When it comes to the high seas, not all monsters lurk beneath the surface.
A Ship Of Bones & Teeth, an all-new gothic, dark fantasy romance, and retelling of The Little Mermaid from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle is available now!
Amazon | Amazon Worldwide
Blurb
Princess Maren is a woman with a secret.
When she was just 16-years old, she sold her soul to the sea witch Edonia, giving up a life underwater in exchange for the love of Prince Aerik on land. But after a decade of abuse and misery inflicted by the cruel prince, Maren wants nothing more than to leave him and her royal role behind and find Edonia to reverse the spell.
An opportunity for escape presents itself when the prince and princess are traveling overseas and are taken hostage by a band of notorious pirates, led by the fearsome Captain Ramsay “Bones” Battista. Maren has heard the sordid stories about the infamous pirate–not only is his ship supposedly haunted and crewed by the damned, but that no prisoners ever survive.
Fortunately for Maren, she learns that the captain also has a score to settle with the sea witch. With any luck, Maren may be able to get her old life back, even if it’s being held in the captain’s wicked hands.
But Ramsay gets more than he bargained for when he learns who–and what–Maren is, and that her appetite for revenge, freedom, and bloodlust rivals his. Meanwhile Maren finds herself falling for the pirate’s dark nature, even as she discovers that Ramsay has a secret more deadly than her own.
When it comes to the high seas, not all monsters lurk beneath the surface.
Content Warning: Though this is a fantasy, it is also a dark(ish) romance with potential triggers. A full list can be found inside the book using the “look inside” feature.
Review
“Why be a princess, when you could be a pirate?”
4.5 stars!
Karina Halle is exploring her dark and twisted side, letting her imagination run wild, and I am here for it! This standalone is a little bit The Little Mermaid and a little bit Pirates of the Caribbean, with a dark, steamy, fantasy romance. It’s a wild adventure full of action, excitement, drama, supernatural twists, and a gorgeous love story, and it’s a great read!
Princess Maren is a Syren – commonly known as a mermaid – who gave up her tail and her voice to live a life with the handsome Prince Aerik on land. A decade later, and it turns out Aerik is a cruel and violent husband, and Maren is desperate to return to her home under the sea. She gets her chance when the ship she is travelling on is taken over by pirates, and she and her husband are taken hostage. It turns out their captor is the infamous Captain Ramsay ‘Bones’ Battista. He has a fierce reputation, but he happens to have a vendetta out on the very sea witch that Maren is searching for, and as the two slowly get to know each other, they discover that their shared search for vengeance is just as fierce as their bloodlust, and their mad lust for each other.
It’s a great set-up, and I was instantly sucked into the adventure and drama of it all. Maren is a fabulous heroine, bravely facing up to everything she’s dealt with and fighting hard, and I loved her! The chemistry between her and Ramsay absolutely sizzles, and their passion for each other is intense, and I loved watching them start to open up to each other. They share their secrets, and are unreservedly accepting of each other, and their violent, bloodthirsty natures.
“I was a monster.”
“I know,” he says. “But you’re my monster, Maren. My fierce little creature.”
Having spent her whole life feeling lost and longing to be somewhere else, Maren is free from expectation for the first time in her life. She is accepted for who she is, and she’s figuring out where and who she wants to be, and I loved her journey.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m falling apart slowly, then all at once.”
“You are not falling apart, luv,” I tell her, speaking so that my lips touch hers. “You are just falling into place.”
“Is that place with you?” she asks, her mouth moving against mine, barely a kiss at all.
“What do you think?”
And Ramsay! Holy wow. He may be a sexy, possessive anti-hero with a well-deserved fearsome reputation for violence, but he is a man with a huge heart who cares deeply for the people in his life. He is strong, brave, and fiercely loyal (and hotter than all hell) and though he’s been through a lot and lost so much, he is capable of deep love, and I loved watching him fall.
“I’ve fallen for you, drowned in this pure delirium of what you are, this fever dream that won’t let me go. Your heart, soul, body, and spirit. Oh, how I love you fiercely … I love you as fiercely as the fierce little creature you are.”
But don’t go thinking this is a fluffy fairy tale with a sweet love story. It’s far from it. Yes, there’s emotion and heartfelt moments, but this is a dark read, and there are a load of trigger warnings for this one. Given the setting and the characters, the violence is to be expected, and there are some pretty shocking and brutal deaths. The sex is also graphic and intense, and a little bit dirty, but so damn hot. If you’re a reader of dark romance, it won’t be anything too scandalous, but if you’re even a little bit unsure, beware… spousal physical and emotional abuse, violence, death, attempted sexual assault, death of a spouse, death of a child, torture, gore (drinking blood, eating organs – in a supernatural way, not a cannibalistic way), captive/captor dynamics, dominance and mildly kinky fuckery. It’s a violent world that Halle has created and, as always, she writes it with emotion and intensity.
She and I are the same, two worlds come together until we’ve created one of our own.
While Maren and Ramsay are sexing it up and figuring out what they mean to each other, life on the ship continues, and they are continuing their search for the sea witch, and dealing with enemies both above and below the ocean surface. There is action, suspense and drama, and I was so completely invested in this story, and struggled to put it down.
It’s a wild ride, with secrets and big reveals, magic and strong supernatural elements, but with beautifully written emotion and a powerful love story that kept the romance addict in me swooning (and fanning myself on more than one occasion).
It’s such a great read, and I loved it!
4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Nightwind
A Ship of Bones and Teeth (#1)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Ocean of Sin and Starlight (#2) – Spin off
Review
Buy: Amazon
Meet Karina
Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist and screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of over 55 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Montlake. Her work has been translated and published in 20 languages.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
Connect with Karina:
Facebook | Amazon | Instagram | Join her Reader Group
Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter
For more great reads, check out our Karina Halle Author Spotlight