I would like to thank the author and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover of this book which features a beautiful mermaid.

It starts with a pirate out for revenge. He is a captain who is desperate to get revenge on all the creatures that have destroyed his ship. Quinn O'Connor captures their leader without suspecting the consequences to come. That is to say being stuck with one of them on a mysterious island.

As for the beautiful temptress of the seas, Lorelei, daughter of Poseidon, she wants to negotiate with Quinn to save her family. He will drag her to land and her tail will give way to beautiful legs but will she want to go home after that?

As for the magic and chaos combined, their kisses only increase the desire for each other.

Will Lorelei accept her fate? Will Quinn renounce his desire for revenge? Will he attack a God to save the one he loves?

I read this book in one sitting and was so hooked on the love story between the pirate and the mermaid. A story so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of intrigue, suspense and twists with very endearing characters. I can't wait to discover the rest of the book, I love the author's writing so much.

Title: Caught
Author: Kimberley Cale
Pub. Date: September 10, 2020
Rating: 2.5

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book ended up really not doing much for me. I’d requested on a whim and the key words “pirate” and “mermaid”. I figured it would be a quick, enjoyable read. In the end, I just didn’t really care. One part of me liked that it was short, which meant I breezed through it in one sitting. The other part of me wished it were longer so more character and world development could have occurred.

I don’t think the book is bad, and it definitely has potential, but i didn’t get to spend enough time on the world or with the characters to develop any sort of attachment.
Not to mention that Quinn really doesn’t start off in a favorable light. Like, at all. In fact, I almost DNF’d because I was super uncomfortable with the thoughts running through his head. I can understand his anger, but the ferocity and vulgarness seemed over the top and gross.

I also didn’t expect smut – and somewhat crude smut at that.
Again, wasn’t a fan of the vulgarness.

I also had some issues with the plot and how underdeveloped it all felt. The whole Greek Mythology, Fairie aspect, magic is real and unquestioned confused me. Okay, I can believe mermaids and sirens, because they tend to go hand in hand with Pirates, but the other stuff felt like it was included just as a way of explanation. Except I was left with more questions.

Despite the issues I had – I can see the potential, and I strongly believe that if the book had been better, if we’d gotten to know the characters better prior to them meeting (whether through flashback, or the timeline starting earlier) all of my issues could be resolved.
Maybe I’ll check out the other books in this series, but ultimately this just didn’t do much for me – despite enjoying the concept.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting take on the romance genre which promised much but didn't quite deliver. The book started of promisingly yet it kind of tailed of in pace and quality from half way in. The MC's became distorted and unusual later on the story, making them unlikeable and less engaging.
An OK read.

Book Review for Caught by Kimberley Cale
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This book promised all the things I loved in a book: mermaids, pirates and romance. Unfortunately, the execution and content of this book left me thoroughly disappointed.

Lorelai was an interesting character who had an intriguing back story and motivation throughout the book. The mermaid lore and civilisation was well thought out and the only enjoyable part of the book for me.

I was initially interested in Quinn during the first chapter. He was a sexy pirate protagonist who had just lost his ship and wanted revenge. But from there he just becomes an irredeemable monster. In my opinion, he os the worst kind of character to cast as the romantic male lead in a story. A would-be-rapist with a penchant for violence against women. He lacked any romantic qualities and was uncomfortable to read things from his perspective.

The relationship between Quinn and Lorelai is intended to be enemies to lovers but the book lacks any real romance and skips straight to, at times, violent smut removing the ability for the relationship to go through the traditional slow burn of the enemies to lovers trope. It felt more like an accelerated Stockholm Syndrome if I'm being honest.

This book needs trigger warnings at the start for attempted sexual assault and violence.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ARC from NetGalley

Well this was underwhelming. Is it so hard to ask for a fantasy romance with a semi-believable love story that actually develops naturally with a sense of suspense and tension?

Quinn abducts Lorelei after assuming she is responsible for destroying his ship. While he can't bring himself to punish her for it with his fists, well, he can probably rape her, and by god she would deserve it. Later on we learn that he is just too good of a guy for rape, and he is disappointed in himself. Despite her constantly telling him that she didn't ruin his ship, he doesn't believe her, because once when he was younger, a woman treated him badly, and now he has a fucking chip on his shoulder and fully consumed the red pill. Every stupid tiny thing makes him renew his belief that she did him wrong despite their developing relationship, and despite being the fucking daughter of a god, she forgives him and sees his good heart from those couple times that his face contorted in such a way as to display concern and affection for her.

Let us also discuss the relationship. They hate each other immediately, of course, because he thinks she destroyed his ship and killed his crew, and, well, she was kidnapped by him and forced out of her natural habitat to desiccate on land until she grows a vagina for him to plunder. Despite this rocky start, there is, of course, immediate and totally unjustifiable passion which develops into equally unjustifiable love. It all culminates in some ridiculous bullshit ending that had me just flipping the pages to end it already. The sex scenes do not redeem this book. They were shite, and they were paced terribly. Do not recommend.

i love mermaid tales, and this book was really well done. I enjoyed Lorelei and getting to know the world that she lived in. It was a fun read and I look forward to more from this series.

I was in a mood for a mermaid book when I came across "Caught" by Kimberley Cale.
I started it expecting some sort of romance story (it's promised in the title after all), sadly that wasn't really the case at all.

DNF at Chapter 7/15.

The writing itself wasn't the worst I've encountered, especially considering all the awful books I've unfortunately read in 2020. The hero (The Almighty pirate) was just a big NOPE, he was just so BAD. Assaulting douche type of bad.

The Plot:
The heroine (Lorelei, an Ariel lookalike- very unsettling, considering you see her getting assaulted, why ruin my childhood like that?! *cries*) is a mermaid that loves her sisters and wants to save them from having to marry an abusive male siren by agreeing to marry him herself. She gets caught by Almighty Captain Quinn after sirens sink his ship and kill his crew. He's dead set on making her pay because he believes she's actually the leader so he kidnapps her and plans on avenging his mates by killing her.
Surprise, suprise, Quinn for some reason doesn't have to balls to kill her, so he changes the plan to keeping her for his sexual entertaiment (no care about her consent) while he's stuck on the island without a ship. He just doesn't want be alone & happens to fancy said mermaid's curves. *ew*
His whole scheme depends on a little story he heard from one of his drunk crewmates:
that he should take a mermaid out of the water, keep her on dry land in the moonlight or something, once she gets her legs he HAS to keep "filling her with his seed" without missing a day so she doesn't return her tail once she goes into the sea. Who made up these rules? They sound like the fantasy of some sex depraved sailor, ngl.
Quinn absolutely believes that story & sets his plan in motion. He tries to tell us how he's not one about hurting human females even if they ask him while in bed and he's absolutely not into rape. But... these are just empty words.

The red flags:
- Quinn refuses to hear Lorelei when she tries multiple times to tell him she's not the one responsible for his ship sinking.
He says all women are basically liars, evil wenches. Gotta love such hero.

- Once Almigthy decides he just doesn't have it in him to kill her because she's a female, he settles for having her body as payment for killing his people. Who is he to decide he need to be paid for others dying?
The moment she gets her legs he pounces, not giving a fuck she's not willing, he gets to a point of being on top of her, restraining her, she's visibly clearly not "enjoying herself". He reads her reaction as "being angry" (biting him when he kisses her without her CONSENT) so he just keeps going, but then hears a "small, frightened cry" from Lorelei whic makes him stop. Quinn realizes he's not into rape either, he wants her to be a willing "sexual slave" (does he know what a slave is?).
The king of plans now has a new plan: seduce Lorelei by basically getting her Stockholm syndromed so she willingly lets him bone her. He also tells us how he would just leave her brokenhearted once a ship shows up to save him & he would lie to her he would one day return.
What a romance. Right?
I don't want much from the heroes, just for them not to be complete douchebags, why is it so damn hard?!

- There are multiple scenes of him ogling her naked body, slapping her arse while he carries her without her consent, talking how he plans on using said body, tying her up. He touches her without permission a lot. It's freaking uncomfortable! Just because he's a pirate doesn't make it acceptable to make him borderline rapey, considering this is a ROMANCE NOVEL.

