Member Reviews
This was fun! Not my typical read but I had a good time.
The setting was beautiful, the mermaid aspect was fun. The twist was interesting.
I would pick something up by this author again
Everyone loves a good villain story. It's why Hollywood is turning a profit these days with gritty remakes of fairy-tale femme fatales and comic book baddies. So when I heard about the premise of "Mermaid of Venice" by Jincey Lumpkin, I was sold in three words: "serial killer mermaid."
I'm not going to lie, I struggled to like Gia for most of the book until I changed my thought process and realized she wasn't doing anything to be justifiably "liked," and besides, there's plenty of men in fiction who run around killing without mercy and they make series of books and movies about them to appease the "dude bros" of society.
Gia is sinister, seductive, and so much more than human. The book can get pretty steamy, which I don't mind at all in my books, but as a reviewer I should point out that this is definitely for an adult audience. (You *did* hear the part where I said this was about a serial killer Mermaid though, right?)
I will say my favorite part of the book was learning more about the Mermaid world and I can't wait to see more of the different mer colonies throughout the ocean in future installments. Also I loved how international the series is. One chapter we're in Italy, the next New York, and so on. And judging from the titles of the forthcoming installments, we'll be seeing other places as well.
Also, I need to mention, but not spoil, that ENDING. It didn't go anywhere I thought it would, and I'm curious to see where that's going to take us moving forward. I inwardly remember going, "Gia, Gia, Gia...what are you DOING?"
The book is a fairly quick read, and the chapters are brief enough to keep you turning pages...the perfect beach read then, right? Mermaid of Venice is available now on Amazon and is the first of a six book series, with its sequel, Mermaid of Sicily, planned for a September release. If you like books with a touch of murderous mayhem while lounging out by the pool or seaside this summer, Mermaid of Venice would be the perfect choice!
I thought the premise was cute and interesting, but ultimately the book didn't really grip me. Some parts of the book were fun and had me wanting more, but most of it fell flat. If there is a sequel, I wouldn't be super eager to read it.
Even though the story is not great, I have to admit that I have ended up enjoying it. This is the kind of mermaid stories that I like to read, a little bit bloody.
I have to add that I don’t think the cover suits the story whatsoever. It’s really bright and fluffy for the kind of story that ir portraying. Apart from that, quite an enjoyable read. I want to dive into the second one to see how Gia’s story continues.
IndieReader Approved with 4.8 of 5 stars: “MERMAID OF VENICE is an electrifying series starter that immerses readers in a world filled with glamor, sex, murder, and mermaids.”
Dive into the extremely glamorous life of Gia Acquaviva, an ultra-rich Venetian mogul with a portfolio of clubs and casinos around the globe. Gia harbors dark secrets––and an underwater graveyard filled with the bones of her former lovers.
Her family’s roots descend from the mythological sirens of ancient Greece, but she’s taken every precaution to protect her anonymity and the existence of other mermaids. Gia lures in men with a beguiling façade, but inside lurks a deeply troubled soul, severely damaged by a mysterious past.
Despite her sinister desires, she longs for true intimacy and believes she may have found her match in Cameron Langley, a successful London-based banker and dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth. He offers Gia her first real opportunity for lasting love. They share an intensely passionate, deeply sensual connection… but is her growing affection for new lover enough to lull the murderous cravings she feels building within?
Fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies will love Mermaid of Venice, a sexy psychological thriller with lush fantasy elements. The setting is modern day Europe with all the chic locales, hot spots and vistas of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and a juicy splash of the lavish lifestyle in E. L. James’s 50 Shades series. This is not the Little Mermaid you grew up with. Gia’s out for blood.
Mermaid of Venice is the first installment in a series of 6 books about Gia Acquaviva.
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This is my first book by the author that I read. This book is a sold 3 stars for me. Not good but not that bad. It's just mediocre. I thought the romance will be hot and smutty but somehow this book is bland af.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the book.
So before I left this review I wanted to read through the hole series and man I'm so happy I did.
