I Read Indie: FLUKES by Nichole Chase {Review/Excerpt/Giveaway}

Meena has a secret guarded closely by her family—a secret as dangerous as the sea and buried just as deep. When court-appointed community-service workers are assigned to Flukes, the family-owned animal sanctuary, everyone is on high alert. It doesn’t help that Meena finds herself attracted to sexy-as-sin Blake Weathering, one of the new workers. If he wasn’t so distracting, she might be able to land Flukes a much-needed cruise-line contract.

Blake Weathering, the first in his family to attend public school, has developed a tough image. Unfortunately, it lands him in trouble. Now banned from his high school graduation ceremony, getting his diploma is dependent upon a community-service gig cleaning up fish crap. No diploma, no trust fund fortune—and no way to escape his overbearing father. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a mysterious girl with teal eyes who pulls at his heartstrings.

When Blake discovers Meena’s secret, they are both thrown into a desperate search for information about her past. Two worlds pull them in opposite directions, and they will have to fight to hold on to all that really matters.

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His kiss surprised me, but I quickly sank into it. His mouth was like magic, chasing away all my doubts and fears. Without thought I spun to face him, bracketing his legs with my own. I fisted my hands in his hair and kissed him back. With each touch, I felt a fire growing in my stomach. His hands slid down to my hips, pulling me closer to him. When I felt him pressed against me, I couldn’t help the groan that escaped.

“Chaque nuit tu hantes mes rêves.” He whispered the words against my mouth. I didn’t know what he’d said, but God, it was sexy.

“What does that mean?” I leaned back while he trailed kisses down my throat.

“You haunt my dreams, Meena. I dream about you every night.” His mouth came back to mine and the rest of my thoughts were lost.

My review from Sept 2012...

When Nichole said she was sending me an ARC I was beside myself. I was super excited to dive in and discover this amazing world Nichole had created. I was expecting a cute read about mermaids and what I got was cute...for a time. Then it got steamy and then it got hot...really hot! Definitely not a YA read. But of gracious me was it good. Like really good.

Nichole did such a fabulous job with this book. The story line was different than other mermaid stories I have read and I was absolutely engrossed in the story. I started reading and found it extremely hard to put it down. One thing to remember is do not read when there are prying eyes about. Things tend to get a little steamy at times. I made the mistake of taking it to a football game. When it got to a certain scene I had to close my nook down until I got home. Needless to say I was itching to get back to the story and all its glory. Plus football is downright boring.

I loved the sweetness of the romance that started up between Meena and Blake. There was a connection between the two of them from the start that was undeniable and I loved watching it grow. Blake is just a cutie with a heart of gold. And Meena is a sweetheart that is loyal to her family and the work they do. Two great characters brought together to make one incredible read.

Flukes is a fun, quick read that I promise will leave you with a smile on your face. And it has the right amount of suspense to keep you intrigued throughout the book. The reader will be eager to find out what secrets Blake is keeping and what will come of our two favorite characters. If you have a love for mermaids and happy endings this book is perfect for you. If you haven’t read a mermaid story before you must pick it up as soon as it is out. I promise that Nichole’s story telling will have you looking up more of her work. She is absolutely fabulous and so is her books.

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, The Accidental Assassin, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories.

Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.