A MerMan’s Choice
The shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands live incognito among humans. But one of them, Yann, can’t stop rescuing humans. When he fishes Alex out of the sea, he doesn’t expect her to reappear eight months later.
Alex wants to fulfil a promise to her dying grandmother, by gathering stories of the Morvanns. But she soon discovers that, on these Welsh islands, legends can become true!
Yann and Alex grow close, but some mermen hate humans. Their hostility, and Yann’s secret, threaten to tear the couple apart just as they are discovering that they are soul mates. Can Yann overcome the obstacles in his path and make the right choice?
Author’s Note: Enter the giveaway to win a copy of either A Merman’s Choice, book 1 in the Sea of Love series, or Music for a Merman, book 2!
An Excerpt from A Merman’s Choice
The girl wasn’t swimming any more. Yann’s sonar gave him a clear picture of her distress. She was flailing. Sinking.
Fear punched him between the ribs. Just a few minutes earlier, she’d been splashing in the shallows, laughing and humming to herself. That music had rippled around him, brightening his journey. Now the sea was snuffing that light out. No! He wouldn’t let it happen. His webbed hands and feet churned the water, and he shot towards her like a torpedo.
Not this one, sea. Not this time.
She came in sight, slim and lovely, with long bronzed limbs and hair the colour of sunshine. But her eyes were closed, her movements slow, hesitant, as if she were falling asleep. His fear hardened into cold, sharp dread. He poured all his energy into the last powerful strokes. He’d almost reached her, when his eye caught the shadow, beyond the crystal surface, out there in the dry world. He sent a sound wave. It came back with an image, and the icy blade inside him twisted: two-legged shapes on the beach. Humans!
If they saw him, they’d know him for what he was. His people’s secret, kept for thousands of years, would be out.
The girl’s head vanished under the waves. To hell with that. He couldn’t let her drown.
He grabbed her and dragged her back to the surface. She thrashed in his arms and coughed up seawater. Intense relief swept through him as he hugged her to his chest. He’d sworn he’d never again swim by and let a human drown, and he’d kept his promise. If the young woman’s eyes remained closed, he might even get away with it. He wanted her to breathe, not scream in horror at the sight of his dark grey face.
He looked up. The shapes on the beach had gone. Another miracle, or perhaps he’d only imagined them. What if they came back? A fresh stab of anxiety propelled him through the surf. He lay the girl down on the sand, cushioning her head on his arm. Her round breasts, encased in the turquoise bikini top, rose and fell in a regular rhythm, but her skin felt clammy under his hands. He scanned the beach in vain for something to cover her with, and saw the motorbike. A sleek, sporty number, well camouflaged among the grass-covered dunes.
Shit. He retracted the webs between his fingers and toes, but his body would take at least twenty minutes to shift from the aquatic shape to the human form. And even when it did, what would the humans think, if they found him naked next to an unconscious girl?
They’d arrest him for indecent exposure, or worse. He touched the girl’s face with a tentative finger. The thought of leaving her sickened him. But he couldn’t stay.
Her eyelids fluttered and she muttered a name. “Boris?”
As if in answer, a male voice tore through the air, from behind the dunes. “Alex!”
Yann flew towards the waves. Help was coming for the girl. She’d be fine.
He sped into the open sea, leaving the human world and human fears behind. He’d saved her. That knowledge glowed inside him as he plunged into the depths. She was safe, and his people would remain safe too. He sang as he rode the riptide, a song full of triumph and laughter. Far away, the humpback whales heard him and picked up the tune. He’d got away with it.
For now.
Enter the Giveaway to win 5 Books in February
Contest runs from the first of the month until the last.One winner will receive all the books featured in Novel Magic for the month PLUS one of mine. To enter, Select the link and follow the instructions.
Winner will be chose randomly and contacted via the email address entered here. The Winner will also be posted in Sorchia’s Universe at the end of the giveaway. Unless the winner provides additional info, we will send prizes to the email address we have. No additional winner will be chosen. If no entries are received, no prize will be awarded.
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15 thoughts on “Novel Magic- A Merman’s Choice”
Brilliant excerpt! I need more now 🙂
Thank you Sassy!
Wonderful story beginning! This is now a want-to read!
Thank you very much Candace! I hope you will enjoy A Merman’s Choice! Book 2 in the series Music for a Merman is also out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Alice is a very talented writer. 🙂
Thank you Patricia!
The Sea of Love series is so dang good. Alice Renaud made me think about mermaids (and mermen!).
Thank you Dee!
Love this story! Thanks for sharing the excerpt and for the chance to enter to giveaway. 🙂
Thank you Denise! Good luck with the giveaway!
This was such a good read. Great characters. I was in love with Yann all summer. Book Two is also wonderful.
Thank you Suzanne!
I really enjoyed this book. Great author.
Thank you Gibby!
Thank you Sorchia for hosting me and my sexy merman!