- Once he traps her into having legs, he sees her distress and he's super dismissive of it, he thinks she's overreacting over losing her tail and finds it all amusing. I ask, how will he react if she CUT OFF HIS LEGS OR HIS PENIS? Since he cares a lot about his 9-incher.
And yes, he doesn't miss the opportunity to tells us how his penis is 9 inches. Like that's a personal trait.

- Hero wants to immediately get laid once they make a deal he would "help" her find a treasure in exchange for her giving his body to him for a month. He lies the whole time.

The Plot holes/mistakes/things that make no sense:
- THE SIRENS: for a book that relies heavily on Greek mythology (Lorelei's father is Poseidon, she talks about the slaying of Cronus), this book depicts sirens wrong (heroine is a mermaid & tells us how she swims along with sirens, that are the evil species), in Greek mythology this is what sirens are:
"Half-birds, half beautiful maidens, the Sirens were singing enchantresses capable of luring passing sailors to their islands, and, subsequently, to their doom. Daughters of the river god Achelous and a Muse, they were fated to die if anyone should survive their singing."
So I ask, how is a half-bird, half-maiden swimming in the sea with a mermaid?

- MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE SIRENS: The whole siren species have just ONE MALE. He's super evil & is to marry Lorelei, she tells us how she heard he's not into using his charm when it comes to his brides, he just nibbles at them with his sharp teeth while he assaults them to get them pregnant. Supposedly no bride actually survives that. And she also says she heard that sirens eat the small ones before they even leave the womb.
So my question is: how did their kind survive then? How are there any sirens left, when Ruin "The Biter" kills all his brides that can potentially produce heirs and the other eat the unborn ones too? How is this making any sense?
- Heroine's choice is between Ruin and Quinn, so she easily agrees to anything Quinn suggest because she's desperate to save her sisters and stop Ruin. This is not romance. She has no other choice & would sacrifice herself for the people she loves (the sisters). Both Ruin & Quinn are abusers. Just because the pirate is the "lesser evil" doesn't make him a good love interest.


Quotes to show what kind of hero Quinn is:

"And wouldn't it be the ultimate revenge to have her lusting after him? He'd turn her into his own sexual slave. He just needed a chance, and for that, he needed her to stop fighting him."
It's disturbing that this is considered romance.

"Now he'd string her along and see where it led."
He plans on acting like he's gonna help her get the treasure she's searching for on the island so he gets laid.

"He wouldn't force her, but he wasn't above a little teasing as long as she didn't make that fearful sound again." Said teasing involves him playing with her body without HER CONSENT.

""I'll help ye," he lied, because he wouldn't, not at all. The only one he would help would be himself. First to her, and then to whatever treasure there was to be found.
...
"Startin' at first light". At first light, he'd be deep inside of her."
He's just disgusting.

(Quinn trying to convince Lorelei to let him bone her)
"Things got out of hand. It won't be like before. I thought you were just angry not-". (scared for her life?) What's the difference?! In both instances she would be not up to sleep with Quinn?

(Says how he wouldn't do anything she won't like) "In fact, if I can't make ye we and wantin', I promise to let you go this very night," he lied like the pirate he was."

"He'd have her eaing out of his hands. She'd give up her freedom to him willingly, something he would never forfeit to another. Once done, he would keep her here by his side, at least, until he found a new way off this spit of land. Then he would leave her behind, to return to her ocean and mourn his loss, all the while promising to return to her, but of course he never would."
Ah, so romantic.


I'm honestly so sick of heroes that would do anything to manipulate/gaslight the heroine into sleeping with them or ones that clearly don't even care if she would enjoy any of it.
I'm so over these romance novels with trashy, abusive heroes that are anything but romantic & try to make a fantasy out of rape and sexual assault. No matter if the heroine ends up enjoying something, the whole thing started without CONSENT & can't NEVER, EVER be EXCUSED or written off as okay because she ENDED UP ENJOYING HERSELF. Especially when we can clearly see said heroine is just accepting her situation and going with it to save somebody she loves.


Needless to say, I don't recommend "Caught". This book would ruin your childhood if you ever saw the Little Mermaid. The hero is an abusive depraved POS that traps the heroine, steals her tail and lies & manipulates her non-stop. There's no romance, no chemistry, all you get is rapey scenes and bad depiction of Greek mythology.

