I have read several from this author but this one was different and I did enjoy that. I enter into this world following Maeve whom is used to the unusual. Danger is around with her seeing it is there. Then we have Brody whom has been investigating some with us being the curious ones that are given lots of fill ins about him. I missed the first one of this but so digging this one. So much in this to love that is the fantasy world and why we escape to it. Maeve really kept my attention that it flowed fast at times. I did like the name Evil Embraced Army with imagination different then what it is but fun none the less. Good to dive into from beginning to end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Brody and Maeve's story was beautiful, and the plot kept me on my toes, especially in the second half of the book. This was a phenomenal ending to a fabulous series.

YES! This! I cannot explain how much I loved the Embraced Series. This is the final book and it is everything I wanted it to be. Humorous, sultry, action packed and graceful closure. I’ve seen some reader’s claim books or series as their guilty pleasure reads and this is hands down mine.

Maeve is the last of the five orphaned sisters to find love and have the telling stones speak true. This is her story and the finale to hunting down the Circle of Five and the Embraced Army. The magic system is easy to follow in all the books. Occasionally it may seem things are a little too easy for the MCs but honesty this is fantasy romance and happy endings are almost always expected… almost. The world building is beautiful and simplistic. Set in a time of kings, queens, castles, islands and pirates.

The best part is the characters. Each book is one of the five sisters finding their one true love and the battles they have with embraced powers and war struggles. The heroines are brave and sassy and Maeve is no different. I loved her persona just as much as the other sisters. Sparks did a wonderful job closing the chapter on these characters in this book. I even got a little misty eyed at the end. My only drawback was the ending seemed a tad rushed but not enough to take anything away from my enjoyment.

If you like pirates, dragons, elves, magical powers, sirens and some sultry scenes. I HIGHLY recommend this entire series to you. Now if only each book had a similar cover scheme like the new ones, my shelves would be complete!

Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All thoughts are solely my own. One final note, the first three books I also listened to on audio. They are excellently narrated and I can still hear the accents in my head as I read the final two. Whether audio or physical, I am sure you’ll adore these girls as much as I did.

Very vivid and tense. I seem to be on a magical kick lately. Not sure if it's because I am looking for something different or to escape the craziness that surrounds us but I loved being able to loose myself in a book that transported me far away at least for a while. I really enjoyed it and so will you. Pick up this winner of a book and discover it for yourself. Happy reading!

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/08/25/the-siren-in-the-deep-blue-sea-by-kerrelyn-sparks/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

I love the people, the sisters of  the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/180353-the-embraced" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Embraced</strong></em></a> series.  The series had a delay and a new series name, <em>Embraced by Magic</em> with a change in publisher.   The sisters are always part of the story and it's great to get updates on them.  Mostly the male and the kingdom are new, each book focuses on one new couple, so it wasn't hard to read.

But now it seems all the kingdoms have our Embraced couples leading them.  Well, there are the islands but they aren't really a kingdom and one has the convent, and the other the Seer alone.  Brody, with his shifting abilities is determined to find the rest of Circle of Five  and the Chameleon to end that threat. He also wants to find the Sea Witch who cursed him.  Maeve has the same thoughts and is worried now because Brody is missing. She has done some research and thinks she can find the Isle of Secrets with its rumored Embraced army.  She has the seals to help her.

<strong>Siren and the Deep Blue Sea</strong> is the fantastic conclusion to this series. I started reading, just a couple hours before bedtime, and the next thing I knew it was 3 am and I had finished the book!

Maeve and Brody both want to get to the bottom of the Circle of Five and both want to protect the other.  With their skills, they find the Embraced army and Sea Witch and the Chameleon and in the process learn much more about their history.  In the end, they must work together to foil the evil remnants of the Circle of Five.

I loved this so much!  Maeve turns out not to be Embraced, but she has some intriguing heritage. Brody is Embraced and also has secrets he has been keeping from our friends.  Being cursed, he doesn't feel worthy of a kingdom or to have a wife.  I enjoyed all the history and revelations. I highly recommend this series!

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I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The pacing of this story is good it will keep your attention from the first page and will make you feel like you are the characters. I definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores now for $15.95.

