Recent Reads: Bound to a Siren by Athena Rose

Bound to a Siren by Athena Rose

Series: Romancing the Seas #2

Publisher: Burton & Burchell Ltd
Publication Date:  May 14, 2023 

 

Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Love is their only lifeline in a sea of danger - dive into the heart-pumping adventure of Bound to a Siren by Athena Rose!

As the threat of war hangs heavy in the air, Princess Serena of Atlantis knows she must take drastic action to protect her sisters from being hunted and killed. With a plan to marry the human prince, Edward, she takes him to the mystical underwater city of Atlantis and to the court of her stern father, Poseidon. But her plan goes awry and Edward is sentenced to death. With no other choice, Serena is forced to use a forbidden ritual to bind the prince to herself, surrendering her immortality in the process. But with the King of England ordering his men to slaughter all sirens on sight, how will the two be able to convince the royal court to give their blessing?

Meanwhile, Georgette and Captain Stone must face their own demons of the past as they navigate treacherous waters in an attempt to form new alliances and put an end to all of the brutality. In the thrilling second book of the Romancing the Seas series, Bound to a Siren, readers will be taken on an epic journey of adventure, danger, romance, and ultimately, a heartwarming and satisfyingly happy ending. Dive in and start reading now!

TW: Death, pregnancy loss, infertility, sexual violence, and childhood trauma.

Romancing the Seas reading list:

Book 1: Married to a Pirate

Book 2: Bound to a Siren

Book 3: Sworn to a Demigod 

This series is written for mature audiences only.

Review: 

There are Trigger warnings with this book. They are listed in the synopsis so please keep that in mind before picking it up. 

It took me a long time to complete reading this one. I picked it up right after Married to a Pirate, which I really enjoyed, but this book fell a little short for me. I was expecting more of the Georgette and Captain Stone story, but since the POV changes in this book to Serena and Edward, you follow them more heavily. Book one was a whirlwind of adventure and felt very Pirates of the Caribbean. This one was slow to start and then kind of crept along. 

We follow Serena and Edward, so I guess you could say this was kind of like a Little Mermaid retelling in some ways. Their story involves a lot more politics from both families, revenge plots all around, and they are just trying to do their best. Edward, ever the gentleman, wants to help save the sirens, but is still hung up on Georgette. Serena is pretty much just jealous the whole time, trying to win Edwards affections for real. I think I had such a hard time with this one because I didn't really like Edward or Serena at all.

Some positives, this story was a great plot progression and there were a lot of fun twists - that involved the whole group, not just these MCs. There was still some spice, it wasn't as heavy hitting with it as book one, but still good. I also enjoyed the incorporation of all sorts of myths and legends into the story. 

I kept hoping this would turn into Pirates meet Greek myth since that is where it seemed to be heading, and it looks like that is where we will eventually get because next up is a Hercules plot and book 4 is Hades (swoon).  In all honesty, I thought about giving up on this series but now there is a Hades/ Persephone retelling for book 4... so I might have to keep it up. 

Overall, I felt like this story was more filler than anything. The characters were meh, the spice was ok, I finished it, so that is a win, but it was just middle of the road for me.