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Once Upon A Story #2
Once upon a Silent Song: A Little Mermaid Retelling
Fins to feet, a silenced voice, and a villain that must be stopped… How much do you really know about the Little Mermaid Fairytale?
As a Siren with a strong Voice, Nimue looks forward to joining the Protectors and using her Voice to help others. But it’s not all as it seems in the Siryian Sea. Her father, Varun, hates the humans and will stop at nothing to see them destroyed. When he orders Nimue to help the other Protectors to sink a ship, Nimue puts all of her strength into saving the ship and the humans on it, despite the odds against her.
For her defiance, Nimue’s Voice is taken from her. She has only two options of getting her Voice back: True Love’s Kiss or convincing her mother to reclaim the throne. Not one to believe in true love, Nimue puts her hope in her mother. But at the beginning of her quest, she ends up trapped on a ship full of humans going in the wrong direction. Forced to stay with them until they make it to land, Nimue finds herself drawn to Brandt, one of the humans.
Although True Love’s Kiss starts to look like a valid option as the mutual attraction between Brandt and Nimue grows, the strange cultural customs of these particular humans may make it impossible. True Love’s Kiss or not, Nimue has every intention of returning to the sea. But she may not get a kiss from Brandt without commitment.
Can Nimue convince Brandt to kiss her and free her Voice? And if she does succeed, will she be willing to pay the price?
The Once upon a Story series consists of interconnected standalones that can be read in any order.
As a Siren with a strong Voice, Nimue looks forward to joining the Protectors and using her Voice to help others. But it’s not all as it seems in the Siryian Sea. Her father, Varun, hates the humans and will stop at nothing to see them destroyed. When he orders Nimue to help the other Protectors to sink a ship, Nimue puts all of her strength into saving the ship and the humans on it, despite the odds against her.
For her defiance, Nimue’s Voice is taken from her. She has only two options of getting her Voice back: True Love’s Kiss or convincing her mother to reclaim the throne. Not one to believe in true love, Nimue puts her hope in her mother. But at the beginning of her quest, she ends up trapped on a ship full of humans going in the wrong direction. Forced to stay with them until they make it to land, Nimue finds herself drawn to Brandt, one of the humans.
Although True Love’s Kiss starts to look like a valid option as the mutual attraction between Brandt and Nimue grows, the strange cultural customs of these particular humans may make it impossible. True Love’s Kiss or not, Nimue has every intention of returning to the sea. But she may not get a kiss from Brandt without commitment.
Can Nimue convince Brandt to kiss her and free her Voice? And if she does succeed, will she be willing to pay the price?
The Once upon a Story series consists of interconnected standalones that can be read in any order.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2019
About the author
A.R. Summers
13 books18 followersA. R. Summers is addicted to chocolate and stories. Books have always been an essential part of her life, helping her find hope and overcome hardships. She wishes to pay forward the benefits she has gained from reading and aims to write stories that entertain, encourage, and inspire others. Although she reads just about every genre, all of her current story ideas fall within the realm of fantasy.
When Amber is not either writing or buried in someone else’s world, she spends time with her family and enjoys a myriad of other hobbies. She lives in a small town in the mountains of Arizona with her family. Amber would love to hear from you! Encouragement, constructive criticism, or even just a friendly hello are always welcome.
When Amber is not either writing or buried in someone else’s world, she spends time with her family and enjoys a myriad of other hobbies. She lives in a small town in the mountains of Arizona with her family. Amber would love to hear from you! Encouragement, constructive criticism, or even just a friendly hello are always welcome.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 2, 2019
Fins to feet, a silenced voice, and a villain that must be stopped... How much do you really know about The Little Mermaid fairytale?
As a Siren with a strong Voice, Nimue has always looked forward to joining the Protectors and using her Voice to help others. But not all is as it seems in the Siryian Sea. Her father, Varun, hates the humans and will stop at nothing to see them destroyed. When he orders Nimue to help the other Protectors sink any ship that crosses their borders, Nimue puts all her strength into saving a ship and the humans on it, despite the odds against her.
