A thoughtful, erotic fantasy that asks readers to see the best in one another.
In Hartlove’s fantasy adventure, a blacksmith falls for a mermaid despite the town’s disapproval.
Sten Holdsmith is a blacksmith who recently moved to coastal Saint Rochel. He’s hoping to start fresh after a troubled past and is aware that the town barely tolerates the Merrow (mer-folk) who live in nearby waters. When Sten tries to teach himself to fish, he ends up overboard and tangled in fishing nets. Luckily, Chielle Mmava has been watching him. She brings Sten ashore, mends his nets, and is more polite than his neighbors would have him believe of the supposedly savage “fins.” She also has large aqua eyes that stir the blacksmith. He teaches her how to shape a metal bracelet without fire, a great favor since there are laws against commerce with the undersea village of Celidan. Merrow men, however, have been using dangerous lava vents to create spearheads. The weapons help defend the aquatic Harper’s Meadow from encroaching Saint Rochel fishermen. As confrontations erupt, Sten petitions the High Lordship Jesery Clune to ensure fairness and peace. This endears Chielle to him. They fall in love, but will their respective cultures force them apart? Hartlove explores unconventional romance and the process of cultural erasure in his fantasy novel. As a transplant to St. Rochel, Sten observes that the brown-skinned Indru—like his 14-year-old apprentice, Jacio—have adopted the clothing of the Whites who worship the deity Atlan. Deeper culture shocks occur when Sten shares wine with Chielle’s brother, Thymon, who offers lionfish venom to the human. The Merrow way of life is fleshed out through their coral homes, which take years to grow, and their worship of Rorra (the ocean). Sten and Chielle’s sex life, and their attempts to find compatibility, is explicitly depicted. Sten’s arc shows that individuals deserve opportunities to start over even if violence or racism taint their past. An intense finale provides both communities the chance to rise above the low roads of xenophobia and revenge.
A thoughtful, erotic fantasy that asks readers to see the best in one another.Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-953469-10-6
Page Count: 222
Publisher: Water Dragon Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sloppy worldbuilding undermines a high-concept romance.
A teenage time traveler is stuck in the past.
Magnolia Brown’s parents invent personal time-travel suits in the 2070s. When Magnolia is 16, the three travel back to 2024, hoping to warn people about the coming ravages of climate change. Her parents don’t realize their suit design is stolen while they’re there, and the resulting flood of time travelers causes massive societal unrest. Magnolia’s parents are arrested and executed for these crimes, but Magnolia is adopted by a pastor and his family, including two sons, in Aubrey, Kansas. Two years later, Magnolia has fallen in love with one brother, Fallon, while the older brother, Ramsey, is on the front lines, fighting the wave of time travelers. As Fallon’s girlfriend, Magnolia is protected from the disdain and hatred of the townspeople who see her as the poster child for the evils of time travel. After a fire at the high school, Magnolia is determined to repair a time-travel suit and go back in time to prevent the tragedy. In the process, she grows closer to Ramsey and discovers that she may have been in love with the wrong brother all along. Unfortunately, Bailey’s first foray into SF romance is not a success, with both the worldbuilding and the plot underdeveloped. The mechanics of time travel are inconsistent, as are its effects in the story. Based on what any scene requires, supplies are either scarce or readily available, technology is either advanced or it backfires, and laws are either ignored or rigidly enforced. Magnolia thinks, acts, and operates like a 2026 teenager even though she grew up 50 years in the future. Bailey brings her characteristic heat to the romance between Magnolia and Ramsey, but he’s barely a character in his own right. Readers are unlikely to understand his devotion toward Magnolia or the dramatic sacrifices he makes on her behalf.
Sloppy worldbuilding undermines a high-concept romance.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9780063381018
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
An intriguing romantasy melds inventive worldbuilding with a classic fairy-tale plot.
A woman sent to kill a magical beast in the forest instead meets a mythical king.
A year ago, Riela saved her village from a flood with magic she didn’t know she possessed. Now there are reports that a beast has attacked a hunter in the magical Forsaken Forest, and her neighbors insist she must fight the monster, even though she has little control over her magic. Riela realizes she’s likely to be killed, but she's saved by a powerful mage who transports her to his enchanted castle. Garrick is an Etheri, a member of a race of immortal mages who Riela thought were only a story; he's the king of the Silver Court, but a longstanding feud with Feylan, the king of the Blood Court, has trapped him on this plane of existence for 100 years, unable to reach his people in the Etheri realm of Lohka. Garrick tells Riela she's going to have to stay with him since the forest traps any magical being who enters. Riela and Garrick’s uneasy alliance is fueled by guarded suspicion and strong attraction. Garrick suspects Riela's a spy because of her powerful magic, and can’t understand why she doesn’t recognize him. Riela is afraid of Garrick's power and doesn't know if he's telling the truth about the forest. As they're trapped together, Garrick comes to realize how rare and dangerous Riela's magic is, and decides to help her learn to use it. This is Mihalik’s first romantasy after a string of well-regarded SF romances; it has rich, lush worldbuilding, especially once Garrick and Riela start to explore the secrets of her magic. Watching these guarded, wary characters learn to trust each other makes for an entertaining and compelling romance. The book is the first in a series and ends with a cliffhanger, with Garrick and Riela on the precipice of a new adventure.
An intriguing romantasy melds inventive worldbuilding with a classic fairy-tale plot.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9780063411586
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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