The Sea King: A Weathermages of Mystral Novel

For some reason, not many romance novelists take on the high fantasy realm; choosing instead to stick to paranormal romances or fairy tale spin-offs anytime they wish to spice up their novels with a bit of magic. This has been very disappointing since there is so much that can be done in this genre. When I decided to step away from the seemingly endless stories of vampires and werewolves and find a different sort of magic I was lucky enough to find the Winter King and had the pleasure of reading one of the best romance novels I've ever come across. Since then I've been waiting eagerly for the Sea King so that I can once again enter the Lands of Mystral. While Sea King did not exceed its predecessor I still found myself immersed into the world and characters that C.L. Wilson has created. WARNING: SPOILERS.When it comes to world building, C.L. Wilson has to be one of the best I've found. The cultures, environments, mannerisms and people all have their own unique feel and she does a good job of not bogging the reader down with too much information at once-making it difficult to keep details straight-or leaving out too much so that when new details are introduced it feels arbitrary or forced. It's a very delicate balance one must play and she does it well. One of my pet peeves with a lot of fantasy novels is that everyone acts and talks the same, regardless of where the characters are from. With C.L. Wilson, there are noticeable differences with the way the extroverted, high energy Calbernians talk and act versus the more conservative Winterfolk which adds so much more interest and depth to the storytelling.Then there are the characters themselves. C.L. Wilson takes a great deal of time with her characters to flesh them out so that even secondary characters are memorable and have their own unique personalities. With other works, I often find myself immediately forgetting secondary characters' names right after I finish reading because a lot of times, especially in romance novels, they're not very well rounded and are just devices to move the plot along. C.L. Wilson is the exception to this rule. I even found myself disappointed when I found out my favorite secondary character from Winter King, Valik, wouldn't be in this novel because that's how much of an impression he made.So when it comes to the main characters in her novels they feel like real people and you become invested in their story. I was very excited to hear that this novel would be about the larger than life Calbernian prince, Dilys, and the reserved Summerlea princess, Summer. Dilys did not disappoint as the flirtatious, fun hero and it was great to learn more about his abilities and culture. Although, I think he may have been given a bit too many abilities; controlling water, breathing under water, fangs and nails as hard as diamonds that can extend and retract, ability to absorb energy from women, persuasion, and speaking to sea animals. He felt just a bit too loaded with powers and with his great love and devotion toward women he would sometimes stray into Gary Stu territory. Despite this, I still greatly enjoyed Dilys's character and he became endeared to me. I wish I could say the same about Summer.Summer, like Dilys, has the issue where she is way too suped up. I won't go into details to avoid too many spoilers but I never really feared for her safety because she is just so powerful. I was also disappointed that she ended up being, quite frankly, a less likable Khamsin (the heroine from Winter King). I was looking forward to see the outgoing, boisterous Dilys working to win over the reserved, quiet Summer but, instead, it turns out Summer isn't shy or diminutive at all; it's just a mask she wears. Instead, she's as headstrong and stubborn as her sisters. This was incredibly disappointing. I was hoping to see Summer break out of her shell and come into her own but I didn't get this journey. Instead, we got the story of Summer trying to keep her immense powers at bay so that she doesn't hurt anyone. C.L. Wilson put a lot of time and energy into this fear of Summer's; her losing control of her powers but, honestly, her constant worrying got kind of annoying. Maybe if we saw her lose control it'd be more compelling but Summer actually got a handle on her powers pretty easily. There are a few scenes where she has to sit and tamper down the power within but we didn't really get any scene where she accidentally unleashes her power that negatively impacts innocent people in a significant way. There was one incident she had as a child but that was it. If she was, for instance, setting buildings on fire anytime she got really upset I think it would have added to the emotional stakes. As it is, Summer's extent of worrying seemed a bit unfounded.Then there is the courtship itself. I have to say, I was very disappointed when it turned out they were basically soulmates early on in the novel. The courtship is my favorite part of any romance novel so love at first sight stories or soul mate stories tend to get on my nerves. C.L. Wilson tries to get around this issue with magic which helped, a bit, but since both the characters were immensely drawn to each other the "chase" felt a bit arbitrary and Summer's extreme resistance got old really quick and even came off as childish. Although, I did feel the love between the characters and the pain of separation they felt was very well written.I also have to mention a few missteps in this novel that kind of irked me. I could be accused of nitpicking but I want to quickly outline them just so that people are forewarned. Like I mentioned above, both Summer and Dilys are extremely powerful with several different abilities so the stakes, for me at least, were never really there. I actually skimmed over a lot of the action scenes in the end because I knew how it was going to end. I may be a little more forgiving if Summer didn't seem to be able to control her powers almost immediately. Some faltering with her powers would have been appreciated but she was able to do great feats of magic with little ease that should have taken a great deal of practice to accomplish. She literally destroys an entire city without breaking a sweat. I mean, come on, that's just too much too soon. Which brings me to my next pet peeve with this novel: things happening too quickly in the end. I mentioned above how great Wilson is at world building and story telling but she seems to get pretty sloppy with this in the end. There is a TON of exposition thrown into the second epilogue, Summer topples a slave trade and destroys a city without breaking a sweat, and she does away with an ancient Calbernian tradition-sending boys away for training- with little resistance. I don't know if Wilson was just trying to get the book done since there were so many delays with its release but this book honestly fell apart a bit for me in the end.Don't get me wrong, this is still an incredible novel. I by no means regret reading it and I very much look forward to the next novel in this wonderful series. Will I re-read this novel on a yearly basis like I do with Winter King? Probably not. But Wilson still draws you into this magnificent world and puts forth a satisfying story. This is another great installment into the high fantasy romance enclave and hopefully it will help inspire other romance novelists to take on this seldom explored genre.