For her defiance, Nimue’s Voice is taken from her. And now, she has only two options of getting her Voice back—finding True Love’s Kiss or convincing her mother to reclaim the throne. Not one to believe in true love, Nimue puts her hope in her mother. But before she makes it very far, she is captured by humans sailing in the opposite direction of where she needs to go. Forced to stay with them until they make it to land, Nimue must rely on her outcast sister to find their mother and set things right. Unwilling to give in to her frustrations, she finds herself interacting with the humans and feeling drawn to the ship’s handsome young captain.
Although True Love’s Kiss starts to look like a valid option as the mutual attraction between Brandt and Nimue grows, the strange cultural customs of these islanders clash with her own in a way that may make it impossible.
Can Nimue convince Brandt to kiss her and free her Voice? And if she succeeds, will she be willing to pay the price?
This was such a lovely retelling of the Little Mermaid story.
It stays true to the original but also has it's own story there as well.
Wonderful world building happening here.
The characters are very lovingly written and fleshed out.
I love the plot and story line so much and it is very refreshing to read.
I recommend highly to read this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As a Siren with a strong Voice, Nimue has always looked forward to joining the Protectors and using her Voice to help others. But not all is as it seems in the Siryian Sea. Her father, Varun, hates the humans and will stop at nothing to see them destroyed. When he orders Nimue to help the other Protectors sink any ship that crosses their borders, Nimue puts all her strength into saving a ship and the humans on it, despite the odds against her.
For her defiance, Nimue’s Voice is taken from her. And now, she has only two options of getting her Voice back—finding True Love’s Kiss or convincing her mother to reclaim the throne. Not one to believe in true love, Nimue puts her hope in her mother. But before she makes it very far, she is captured by humans sailing in the opposite direction of where she needs to go. Forced to stay with them until they make it to land, Nimue must rely on her outcast sister to find their mother and set things right. Unwilling to give in to her frustrations, she finds herself interacting with the humans and feeling drawn to the ship’s handsome young captain.
Although True Love’s Kiss starts to look like a valid option as the mutual attraction between Brandt and Nimue grows, the strange cultural customs of these islanders clash with her own in a way that may make it impossible.
Can Nimue convince Brandt to kiss her and free her Voice? And if she succeeds, will she be willing to pay the price?
This was such a lovely retelling of the Little Mermaid story.
It stays true to the original but also has it's own story there as well.
Wonderful world building happening here.
The characters are very lovingly written and fleshed out.
I love the plot and story line so much and it is very refreshing to read.
I recommend highly to read this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 8, 2019
I really loved this little mermaid retelling! It’s different than the original but you can definitely see the resemblance between the tales. It was really cool that in this story, Nimue loses her voice not just because she wants to be able to go onto land to find her prince, but because she was willing to stand up for what she knew was right no matter the cost. Nim is an amazingly strong character who is never willing to give up even though the odds were stacked against her. The sirens in this story were neat as well since they could go on land without any difficulty and even within the ocean they had air pockets for eating and stuff. The whole world was very well built and the story was well written! The romance was very sweet and I was so happy with how the story ended! I also really enjoyed the nod to Cinderella that was added. This is definitely a young adult read, and I can tell you this, if I read this in middle school or high school I would have been over the moon about it! As it is, at 25, I still really loved it! Overall I highly recommend this book!
I received an ARC from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received an ARC from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
July 31, 2019
While this is book two in the Once Upon a Story series, all the books in the series are standalone stories, so you don't need to have read book one before reading book two (although it's a great story, so I'd definitely recommend adding it to your TBR list!). This retelling of The Little Mermaid was a great read, with a very interesting variation on the story. I'm not going to go into detail as I hate spoilers, and you can get an idea of what happens from the blurb above, but I'll just say that I highly recommend this book for all adult fairytale lovers, and those who love mermaid tales, and I'm looking forward to reading the author's next story.
