Nina Singh

Good book. I loved the tie-in to "The Little Mermaid," right down to their names and the title. It was a sweet story that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Arielle is an aspiring singer who left her overachieving family in Chicago to pursue her dream. Unfortunately, the band split up in Spain, leaving her stranded and jobless. She found a job at a local resort entertaining visiting children. As the story opens, the red-headed Arielle is dressed as a mermaid while reading to the children. When a storm pops up, she sees a man clinging to a float ring in the surf and rushes to his aid.

Prince Erikol is the heir to the throne of his small kingdom. He is under much pressure to marry, and his parents are pushing one particular princess at him. In a desperate attempt to escape for a while, he takes his sailboat out for a spin and some peace. When the sunny day suddenly turns stormy, Riko finds himself tossed overboard and in danger of drowning. He doesn't expect to be rescued by a beautiful mermaid.

I loved watching Arielle's rescue of Riko. She is determined to save him and refuses to give up. Losing her job over it put her in the tough situation of possibly having to return home with her dream unfulfilled. I enjoyed seeing Riko show up to thank her for saving his life - her reaction was priceless. Riko was bemused by his desire to help her, and I liked how he found her a job as a nanny to his niece and nephew.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Riko and Arielle develop. The connection between them was instantaneous, making them comfortable with each other despite their differences. I liked how Riko behaved uncharacteristically by finding excuses to be with her. Arielle enjoys her time with Riko but tries to protect her heart, knowing they have no future. Matters become complicated when the princess arrives for a visit, and the pressure on Riko resumes. I ached for Riko, who, torn between duty to family and country and his love for Arielle, felt powerless to pursue his heart's desire, and for Arielle, who had already lost her heart to him.

I cheered for Arielle when she had the opportunity to make her dream come true, but I also ached for her as it took her away from Riko. I loved seeing Riko get timely advice from his twin brother, Manny, and its effect on him. I liked the solution Riko found to his issues with his parents. I loved the sweet and emotional reunion between Riko and Arielle. The epilogue was terrific, and I liked seeing where they stood two years later. I especially enjoyed the twist involving Arielle's music.

The secondary characters were great. My favorites were Riko's brother, Manny, and his family. I liked Manny's close relationship with Riko. Manny's wife was sweet, and I liked how quickly she became friends with Arielle while the two children were adorable. Riko's parents had their good and bad moments, but they turned out to be okay. Arielle's sisters were supportive. I especially enjoyed Maysie's reaction to Riko's arrival at the end. However, I really wanted to see Arielle's judgmental father's response to his daughter's future.

#netgalley… (más)

Good second chance romance in a fascinating location. The descriptions of the environment and wildlife were so vivid that I felt like I was experiencing it along with Sierra and Dante. I especially enjoyed their reactions to the leopards and the lions.

Dante, Sierra, and Dante's late wife, Rula, were best friends growing up. But Rula's ambitious parents planted the idea of being a queen in her mind early in her life. So she spent her childhood and teen years doing everything possible to prepare for that life, with marriage to Dante as her end goal. Meanwhile, Dante and Sierra's friendship deepened, though neither said anything about their feelings to the other. In the end, Dante's parents encouraged him to marry Rula, but the marriage was not happy. Then, two years ago, Rula was killed in a car accident, and Dante has been eaten with guilt ever since.

The story opens as Dante's mother tasks him with going on a special trip as a replacement for her and the king, who is ill. He is content with the idea until the queen hits him with her plan that he is accompanied by a fellow citizen who can be his partner for ceremonies and activities. Dante is stunned when she selects Sierra, whom he hasn't seen since Rula's funeral. Because Sierra was always at the back of his mind, even during his marriage, just the thought of spending time with her ramps up his guilt.

Sierra is shocked at the idea of accompanying Dante and refuses his initial request. She is well aware of her feelings for him and feels the risk to her heart is not worth it. But she changes her mind when she learns the reason behind the request.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Dante and Sierra develop. Their initial awkwardness with each other begins to fade as they attempt to resurrect their friendship. But matters quickly become complicated as their buried feelings resurface. Each fights those feelings. Dante is still consumed with guilt over what he sees as his failure as a husband, which causes him to resist the idea of marrying again. Sierra compares herself to Rula and comes up short, believing that she could never be the type of wife Dante needs. A night stranded in the wilderness brings their attraction to a head. But the past and insecurities keep them apart, and they go their separate ways.

Fate isn't done with them and brings them back together for a wedding. Sierra's tension was evident, as was Dante's hopefulness. I wanted to shake them both as Dante flubs around expressing his feelings, and Sierra allows her insecurities to keep her from following her heart. It takes a surprise discovery to open her eyes and put the past to rest. The ending was emotional, and the epilogue was great.… (más)

This one started out promising with Melinda and Ray meeting in exciting accidental fashion but it lost momentum along the way, it felt like they needed more conflict, not necessarily with each other, I did like that they’re mostly kind with each other and he isn’t an overly bossy alpha type, just more conflict in their lives might have helped, like maybe seeing Melinda truly fighting to get her money back or something, it felt like this needed more going on than just waiting on the impending revelation that he’s royal and kept her in the dark about it.

While I found Melinda a likable heroine there were aspects of her character, I struggled with like given that this woman was recently betrayed by her husband, it seemed questionable that she wouldn’t have immediately googled Ray to find out more about him. If your trust had been broken and some guy told you he works for the royal family of a country you’ve never heard of, wouldn’t your first thought be this is some kind of line he uses or a scam or something? Melinda immediately buying in felt off, it seemed like someone in her position would be more skeptical and cautious than she behaved towards Ray. I also had a hard time with how weepy she became over a guy she knew for all of three days, I don’t know, that reaction, letting herself be that emotionally invested in someone she doesn’t know after being robbed by her ex, it just seemed like Melinda needed a therapist in that moment more than she needed a new man in her life.

If you’re able to suspend disbelief over how long it takes Melinda to be curious about Ray’s story and you’re in the mood for a romance with minimal obstacles and a sprinkling of seasonal activities like skating, playing in the snow and Winter dances, maybe this one will work a little better for you than it did for me.… (más)

What a fun Christmas romance!

An inherited vineyard brings Zayn and Izzy back together, forcing them to face the hurts of their past. This proves to be no easy feat, but a lingering attraction and a mistletoe kiss could be just what they need to face the truth, healing, and a more hopeful future.

I am so in the mood for Christmas romances already, so I enjoyed Nina Singh’s Her Inconvenient Christmas Reunion. As Zayn and Izzy get a second chance at love, Singh sets the scene interestingly and beautifully with their shared vineyard. It is all a delight to experience, so I easily recommend this quick read to other readers in need of a holiday romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.… (más)