Caught, the first book in the Sea Temptress Series, is the story of Lorelei, a mermaid who falls in love with her pirate captor. Quinn, the captain of a sunken pirate ship, mistakenly blames Lorelei for his ship’s demise. Though he is determined to punish her for the death of his crew and loss of his ship, Quinn doesn’t expect to fall for the enchanting woman.

Lorelei is betrothed to a ruthless, murderous siren, and her only desire is to find a way to break the engagement, save her sisters from the same demise, and escape from her father Poseidon’s clutches. Is she willing to risk everything for the man who captured her? Will Quinn put his misgivings and preconceived notions about women to protect Lorelei?

This is an engaging mermaid romance with well-developed, complex protagonists. Lorelei’s relationship with her sisters is one of my favorite parts of the book. Lorelei sacrifices so much to protect her sisters, and her love for them is strong and true, as is their love for her. Lorelei’s trust in and protection of her sisters says a lot about her character.

Quinn’s character is a bit more difficult to love, especially at the start of the story. His years as a pirate have hardened him, and his thirst for revenge blinds him. I like that Lorelei’s strength of character breaks through Quinn’s emotional barriers. She makes Quinn want to be a better man. Of all the characters in the story, Quinn shows the most growth.

The mythology and mermaid lore as well as the supernatural elements of the story, are also interesting. I like how the author weaves Greek mythology into the story and puts a fresh spin on well-known gods and mythical creatures. Poseidon, mermaids, sirens, fairies, and more are presented with a unique and interesting spin.

There is talk of sexual assault early in the story. While seeking vengeance, Quinn intends to have sex with Lorelei, whether she wants to or not. Though he doesn’t follow through, this part might trigger readers. Also, Lorelei agrees to have sex with Quinn as part of a deal and while held captive. Though not forced, Lorelei sleeps with Quinn after he lies to her. Though their relationship quickly turns to one of love and passion, it starts under dubious circumstances.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

AN IRREDEEMABLE 'HERO' JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR ME...

In my opinion, the 'hero' of this book, Quinn, is the sort of man I hope will never be allowed to be romantic heroes... Because there is nothing romantic or heroic about him. I could perhaps have liked this book if Quinn had actually just been a rake and not a would-be-rapist. But that wasn't the case. And I can't forgive or tolerate something like that.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Quinn: At the beginning of this book, Quinn blames the mermaid Lorelei for the sinking of his ship. As retaliation, Quinn plans to rape Lorelei and keep her prisoner on a deserted island forever. Yeah, that doesn't exactly sound like a hero to me. What struck me as most bizarre is that when Quinn is contemplating this rape, he says that he could never harm a woman - here he apparently only talks about hitting a woman, because apparently violent rape is not 'hurting' a woman... How screwed up is that!

Lust: As I see it there is no love in this book. It is all pure lust. Maybe there would have been love if Cale had seen fit to add actual romantic scenes in stead of just smut. But she didn't. I honestly believe that this was a case of Stockholm Syndrome Lust.

Quinn: Yes, Quinn deserves another mention because he revolted me time and time again. Aside from planning to rape Lorelei he also lies and blackmails her into having sex with him, pushing her into a corner where her only option is to let him do with her what he wants. And then he berates her for it too, after they've supposedly fallen in love. I just wanted to vomit at that point.

Before I begin my review for Caught: Sea Temptress #1 by Kimberley Cale, I would personally like to thank the author, the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and I have reviewed it honestly.

Fans of Daughter of the Pirate King and To Kill a Kingdom will adore this epic new mermaid and pirate tale. Enjoy a smouldering, enemies to lovers, love affair and a magical mixture of mythology and Greek Gods as our bewitching protagonists overcome mistrust and loyalties.

Caught features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ NA fantasy romance
○ Mermaids/sirens
○ Pirates
○ Enemies to lovers
○ Mythology
○ Greek Gods
○ Smut

My overall rating for Caught is…

5 Stars!

I always, always, ALWAYS love a good mermaid/siren love story! Add a ruthless pirate intent on devouring his evil yet beautiful, captive mermaid, this book was sexy, sweet and seductive. Beautifully written and unique in its story, this book is an absolutely MUST read.