This book was a good start to the series. Kept me pulled into it. Couldn't put it down at all. 5 star book. Highly recommend this book. I so plan on rereading this series again next year. I already told a few people that they need to read this book.
Loved this book. My first book from this author. Made me a total fan with this book. would read this again and again.
I'm sorry but this one didn't do it for me. This was an easy/ slow read but it wasnt my cup of tea. Dnf after 30% in.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for a chance to read this book.
The genre of this was so hard to understand because I thought it'd be very quirky and over the top and it ended up being rather sad and contemplative. I did enjoy it, especially for the mermaid element. The writing was good and the characters interesting.
There is just emotion in this writing at all. Tried listening to the audio and it’s somehow worse?? I didn’t like the narrator at all. DNF
Mermaid of Venice by Jincey Lumpkin was a dark, sexy fantasy and I loved it! The setting is exotic and the story is colored by love and shrouded in intrigue. It was stunning and left me wanting to devour the next book immediately. just go ahead and buy the trilogy save yourself the trouble, because you're going to love it!
The description pulled me in and at first it seemed great. But it was really hard to connect to the characters of what was supposed to a Romance (?) when it was written in third person and seemed very clinical. It was written very cut and dry. The story itself wasn’t too bad, but when it got to the part where Gia takes her BF to the mermaid world, it got weird and felt like a different book. The two parts where completely disconnected. I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the story.
Did not finish at 32%. I try to keep an open mind when reading something new, but this was too much. The writing felt very rough and the sex scenes either felt crass and/or did not move the story along. There are too many other good books out there and life is too short to keep reading something you dislike as much. Thank you Net Galley and Jincey Lumpkin Publishing LLC for the ARC.
This book caught my attention immediately with its plot. Gia Acquaviva was an ultra-rich Venetian mermaid with an itch to kill. She finally found her equal in a successful alpha-male banker Cameron Langley, when her past sins were re-surfacing (pun intended) and threatened to expose her anonymity.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, because I had never seen anything like it. It was creative, witty in places, and quite explosive.
The book started with a bang, but then it unfortunately slowed down somewhere in the middle (before thankfully picking up its pace again towards the end). I wasn’t particularly a fan of the part where Gia started to rely too much on other characters. She wasn’t proactive enough to sort out her own mess and became a bit complacent to my liking. Also, I was expecting a mystery thriller, but this book had more romance instead.
While some of the details were a bit cliche, the book was still very unique overall. I wouldn’t mind checking out the rest of the series to see where the plot is heading.
Gia is a mermaid who has secrets of course :) Gia is great character, she is confident, strong, independent and has a style. The ocean is full of her ex lovers bodies. One day she screwed up and somehow met Cameron.
This story was fun to read with its dark and romantic theme. I will definitely read other books of these series.
Fun, quick, and easy to follow! A cute series for summer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the novel. #MermaidofVenice
DNF. The dialogue is really choppy and the audiobook narrator was not a good choice. She sounds like she's dramatically reading instructions rather an be a character in a novel.
It was a really easy book to get through. The whole world building is fascinating, and the book is really fast paced which keeps you hooked throughout.
Aside from one of my favorite characters dying, I really liked reading it.
The modern take on a mermaid legend was very refreshing. It is so wonderful reading about a ruthless yet enchanting female protagonist. One can't help but feel for the serial killer in this book. A few twists and turns make the reading experience exciting and even though I would've liked to read a bit more about the mermaid lore and legend and how all of that works this book still left me satisfied and at the same time curious for more.
The first in a new series about real mermaids in the world. Gia is descended from the sirens and is a real mermaid. Historically, she has found comfort in murdering her lovers when she grows tired of them. However, she then meets Cameron and finds herself falling in love with him. At the same time, there is a new threat to the mermaid world as the truth starts to leak out to the human world.
Overall, I liked this book. I struggled to connect with the characters some, as I didn’t find them too likable. I also wish we had more mermaid background but maybe that will be in a future book. It does end on a cliffhanger so I do definitely want to read more to find out what happens!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.