Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
There is but one heir to the throne, one Golden Son.
At thirty-two, Ari loves his life in small town northern Michigan, running his aquatic pet store, but he’s always yearned to visit a coastal state. Inexplicably, he’s felt a connection with the ocean his entire life, and when his cousin Todd calls to ask him to be his best man at his California ocean-side wedding, Ari jumps at the chance for a much needed vacation. When he arrives in San Diego, however, he makes some discoveries about himself and finds love in the process. He also finds himself embroiled in a disturbing murder mystery that he ultimately helps to unravel.
Golden Son picks up about two weeks after the end of Deep Dive ends. Sam and Prince Percy are wrapping up their honeymoon and facing the fact that they must return to reality. Meanwhile, their friends Todd and Amy are preparing for their own wedding. Todd calls his best friend Ari, who lives in Northern Michigan. Ari, who has always had an attraction to the sea, decides it is about time he visits the ocean and accepts Todd’s invitation to be his best man. Todd wonders once Ari has fulfilled his lifelong dream if he will return to his home on Lake Michigan.
As Sam and Percy visit the castle in the underwater city of Palaemon, an assassin tries to kill Percy’s father, the king. His life is spared when one of his bodyguards jumps in front of the bullet, killing him. Unbeknownst to anyone, the crown that determines the next ruler of merpeople was stolen during the confusion of the assassination attempt. It also causes the royal family to return to their home on the California mainland for their protection until this mystery is solved.
Richard arrives on shore near Todd and Amy’s beachfront home. Armand, the guard that was killed was his best friend and lover. He goes to Todd’s place to grieve his loss as both his and his lover’s families are celebrating the sacrifice that Armand in protection of their king. However, when he reaches the shore, he finds Ari. He feels pull to Ari that is stronger than the one he had with Armand. While Ari feels the attraction too, he realizes that Richard is hurting and gives him space to grieve. The two must deal with their budding attraction while helping those around them figure out the reason Armand lost his life.
Jeff Erno has built upon his mer world with the second book in his Tidal Crest series. The concept of three distinct classes of mermen sets up conflict within the species. This allows expansion of the series as the three classes of mermen live in different parts of the oceans. Overall, I thought this was a stronger book than the first. It has strong soap opera plots to it to help the story move along. I was a little put off on how quickly Richard got over his lover Armand and began to take up with Ari as these are not fate mates that most shifter books have. But otherwise the story was quite enjoyable.
The cover art by Angela Waters shows a shirtless merman with his golden tail. It fits the description of the title and book well.
Sales Links: eXtasy Books | ARe | Amazon
Book Details
ebook, 111 pages
Published February 1st 2016 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487406219
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Tidal Crest
- Deep Dive (Tidal Crest #1)
- Golden Son (Tidal Crest #2)
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 