Stealing the Selkie's Heart (The Selkie Seas, #1)

by Ella Rose

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The cover of Stealing the Selkie's Heart captured my attention. I was curious to about the story written between the pages of this book. My expectations going in weren't too high having never read the author before. However, I didn't need to worry as Ella Rose delivered a well paced tale that kept the reader engaged from start to finish. 

Stealing the Selkie's Heart started of with hero, Ronan, a selkie coming on shore to inform his Prince of the meeting he had with the siren emissary to broker a peace treaty. Coming a shore meant he had to shed his skin which allowed him to appear human. However, before he can proceed on his mission, he needs to hide his skin.  If a human should get hold of his skin, they can use it to control him.

Unfortunately for him, Una a fisherwoman observed him in the process of hiding it. She decides to take it to force Ronan to help her find the person who placed a curse on her town and hopefully break said Curse. Reluctantly he agrees to assist her, hoping he could seduce her into giving back his skin. 

Set in 1861 on the Hebrides Island off the coast of Scotland, Stealing the Selkie's Heart, treats readers to an entertaining paranormal romance. It delivered the right mix of suspense, mystery and romance with a dash of politics on the side.

Ronan's plan to seduce Una backfired, as it turns out she was his true mate. Therefore, his attempts to seduce exposed his heart to an unfamiliar situation. Also given his status in his clan as an Anchor (soldier), finding his one true mate created a complicated situation. So invested was he in his plans of seduction while trying to assist her with her mission, his assignment got pushed aside.

Despite being a widow, Una never experienced the joy of falling in love until Ronan. Although when she stole his skin, love was the last thing on her mind. Una is fiery and determined.  To be totally honest I didn't like how she treated Ronan in some instances.  However, his even tempered personality helped to balance her shrewish nature.

I found the aspect of the story dealing with curse interesting. I quickly figured out the identity of the person behind the curse. However, the reason for casting it took awhile longer to figure out. It was fun seeing how that part of the story played out.  However, a few questions arose, one of which being what happened to the person whose actions led to the curse being placed on the town.

A story is nothing without its characters. Stealing the Selkie's Heart portrayed interesting characters. Getting to know these characters enhanced my enjoyment of the story. However, it would have been lovely if more background information on Ronan had been provided. Now based on the fact the hero is a selkie, who lives in the sea, one would expect a little more details about his world. The worldbuilding, however did not stand out as expected.

Stealing the Selkie's is a good start to the Selkie Seas series. Like all paranormal romances expect an insta- attraction, but also prepare for a fun and intriguing journey. Fans of the genre should not miss this one.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading