Across A
Wine-Dark Sea
Across a Wine-Dark Sea by Jessica Bryan is the story of an Amazon Warrior
and a Merman and is set in the time of Ancient Greece.
Thalassa is an Amazon Warrior with no interest in men other than in the tradition of helping the continuation of her race. Romance is for other women and not for either herself or her people.
But Thalassa does not anticipate being abducted from her home by a man of the sea who keeps her prisoner within his enchanting world far beneath the sea.
Dorian is king of the merfolk and has chosen Thalassa as his queen. Plucking her from the ocean he takes her to his kingdom where he is determined she will remain. If only he could keep her from wanting to return to her doomed race. And some of his younger people from wanting to go with her.
Dorian has kept his people and kingdom safe for many years - he cannot allow his people and queen into danger. But for a warrior woman, born and raised in a violent land where skill with weapons is highly honoured, this peaceful world is just not what she is looking for; and a life with one man is not on the agenda either, even if he is determined to keep her and use every romantic ploy he can to make her his queen.
Set in the last days of the Amazons Ms Bryan combines Greek legends, adventure, romance and magic to produce a gripping, fast-paced story set in both a mythical kingdom beneath the ocean and the war-torn land beneath the sun.
I found this story quite difficult to get into at first. My own recollection of Greek legends, (yes, I read more than just romance :-), did not seem the same as Ms Bryan's. However it is very likely that Ms Bryan's research is much better than my own poor memory.
However once I got into the story I found it very good and an excellent plot. Having read a little of Greek Mythology I found that I did know the ending of main Amazon plot lines - but the romance story line was rather more difficult to guess and did keep me wondering until the very end.
I did find that there were a lot of subplots in this novel with lesser characters. Therefore at the end when the body count was quite high I found it very disappointing to have to say goodbye to so many of the lesser characters who could likely have had their own novels.
Personally I think a sequel would be in order.
RATING : 
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Also by Jessica Bryan : Dawn on a Jade Sea and Beneath a Sapphire
Sea