The Sea Calls My Name by Hollis Shiloh

Title: The Sea Calls My Name
Author: Hollis Shiloh
Series: N/A
Genre: Urban Fantasy/New Adult
Length: Novella (70 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (April 22, 2015)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.75 Hearts

Blurb: He lost his magic. How?

Returning to the bookstore by the sea, Daniel worries about how to tell his father that the money he saved to send his gifted son to magic school was a waste.

Daniel buries his secret under the pretense of coming home for a vacation. Then he meets Leaf Springfield, a beautiful young man who’s been systematically beaten down by his uncle.

Irresistibly drawn to one another, they learn they share more than a love for raw fish and the ocean—both have lost a mother, and their ties to the ocean may be more fantastic than they can imagine.

Passion explodes between the two. It terrifies Daniel how quickly his feelings for Leaf grow. There may be more here than meets the eye—about both of them.

ISBN: 978-1-63216-991-4

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6324

Reviewer: Zack

Review: The Sea Calls My Name has sweet characters experiencing the heady throws of first love. This fantasy romance reads more like a collection of anecdotes written as part of the narrator Daniel’s memoirs – there was a lack of any real central conflict tying the beginning to the end. Without giving anything away, everything that came up seemed to be solved just a few pages later, and it was that more than anything that made this almost seem like a collection of memories rather than one cohesive story.

This was a cute novella with likeable, realistic characters that were well fleshed out. The stories follow the problems of new love in a fantasy setting, and while at first glance Daniel and Leaf’s immediate commitment seems strange, it does get explained later on in the novella. The writing is strong, albeit a bit too tame at times, and you get a fairly good sense of the world these characters live in.

That said, while the writing is strong, it isn’t quite solid. There’s a bit too much exposition – again making it feel as though you’re reading a memoir – and in some areas the story was a bit clunky. I would have liked to know more about the setting – such as what year the story takes place. At times it seems like the characters are conversing in terms from the Victorian age or even prior to that, while the next minute they are driving a car. I would have liked to know where the town was as well. The author created an interesting, vibrant world and I wanted to delve into it more and learn more about how it works.

I’d recommend this tender romantic fantasy for any who want a quick, light spring read.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *