It’s not easy being someone’s fairy tale.
Leigh Hurley is making a name for himself among thieves and criminals, even if it isn’t the life he would’ve chosen. He shouldn’t have screwed over the Moretti brothers, though. It landed him in the river with weights on his feet. But somehow he’s escaped certain death. The last thing he remembers before waking on the riverbank is a beautiful face and a … beautiful face and a soft kiss.
Then, Tolomeo turns up naked at Leigh’s apartment.
Tolly comes from a race of killers—merfolk who drown humans for fun. But Tolly is different, and when he sees a human in trouble, he offers a kiss, granting the man the ability to breathe underwater… and himself the ability to walk on land, at least until the next full moon. The ancient laws state that if he is given a vow of love by the one he kissed, he will be able to keep his legs. If not, he will be put to death when he returns to the water.
But love is not something Leigh offers easily… and Tolly has a secret of his own.
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Holy Fins!!!!!
Omg, I don’t even know where to begin gushing over this amazing original read!
I loved how enraptured you get from the very beginning.
You won’t have a dull moment and will most certainly devour the entire book as fast as you can… I know I did!
Highly recommended
It reminds me of the movie “Splash” with the added intimacy of a gay relationship.
Not my first merfolk book, but the storyline intrigued me.
Coming Up for Air read more like a fairytale, than paranormal. It’s a cross between The Little Mermaid and Goodfellas.
Coming Up for Air highlighted the 2 facets of merfolks.
On one side there’s the beautiful half human, half fish individual that’s mesmerizing to watch, swimming in the water. On the other side is the ugly fangs and claws killer that hunts their own.
Tolly is a little of both. He’ll do anything to protect his Leigh.
This book is a well written, slowburn, action-filled fairytale.
Highly recommended.
My first mermaid or merfolk story and it was surprisingly interesting and very good.
Really like the storyline and the way the author writes
One of the best books that i have read in a long time!
What an original twist on mermaid fairytales! First of all this as a merman/mermonster, although he prefers merfolk, who (with a magical kiss) rescues a petty criminal (male) with a sort of good heart, who was dispatched by the local mafia…. The uniqueness of the story only goes on from there. I read the book straight through in one afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed the tale.
As a little girl, one of my favorite Disney movies was the Little Mermaid. It was a magical tale that sparked my imagination, which often left me daydreaming about life underwater. I’d always been drawn to the water and creatures who lived in it. Time and again my mom told me I was like a fish because she couldn’t keep me out of the water. So, when I saw the opportunity to read and review Coming Up for Air, I knew I had to jump straight into it.
This tale was different from many others I’ve had the opportunity to read. Leigh, one of the main characters, has ties to the mob. That’s how he finds himself at the bottom of the river with weights strapped to his feet. Lucky for him Tolomeo, or Tolly as he likes to be called, was there to rescue Leigh from his watery grave.
Thus starts our ‘little mermaid-esque’ romance.
After his rescue, Leigh goes on with his life, knowing he needs to find a way to protect himself from the Moretti brothers. He knows if they find out he’s survived their attempt they’ll be back to finish the job. What he doesn’t expect is for Tolly to show up at his place to throw an extra spin on the disaster that is Leigh’s life.
At first, I was a little put off by the whole ‘mob’ aspect because I’m not a big fan of the trope. I don’t know why, but it just isn’t my thing. I shouldn’t have worried, though. The first few pages drew me into this whimsical, magic-laced tale and I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know if Leigh would survive the Moretti brothers. I have to find out if Tolly could gain Leigh’s heart, saving himself from an awful life while finding love. And I definitely needed to know if Leigh would lose his heart to Tolly. Love was something people used to hurt you, or so Leigh thought, so I knew Tolly had a hard road ahead.
Tolly was the sweetest guy ever. Despite coming from a people known for their murderous, cruel ways, he had a heart of gold. Tolly just wanted to have someone in his life to love and be loved by in return. When he picked Leigh as his person, Tolly had no idea what sort of fight he had in store. And oh, how I loved Tolly being Leigh’s savior.
I thought Leigh was a good guy in a bad situation. He doesn’t have family in the traditional sense which makes me think he must have felt incredibly lonely in his life. When it comes to love Leigh’s a cynic. I was so happy Tolly was able to show Leigh that love was a beautiful gift if only one let it into their hearts. I also adored that Tolly showed Leigh he had family, even if they weren’t blood-related. In a sense, it felt like Tolly truly set Leigh free with his love.
Their story is a sweet melding of two people who need each other. Even though they were so different, especially physically, they were able to accept and love one another. One difference I do want to comment on is the sex. In other reviews, I notice people were saying they could have done without the strange merman genitalia. For me, I wasn’t bothered by it. I found it really cool because it wasn’t the norm. It makes sense for merpeople to have different anatomy since they’re not human. They have different forms which make them very interesting in my opinion.
I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a different spin on the Little Mermaid. No, it’s not the same story, but it makes you compare the two tales. I’d also recommend this book to readers who enjoy Amanda Meuwissen’s work. This was a little different than some of her other books but still incredibly good.
This was an unusual story, but I loved it!! Leigh crosses the wrong people and ends up in the river with weights on his feet. Tolly is a merman who kisses Leigh to save him. Tolly ends up with legs. I love any kind of paranormal story line. I loved the romantic angst this story had. I definitely recommend this unusual tale. I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions
I read one m/m book about merfolk, so when the chance came my way to read another, of course I grabbed it. Since the blurb is available to read, I’ll get right to the review.
First, Leigh is in a deep funk. And I’m not talking about his problems with the Moretti brothers, either. When he’s in the water wearing cement shoes, there’s no panic, no fear…only regret. He gives a half-hearted attempt to save himself, but not 100%. Basically, he’s done with life. He knows he’s screwed up. So this sets up his character arc.
Read more here: https://maggieblackbird.com/2020/08/11/amanda-meuwissen-author-spotlight/#more-16215
Occasionally, you stumble across a book that really takes you by surprise. That was this one for me. I read the blurb and thought it sounded good so even though Amanda Meuwissen is a new author to me I took a chance. I was looking for something new and original and have not read a lot of merfolk stories so thought, ‘why not’. Best decision I made in a long time.
Coming up for Air is gripping, suspenseful, charming, sexy and purely delightful.
I absolutely loved Tolly. I loved all the characters and loved the storyline.
It is original with shady characters (mafia men and thieves), unsavory characters, twists, suspense, and romance. Then toss in a sexy, sweet merman that is trying to keep his legs and the man he loves, and you have a great nail-biting, page-turning read.
If you like any of that and looking for something different in the fantasy realm this is for you… oh yeah there is some violence, but that is expected from the mob world setting.