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
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A fresh and fun take on both the romantasy and sports-romance genres.
A disgraced athlete gets the chance to rebuild her career—but it’ll mean working with the man who ruined it in the first place.
This romance is set in a modern fantasy United Kingdom amid the world of carriwitchet—a bloody rugbylike sport played on winged creatures. Taissa Cho was a force to be reckoned with until her rival, Kion Locke, exposed her illegal Luck glyph in the middle of a game and she was expelled from the league. Two years later, Kion’s team is in desperate need of revival, and while Taissa might be the last person he wants help from, he knows her return to the sport could finally earn them a win. Taissa doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to come back to carriwitchet, but Kion’s terms aren’t so simple. The positive publicity he needs involves a fake relationship between them, because a headline touting former rivals turned lovers and teammates would certainly fill the stadium seats. On top of that, a mysterious illness has been infecting the league’s animals, endangering players and calling the sport’s future into question. The contemporary setting is a smart move, creating a familiar environment against which Kim can sprinkle in some magical worldbuilding—it’s an easy immersion. This is a true enemies-to-lovers romance: Taissa has every reason to dislike Kion, but she refuses to let him stand in the way of her passion for carriwitchet. She doesn’t see his offer as an olive branch; it’s a step toward finally getting revenge on the man who ousted her from the sport. With its playful mashup of romance, fantasy, and mystery, the book rarely has a dull moment. As secondary characters and additional teams are introduced, it’s clear that there’s plenty of potential for Kim to explore more romances on the carriwitchet pitch.
A fresh and fun take on both the romantasy and sports-romance genres.Pub Date: June 30, 2026
ISBN: 9780593983362
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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