Don't Speak: (inspired by "The Little Mermaid") (A Modern Fairytale)

In Don't Speak, a kiss is more than just the touch of 2 individuals' lips. It's the connection of those souls. Katy's gorgeously poetic retelling of The Little Mermaid sets the scene for a young love riddled with big emotions.A fisherman's daughter from the Outer Banks. The Governor's son. Summer love cut short by secrets and conservative family ideals. All this and more when Erik Rexford decides to pursue islander Laire Cornish after one summer afternoon of her delivering fresh catch to his parents' summer home in Buxton. They fall fast and hard but coming from two separate worlds prevents them from loving out in the open.Erik is unusually drawn to Laire's sheltered nature, enamored with her innocence and beauty. She is virginal and focused. She has dreams and aspirations that don't include the likes of a "dingbatter", the islander term for a mainlander who summers in the Banks. But he wows her with his patience and kisses. Kisses that consume her mind, body and soul.Don't Speak is a story of love lost and found. And second chances at life and love. And making amends. I devoured the book in 2 days, unable to put it down except for moments where the scenes were so intense I felt like my heart would explode from the level of angst, but also of love and compassion. There are some wonderful supporting characters around our leading couple that will warm your heart just as much as they will. Providing a light where darkness has overcome.Katy, I have to give this 5 kissable stars!! You have touched my heart yet again.

*4.5 stars*I liked this book a lot. When I finished I let out a sigh and smiled. It was the perfect balance of sweet and angsty.Laire (an anagram of Ariel) grew up in a small fishing town in North Carolina. An old-fashioned town, conservative in thinking, where everyone's life path is planned from birth. For men, fishing. For women, getting married and having babies. Only Laire wants no part of it. She wants to move to a big city and go to school for fashion design. A husband and children are in the distant future.While making a crab delivery across the water, Laire meets Erik. Erik also has his life path planned. He's the governor's son, he's set to go to law school, and eventually into politics. He doesn't want that for himself but he also doesn't care enough to object. But when he meets Laire it's life-altering. They spend the summer together falling in love.Circumstances (*cough*Ursula*cough*) rip the couple apart and it's six long years before they're reunited. Erik lives a half life. He's sworn off love and women and he's become cold. Laire, however, left Erik with something to live for. I usually don't like this particular trope. I always think there better be a good reason for it. And I wasn't completely on board. But I get it. Laire had to be metaphorically silenced instead of physically as with Ariel. But that's the only thing I didn't care for.I liked the way Regnery included all the major and minor characters - Laire (Ariel), Erik, Ursula, Vanessa, Sebastian, Flounder, Triton, Poisson, etc. I thought it was clever that they weren't all literal or expected. It wasn't cheesy and I appreciated that.Even though this plot has been done many, many times before (I'm not talking about The Little Mermaid, I'm talking about the rich guy, poor girl, secret love, misunderstandings, separation, reunion, hea) it still felt fresh and I was hooked from beginning to end. It was very romantic and I highly recommend to any reader that likes sweet Heroes. Well done!*Purchased through iTunes*

I have enjoyed every one of Katy Regnery’s modern fairytale books and this one was no exception. I did however, hesitate to read it because the more second chance romances that I read, the more I have come to realize that I often struggle with them. I was afraid to read this and find out that I hated it. I was so foolish!Laire and Erik have a fun, humorous introduction to each other despite Laire’s nerves – actually mostly due to them – and I immediately liked these characters. Laire is sweet and innocent and no stranger to hard work. I’m not savvy about life on North Carolina’s outer banks, but Laire’s life seems like that of someone who grew up in a cult. There are a lot of restrictions as well as judgment against anyone who disregards those restrictions. Life there is intense. And all Laire wants to do is get out.I thought Erik was going to be the typical Governor’s son who is spoiled by his family’s money, parties a lot, and has manwhorish ways. He was actually a breath of fresh air. He is instantly charmed by the fisherman’s daughter and he wants more. It doesn’t take long for him to be all in. He wants Laire but is not sure how to make it work due to so many obstacles in their way.The first portion of this book is rich in description as well as the character’s inner musings which sometimes made the pace feel very slow. However, once things picked up there wasn’t a moment I felt like I could stop or close my Kindle. (You would not believe what you can do one handed when you’re given the right motivation!)When the angst hit, my heart literally broke for Erik! I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so much compassion for a hero before. He was a good guy and he didn’t deserve the treatment he received. I was struggling with Laire’s decisions and naiveté until the interlude when I was able to read her journal entries. They were heart wrenching!It was pure delight when Erik meets Ava Grace for the first time. He’s so grumpy and she just isn’t going to let him get away with that. And then Erik answers a question that no one else has ever been able to answer correctly and Ava Grace is going to be his friend for life! This child had so many moments that made my heart feel like it was going to explode. Gotta admit, I had some Niagra Falls happening on the living room sofa.It actually doesn’t take the main characters long to talk out the problems that kept them apart. A few conversations and poof! All fixed. That’s my biggest problem with second chances. If it can be solved with communication, then dang it, communicate! Alas, this couple did not but I gave them a little forgiveness because Laire was just so innocent to how the world worked.This book lost one star due to lack of communication but gained a star because of Ava Grace. Also, this quote from Erik didn’t hurt the rating any either:"No matter what he’d believed all these years, the sort of love that Erik Rexford had had for Laire Cornish wasn’t the type that died. It was still there, living inside him, dormant but safe, waiting for her all these years, for the opportunity to bloom again."POV – dualEpilogue – a few months later, but was still super sweet********************S P O I L E R********************OW/OM - Laire is led to believe that Erik was using her while engaged to another womanSafety Gang - No violence, no abuse, no cheatingCheating/Celibate - Erik does not sleep with anyone else during their 6 years of separation