Here's Katherine McIntyre's latest: "The Beacon and The Brine." It's a Little Mermaid retelling..sort of. This novel is the second in her new Monstrous Cravings series.
["A desperate human dreamer. A sea monster bound by contract. A forbidden romance that could set them free…or end in destruction.
After one mistake too many, Elrich’s family is marrying him off.
Arielle Triton is his future bride-to-be, gorgeous, eligible, and from a wealthy family with connections to New Atlantis...who also hides the fact they’re merfolk. Except there’s no spark toward Arielle, none of the soul-searing romance Elrich dreamed of.
Yet, Ursuline, the serious cecaelia who’s their family lawyer? From the moment he meets them, he’s drowning in their sharp gaze, living for their low chuckles, their dry wit. But Ursuline is bound to the Triton family, just as Elrich is bound to marry someone he doesn’t love. And as those feelings grow stronger for Ursuline, the tug-of-war between duty and desire become unbearable.
As the truth behind the Triton family wealth surfaces, Elrich can no longer ignore the weighted whispers or disappearances from the staff. However, learning too many secrets in the Triton household is deadly, and if he and Ursuline stand a chance of survival, he’s clutching onto one hope.
Some contracts are destined to be broken."]
Obsessed. Utterly fucking obsessed. I love how true to the original tale this was but how entirely Katherine turned it on it's head. It's clearly The Little Mermaid, but it's also very clearly not what we grew up watching/reading. It's unique and dark and beautiful.
Elrich was nothing like our beloved Eric. He was softer, but he was just as sweet and kind hearted and open to all kinds of people/life/love. Ursuline is a "monster" in the eyes of society just like Ursula was, but they have reasons for being colder and closed off. They're scared and scarred, but they're unbelievably caring and utterly devoted to the people they love.
I'm obsessed with those of these characters. They didn't have it easy, far fucking from it, but they held on to each other, onto the hope of something brighter. They loved each other fiercely in the face of being imprisoned forever. They fought for their HEA (alongside their found family and best of friends), and it was well deserved (even if they shouldn't have had to fight so fucking hard for it).
Trigger Warnings: off-page (not MC) mentions of sexual assault, parental neglect, discovery of death of a relative, and more.
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