This is the 5th book in the Embraced series and the 2nd in the Embraced by Magic series. And you absolutely need to read the previous books before reading this one or you will be completely lost as to what is going on. With that being said, in this one we finally get Maeve and Brody's story! Maeve has discovered that she can shapeshift at will, it's not tied to the moon any longer. But the person she wants to share that with the most has disappeared. And while no one else thinks that he is in danger, she knows that something more is happening. And decides to find out what that is and rescue him herself. Brody is investigating the rumors that someone is building an embraced army. And when he discovers who one of the Circle of Five are, it becomes more personal that even he could have imagined. And his curse makes investigating even harder. But when a terrible secret comes out, can he not only keep Maeve safe but also the world?

I really liked this one although parts of it were a little slow for me. There are definitely some twists and turns that I truly wasn't expecting. Maeve has definitely grown up into a stubborn, beautiful woman but she also has a heart of gold. And is willing to do what she has to in order to keep the people she loves and cares about safe. Brody has always had a difficult life, and it has definitely thrown curve balls his way. But he has still managed to be a man with a heart of gold who always does what he has to in order to keep people safe. I know this is the final book in this series, but the way it ended left it open that this world could always have more written later. So while this story arc has been tied closed, there is a chance to have more in this world and I would definitely love to read more!

For years I've been intending to read some Kerrelyn Sparks. She was part of the big surge of vamp novels that followed The Vampire Chronicles and she was incredibly popular at the time. At some point down the line, I picked up one or two books from her 'Love at Stake' series, but they just ended up on the shelves and I never got around to reading them.

So, when the opportunity to read a new title from her that also happened to deal with the whole siren theme I love so much, I signed right up.

'The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea' centers around a girl named Maeve who was raised on the Isle of Moon. Having grown up an orphan, raised in a convent with four sisters sharing her circumstances, all but she have gone on to marry men who become kings of the four great lands. As the only one who hasn't ascended to the role of queen somewhere and the only one still single, she feels like an outcast amongst them.

Though she's discovered an ability to shape-shift at will, there's only one person she wants to share it with right away. Enter Brody.. the elusive, mysterious, often infuriating shifter who spies throughout the kingdoms for the four royal families.

Cursed as a child by the Sea Witch and barely escaping the same fate that killed his father and brother, Brody can spend only two hours a day in his own form, which leaves him feeling destined to live out his future alone.

Essentially, as he begins to investigate rumors of impending threats to the kingdoms, what he finds is shocking and turns the situation into a very personal endeavor for him.

At best, this book is incredibly average. It's filled.. front to back.. with the gamut of cliched tropes. Nearly every major character we come across is paired up with someone so they all have perfect little arrangements.

Each major magical ability the enemies bear, someone on Maeve and Brody's side also has. If they can't match it, they either have the perfect counter to it, or someone develops one of the two. The flaws and disruptions in their plans are so perfectly placed, that with amazing luck and all those special abilities, everything pretty much goes off without a hitch anyway.

The dialogue is incredibly boring and uninspired. In fact, there are patterns to certain types of scenes the author seems to love and utilizes with more than one group of people. For example, she loves to toss two people together with mild conflicts who like each other, make their circumstances kind of tense, have them flirt in the midst of whatever is happening, and then have someone nearby them comment about the fact they're flirting while these things are happening around them. If you read this book, you'll see what I mean.

The world-building is actually minimal with most of it written like a text based map, mountainous region, misty island, you get the picture. Probably the only place Sparks really put any descriptive detail was the Sea Witch's home.

And just in case that isn't enough to make us groan, the smut is really awkward. Fine, Maeve's a virgin. Sure, everyone loves that cliche. Add to that, she's nearly astonished by the existence of her own body parts and how they work, as if she's never had a clue they were there or what they might do. The bedroom conversation? Nearly as awkward. If it weren't for the fact Brody can be amusing in those moments, I don't know if I could have even gotten through them.

I really wouldn't suggest wasting your time on this novel. I mean, if you're trapped in an elevator for a few hours and it's the only thing in your hand, I don't know.. maybe use it to bang on the door and scream for help.

Oh, my stars! How I loved ‘The Siren and The Deep Blue Sea‘, the final title in the ‘Embraced‘ or ‘Embraced by Magic‘ series. This is truly a bittersweet moment, for I needed to know what happened… but saying goodbye to these amazing characters is going to hurt, not gonna lie about that fact.

This review is going to be short, sweet, and so grateful for a series that brought me laughter, tears, frustration, joy, intriguing danger, vile villains, truly heroic men and women, and sexy times that fall so naturally within each story. To finally have answers for Brody and Maeve’s relationship, to see all the pieces fall into place perfectly was pure joy for me. As you can tell, I’ve loved this series and would not hesitate for one moment in recommending it. Yet, this is also a series that needs to be read in order for it builds on each previous book – you’ll miss so much if you skip ahead, you really will.

