ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS'

Shana Abe Page

Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553-58497-9
June 2004
Historical Romance/Mermaids
www.tlt.com/authors/sabe.htm

Reviewed By Tracy Farnsworth

Off the coast of Scotland, the Isle of Kell is rumored to harbor a mystical siren, a mermaid.  After she finds love with a shipwrecked sailor and he betrays her, she places a curse that will span the centuries.  Sailors landing on the island must leave at once or face death.  This sets the stage for the trilogy of novellas found within THE LAST MERMAID.

The first story takes place in 531A.D.  Prince Aedan is attacked and tossed into the sea, left for dead.  A beautiful woman, who he soon discovers is a mermaid, rescues him.  Though he falls madly in love with her, he knows he must return to his own country.

Next, meet Ronan MacMhuirich, Earl of Kell.  It is 1721 and an assassin named Leila has been hired to kill Ronan.  Leila is expecting an old man, and then is stunned to find her target is young and extremely handsome. Instead, she becomes his protector, but at what cost?

Finally, Ruri Kell is heartbroken when her parents die suddenly.  When she learns she has inherited an island, the Isle of Kell, Ruri is confused.  Knowing nothing about this unexpected inheritance, she makes plans to sell.  She is asked by Iain MacInnes, a Scottish archaeologist, to travel to Scotland to at least view the island before she makes the decision to sell.  Once there, the magic of the island will have Ruri discovering things she never could have imagined.

From the first sentence, you know that THE LAST MERMAID is going to be an amazing, mystical read.  The stories are all linked by the opening prologue that sets up the curse, and then the story’s magic takes hold.  You find how the Isle of Kell changes, but doesn’t really change, throughout the centuries, finally ending in present day.  However, the final story in this book lapses back to the opening prologue, seamlessly weaving past and present together.

THE LAST MERMAID is a substantial read, at 581 pages it is not a story that you can rush.  There are a lot of exquisite details to take in.  I think it is a perfect book for those rainy day afternoons where you want to get lost in another world.

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