I enjoyed diving back into the world of the Twin Crowns series, this time following Marino's story but with some familiar faces at the beginning and plenty of new ones along the way. For me, this book didn't hit the same as the first three in the series (perhaps as only one of the authors wrote it?) and though the concept was interesting and I like Marino's character, there were elements that I didn't gel with too. A lot of the dialogue was quite cheesy, I didn't enjoy the love triangle element, and I guessed the crux of the twist pretty early on. It was fairly slow going, too, so along with not connecting to the characters, it didn't stand out for me. Don't get me wrong, Marino is an interesting character and to understand him better, his love of the ocean, and how he wants to find love for himself, was good. He's a very honourable captain despite his slightly roguish portrayal and it's clear to see why people like him!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I really enjoyed how much of an easy read this book was. The writing was light, accessible, and flowed really nicely. I love the world of Twin Crowns and am glad we get to see so much more outside of Eanna. However, I did feel like the story was very cheesy, and the characters were a little too over the top. I also predicated the main plot twist straight after we were introduced to the FMCs. Finally, the stakes were not believable and the ending felt so rushed, it could have been stretched out a bit longer. So overall, I really enjoyed it and needed the light-hearted read, but it could do with a little more work.

I'm a huge fan of the Twin Crowns series. It hits a very particular note in the current wave of romantasy titles and it hits it consistently which is a huge part of the appeal. You're 'safe' with these books in that you know it's going to have lots of lush world building, characters that you can really route for, an engaging plot, cosy details about costumes and food, adventure, intrigue, spicy but not X-rated romance and minimal violence. Reading one of these books is like wrapping yourself up in a blanket knitted by someone who loves you and having a huge mug of deliciously sweet hot chocolate in your hand- it's priceless!

Captain of Fates is a spin-off title from the main series featuring everyone's favourite sea Captain Marino Pegasi. Now that everyone else is 'loved up' after the end of the main series they are all trying to find someone special for the Captain but when his beloved sister Celeste falls dangerously ill he is forced to go on a perilous mission to save her life. Will he find true love on the way? Well...!

The plot is closely related to The Little Mermaid film at the beginning (even scene by scene at some points- I was obsessed by that film when I was 16 and have it memorised) but honestly, that made it even better in my book. It's a mermaid/hero story- it's part homage, it's all good. Where the plot goes into new territory it was fun and inventive. I loved the bad-girl mermaid sisters and as for the 'magical bakery' with deliciously enchanted tarts and cakes- I was all in!