Inkslinger
'Tides and Ruin' is the fourth book and a spin-off of the Fae Rising series by Miranda Lyn.
Over the last year, I've heard a ton about this author and series from my friends.. even those who don't read a lot of indie work.. and so I've been meaning to give it a try for awhile. This book has all the elements that I couldn't resist.. sirens/mermaids, pirates, fae, and the sea.
Star-crossed love is always a fun trope, especially when there's innate distrust involved.. and Lyra has plenty of that. She's a bit of a jaded character, written to come across as an edgy, tough-talking female.. but it reads more like posturing by someone who thinks that's how it sounds. The result being she's a bit of a cliche, however likable.
The author has an elegant writing style and paints dramatic scenes vividly, but the more personal encounters are often just more of a glancing blow. It's really kind of interesting to see how different the two are at times.
All-in-all, it's a quick, fun read. While there's a lot of room to expand on character and story depth here, it's enjoyable for what it is. Somewhat steamy, mythical fun with a bit of 'eye candy' along the way.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)