The Gardener and the Water-horse

Echoes of the Void #1

by Mallory Dunlin

I swore never to love again. So why can't I resist the one man who's too deadly to touch?

After sacrificing everything for a new beginning, I expected to be alone forever. It was better that way. Safer.

All that changed when I looked at my reflection in the lake and saw the face of an elemental water-horse instead.

If I touch him, I might die. If I let myself follow the forbidden lure of his voice, not even a sorcerer can save me. Behind those ice-blue eyes is a possessive, merciless immortal.

He says all he wants is the sound of my voice. But I know that won't ever be enough—not for him and not for me.

I've heard the stories—but it's not the risk of drowning that scares me.

It's the risk of losing my heart.

"The Gardener & the Water-horse" is a standalone high fantasy romance, featuring an immortal, shapeshifting elemental who would sacrifice anything to claim the woman he desires — and who won't ever let go once she says "yes".

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Novella, Monsters, Monster Romance

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2023

About the author

Mallory Dunlin is a certified monster lover who cut her reader eyeteeth on fantasy epics. She combines her reading passions into writing romantasy novels with powerful women and traumatized, dangerous, non-human male leads.

Reviews

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gardener and the Water-horse didn't entirely work for me unfortunately, I feel conflicted. I was loving the cozy vibes with the h hiding from an abusive situation in a remote, magical locale that also had a mysterious elemental she's curious about but scared of. The h is a gardener and the H is a water-horse/humanoid elemental/lake. Yeah, a lake, he has a form where he's effectively just water and can sense whatever touches that water or is visible in the reflection. His shifting forms and the descriptions were really cool.

I was REALLY loving that the elemental H was lacking basic knowledge about worldly interactions (yes, including attraction/sex, she teaches him allll about that), but the pacing was off and this book felt much longer than it was. I had to put it down a few times and come back to it. Still, the slowness did lend itself well to the build-up of their interactions to a relationship, which was genuinely lovely in how they learned about each other, grew more confident in the other's presence, and how the tension shifted to being about their physical chemistry. The steamy scenes were well-written and there are several of them.

Written in first person, dual POV (mostly the h's I'd say). No ow drama, small om drama involving h's abusive ex. H was completely inexperienced and had never even felt desire before, while h did have some experience.

I did not enjoy the third act where a conflict arises from the H wanting potentially more than a friendship/exploration and the h's scars from her background come roaring up. The ultimate confrontation of this and fallout were a stark contrast to how their relationship had been softly layered and grown. I get that's what the author wanted, but it wasn't just jarring, I actively disliked it since they're both emotionally devastated and there are some physical injuries as well.

Then the real conflict of the story comes into play and I was practically screaming at the main characters. Choices are made, sacrifices occur, consequences end up not being as palatable as one would hope, some light bulb moments come to fruition, and the h does step up to make their situation right. The actual climax had some strong moments and then a rushed feel at the end of it. The ending is HEA though and back to being cozy and sweet.

These two characters are side characters in book 2 of this series, which I read first. I actually like that I read it first because seeing these characters (alongside the side characters in this book that also feature in book 2) after getting more info on certain aspects in book 2 were more satisfying for me personally (totally not me encouraging folks to read out of order just cause I like it). I also thought that the writing was more solid in book 2. I'm definitely continuing this author because I think her premises and characters are super interesting. So far, the two MMCs I've read of hers have also not been dominant alpha types, which is just a change of pace from what I typically read.

The author does list trigger warnings at the front of her book, along with an explanation of the planes of the world that she has created. The world-building does develop as you go for the most part so some elements are explained a little more than others I feel.

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ This book was... kind of weird.

I'm not even sure I enjoyed it all that much, but I was intrigued and I did finish it. So, I guess there's that?

Idk, I might sit and thing about it some more, but apart from this girl being abused and ultimately falling in love with a magical lake, I don't think there's all that much more to say.

Beware gardeners with a equestrian k!nk? idk lol

[Bree Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was STUNNING.

[ariel *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I may be a doe, but I know the sound of my wolf's footsteps, and you don't walk like him."

