Debbie Herbert

So bad. I chose it because I am fascinated by synesthesia, and it was mentioned that the main character was a synesthete. And it was mentioned briefly in the first few pages, and never again until about 97% of the way through when she used it. In between was an awful book that I read purely out of inertia. Jori, the main character, was obnoxious, a troublemaker and not very smart. She was meddlesome and bordered on mean, The story was uneven and plodding. So, needless to say, I do not show more recommend this one. show less

Siren’s Call by Debbie Herbert is the superb conclusion to the Dark Seas trilogy about the Bosarges of Bayou La Siryna, Alabama.

Lily Bosarge is the quintessential mermaid. She has the long blonde hair, large blue eyes, luminous skin, and the siren voice which compels men to do her bidding. Although she has dated almost every man around and longs for love, she has never experienced it. As soon as she realizes she can’t return a man’s feelings, she breaks things off, but her long list of show more conquests has turned the women against her. They are all afraid she will steal their men, sometimes with good reason. Though she doesn’t quite realize or understand the pain she has provoked in others, Lily has caused a lot of damage to couples in the area.

When Lily’s childhood friend, Nashoba Bowman returns, Lily is drawn to him from the moment she sees him. However, he treats her with barely a fraction of the warmth they once felt for one another and seems immune to her siren voice. Lily can’t understand it because he’s the first man ever to be unimpressed by her charms. The more he avoids her, the more she’s hooked.

Nash isn’t unaffected by Lilly, but he’s come back to the bayou for a reason. He has a job to do, and once he’s finished it, he’ll leave. He doesn’t have time for a fling. Women fall too hard and fast for him and get hurt when he moves on. All he wants is to spend time with his elderly grandfather and photograph the local wildlife, but someone has other plans for him, plans that could lead to danger for any woman close to him.

I loved this book, which brought the last of the Bosarge women to her destiny. Siren’s Call had romance, suspense, satisfying growth by Lily and Nash, and the opportunity to enjoy the characters from the first two books, Siren’s Secret and Siren’s Treasure, which feature Shelly Bosarge and Jet Bosarge.

In my opinion, Lily was the hardest of the three to warm up to in the first two books. She acted cold and insensitive to her effect on men and the damage it did to the women whose husbands or boyfriends dumped them to pursue Lily.

Ms. Herbert does a magnificent job of showing Lily’s growth as she develops empathy for others and regrets her past dalliances. Despite her beauty and gifts, Lily is vulnerable. She feels the pain of rejection by the women of the town but won’t let anyone see it. She longs for love but doesn’t think she will ever experience it herself. By keeping the secret of her mermaid nature, she creates distance between herself and Nash, nearly ruining their relationship and putting herself in danger.

Nash is complex and nuanced. He has the looks and magnetism to draw Lily to him, no matter how often he pushes her away. However, he has secrets of his own and shuts down if she tries to get too close.

Lily and Nash must overcome tremendous obstacles, both internal and external, if they are to have a chance at happiness. I don’t want to include any spoilers in this review, so I will only say I teared up at the end of the book. I bet you will too. show less

Jet Bosarge is a dark mermaid family member of a very fair group of mermaids and has always felt on the outskirts of the group she grew up amidst. She has personal, romantic and other issues to deal with in the book while opening a new antique shop on the beach in Alabama. She has a felonious boyfriend eager to make up with her, an FBI agent and his brother that come into the picture and of course her family issues to deal with, too. Jet’s decisions about how to deal with her past and how show more to proceed in the future are not easy and create the focus of this story. If you are someone that enjoyed mermaid and fairy tales as a child and are interested in a more adult version of such a tale then this book just might be the one for you. show less

I found the plot a little too predictable and...at times it seemed far-fetched. The story opens with the promise of a great mystery and you will immediately be fascinated with Violet and her haunted past. As we learn about the circumstances surrounding the night of Ainsley’s disappearance...I thought certain details would too easily be revealed as public knowledge. Secrets are rare in small towns where everyone has known everyone for generations...especially among teenagers who love to show more gossip about and to one another. it strange that, after Ainsley’s disappearance, the entire town immediately jumped to the conclusion that Violet had killed her. Considering Violet’s state of mind...her complete lack of a violent history...as well as the area in which she was found...it just seemed odd to me that she’d be so easily branded as a killer. It was the major flaw in the whole story. I didn’t get the feeling from her background that Violet, as a teen, was the type of outcast that the entire town would happily despise...label a killer...and then openly taunt and mock more than ten years later. The plot went in exactly the direction I thought it would The author’s attempted to keep the reader off balance and doubting... but the setup didn’t offer any other plausible possibilities. What the story did though, was give us an interesting look into a shattered mind. The story does have a solid ending with all the plot points resolved... and we are left with a glimpse into what may be Violet’s future. This will probably be what the future books in this beginning series will focus on. show less