Quarter Finalist

Assessment:

Plot: This paranormal romance moves at an entertaining, attention-holding pace to create a strong narrative mix of supernatural intrigue and love story. Although the ending feels a little abrupt, the narrative to get there is funny, interesting, and enjoyable.

Prose/Style: Hegger does an excellent job creating an engaging paranormal world with powerful descriptive language and natural-sounding dialogue, neither of which ever becomes clichéd or overly verbose. Even the more gruesome scenes pulse with an undercurrent of concern and self-recrimination by the conflicted hero. Ancient characters bring some humor to the narrative as they navigate the modern world. The love scene is passionate without being overdone in purple prose.

Originality: Entertaining, romantic, and funny, Born In Water is a worthy entry into the paranormal romance genre and a great start to what seems to be a promising series.

Character Development: Strong, vivid characters populate this riveting novel. The lead hero and heroine have distinct personalities that become even more engaging as they grow individually and as a couple. A compelling cast of supporting characters flesh out the story, with the main adversary being especially scary and evil, if a little undeveloped. The supporting female characters are so engaging, the reader can’t help but root for numerous sequels.

Blurb: Destined to be supernatural adversaries, a witch and warlock tempt fate by falling in love in this humorous, sexy, and captivating paranormal romance. A very promising start to a new series.

Date Submitted: July 21, 2020