After reading The Winter King and meeting Dilys Merimydion, I was REALLY looking forward to reading The Sea King. While I really enjoyed this story, it drove me a little bonkers too.My back, my back, I can’t feel my back!! Slight exaggeration but I don’t think I’m cut out for reading long stories. I thought I was being smart waiting until I was on holidays to start this one, but I’m not sure anymore. I’m not the kind of reader that willingly spreads the joy of reading a book over days. Well, this book, it’s bloody long. I tried sitting up in bed, lying down in bed, lying on my belly in bed, lying on my side in bed, sitting on the side of the bed and even tried a chair. Maybe, if I had been at work and forced to take breaks, it wouldn’t have been so bad. Considering the length, it would have taken me weeks instead of days to read it, though.I’m sure you’re all thinking, *Sassy, why didn’t you take breaks?*I DID!! Well, I did, sort of. I stopped to say hello to my family a couple of times and I did eat and sleep as well.But, I can’t leave them hanging for too long. You know, unless I read it, things don’t happen. Poor Dilys will still be waiting for Summer to get with the program and accept him as her mate. Hesitating would mean those 7ft tall, muscly, sexy and sweet men wouldn’t have found women to court and fall in love with. If I wasn’t dedicated to going on, more ships would have sunk, more slaves would have been captured and lives would have been lost. See, I need to read OR THEIR WORLD WON’T GO ON!!Yep, I’m one heck of a dedicated reader. I’ve even got the broken back to prove it.While I enjoyed The Sea King and the journey to everlasting love for Dilys and Summer, it was drawn out a little too much for my taste. Honestly, there wasn’t much wrong with the story, I’m just not a fan of waiting for stuff to happen. Watch my eyes roll as I wait for the heroine to stop being a nincompoop. See me cross my arms in impatience because I hate the delay of the hero realising that his enemy is closer than he thinks. There’s only so much “courting” I want to witness before I think they should just get to the good bits. If you hadn’t guessed it yet, I’m a wee bit impatient.There's plenty of action, adventure, mystery and intrigue. I was sucked into the story from the very beginning, and while it takes a little longer than I'm used to, I couldn't help but be enthralled to the end. The characters are interesting with magic, skills and abilities that aren't always obvious until we see them in action. I loved finding out all the things that Dilys can control with his water abilities. Seeing Summer gain strength in her powers was as surprising to her as it was to the reader. I felt like she was learning with us, what she was destined to achieve. Then there was the Calbernaian's...Seriously, if Calberna existed, I’d be putting in a suggestion to set up a Husband Camp, lead by their men. These guys, well, they’re pretty much perfect. HOT, sweet, loving and devoted, while also being fierce, strong, determined and HOT. I mean SERIOUSLY…their training to become men involves learning ALL ways to pleasure their mate and keep them happy. HOW COOL IS THAT??? Dilys is just one of the many men who were desperate to look for his mate and had to leave Calberna because the men outnumbered the women. WOW!!I really did enjoy this story. C.L. Wilson is remarkably talented and makes her characters come alive. I admit, a few times I was taken out of the story because of the spelling and grammar mistakes. This is a long story so I expect a few, but then again, it's a published book (Avon), so a little more care should have been taken to remove these errors, especially considering it was professionally edited.The Sea King brought out all my emotions and at times I couldn’t help but sniffle, grumble, snort and squirm. The highs were high and the lows were low. There is one particular part of the book that is quite dark and I struggled with my feelings. Summer is subjected to pain, torture, humiliation and degradation. Some readers may struggle with it a little as well. I thought the scenes were written well and I was able to move on from it.I will definitely be back for more adventures with the Weathermages of Mystral but I think I need to come up with a better plan of attack…my back can’t take it. All suggestions on how to read long books comfortably would be greatly appreciated. I think I’ve got a bit of time before the next book in the series comes out, though…

Loved this book, it’s original, romantic and creative but also rises above its category to be suspenseful and gripping. The author writes sexual tension with an ease that puts many other writers to shame, and the increasing drama and ending are impressive, so many books run out of steam but this just keeps getting better and better. I couldn’t put it down. It is a long book, with slow burn romance, so if that’s not your thing you might perhaps get impatient. Personally I much prefer some build up.A couple of typos here and there (‘they’re’ instead of ‘their’, that kind of thing) show that the publishing company was surprisingly lazy with the editing. I’m also surprised it’s not more expensive (price seems a decade out of date) or promoted, I never see this author marketed anywhere. Basically five stars for the author but one star for the publisher.Another review mentioned loose ends so I wanted to clarify that this book does not have a cliffhanger. I loathe cliffhangers and there isn’t one here. It is the story of Summer’s romance with Dilys, and that has a satisfying ending. There is a “second epilogue” at the end which does begin at a new storyline, but any regular reader of romance will recognise that this is a teaser for future writing about other significant characters in this world and even the epilogue isn’t a cliffhanger more a “hang on what happened to...” It’s usual in a fantasy romance book of this depth to have 3-4 books set in the world, each with a different heroine and romance, and it’s obvious that the author intends to write at least one sequel. Dunno if she is, but I very much hope so. What would it be called?! The Sky King? The Sun King? The Night King? Who knows...

The only series I’ve read by C.L. Wilson (so far) this second book is overall a lovely read. Loved the hero Dilys in this book, his introduction in the first book did not do him justice. If Calberna existed, I’d so want to visit, the men sound fabulous.The romance between Dilys and Summer worked. In contrast to the first book this one is more about Dilys courting and trying to convince Summer that she is the one for him once he/they come to a few realisations. Although kidnappings, intrigue and betrayal also take place.There were a few things that niggled at me and have prevented a 4-star rating. For example, the usage of violence and abuse when the sisters were kidnapped could have been approached somewhat better. And without giving away any spoilers, you would think that at the end of the book Gabi would be rushing to Khamsin and Wynter to tell them what has occurred, rather than having messengers deliver the horrific news – they’re meant to be sisters with a strong bond.Looking forward to the next book, but it looks like the wait may be super long.

Loved listening to this book, was just as great as "The Winter King".Dilys is a brilliant hero sadly Wilson had used the usual cliche for women and at the beginning of the book portraited Gabriella as a liar and manipulator, though she does lie and manipulate for the right reasons it's sad a female author would do that, I have no doubt there were other ways to do it without resorting to such cliche. I was happy to see that as the book progressed these traits were removed and the true heroin came to the fore. Was a pleasure to listen to and cannot wait to hear Spring and Autumn's story when Wilson finish writing them (and I hope she does!!)

I, personally, skipped through over 80% of this book basically because the author spent so long on the heroine' s uncertainty that it became tedious. Which is a shame because I had been looking forward to reading it very much. However, the story did get better with a bit more excitement towards the end and I did like most of the other character, but there were lots of questions left unanswered which means that you have to buy the next book in the series, if you care to get them.Personally I dislike this tactic, if authors don't have enough confidence that their work is enjoyable enough that readers want to buy their work then chances are that they are correct.

I have been waiting for this book for some while, having really enjoyed the Winter King. Although fairly different this has all the hallmarks of a C. L Wilson novel - extravagant romance, lush and well realised settings served with a large dash of jeopardy and drama. There was the usual hot hero and although the heroine was initially a little over reserved her voyage of self discovery was worth the wait as well. All in all an excellent read. I can't wait for the next one.