A woman on the run from her abuser finds herself at a Spire. Guarding the waters of the lake surrounding it, a millennium-old water horse is inexplicably drawn to her.

"They may not care to think of you, but they are mere flashes of lightning in the sky. I will remember you when their names have been forgotten."

I cannot understate how absolutely perfect and amazing this novella was. The writing was immersive; it felt like I was in the water, in the Spire, at the gardens. I was wholly unprepared for how gentle and real and heartbreaking and *sexy* this book was, and I wanted it to never end. Dunlin’s care and craft is so obvious. You can really tell she cares about her characters, and takes great care to show you the magic, myths, and worlds. I could have absolutely read this all in one sitting but I knew from the first chapter this story had to savored. A beautiful book perfect for anyone who loves fantasy romance.

This is the last book that completes my Goodreads challenge for the year (52 books read by July!! Woot woot!), and I am SO SO pleased this was the book I ended my challenge on!!!!

Oh and I’m going to read absolutely any and everything Mallory Dunlin writes!!!

"If you ask it of me, I will take you to every dark place beneath my waves.

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this one!! maybe not as much as the changeling and the dragon, but it was still a really captivating and easy read, and the characters were sweethearts. perfect read for exam season :)

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Safira was bold in some ways, a pragmatist, and living with the scars of abuse. She needed a safe place, which she found, but even more than that, she needed a safe person. Celyn was all lonely and sweet but also primal and sexy. Their romance was slow and tender, but had its difficult moments. They proved their love to each other in a big way.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: domestic violence (past), captivity, drowning, mention of past suicidal ideation, violence

[BJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting world and water horse H is very intelligent and very inexperienced. The human h is terrified and hides from from husband, a cruel mage. The h's terror controls her but her love for the H is even stronger. A very good story.

[Kelspar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a simple woman.

You offer a sentient elemental lake who is sometimes a horse, sometimes a fae man?

I say yes please! Thank you! May I have another???

Really loved this, I thought it was beautiful and unique. My only complaint is how short it is. Slightly accelerated pace but not too bad. I wish this had been 350 pages! If you're a fan of this world and enjoy different MMCs I really recommend this!

[Gemma Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traumatized woman teaches the human embodiment of a lake what sex is. Turns out, he likes it. What more could you want?

[Mellissa Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ rounding up. This was a free book from “stuff your kindle” day and I picked it solely because it met the challenge of reading a book by an author that shares your initials. It’s a short prequel novel about a woman who fall in love with a water elemental- he’s a horse, and a man, and a lake 😂. She escapes an abusive marriage and finds true love. It’s sweet, yet weird, and I’m still unclear about this universe but I think that’s because it’s a prequel to a series.

[Emma Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - A very fun, quick read! I loved all the lore about the water horse and the story was so captivating I could hardly put it down!

[ChasxSabri💗🫧 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This did not feel like a 172 page book- it felt like it was a full length romance/fantasy book.
Loved it!

[Shae]

DNF @ 26% I couldnt make myself keep going with this one. I was bored, and the story felt over complicated for no reason. I'm sad, because I really wanted to love it.

[gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Safira," he moaned, his mouth against my neck. "I would like to have you as the stallion has the mare.”

this got me cackling out loud what the fuck..you can’t just say this kind of stuff man 😭 also, i love it when authors write that the woman is moaning “oh god!” during sex and the man goes “there is no god here, it’s just me baby 😎”, this also happens in this book and it’s funny to me every time.

i also liked this bit:

Many thousands of years ago, the magma deep beneath the bedrock of the world sought the taste of the air and the sight of the sky. It pressed upwards, yearning; the stone held tight, resolute. But the heart of the world is so much stronger than even the implacable stone, and something gave. Was it a fissure, some weakness in the solid rock? Or perhaps merely a weak point, somewhere that the magma could push against until it broke? Only the basalt knows, and it has never told me.

overall this book was ok, there is care in the writing but the relationship prior to the sex could have been developed better. they have 3-4 conversations and then time skips where it’s told that they see each other often and so on, a bunch of time skips of their time together as well after their first time and many pages dedicated to another underwhelming sex scene. don’t usually care about time skips, i don’t need to know every conversation between them, but the main theme of this couple is about building trust (specially because the woman escaped an abusive husband) and it’s mostly told and not shown. she trusts him extremely quickly given her backstory and the guy’s nature of being to my liking. there are some odd stuff about the guy’s magic and being, it’s a bit unclear how magic works in this world, if you care about this kind of stuff you’ll be left scratching your head trying to figure out, but it doesn’t really matter, just go along for the ride. also it’s monster romance and everything is so ‘normal’ and tame compared to what i’ve read in this sub genre, even the monster itself is very tame, he basically looks like a normal guy most of the time?? idk.

[J.L. Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great fantasy romance with creative and compelling worldbuilding, likeable and unique characters, and some great romance and spice. The depth of the main female character's history and trauma really added a lot of emotions and intensity to the story, and I enjoyed the reversal of traditional sexual dynamics between the fmc and mmc. The ending definitely gripped me and kept me wanting to read all the way to the end. There were definitely some slower parts and a few typos that were occasionally distracting, but overall, this was a great novella that I really enjoyed. Will definitely keep checking out this author

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book during stuff your kindle day on a whim because I like Mythology and I'd never seen a book about water horses before. I wasn't expecting such a captivating world and a scintillating slow burn romance which such spicy yet tender love scenes. The cover on the version I have on kindle is a lot better and I don't doubt I probably would've skipped it based on the real person cover if that's the one I'd seen first and I would've missed out on a wonderful story that I could not put down once I started. Please ignore the cover and your doubts and give this great book a chance!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Definitely worth it!!!

I normally don’t write reviews but this story was absolutely brilliant! I loved everything about this story! I couldn’t put the book down once I got into it. The MMC was such a sweetheart and the FMC was just as amazingly sweet. Love, love, love this story!!!

[Stine Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really suprised me! I ate it up, finishing it in a day 😂😍 I thought I would be more weirded out about the concept, but it really suprised me. Definetly a stand-alone I’d recommend!

[Julie Burdick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️’s.. I enjoyed this story. It was so unique compared to everything else I’ve read. Even though it was a short book the pacing just seemed so slow, otherwise I would have given it 5⭐️’s.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS ROCKED.

it was short but the focus on the characters and the way they were written had it feeling longer. I loved the character development. absolutely one that I will reread again

[Brittany Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up for Celyn. The way the author wrote his speech and thoughts was magic. Prose but not pompous. The way he thought and spoke felt a lot like I imagine his lake would feel. Beautiful in its simplicity with a flow and depth that is unique but familiar.

I loved Safira until I didn't. Honestly it's so frustrating because I really want to love her. She was mature, fearful but not meek. Her fear felt real and palpable. Her anxiety was portrayed in a very relatable way and felt real. That was another part of her character I loved, how real she felt. She would cuss on occasion, make statements that felt natural, and just felt personable. A good contrast to the prose of Celyn.

As with most romances there is a large misunderstanding caused by the characters inability to have conversations. Safira was so mature and strong but I just felt like it all flew out the window for the sake of plot and I felt myself growing more and more upset with her until she had some self reflection.

The conflict felt much to big and much too strong for how natural and mature she came across. I just feel it could have been handled in a better way that fit more with her character.

But I believe I can still recommend this book as a fun quick read and just reading Celyn's parts is enough to forgive all transgressions. Makes everything worth it.

[GoldenEyeOfHorus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Mallory Dunlin books, but this one didn't do it for me. I just didn't like the HEA that she got. She's able to breathe underwater because of the MMC and lives there permanently with him. Something about it seems cold. Not to mention the FMC seemed to treasure her new friendships on the island she came to for work and loved her gardening, but with her HEA, she basically has to give all that up.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

MF - fantasy romance (elemental fey water-horse x human) - brown FMC - moderate steam - pov: dual first - age gap (immortal MMC) - neighbors to lovers - sex lessons - 5 stars. I LOVED this book. I wasn’t expecting to but the writing was exceptional and the steam was very good.

