The Vicious Deep * Zoraida Cordova

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave. 

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth. 

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods. 

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back.

Tristan Hart has everything going for him, he's a talented swimmer on the swim team, he's popular, good looking, has the best group of friends anyone could ask for and has all the girls chasing after him. So what could possibly go wrong? 

Besides the fact that he drowned trying to save a child from the ocean and when he came back after blacking out, he couldn't remember anything at all apart from a weird woman with a mermaid tail and razor sharp teeth haunting his mind and dreams.

Though all things soon go out of shape when he falls asleep in the bath then wakes up with a mermaid's tail and fish pouring out of the taps and a scar on his back that burns like hell. So when he confronts his mother about his strange and bizarre problems, all things start to make sense...well, if you can say it makes sense, seeing as your mother is the sea kings daughter and you so happen to be the next heir to the underworld thrown and that your mothers evil sister is out to kill him, then yeah, Everything makes total sense!

Soon Tristan learns he's not the boy he thought he was and his life isn't what he thought it was, wiping away at the frosted windows Tristan realises he needs to think fast if he wants to save everyone and everything he loves, including his best friend Layla. Hart is a whole new world and doesn't know where to start, but with the help of his family, his grandfather and friends, he may just be able to pull it off, and save the world. Just.

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova is the first instalment in The Vicious Deep book series and is about a young boy who finds out his life is quite different to what he thought it was and learning how to change fast to be able to save everyone he loves. 

I picked this book up from the Library a while a go and I admit I finished reading this book a few months back but never got round to writing the review so I apologise for the really late review, I have another review to do after this one as well, but we will be up to date then :) 

I really liked Tristan and Layla's characters in this book, to be honest I loved all the characters, the way they we're written and portrayed was great and it was a good and exciting read. I did sometimes find myself being a bit lazy and not wanting to finish it as in some places it did drag on a bit, though I am glad that I finished it. 

The book ends with a cliff hanger which is always good, to which it will then go onto the next two books, I don't know if I will be reading the other two books just yet but I will pick them up at some point and finish it off. 

The only thing I have about the book is that it was a bit slow in places and I felt it dragged on a little bit, but it did pick back up and Tristan's character was brilliant! He's cocky bu not too much, just the right amount and he's brave. Layla's character was mostly annoyed at him but you can tell that's she's smitten for him which it was lovely. 

This is a big one, but the other thing is that it reminded me of the Percy Jackson film (I've not read the books but would like too!) a bit too much in places which I feel lets it down a little regarding that this book came out after the Jackson books. There are some similarities in places. 

I will give this book 6.5 out of 10

Undertaking Love * kat French

Undertaking Love by Kat French

Sexy and smart, with an extremely desirable male lead, this a delightful debut from an exciting new new voice in women's fiction. 

When Marla Jacobs discovers that the shop next door to her Little White Wedding Chapel is to become a funeral parlour, She declares an all-out war. 

Funny, romantic and dangerously sexy.


Marla Jacobs is a highly functioning, strong independent woman and she knows what she wants. She's an American woman living in England running her own little wedding chapel, just like the ones back out in the States. Everything is going well for Marla, she has the job, the house, the family and friends and of course her loveable big dog Bluey. 

So when she hears the news, that the new shop opening up next door to her beloved Little White Wedding Chapel, is not the Cupcake shop that she thought it would be. But is in fact a Funeral Parlour, things start to get a bit messy. 

Gabriel Ryan is down on his luck, and after a death in the family, he moves away from Ireland to set up the funeral business somewhere else and follow in his fathers footsteps. He feels like he's got the luck on his side when he finds out Marla is his new neighbour, but all starts to turn sour as soon as she finds out who he is and what he is doing. 

Marla won't be going down without a fight, she can see it before her eyes: Brides bumping into widows, bouquets being swapped for wreaths, and Limos being held up by hearses. Marla can't stand the thought and soon starts up a campaign to get Gabriel out of town and to take his parlour with him, but when it turns into a hate campaign, things start to get a bit out of hand. 

It's all war when Ryan gets his hands into the situation too. Soon the couple are fighting against each other trying to win the votes over from the public, but when one of Marla's close friends does something unforgivable, will the pair start to iron out the creases in their relationship or will it heat things up more? 

Sexy and Irish, Gabriel has a few tricks up his sleeves and is happy to get his hands dirty in the battle for the right of who's shop stays on the street. Even if it means grabbing Marla's friends behind her back.

Though she starts to see Gabriel in a different light, she starts to have other feelings for him How is she supposed to argue with him and claim her title of her shop being the only one on that road, when she just wants to jump into the shower with him? 

Undertaking Love by Kat French is the first novel by the author, (although she has written other books under the name of 'Kitty French' which are under the Erotic category) is the first romantic novel the author has written, and I must say it is amazing!

I know that sounds a bit far fetched and you may just think that "well she thinks that about every book she reads" But I don't and I'm starting to be more strict on what I am reviewing. Though I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this book and wish to purchase it one day so I can read it again. 

I borrowed it from the Library after reading the blurb and it sounding funny. I can tell you now that it is quite funny in places, rude, crude and downright dirty with foul play from both sides of the sex to get what they want. It's the perfect Love-hate relationship book and couldn't get any better. 

One of the books where you're begging the characters to get together, even though they hate each other. But you know they will soon fall in love and everything will click into place. The story behind the book is great and the plot is brilliant. There's always something happening in the book as the story unfolds.

There are some shockers, tear jerkers, edge on the seat, infatuated love, frustration, anger and annoyance moments with all characters. In a way the book reminded me of the TV Stella, if I could describe the book as a TV show that's what it would be. 

It is worth a read and I would recommend it to anyone! Get yourself a copy! 

I will give this book 10 out of 10!