‘The Siren and The Deep Blue Sea‘ brings us answers, some unexpected and a love story that was worth waiting until the end of the series to fully understand. If you love a really, really good Paranormal Romance filled with action, romance, danger, intrigue, and characters who will remain in your head long after the final page then you’ll feel right at home with this series.

Sad to say goodbye – but excited to see what comes next.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Because this is the story of sister number 5 in the two series The Embraced and Embraced by Magic, there are many characters. Readers of the series will appreciate the appearance of all their old favorites. If you are new to the series, don’t worry. There is enough back story presented to keep you in the story. I have not read all the books but had no problem getting into this one.

Because there are so many characters and because they start the story in several different places, there is a lot of ‘catching up’ as each one gets into the adventure. I.e., certain aspects of the plot were repeated. I did find this to be a little tedious.

However, I found the rest of the tale to be enchanting. Maeve is a princess to cheer for and Brody is the hero to applaud! At first it seems they cannot be together, but don’t worry. This is a romance after all! The fun is in the solution. Maeve’s unknown heritage and Brody’s secret birthright were surprising and delightful.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters of Nevis and Elinor who bring humor to the story along with their steadfast support of Maeve and Brody.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea is a fairy tale told with so much beautiful imagery, distinctive characters and wild adventures. It can be read as a stand alone or as part of the The Embraced and Embraced by Magic series.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mauve abandoned as a baby on the Isle of Moon, she has never had any clues to who her parents were. Brody was cursed by a witch to only remain in human form for 2 hours a day, has always known his family and his destiny. He has searched for a lifetime to find a way to remove the curse and be able live a normal life.
Mauve and Brody have always been two of my favorite characters and I loved their story, as there journey unfolds and truths come to light, will they be able to overcome the ones that hope to destroy both them and their hearts desire or will good triumph over evil. The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea will answer all questions that we have had throughout the series. Definitely don't want to miss this finally to an awesome series.

I’m so sad when an amazing series comes to an end, but it thrills me when the final book lives up to my super high expectations!!! This was the perfect ending and we finally get to learn about Brody and Maeve. I couldn’t stop reading once I got started.

Brody is a shape shifter cursed by a witch to only be in his true form 2 hours a day. We know him as the spy for the mainland kings. Maeve is the youngest embraced sister that can turn into a seal.

In this final book we learn who both of these characters truly are and the true scope of the circle of five. Questions are answered and I was totally surprised with some revealed truths! I don’t want to give spoilers - but this book was amazing!!!

Just when you think we knew it all, there are more secrets to be revealed.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea is a story about secrets.   You would think after four books we would have a hold on all the secrets that are to be revealed but The Siren and The Deep Blue Sea could have simply shortened the title to The Book of Secrets.

Obviously, Brody hides secrets. We didn't know too much about Brody except that he showed up one day in Leo's tent and shifts from a dog into a human shocking Leo and Nevis and from there he becomes an ally and a spy for Eberoni. We know that Brody suffers under a curse but we finally learn how Brody became cursed, where he ended up and how he lived after he was cursed and where he originally came from.

Maeve has secrets but actually Maeve isn't hiding her secrets. Maeve simply didn't know her own secrets but here we will learn why Maeve was left on the Isle of Mist to be raised by the Sisters. We will also learn who her parents are and why Maeve shifts into a seal on the full moon. Actually, there is one secret that Maeve holds dear. She knows that Brody joins her every month when she changes to a seal during the full moon. He thinks that she is unaware and she knows that if he was ever aware that she recognized him, he would stop coming to play with her. As Maeve's story unfolds, it will also bring big changes to her life.

The secret Circle of Five have been plotting to overthrow the kingdoms of the mainland and take their power for themselves.  Oh wait, we killed a couple already...so, that makes it a secret Circle of Three.  More a secret triangle now, but who make up that remaining triangle plotting against the mainland kingdoms still remains to be seen.

While Maeve doesn't know anything about her family, it is not her family she is searching for in this story. Maeve is searching for someplace called the Isle of Secrets. As you might imagine, this island is full of...you guessed it: it is full of Secrets. Maeve is looking the Isle of Secrets because Brody has been missing for the past two months and she believes the Isle of Secrets is where he has gone to look for the secret Embraced Army. Is this secret army hiding and preparing for their attack on the Isle of Secrets? Oooo...maybe.

This Embrace Army is being lead by a person only referred to as the Chameleon because he can shapeshift into any animal and more importantly into any person. The Chameleon has tried to take over the mainland kingdoms by killing and impersonating the former kings only to confronted and chased away by Brody who can recognize his scent. And while Brody can scent him, no one has seen his true face. The Chameleon can be anyone but even if he is wearing his own face, no one will know except for Brody so the Chameleon is determined to get rid of the only one who can track him down.

The only thing that isn't a secret in this story is how much Maeve and Brody love each other...oh, wait.  Actually, that's not a secret to us, but it is a secret to the characters since they keep from each other, or more to the point, Brody is keeping Maeve at arm's length to protect her from danger and to protect her from his cursed self. You can imagine just how well that goes over with Maeve who is tired of Brody as well as her older sister's always needing to protect poor little Maeve from herself.

Since this is the final story, we will have an answer to all these secrets. We will finally have the epic battle with the witch that cursed Brody as well as the Chameleon.

There is one thing I found disappointing, but I should have realized it before if I really thought about it, [spoiler] we have been afraid of the Embraced Army and their combined powers and what that would do to our new peaceful Kingdoms, except I forgot one key element, Lord Morris has been "collecting" Embraced children from their parents for the last 20 years or so...That makes the Embraced Army a bunch of kids. Kids! And not all of them have awesome powers. The kids who have crappy Embraced powers are treated as slave labor. All I could think was that these kids will all run away once they know they aren't the only Embraced and that they can return home or whatever other lies they have been told all their lives.

After all the fear of an Embraced Army being lead by the Circle of Five and it turned out to be a rather small bunch of kids? It reminds me of a Sesame Street book my little sister had called The Monster at the End of this Book where Grover is terrified of you getting to the end of the story and it turns out the monster at the end was only him. This big Embraced Army that we feared could destroy the mainland turns out to be only a small bunch of kids with only a handful being teenagers. Even the characters in the book didn't put together that since this Circle of Five has only been plotting for the last two decades and the kids being stolen couldn't have been grown up. It was a bit disappointing.[/spoiler]

I love the wit and humor that Kerrelyn Sparks brings to her stories. The Embraced series allowed her to let her imagination run wild creating impossible Embranced magics. I am sorry to see the series complete but look forward to what she will create for us next.

This is book two in a series, but you can definitely read this one without reading the first book! Like I did haha! I don’t feel like I missed anything at all!

In this book we follow Maeve who is the youngest of five ‘sisters’. The oldest four have all married a king, and are now queens. Maeve is now set on following her own path. We also follow Brody, a friend of Maeve and her sisters. Maeve has her reasons to be worried about his long disappearance. So now she is set on finding him. Along the way both Maeve and Brody discover lots of things about their pasts!

I’m not sure how to review this book.. I did enjoy it and the story felt quite unique, but for some reason I struggled picking this book back up. As in I didn’t really feel the need to continue reading once I put the book down.

I liked the world with all the islands, and all the different kings and queens, although I would have liked to get a bit more information about each island and their inhabitants. We just got introduced to them shortly, and most of them already knew and liked each other.

I also quite enjoyed the magic system. Not everyone has magic, and it is different for everyone. Although I did think it was a bit weird that some characters had quite a powerful and broad power, while others had a very specific and kinda useless power. It would have been interesting to learn why these differences were there!

I think I would have liked the book more if we would have gotten more background about basically everything! Mainly the world and the magic system! We did get quite some information about Maeve and Broday, since this book is mainly about them. And I’m pretty sure the other books follow the other sisters, so them we would probably et more background about them and their kings!

I do recommend this book, if you are looking for a quick fantasy read that is quite driven by romance!

ARC gratefully received from Netgalley. Please note this did not impact my review.

Well The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea saw the conclusion of the five sisters story (of love not birth) and the overall arch of the series. This book was ultimately about redemption and forgiveness which we saw with Maeve and Brody, the Seer and also one other male character from an earlier book (no spoilers here, sorry!).

I enjoyed this final book and how all the pieces and characters were featured in some way. Was it my favorite book from the series?, no but you had to admire the tenacity and commitment of Maeve and Brody. As always, the author presented a fast paced, enjoyable read. I confess I hope there is a prequel written for the Seer and his first love (will make sense as you read the story).

Would I recommend this book, yes but as part of the overall series. I think you would miss out on the overall story arch and character development if you read as a stand alone. The good news is the other four books are fabulous.

Review posted on Goodreads

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: August 25, 2020
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I absolutely loved this book! I was a huge fan of Ms. Sparks' vampire novels, but this was beyond what I had expected!

You know a book had grabbed you completely and transported you into the story when you don't even hear your husband offering you a cup of coffee...this is what happened to me this morning and coffee is my favorite indulgence so I was completely absorbed in the story.

I loved the characters and the relatively quick pace the book had. It moved at the perfect pace to get all the details and feel like you are part of the story.

I had not read the previous book in the series, but felt I knew what was happening from the start. This was a great stand-alone novel and I look forward to reading the first book.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to escape into a fantasy for a few hours. This book has it all!

I'm so grateful to Kerrelyn Sparks, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Maeve is the youngest of the “embraced” sisters and after years of seeing her older sisters find love. become wives, mothers and Queens, it is finally Maeve’s turn for a HEA. I loved Maeve and Brody’s story, which is a well written, action packed, exciting read, but there is just no way to review the plot of this book without ruining the enormous twists, turns and surprises – but suffice it to say, the Embraced series concludes with an epic bang!

The reader will learn who the started the Circle of Five and why, you will learn more about Brody’s past and his curse, you will find out who Maeve’s parents are and what that means to the other sisters, you will learn who the Chameleon really is, you will finally learn about the Embraced army, there will be sea battles, exploding fish, house cats, tigers, cameos with all the sisters and their husbands, a sweet secondary romance, warm love scenes, surprises, shocks, an epic battle to determine the fate of Aerthlan once and for all and finally a HEA that may or may not break a curse!

After reading the other “sisters” stories and being completely enchanted and blown away, I didn’t believe that Ms. Sparks could surprise me or outdo her previous success, so I prepared myself to be let down by the finale and just hoped I got a few answers – I am happy to say, I was WRONG – very, very, very wrong – not only did Ms. Sparks give me answers – she answered questions I didn’t even think to ask! Maeve and Brody’s story is the crown jewel in the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series – if you haven’t read the previous books and you enjoy the fantasy/paranormal/magic sub-genre of Historical Romance – you must read this series – preferably in order starting with How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days – I loved this book and I highly recommend this series – you could read this book as a stand-alone title, but seriously, do yourself a huge favor and read all the books in order – it will just enhance the ending for you!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea is a nice return to form for the Embraced (by Magic) series, after the subpar previous installment. In addition to being a fairly engaging romance in its own right, it builds on the prior four books and provides a satisfactory conclusion to the series overall. Given all these threads, while the romance stands alone, I think it is best to read the series in order to understand the broader story.

Brody has long been my favorite character, due to his shapeshifting power, the result of being cursed years ago. The conditions have often led to some comedic moments over the course of the series, but I like that this book reinforces his usefulness in spite of the way the curse impairs his ability to spend time with those he loves normally, and looks at the way he and Maeve have found a way to spend time together in spite of it.

And the revelation as to how the two of them were connected through the revelation of their respective true parentage, especially Maeve’s, was beautiful and heartbreaking, providing compelling stakes that colored the conflict as the story progressed.

This is a wonderful conclusion to a mostly solid series, and one I would recommend to lovers of paranormal/fantasy romance.

The saga of the sisters has come to an end. If you have followed the series you know the continuing storyline about the Circle of Five, the sisters raised by nuns, and Brody. Everything concludes beautifully with answers to all the questions. How Sparks ties the bits and pieces together was magical. The children, along with Captain Nevis, brought plenty of humor. It’s a whimsical series with heart and imagination with a bit of romance and a few giggles. I was given an early copy through Netgalley and wrote this review voluntarily.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

The 5th and final book in the Embraced series. Sweeping Fantasy romance. You definitely want to read the other books first to avoid spoilers.

Maeve is the youngest of the girls raised on the Isle of Mist. Her four adopted sisters are all Queens of their respective lands (which we found out in each of the prior 4 books) and married to their predicted loves. Maeve is feeling a bit at loose ends. With her sisters busy with children and duties, Maeve just wants to find Brody. He’s been missing for months. She is worried and a bit lonely. Could he be in trouble or is he avoiding her because of his curse?

Loved this fantasy series and a bit sad to see it end. This was a fantastic wrap up with a bonus secondary romance and most of the characters from the prior stories making cameos. A few happy tears at the end. So good.