[Beth M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet story. I've never considered how to explain sex to a creature without any concept of it before. That's worse than virginity 😆

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was such an interesting concept and although it was on the shorter side, I feel like the characters were able to develop a deep connection.

Plot:
- h runs away to be a gardener at a spire that is on a small island in the middle of the lake to run away from her horribly abusive wizard husband
- her water pump breaks, and she is approached by the water horse of the lake
- they have a few conversation which h finds herself enjoying and they strike up the bargain that he'll water the garden in exchange for conversation
- they slowly fall into the rhythm of things and h finds herself at ease with him, sometimes even touching the water
- a sorcerer finally appears at the spire, and she's a young woman
- many sorcerers also appear to perform a spell. h becomes nervous at being so close to so many sorcerers, and gets her sorcerer's permission to sleep outside
- H takes her to his favorite cove, and she spends the week there
- H spends the night with her and she cuddles him
- as she gets bored throughout the week, she asks if she can go for a swim
- doing so arouses him, and she jerks him off, teaching him about what sex is
- they start to explore each others bodies
- when H tells her the other sorcerers have left, h is relieved, which H mistakes as relief for being able to leave him. She clears up the misunderstanding and they finally have sex
- they begin to deepen their relationship and h spends all of her free time with H
- the sorcerer of the spire demands to talk with H and tells him that h is under her protection and that he needs to give her a choice to be his consort and that if h doesn't want to, he'll leave her alone
- H proposes and asks h to be his consort, but h freaks out, terrified of being bound to an even more dangerous being and at his mercy. She lashes out and hurts H by saying that he's stealing her, and caught up in his anger and hurt, he takes her under the water like the people who have wronged him before. Horrified by what he's done, he spits her back safely on the shore
- h is horrified by what happened and stays away from the water
- one day, she has to go across the lake to fetch a wizard who's come to the spire for research
- upon getting to the shore, she realizes its her husband and she dives into the water terrified
- H protects her and make a deal with her husband that he'll replace her place, and that he'll be bridled in exchange for the wizard swearing to never go after h
- h is at first relieved, but then horrified that H would be under complete control of her abusive husband
- she cuts her hair and braid it into a bridle, and she goes back to the house she was abused in to save H. She also accepts his proposal and becomes his consort
- they go to fetch her few prized possessions, and then they go back home

[CLorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1: Echoes of the Void
The Gardener and the Water-horse by Mallory Dunlin is a really sweet, slightly quirky, yet oddly delightful romantic fantasy involving a human gardener and the embodiment of a lake (a lake?). After losing her parents, Safira married a wizard only to discover that he was as evil as he was powerful. Escaping him led her to an isolated island near a large lake, here she will be able to tend the land and hopefully put her marriage behind her. Entering the area, Safira gets a glimpse of one of the lake’s forms, beautifully equine and alluring. Ms. Dunlin’s created world is breathtaking and unusual, full of intriguing beings and magic. Celyn is a centuries old elemental, and he has lived alone for eons and even with his great age he is totally innocent in the matter of relationships and emotional interactions. However, he is intrigued by the beautiful gardener who looked into his waters and regarded his face without fear. So intrigued that he tries to be in her company. Using lyrical descriptions, Ms. Dunlin relates their unusual attachment with humor as they slowly become more than friends. But once before, Safira had the attention of a powerful man and is still reeling from his betrayal and cruelty. Can she trust that Celyn will accept her decision if he ever feels that he wants more or will he crush her feelings and her will? I enjoyed this story, especially Celyn’s journey to becoming in touch with his emotions and realizing that he did not have to have a solitary existence. The final confrontation with the wizard was anticlimactic but I was rooting for this mismatched pair’s HEA.
Favorite Lines
Humans are such bright flashes of light, here one day and gone the next.
But that’s usually what people call each other when they enjoy spending time together and do it often.
I will remember you when their names have been forgotten.
She will come again and step a little deeper into my waters.
How stupid of me to have a crush on a water-horse.
You’re clear water, Celyn, all the way through.
The comfort of knowing that you also desired to look upon me would have saved me much concern.


https://theretiredreader.com/f/the-ga...

