For the Taking (Silhouette Romance, 1620)

Rating:
Summary: The conclusion to the "A Tale of the Sea" miniseries
Review: Courtesy of Love Romances

Three of the four lost royal siblings of Pacifica have been found. The only one missing was the eldest, Princess Thalassa. All were set away from their home 25 years ago, to protect them from the danger found in the wars occurring there. Thalassa has bitter memories of her home, of having seen her mother brutally murdered. She has sworn to never return until the day her father came to tell her it was safe.

Loucan is the new king of Pacifica, whose only desire is to bring peace to the island after so many years of war. He has hopes of marrying one of the daughters of the late King Okeana, and the only one remaining is Thalassa. He has reached a dead end in his search until a few memories spark new ideas in him to find her. When he finds her...romping in the ocean with the dolphins, he knows she is what he needs to bring about peace to their homeland.

Now comes the hard part... how can he, the son of her father's enemy and rival, convince her to return with him, especially in light of the news he carries - her father is long dead and he is now King. Lass hates him for the roles played by his family in her exile from her beloved home and she refuses to return, especially upon news that the political unrest is not yet behind them. At the same time she fears him and what he represents, she is inexplicably drawn to this man, even while not knowing if he can be trusted. Loucan desires a marriage of convenience, but upon getting to know Lass, he finds he desires her as well.

He needs her, and she needs him, but time is limited. There is still a faction who is out to rule Pacifica, and destroy the peace Loucan is fighting for. They are after the key, part of which Lass carries, which will unlock all of Okeana's secrets to make their underwater world survive. Will Loucan win her over in time to protect her and their home? Only time will tell, and that can be found within this book.

Ms. Darcy has penned a wonderful conclusion to the Tale of the Sea miniseries. Thalassa is probably the most complex of the siblings, with the most emotional baggage over what happened to her homeland. She is beautiful and complex, well drawn, as is the mysterious and dark Loucan. One will be drawn in to their story, eager for the ending to come.

There were a few disappointments though. A couple of the underlying plots in the series are never fully developed or realized. Joran's story, the leader of the rebellious faction of Pacifica, who was a big reason for the wars of the island is never fully realized. It played a part in the first book, and really was not fully completed in the series. It was wrapped up in this book, but in a slightly dissatisfying way. Also, they keys to Okeana's secrets each sibling was entrusted with were a huge part in how they were found. But it is never fully explained what they unlock. It is known in general, but this reviewer would have liked to see a bigger conclusion tot hat storyline. Why were they so important that they had to be sent away with the children? It would have been nice to have even a small scene, where the door is unlocked, and the readers can see exactly what they protected. This is not necessarily the fault of Ms. Darcy however. These storylines should have been more pronounced throughout the entire series, with a passable conclusion in this, the final book.

All in all, it was a good story though, and one definitely memorable for some time to come.