~~~BLURB~~~
Isobell needs to escape. She has to. Her life depends on it.
She has a plan and it’s a well thought-out, well observed plan, to flee her privileged life in London and the cruel man who would marry her, and ruin her, and make a fresh start in Scotland.
She dreams of faery castles, surrounded by ancient woodlands and misty lochs… and maybe even romance, in the dark and haunted eyes of a mysterious Laird.
Despite the superstitious nature of the time and place, her dreams seem to be coming true, as she finds friendship and warmth, love and safety. And the chance for a new beginning…
Until the past catches up with her.
Set in the late sixteenth century, at the height of the Scottish witchcraft accusations, The Mermaid and The Bear is a story of triumph over evil, hope through adversity, faith in humankind and – above all – love.
~~~~DISCLIMER~~~~
THESE OPINIONS ARE MINE, JENNIFER STARKS, AND MINE ALONE. MY REVIEW IS BASED ON THE FIRST FIVE© SENTENCES OF THIS BOOK AND THE FIRST FIVE© ALONE. AS OF 11/08/2020, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR IS FREE ONLY ON KINDLE UNLIMITED. IT’S $3.99 FOR REGULAR KINDLE READ. THE AUTHOR, AILISH SINCLAIR, IS A NEW AND INTERESTING FOLLOWER, SO I DECIDED TO WELCOME HER, AND HER BOOK, TO MY BLOG NICE AND PROPER. ENJOY!
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Sentence One: The first time the sea killed me, my brother brought me back to life.
THOUGHTS: This is a stellar first sentence. It implies danger on top of out right confessing it. This sentence immediately get’s the imagination going. It’s ripe with questions and possible worst case scenarios. I’m digging it already.
Sentence Two: I bore him no gratitude, awakening to fresh nausea, throat raw and bones bruised from his efforts of re-enlivening.
THOUGHTS: “…awakening to fresh nausea…” Is such a vibrantly unfortunate feeling that I am instantly aware of the MC’s pain. Also, I’m not sure whether it’s on purpose or coincidental, but I LOVE how the word nauSEA has SEA right in there for all to read. Very cool.
Sentence Three: Our seafaring nightmare was on going: the rise and fall of the world, the rocking floor, the rough drag of the ropes on the mast above, and the creaking, the relentless creaking of wood.
THOUGHTS: Nicely done. This description puts me on edge. Which is good because I believe that bringing a reader into your MC’s mind space allows for quicker relatability and a deeper, more intimate, connection.
Sentence Four: Waves crashed against the outside of the boat, as if they would shatter its fragile hull.
THOUGHTS: This is a tight, neatly constructed and well paced sentence. Good job. It’s very good practice to follow up a large amount of detail with what I call a punch sentence.
Sentence Five: I retched over a bucket while Jasper spoke what he imagined to be words of comfort.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This type of book usually isn’t my bag, but Ailish Sinclair has a way about delivering her prose that has me curious. I really dig these last two punch sentences. What a perfect delivery of the FIRST FIVE©. As always, I will leave updates on how I found the read in my (soon to be fixed) COMMENT section. HAPPY READING.
LIVE MESSY© 
There are an unprecedented amount of emotions churning through this story. As there should be. The topic, witch trials, is not lighthearted, but it is done in a unique way as to not bore the reader with period facts. IF you are a fan of this genre? THIS book is for you. If you’re not a fan of period books, you may find it a little bit hard to connect with AT TIMES, but only at times. This story needed a teller, and I believe it got the right one for sure. I vote this book worthy of a download. Free or not.