For Kate Sweeting, love isn’t in the air. It’s in the water.Since her father died, Kate Sweeting’s home life has been in the pits, her well-being on life support. Her future looks desolate until she and her mother, Cara, make another plan: abandon their shriveled existence for more promising prospects on the coast, where Cara can play small-town librarian/bachelorette, and Kate can figure out … librarian/bachelorette, and Kate can figure out that secretive Blake family from the beach.
Everyone is eerily captivated with Kate and her mother, and Cara is the first to figure out why when the man of her dreams arrives all dripping and devoted and closed-mouthed about what he intends. Kate is willing to go along with their subterfuge for a while, but eventually makes a charge for the water to learn what her mother is hiding.
Gabe Blake is there waiting for her…and so is someone considerably less friendly. By the time Kate navigates her way home, everything will have changed for her–what she feels, what she wants, and what she’ll risk to be with the man she loves.
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UPDRIFT (The Mer Chronicles Book #1) by Errin Stevens is the first book in a new enchanting paranormal romance series featuring Sirens. Ms. Stevens’ worldbuilding introduces us to Sirens that interact and live along-side humans, but only a very few know of their existence.
The beginning of this story introduces Cara and Kate Sweeting. Cara lost her husband in an accident while Kate was still very young. She decides to accept a job as the town librarian and moves them to a small community on the North Carolina coast to start over.
While on a boat tour while only five years old, Kate sees a young boy her age swimming in the sea who calls out for her to join him. She goes over the side of the boat. While she swims with her new friend, Gabe all the adults are frantically searching for her. They find Kate and Gabe on the beach with Gabe’s family safe and sound. This begins a life-long interaction and attraction between the two.
The second part of the story has Kate and Gabe coming together as young adults and all of Kate’s questions about Gabe and his family’s differences are answered. Kate and Gabe are planning to be together forever and just as it seems all is right in their world, another Siren wants Kate for himself. Will Gabe be able to find and rescue Kate before she is lost to him?
This is my first audiobook review and this story was very well suited to this media. It is a story that has a lot of worldbuilding to bring the Sirens and their world to life, while entwining it around the human characters and Kate and Gabe’s life stories. Then it seamlessly flows into a paranormal romance plot that had me just as engrossed. All the characters were fully fleshed out and believable to the fantasy.
Ms. Stevens’ story pulled me effortlessly into her Mer Chronicles world and I am looking forward to listening to Book #2. I also enjoyed Mr. Posvistak’s narration.
I recommend this new paranormal world!
YAY! Mermaids! Love mermaids and the cover, so reading this is a no brainer. I immediately thought of Splash, only in reverse, the girl ‘falls’ in the water and falls in love with the ‘boy’. I’m hooked.
Updrift by Errin Stevens is Kate’s life from the time she is five years old to adulthood. I love seeing her grow and develop from an introverted nerd, to a strong, determined woman with desires that will not be denied and one who knows the difference between right and wrong and will step up.
After the death of her father, Kate and her mother move from Kansas to Griffin Bay, North Carolina for a fresh start.
Kate is confused about all the secrecy surrounding her and the push for her to fill her days with tons of schoolwork, an internship, and little to no socializing, especially with Gabe. And Gabe? And, now that they were meeting after being kept apart for so long, is he still interested in her? Were they being kept apart on purpose…And, what now?
Kate and Gabe do not sense the danger coming their way, but I do and I fear for them. What could they do, even if they knew?
I love all things in their mer world. They have their own set of rules and customs, but there are those who think changes need to be made. After all, it is the 21st century.
I haven’t read a book quite like Updrift and Errin Stevens’ mer world had me thinking, hey can I play too? Who wouldn’t want to swim with the fishes…in a good way?
I loved it and if you love mermaids as much as I do, this is one you want on your reading list. I want more, and thank goodness I have Breakwater, the second book in The Mer Chronicles waiting for me on my Kindle. As a matter of fact, I cannot wait and will begin…NOW.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Updrift by Errin Stevens.
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I LOVE romance. I LOVE small-town romance. I LOVE the not ordinary. Now, imagine adding in mermaids, small-town, young girl, super hot guy, and a mystery.
I eased myself in to this one slowly. I found sorrow, pain, mystery, excitement, suspense, secrets, myths. Kate and Cara move to a small-town after the death of her father. Cara needs a change and feels Kate needs the same. A chance comes there way and on the way to a new town they go. Soon Cara falls in love and Kate finds a long time friend. But things change in ways that Kate did not anticipate. She feel distant from her mom and even from the new friends she have acquired since moving to town. There was something going on that she was not privy to.
The story moves along and things are slow to be revealed but at the same time the pacing was just right for the story itself. There are good characters all the way through the story. Some you love, like and are indifferent to. I enjoyed the build and lulls and even the anticipation of things.
Narrator Sean Posvistak gave me a fantastic read. The voicing was there with tone, pitch, and diction. The audio was smooth and clear. Things kept pace with my changing of the speed of the audio. I did not feel out of step and the clarity was still there.
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I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Errin Stevens. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Audio version.
There’s a lot of set up in this. It took me awhile to get in to it, I’d say it took me about 4 days to get through it. But it does get really good. I can’t wait for the next part. This Audiobook was given to me at my request from the publishers, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
[disclaimer: I won this book and it’s successor in an author giveaway. I am voluntarily reviewing it]
“What I want”, she thought, “ is a life that feels good, not just one that looks good”.
It’s hard to write a review for a book that so touched you, you are bound to leak a spoiler or two. Kate Blake has known Gabe since she and her widowed mother Cara moved to Griffiths Bayso Cara could become a librarian. No one guessed she’d find a second chance at love there, nor how much the small community would allow them both to heal and grow… Not that it would be fraught with unanswered questions and high levels of commitment with bonds so strong they will challenge and change them all.
I loved this book. Stevens took the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Little Mermaid and “de-Disneyfied it”, replacing that with a tale that will haunt you. This is one of, if not,the best Mermaid/Siren tale I have ever read. Run, do not walk to read this. 5/5
This is a great read! I was really excited to read this book myself and give it to my teenage daughters for something that they would understand and have fun reading. It was nice to be able to talk about a book altogether and get excited for the next.. Nice Job Author!
Characters and settings unlike anything you’ve read before! You will love the creativity that jumps from these pages. Grab this book and head to the beach… literally!
Well written and engaging…a wonderful read!