngest Hunter sibling, Lucy's, story is next. The prince himself is her romantic interest. We are not yet sure if Dylan's child is female and Margred is pressuring Caleb for a baby as well, but I'm not ready to count Lucy out just yet. Although those who appear to be in the know believe her to be human, I'm not so sure. In SEA WITCH it was revealed that Lucy became violently ill when she traveled any distance from the sea. Hm, and in SEA FEVER Dylan observed that he felt compelled to look away any time he tried to examine his sister closely, as if glamour was being employed. Lucy was a very young infant when her mother took Dylan home to sea. Caleb had left home by the time Lucy reached puberty and their broken hearted father had long since retreated into his bottle. What if Lucy herself had experienced a change she had no way of understanding with no one to explain to her what was happening or why? She hasn't been let in on Margred and Dylan's secrets either so she'd have no way of knowing she was not alone. Why would she tell anyone? An interesting thought, no? I definitely can't wait to find out. In addition to learning Lucy's secrets, and how her romance progresses, I'm looking forward to seeing her estranged family knit itself further together (I'm really looking for them to reel their father back in) and of course to see how the prophesy is fulfilled. In the meantime I highly recommend SEA FEVER for an emotional and engrossing character driven paranormal romance and sequel to the equally fascinating plot driven SEA WITCH. I hope Ms. Kantra keeps mixing it up, I am seriously enjoying this series. All I can say is wow! Look for SEA LORD in 2009. ~ reviewed for PNR Reviews

Alright, I can admit when I'm wrong. I shouldn't have waited so long to try this series again. I got rec'ed it by one of my friends, but I did not like the first book in the series at all. I agreed to try again, but even after I got the book I put off reading it.

Last night, as I was browsing my shelves looking for a book, I spotted this one. I added it to my "Currently-Reading" shelf, read a chapter, and took it back off the shelf. I browsed my shelves again looking for something else before forcing myself to pick the book back up to get it out of the way. It's not that I'd heard bad things about this book, I was just in the mood for a good book and based on the first book I was pretty confident that this wouldn't be it. But I was wrong.

The worldbuilding still isn't very deep, but with a more enjoyable storyline it didn't bother me like it did before. That, or I just expected it this time around.

The biggest difference (a positive one) from the first book was the relationship and the characters. It was really hard for me to like Margred because she came off as pretty selfish and cold. I get that selkie's are all about themselves, but that really doesn't endear them to me. I expected more of the same from Dylan, but it was completely different.

Dylan acted cold and removed, but he could never keep it up for long. Under the surface he had countless emotions and fears that he refused to acknowledge because selkies didn't feel or want the way he did. I loved watching him slowly get closer to Regina while resisting it at the same time. His reluctant sentiment and caring were all the more sweet and special because they were done despite himself.

Regina took a bit longer for me to warm up to, but it wasn't long before I liked her too. I liked that she was so independent and didn't cling. The very fact that she didn't made her perfect for Dylan because it forced him to reach out and acknowledge that he needed the little signs of affection too.

I liked that Nick wasn't just cast as a token character. Kids are too often used strictly as a plot device and are then relegated to the shadows until it's convenient for them to come back out again and be precocious. That didn't happen with Nick. Regina actually treated him like a real son and feared his growing connection with Dylan. She never forgot him and she didn't let Dylan either.

I enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that bugged me. For one, once again this relationship is started with a one night stand. Is this how every book by her is going to start? I'm not really a fan of this plot device so I hope not. Also, Regina sure did accept the existence of selkies with no problem. I know Dylan needed that acceptance, but a little disbelief wouldn't have been amiss.

After enjoying this one so much I'm a lot more excited about reading the next one. I've heard this series just gets better and better with each book, so it should be a good one.

Dylan Hunter is a selkie who has returned to his small town home of World's End after 25 years away. Regina is a single mom who also returned home to World's End several years ago when she was pregnant and alone. When they meet at Dylan's brothers wedding they are instantly attracted to each other and end up having a night of passion with dire consequences.

Dylan and Regina both thought their night together was a one time thing and that Dylan would disappear again. However, he's been charged by the selkie prince to return to World's End and keep an eye on the demon activity. Spending time with Regina is the perfect cover for why he's hanging around, but he finds it's not really a cover and he enjoys spending time with her. Can he protect her from the demon while he protects his heart from these human emotions he's feeling?

Book two in the Children of the Sea series has the same tortured selkie and troubled human dynamic, but this time the selkie is male and the human female. I felt the connection between Dylan and Regina much more than I did the lead characters in the previous book. They spend time getting to know each other and Dylan stands by Regina despite his uncomfortable "human" feelings for her.

The passion Dylan and Regina have for each other sizzles off the page. The writing is poignant and evocative and really tugged at my emotions. I'd like to see the conflict with the demons develop more, as with this book and the last one, they seem like pretty weak antagonists and there isn't much tension when they are confronted. The demons trying to drag the sea children into war is an overarching theme in the books, but takes a back seat to the romance aspect. Don't get me wrong, I love the romance, but I think to keep this series interesting the back story needs to become more developed. Still a story not to be missed, as it does keep getting better.

I recently purchased this book. It is one of several in a series. I have just started reading paranormal romance books and they are all very exciting. I adore all of them. And I must say that it came in great condition. Not a lot of wear a & tear. I would recommend this particular site for anyone that likes to have books @ a reasonable price.

More of a romance this time than the first book. There was less action and mystery, but Kantra kept the book very hot with steamy romance. I also liked the fact that the hero's character (not wanting to claim his human side) kept true to his character. Kantra slowly coaxed his relationship which made it all the more interesting to read.

When the last eligible bachelor on her island marries, single mom, Regina sees her chance to marry disappear. Now she is also the caterer for Caleb's wedding. Could fate be more evil to her? She grabs a bottle of wine and goes to the beach to console herself, where she suddenly meets Caleb's long lost brother, Dylan Hunter.
Dylan is a mysterious man, he is half human, half selkie. Due to several occurrences he resents everything human and prefers a life in the sea, but his prince sent him to the island to investigate the sudden Demon interest in the island. Although once he discovers Regina he is interested in something other than his mission. They spend the night with each other, but both of them forget about birth control and suddenly it could be that they are part of a prophecy, although Dylan just wanted one night without commitment. What will the future bring for them?

SEA FEVER has with the Selkies legend, a not so typical element of the paranormal romance world and sets itself apart from the rest, which I really like. Ms. Kantra tells her readers not only the interesting development of the love story of Regina and Dylan, but you get also more information on the Hunter family history. Therefore I recommend that you read SEA WITCH before starting with SEA FEVER, I made the mistake of not doing that and I couldn't get a copy of SEA WITCH fast enough, so learn from my mistake.
Ms. Kantra delivers with SEA FEVER a very entertaining story, with unusual characters. Regina as well as Dylan are complex characters and the reader will soon get enthralled by Ms. Kantra's story telling. Personally I had a hard time to put this book down and I can hardly wait to read the next book, SEA LORD, which will be released May 2009.

Courtesy of Loveromances and More!

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Single mother Regina Barrone has come to the conclusion she will never find that one love that surpasses everything and is resigned to never marrying. On the night of World's End sheriff Caleb Hunter's wedding to Margred (see Sea Witch), a lonely and drunk Regina finds a welcome distraction on the beach.

Dylan Hunter grew up on the island until he turned thirteen and discovered the legacy of his mother's kind, the selkie, had awakened in him. Dylan refers the freedom of the sea but his prince has other plans. Demons have lately taken an interest in World's End and Dylan's mission is to find out why. That mission is hampered however when a night of passion on the beach brings forth desires Dylan never anticipated.

As Dylan and Regina deal with the ramifications of their night together, danger grows closer. For it appears the demons have a reason for their attacks on the island and Dylan's human family is at the center of it all. What exactly does that ancient prophecy of the selkie have to do with Dylan's family? As he tries to solve the mystery, it becomes apparent Regina and her son are the victims and Dylan must put all of his strengths, selkie and human, to the ultimate test.

The threat builds and circumstances grow more dire as more about why the demons are so interested in World's End comes to light in Sea Fever. Tension mounts as the demons begin to push harder to extend their influence on the island. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that events unfolding in Sea Fever are minor compared to what will happen in the great battle still to come. Kantra is brilliant at engaging our emotions in the continuing conflict. I was on the edge of my seat many times, most especially where Regina's desperation to protect Nick are concerned as we see just how far a mother will go to save her child.

Dylan and Regina make quite a pair. Regina is strong willed and extremely sensitive where her family is involved. Dylan has so many issues to overcome, most of which are related to his duality: man and selkie, sea and land. I wondered how Virginia Kantra would resolve his story after Sea Witch. He is so confused and torn, almost cold as he tries to hide his emotions behind a mask of indifference to the humans surrounding him. As his heart slowly melts and he uncovers years of emotion long bottled up his love for Regina grows.

Virginia Kantra's Sea Fever, another wonderful installment in the Children of the Sea series, is at the core a novel about relationships. We have the most obvious, the love story of Dylan and Regina but there is so much more to this one. We delve into the history of the Hunter family, finding out so much about the relationship of Dylan's parents and how that affected their three children. Then there is the story of Regina and her son Nick, as well as the complicated relationship between Regina and her overbearing but well meaning mother Antonia. Then there are the ties between siblings as Dylan, Caleb, and sister Lucy as they try to find common ground once more after everything they ever believed about their family is put to the test.

I for one cannot wait to see what will happen next in Sea Lord, out next year, which tells Lucy's story.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2008. All rights reserved.