[birbpal · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

For such a short book, it was full of tenderness and heart. Saphira and Ceyln's story was one of healing and learning to trust they resonated with me.❤️

What intitally drew me to read the book was the fact that the MMC was a mythical creature you don't see often written about. Usually, I see werewolves or demons, so I found the premise really refreshing. And it paid off! Ceyln is one of the most dreamy and sweet MMC's I have ever had the pleasure of reading in a book. Not only that, but he was also cool af. Water horses are badass.

The mythos and worldbuilding in the book was interesting and left me wanting to read the other books to learn more. Especially since I want to know more about the side characters!

Honestly, I was loving the book to the point I was gonna rate it 5 stars before the third act miscommunication trope happened. I understand that without it, the book would have had a boring ending. I just hate what the main characters said to each other. It was very cruel and frustrated me to the point that I had to take a break from the book. Even when I came back, I was slow to finish the book. It was a happy ending–thank goodness–but the magic I felt reading the book wasn't quite there by the end.

I still enjoyed everything else, though, so I kept my rating high! I'm excited to read the rest of the books in the series.🐥💕

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars - Safira Chastain escapes an abusive relationship with the Mage and finds refuge at Barixeor Spire, where she takes on a job as a gardener. She approaches the surrounding water and, when looking at her reflection in the water, she discovers a different face (the water-horse). Celyn, the shifting water-horse, lake, and human, is intrigued by Safira and breaks her water pump, forcing her to rely on his help to water the garden. Safira is annoyed by this, but Celyn slowly wins her friendship. He continues to help water the garden and eats the weeds.

In this story, Celyn was the individual who was clueless about attraction and sex, so Safira teaches him. Throughout the story, other side characters are constantly warning that Safira should not touch the horse because he would then be able to drag here beneath the waves and keep her there. But, he has never had the desire to harm her in any way.

Along comes the evil abusive ex...but Celyn saves the day! Safira and Celyn share a few spicy moments and it seems like Celyn learns quickly! ;)

Overall, I was very happy to pick up this book. It was a great book for someone looking to pick up a shorter standalone dark fantasy romance. I'm super excited to read more by Mallory Dunlin!

[DemetraP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will definitely re-read this book. The heroine is on the run from an abusive husband who is a wizard. She gets a job as a gardener in the Spire, which is the traditional home of a very powerful sorcerer. The idea is that the Spire's magic will prevent her wizard husband from finding her.

The hero is a lake. A lake who can turn into the shape of a man and a horse made out of water. He is fascinated by the heroine because she is not afraid of him. Everyone is afraid of him.

He starts watching her while she works outside. She ignores him. So he breaks the water pump to the garden thinking she will ask him, a lake, for help with the water.

This is friends to lovers theme. I liked the slow build.

There were lots of steamy scenes.

I took off 1 star because the hero does not think things through when he wanted to protect the heroine. They must have had other options but he just jumps into a bad situation to protect her. Without discussing it with her or asking the sorcerer for help or anything like that. It was a very stupid decision.

[K0ski · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Shepherds pie with a pastry crust. Many interesting things going into the pie but the flakey pastry was too flakey. Like this book

It was put into did not finish basket I'm afraid,
I so wanted to be into this book but everything i felt important to the story felt glossed over. And it had so much potential, it felt like a well written first draft. World building and magic craft explanation was good it's what kept me reading longer than I should have

Things that could have been expanded upon quite easily without increasing the word count too much weren’t; The escape, the Terrible husband, her life at the spire before the water horse. It started exploring the heroine relationships with the other spire residents and it just petered out as did my interest.

Because the pacing was only off, I stopped caring what happened to heroine next. Love interest was an elemental, a lake, a kelpie and a man. It was too much for one love interest.

I may come back to it but ....eh.