[ARC Review] Song of the Sea by Duckie Mack

Publisher's synopsis: A merprince running from destiny and a romance on borrowed time.

Calder is a merman and a Prince of the Seas. A marriage has been arranged for him to unite two kingdoms. In an attempt to flee a fate he doesn’t want, Calder barters for a year on land.

Denver’s dreams of being a musician fall apart when he loses his father. To carry on his legacy, he takes over their family shop, while learning how to live on without him.

Fate brings the two together, music the tie that binds them. Their connection is powerful and healing, but the clock never stops ticking, the end of the year drawing near.

Will the song in their hearts unite them or is the call of the sea too strong?

My thoughts: I've officially read more merfolk romances in 2022 than I have in any year prior, but Song of the Sea by Duckie Mack is the first M/M merfolk romance I've read this year.

A prince in his kingdom, Calder has higher ambitions than being the fodder for royal alliances. But when he decides to spend a year on land, he never expected to meet someone like Denver. Still recovering from the loss of his father, Denver is a lost soul struggling to find his new purpose. When Calder and Denver get together, they might just end up being the answer to each other's longing. What was typically an all around sweet story definitely packed some harder hitting parts. I loved how cute Calder and Denver were together, but some of my favorite parts of the story ended up being the times they were dealing with the heavier stuff.

One aspect of the story that really felt meaningful to me was how Denver dealt with the aftermath of losing his father. As someone who lost my only parental figure within the last year, Denver's responses were very authentic and his grief was recognizable in any form it took. The loss of a parent is never easy, but I thought Duckie handled it with the respect and dignity it deserved.

As with any Duckie Mack romance, even the steamier parts of the story weren't over the top or overly explicit. These two MCs were sweet and caring long before they discovered each other's deepest secrets. In a nice contrast to the darker romances featuring merfolk, Song of the Sea was a beautiful tale about the universal need for love and finding what brings you joy.  

A huge thank you to Duckie Mack for providing an advance review copy of this title; all opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

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Release date: 10/30/22
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Duckie Mack's Street Team