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The Sea Witch: A Little Mermaid Retelling (For the Love of the Villain, #1) by Rebecca F. Kenney

Sypnosis
When Averil saves a young man from a shipwreck, she thinks she feels the Soul Echo--the sign that the young human male is her one true mate. And the malevolent Sea Witch is all too happy to offer a deal that could make all her dreams come true. He wants her to win the prince's heart--even coaches her in the art of seduction. But what is the real price of the Sea Witch's help? Why is he more brutally beautiful--and charming--than Averil expected?

[TW/CW: age gap between fantasy characters, violence, abuse, torture, murder, sexual threat, self-harm, explicit intimacy/spicy scenes, inexperienced/virgin female main character]

Review:
This version is not your sweet little retelling of a Disney classic. No, this version is dark and spicy with a male sea witch and a mermaid named Averil, who believes the prince she has saved is her heart's true mate. The only way for sure she is to know is to head to the surface and be with him and she must bargain with the Sea Witch of the sea in order to do so. With bargains made and Averil finally able to gain legs to be on land and with her prince, Averil finds that she could be wrong in her assessment of the prince and even more that the handsome Sea Witch is causing all sorts of changes in her feelings that make her even more uncertain of her heart.

I don't remember where I caught sight of this book. I can say it was not Book Tok because I had not seen it pop up there and if it had, I must have missed it somewhere lost within the many videos of reviews. I have always enjoyed books where the villain gets the girl. You may find them aplenty within the dark romances, but there are few that stand out. This book held my interest from the first page until the very last. I loved the characters, world-building, and storyline. It may have followed some of the storylines for The Little Mermaid, but it pretty much ends there. There are darker themes and sexual tension felt from the very beginning between Zoltan and Averil.

I love the twists this book brings. It is different and a quick read for anyone looking for something that won't overwhelm you. From what I have seen, this book is the first in a series. I don't know how many books are projected to be in this series, but nevertheless, I am looking forward to seeing how each one is.

Genre:
Dark, Retellings, Fantasy, Romance, Mermaids, Adult, Monsters, Fairytales, Spicy Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Age Gap, Witches, Smut, Erotica

Stars:

4.7 out of 5