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A review by selket16
Siren's Secret by Debbie Herbert
3.0
Shelly is half human-half mermaid, not really a part of either community. When out on a swim, she discovers a body being dumped by a serial killer who sees her, she becomes his next target. She can't go to the police because she was swimming, as a mermaid, several miles off shore when she made her discovery.
The story is actually quite enjoyable until about the half way point when it starts to drag on and some minor story flaws start to become more pronounced. **Spoilers from here on out** It's at this point that it's pretty obvious that it would be best for all involved if the sheriff and love interest, Tillman, was let in on Shelly's secret, but her cousin's keep talking her out of it or out of trusting him.
Shelly is forbidden from participating in mermaid society because she's not a full-blood and her cousins hold her under emotional blackmail and expect her to keep the secrets of a culture that has shunned her for "their sake," without taking into account her needs. They are emotionally abusive; will obviously flee to the sea if things here go sour where they can live out their lives and abandon Shelly since as only half mermaid she must return to land; and we are supposed to overlook the fact that both are okay with murder and one of them is a serial rapist, using her siren's song to lure men to her, away from otherwise good lives (and away from loving relationships) only for her to cast them out when she is done.
**End of Spoilers**
It wasn't a bad book, just made me uncomfortable at times, but I did finish it, even though it started to drag.
The story is actually quite enjoyable until about the half way point when it starts to drag on and some minor story flaws start to become more pronounced. **Spoilers from here on out** It's at this point that it's pretty obvious that it would be best for all involved if the sheriff and love interest, Tillman, was let in on Shelly's secret, but her cousin's keep talking her out of it or out of trusting him.
Shelly is forbidden from participating in mermaid society because she's not a full-blood and her cousins hold her under emotional blackmail and expect her to keep the secrets of a culture that has shunned her for "their sake," without taking into account her needs. They are emotionally abusive; will obviously flee to the sea if things here go sour where they can live out their lives and abandon Shelly since as only half mermaid she must return to land; and we are supposed to overlook the fact that both are okay with murder and one of them is a serial rapist, using her siren's song to lure men to her, away from otherwise good lives (and away from loving relationships) only for her to cast them out when she is done.
**End of Spoilers**
It wasn't a bad book, just made me uncomfortable at times, but I did finish it, even though it started to drag.