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
August 8, 2019
As we continue the Once upon a story series, this book focuses on a retelling of the little mermaid. Nimue unlike most sirens, wants to use her voice to help others including humans and not harm them as she's been directed to do. Her disobedience cause her to lose her voice. She is given two options to return her voice and of course neither will be easy to accomplish. After being captured by humans, she starts to realize her mother taking back the throne is not the only way to regain her voice. Brandt the ships captain may be her savior in regaining her voice. Looking forward to what fairytale will come next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 17, 2020
This was a Little Mermaid re-telling, and I really liked this version. I liked that it was her sister who placed the "charm" on her that caused her to lose her voice, but she did it to help her when their wicked father wanted her to place a curse on her. Her sister does everything she can to help her get her voice back using the two "outs" that she put in the charm. The sisters want very much to see their wicked father off of the throne that he never was supposed to be on, and they have to find their mother for that to happen.
I wasn't real thrilled with the goddess worship and I didn't understand why a "true loves kiss" was one of the outs of the charm when sirens don't have monogamous relationships - they don't fall in love with their partners - but our heroine did fall in love with a human!
Overall I liked the story. It was a clean read, no language or sexual content, although there were a couple of suggestive areas, nothing strong.
I wasn't real thrilled with the goddess worship and I didn't understand why a "true loves kiss" was one of the outs of the charm when sirens don't have monogamous relationships - they don't fall in love with their partners - but our heroine did fall in love with a human!
Overall I liked the story. It was a clean read, no language or sexual content, although there were a couple of suggestive areas, nothing strong.
February 12, 2020
Loved this little mermaid!
I loved how both Nim and Mariska grow in this story! Summers does a great job of developing relationships! A clean, fun story that I read in an afternoon. I can't wait for more stories from this author! I would love to read Mariska's story also though. Strong heroine that's not afraid to accept help, magic, true love...what more could you ask for in a fairy tale?
I loved how both Nim and Mariska grow in this story! Summers does a great job of developing relationships! A clean, fun story that I read in an afternoon. I can't wait for more stories from this author! I would love to read Mariska's story also though. Strong heroine that's not afraid to accept help, magic, true love...what more could you ask for in a fairy tale?
July 28, 2019
The book is a good teen and young adult sweet romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good. The story is an enjoyable retelling of the Little Mermaid is an original take on the fairy tale but also being true to the original fairy tale.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 5, 2020
Once Upon a Silent Song
This is the 2nd book in the series. I could not get enough of this story. It sparks your imagination! Which characters are good and which will be bad. It is a Little Mermaid retelling. This is part of the fun! I can't wait to read more by this author!!!!!
This is the 2nd book in the series. I could not get enough of this story. It sparks your imagination! Which characters are good and which will be bad. It is a Little Mermaid retelling. This is part of the fun! I can't wait to read more by this author!!!!!
August 29, 2021
The first thing I noticed about this book was the cover it is really eye-catching. The genre isn't one I usually read but this story was a good one and interesting. A.R. hit the ball out over the left fielders head and slid into 3rd for a triple!
December 13, 2021
Good book
This is a pretty good book, unusual but good. And the good guys win over the bad so it ends right.
This is a pretty good book, unusual but good. And the good guys win over the bad so it ends right.
June 28, 2022
A different take on the story from the movie. It was still n interesting read.
July 2, 2019
This re-telling of the Little Mermaid is a stunningly original take on the fairytale while being true to the original story. The very ideas that the little mermaid is the improbably (and annoyingly) sweetly cheerful social butterfly of a very dysfunctional royal family or that her actions were not adolescent rebellion but holding true to her values and ideals were not something that I had considered when trying to devise my own way of re-telling this story. That Summers saw this and was able to weave such an enthralling story is a boon to readers like me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews