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Merfolk Trilogy #3
Beneath a Sapphire Sea
Beneath the shimmering, sunlit surface of the ocean there lives a race of rare and wondrous men and women. They have walked upon the land, but their true heritage is as beings of the sea. Now their people face a grave peril. And one woman holds the key to their survival...
SHE WAS A SULTRY SIREN WITH AN UNDISCOVERED HERITAGE
A scholar of sea lore, Meredith had come to the Greek island to follow her academic pursuits. But in one magical meeting she gazed into the mesmerizing blue eyes of a proud, determined warrior of the sea...and was eternally linked with a world far more elusive and mysteriously seductive than her own. For she alone possessed a scroll that held the secrets of his people. She alone was their only hope. And she alone would surrender to the powers of a love destined by the tides.
HE WAS AN AZURE-EYED WARRIOR OF A LONG-FORGOTTEN RACE
With eyes that told the stories of eternity, Galen lured this exquisite woman to join him in a battle for power beneath the sea. For now Galen's clan faces two enemies: Anastas, who wars against his own people, and a deadly unseen foe. He will cross into Meredith's world to choose her as a bold warrior for his people--and as his only love. He will share with her the secrets of a realm beyond time and imagining, and together they will emerge victorious as the keepers of its fate...or see its fragile beauty destroyed forever.
SHE WAS A SULTRY SIREN WITH AN UNDISCOVERED HERITAGE
A scholar of sea lore, Meredith had come to the Greek island to follow her academic pursuits. But in one magical meeting she gazed into the mesmerizing blue eyes of a proud, determined warrior of the sea...and was eternally linked with a world far more elusive and mysteriously seductive than her own. For she alone possessed a scroll that held the secrets of his people. She alone was their only hope. And she alone would surrender to the powers of a love destined by the tides.
HE WAS AN AZURE-EYED WARRIOR OF A LONG-FORGOTTEN RACE
With eyes that told the stories of eternity, Galen lured this exquisite woman to join him in a battle for power beneath the sea. For now Galen's clan faces two enemies: Anastas, who wars against his own people, and a deadly unseen foe. He will cross into Meredith's world to choose her as a bold warrior for his people--and as his only love. He will share with her the secrets of a realm beyond time and imagining, and together they will emerge victorious as the keepers of its fate...or see its fragile beauty destroyed forever.
437 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Bryan
4 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 26, 2014
I read a raving review for this book on a romance column and was so interested by the unique storyline that I had to buy it! So I went on Amazon to order it and found that it was out of print. I kind of panicked because most good books that are out of print are extremely expensive. I found one for a penny, though! So exciting!
Meredith, a landwoman and historian, goes to the Greek islands to study ancient legends about the sea. While there, she comes across Galen, a mysterious and very sexy man with rippling muscles and long dark hair. He claims to also be a scholar and offers to show her around. Meredith soon learns that Galen is different. He can read an ancient language even the most learned scholars can't identify, he has no problems at all with being wet, and he has heightened senses. She soon learns he is a mer-man.
Galen's people and friends are dying of a mysterious illness that apparently only Meredith can remedy. Galen knows this, but Meredith has no idea who she is or the knowledge she possesses. As Galen sets out to gain this knowledge, he falls in love with her and she with him. A lasting bond is formed between the two of them as they begin their journey together to save Galen's people and learn the truth about Meredith.
I just finished the book last night and I must say that it was SO worth the effort I put in to getting a copy of this book in my possession. I loved it! The descriptions Jessica Bryan writes are beautifully written. I felt like I was the one swimming through the water, gazing at all the scenery, and feeling all the feelings the characters felt. I got so wrapped up in the story and the characters that I became unaware of my own surroundings. I was very skeptical of a merfolk romance, but it was amazingly done and I already ordered used copies of Jessica's prequels, also about merfolk. Yay!
Meredith, a landwoman and historian, goes to the Greek islands to study ancient legends about the sea. While there, she comes across Galen, a mysterious and very sexy man with rippling muscles and long dark hair. He claims to also be a scholar and offers to show her around. Meredith soon learns that Galen is different. He can read an ancient language even the most learned scholars can't identify, he has no problems at all with being wet, and he has heightened senses. She soon learns he is a mer-man.
Galen's people and friends are dying of a mysterious illness that apparently only Meredith can remedy. Galen knows this, but Meredith has no idea who she is or the knowledge she possesses. As Galen sets out to gain this knowledge, he falls in love with her and she with him. A lasting bond is formed between the two of them as they begin their journey together to save Galen's people and learn the truth about Meredith.
I just finished the book last night and I must say that it was SO worth the effort I put in to getting a copy of this book in my possession. I loved it! The descriptions Jessica Bryan writes are beautifully written. I felt like I was the one swimming through the water, gazing at all the scenery, and feeling all the feelings the characters felt. I got so wrapped up in the story and the characters that I became unaware of my own surroundings. I was very skeptical of a merfolk romance, but it was amazingly done and I already ordered used copies of Jessica's prequels, also about merfolk. Yay!
July 5, 2021
I read this book as the result of a deal I made with my ex-wife. I love fantasy. I had recently discovered a new fantasy series i wanted her read. She was reluctant to try it though. She was into romance novels. So we made a deal. I would read a romance novel of her choosing and she would read a fantasy novel that i would choose. She chose this one for me, and i was pleasantly surprised!
I have always loved books dealing with the ocean - especially legendary sea-dwelling creatures. One of my favorites are selkies. And this one had selkies! :) I was surprised to find that the romantic elements didn't bother me as much as i thought they would, and the fantastic elements were very well done.
I am still not a huge fan of romance, but at least now - after reading this book - i am a little more open minded about them!
I have always loved books dealing with the ocean - especially legendary sea-dwelling creatures. One of my favorites are selkies. And this one had selkies! :) I was surprised to find that the romantic elements didn't bother me as much as i thought they would, and the fantastic elements were very well done.
I am still not a huge fan of romance, but at least now - after reading this book - i am a little more open minded about them!
January 14, 2025
Pros:
-This book definitely kept my attention
-A lot of the descriptions, especially when it came to the ocean, were super vivid. You could almost smell the salt air of the beach, see Meredith standing in the window staring out.
-I don't think I've read another book quite like this one
-I think it works pretty well as a fantasy. It's no Tolkien, but the mer- culture was interesting to read about, as was their relationship with the Selkies and some of the history behind the world/culture/people.
-I liked that this book didn't really shy away from darker themes. People die. There is some implied torture, but that was fade to black so it shouldn't be super triggering.
-Beautiful cover art
-Pretty well paced. There were only a few points where the story dragged a little.
Cons:
-I really didn't like this as a romance. As a fantasy I think the book holds water, but if I were to tally up each time the main characters interacted (), I would find that they really never spoke about themselves? There was no big self-disclosure moment. I don't think Galen knows anything about Meredith's history except for the thing about her mom, and everything Meredith knows about Galen, she learned from other people. It just isn't very cute or romantic to me.
-The merfolk were all super shallow and vain? Maybe that was the point, but the whole "oh yeah merfolk are just objectively superior to anything above the surface. Ya'll are savages compared to us" thing was actually really annoying to read. I don't want my main protagonists to have a superiority complex. Again, it was unclear to me whether I was meant to agree that the merfolk are the next best thing to sliced bread, or whether their hubris was meant to be some kind of downfall.
-Weird environmental messaging shoehorned in at the very end? Fell flat because it didn't really amount to much or have much of an impact on the overall plot.
-Meredith was a compelling character for a few seconds but became a Mary Sue really really quickly.
-This book definitely kept my attention
-A lot of the descriptions, especially when it came to the ocean, were super vivid. You could almost smell the salt air of the beach, see Meredith standing in the window staring out.
-I don't think I've read another book quite like this one
-I think it works pretty well as a fantasy. It's no Tolkien, but the mer- culture was interesting to read about, as was their relationship with the Selkies and some of the history behind the world/culture/people.
-I liked that this book didn't really shy away from darker themes. People die. There is some implied torture, but that was fade to black so it shouldn't be super triggering.
-Beautiful cover art
-Pretty well paced. There were only a few points where the story dragged a little.
Cons:
-I really didn't like this as a romance. As a fantasy I think the book holds water, but if I were to tally up each time the main characters interacted (), I would find that they really never spoke about themselves? There was no big self-disclosure moment. I don't think Galen knows anything about Meredith's history except for the thing about her mom, and everything Meredith knows about Galen, she learned from other people. It just isn't very cute or romantic to me.
-The merfolk were all super shallow and vain? Maybe that was the point, but the whole "oh yeah merfolk are just objectively superior to anything above the surface. Ya'll are savages compared to us" thing was actually really annoying to read. I don't want my main protagonists to have a superiority complex. Again, it was unclear to me whether I was meant to agree that the merfolk are the next best thing to sliced bread, or whether their hubris was meant to be some kind of downfall.
-Weird environmental messaging shoehorned in at the very end? Fell flat because it didn't really amount to much or have much of an impact on the overall plot.
-Meredith was a compelling character for a few seconds but became a Mary Sue really really quickly.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews