The Lonely Merman (Landlocked Heart 1) by Kay Berrisford

It's Friday afternoon, and the last thing Ben wants to be doing is trudging through a wet forest in search of a public hazard. But duty calls, and turns out more exciting than Ben imagined when he encounters a magical ruin, an enchanted pool, and Lyle—a merman who's cursed to be landlocked many miles from the sea.

Lyle is flamboyant and exciting—he's got tentacles, for goodness sake!—and Ben falls hard. But Lyle's been hurt before and finds trust difficult, refusing even to reveal how to break the curse that imprisons him. Ben's just an ordinary guy, and can't help wondering if he can ever be the hero Lyle needs.

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My Review:     (Thanks to NetGalley) 

Story was very thin and non-eventful, however the biggest problem was the characters. They just weren't likable, Lyle especially was whiny, arrogant and irritating. I probably would have just left him there to die, lol. 

This would have been a DNF except it was so short, I ended up just skimming it to read the ending.

Death's Queen by Janeal Falor

Nameless. Unknown. Alone.

An assassin without a name, born to kill. Owned by a vicious man who refuses to call her anything but girl, she is forced to commit atrocious acts of violence. Vowing to take her future into her own hands, the seventeen-year-old decides to risk everything on one act of defiance—drinking from The Death Drink. The beverage kills most whose lips touch it—only allowing those who are destined to be royalty survive the first sip. 

Powerful. Revered. Hunted. 

To the astonishment of the nation of Valcora, she imbibes it and lives, which crowns her queen. Thrown into a life of royal intrigue, she now has a purpose—to rule with the fairness she was never shown. Despite her altruistic plans, it becomes apparent that someone wants her dead. The new queen must use her training from the former life she only wants to forget in order to stay alive long enough to turn her kingdom into something she can be proud of. She’ll hold onto the crown… or die trying.

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My Review:     (Thanks to NetGalley) 

This was a book full of unlikable characters. 

You have a main character who was an assassin who wanted to change her life and those of her class yet she was queen for a couple of weeks and did nothing but change the furniture. She acted like a brat when it came to taking advice, changing things and practicing her supposedly essential magic. She claimed to have impeccable instincts which is the only thing she trusts, yet it was wrong in a major way.

The ending came very much out of left field, made a huge impact, and them wham, the book ended. I would have classified it as a cliffhanger, but you have to have a story to start with to have an ending. This book was a bunch of mysterious innuendo and no plot. There is currently no indication on whether or not this is the first in a series, but if it is, I won't be wasting my time.