Drenched

The Primal Sins Collection #1

by Sephyrra

I came for the ocean's secrets. The ocean came for me.

One dive. That's all I needed. Seawater samples, algae data, one decent research paper to save a career I'd spent fifteen years building. One dive and I could go home.

Sarkivik is a village people don't talk about. Frozen cliffs, empty fishing nets, locals who won't look you in the eye when you ask about the water. I brought a research team to study bioluminescent algae growing on the ocean floor, organisms no human had ever seen alive before. The villagers told us to stay on land. My crew laughed it off. I should have listened.

On the first dive, the algae pulsed when I touched it. Brightened. Reached for my hand like it knew I was there.

Then my gear cracked. One mouthful of seawater and I swallowed what I'd come to study. By the time I surfaced, sunlight blistered my skin and food turned to ash on my tongue. My body wasn't mine anymore.

That's when he found me.

Rynar guards the Abyss, the black deep under the ocean where light doesn't reach and humans don't come back from. He's not a man. Black eyes, a jaw full of teeth no living thing should carry, a body that shifts between legs and tail like the ocean refuses to let him stay human. He told me the algae changed what I am. The surface will kill me now.

He brings me black pearls and rare shells, laid out the way a predator courts a mate. He watches me work. He calls me his. He touches me like I'm the most valuable thing the ocean ever gave him.

I'm a scientist. I should be studying him. Naming him. Surviving him.

I stopped wanting the surface weeks ago. And that scares me more than the deep ever could.

Drenched is Book 2 of The Primal Sins Collection. Each book can be read as a standalone. MF dark monster romance. HEA. No cliffhanger.

Tropes: possessive merman, captive romance, plus-size FMC over 35, body horror, forced proximity, he falls first.

Please check content advisory before purchasing.

Genres: Dark Romance, Horror, Monsters, Romance, Dark, Monster Romance, Mystery

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 29, 2024

About the author

Sephyrra watched Nightmare on Elm Street with her mom as a kid. She was terrified. But she didn't hate Freddy. That was the confusing part. Then came Beauty and the Beast, and when the Beast turned into a prince she felt cheated. She wanted him to stay the Beast. Then she saw Dracula take Lucy in werewolf form and that was it for her.
Villains over heroes. Creatures over men. She found her people on Tumblr, spent years writing the love stories no one was publishing, and eventually decided to publish them herself.
She writes dark romance and monster romance with plus size heroines over 35. The monster stays monster. The scenes don't fade to black.

Reviews

[Audi♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You are everything he whispered. My light, my darkness, my salvation.”

Pearl and her team of scientists travel to the same remote island her parents died on to get samples of some mysterious magical algae.
The whole town is actin fishy when they get there, and creepy things start to happen.
What's in the abyss??
Dun dun dun.

I was hooked the first half…but... I thought there would be MORE to the "abyss" than the obvious, so the ending was underwhelming for me.

I can't say I cared for the FMC or the MMC. I didn't feel the love or chemistry... Their romance wasn't tender, ooey-gooey, or meaningful. No heart-to-hearts. They didn't do shit! just underwater sex... WITHOUT a fancy mer peen or anything cool ☹️
The "Why me?" "You're a monster," and "You're mine" got old real quick.

It was alright. Back to MM I go.

[TheReaderVert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falls Short of Expectations

The book promises a horror romance, Content Advisory, & the Author's Note. I was buckled in a seriously haunting ride. It just really wasn't as hard-hitting as promised. It starts off hitting beautiful notes. A FMC who is over 30 ✔️. A FMC in a cool career like marine scientist ✔️✔️. FMC who's 200lbs ✔️✔️✔️ but holds lots of appeal ✔️. Haunting scenery ✔️✔️✔️✔️ with characters you care about at the beginning pf any good horror tale ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

The first 3rd of the book does a wonderful job of horror haunting vibes. You caught the cold and danger. It all seemed to play out like a horror version of Aquaman 😄. Isolated village protected by The Abyss. A sea curse? Entity? God? Guardian? Tale as old as time?....it's something, and we all catch on quick.

However, like the sea, the story is hazy and murky. Certain relationship patterns were told to us, but it wasn't allowed to breathe or for us to truly see the relationship mix, so when the gritty horror comes, it doesn't have a solid punch. It's more like a shrug and leaving more questions. When the last half picks up, honestly had more questions that didn't seem like they would be answered. And that made understanding the dynamics harder.

The romance is impacted by murkiness as well. It seems obvious what the merman's identity is. The mystery or fate of the FMCs parents also seem abundantly obvious. And yet, our brilliant FMC doesn't catch it. 🙄 at all. Another issue is the trepid romance, "why!? Why me?" She asks constantly & we get "because I could/you're mine" or "you'll see" or "you know, " and it started to drive me batty. Like no dude just tell us! Why her!? I want to know as well. 😄

The MMC was a little dry. He wasn't really that bad or dangerous. It wasn't a really noncon. It was sorta kinda dubcon. The major content advisory wasn't really as explicit or detailed as suggested, so if that holds you back from purchasing, don't let it.

The FMC took a weird twist at the end. Her entire reasoning was giving colonizer energy. I was confused as to why she felt wronged here. I thought it was a joke until I realized she was dead serious. 😳...oh.

[Christina (Bloodycrimsonreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

•ARC review•

I never thought I would read something similarly unsettling as Thrum, but I think I might have found its twin novella, this time instead of being in space, we’re deep into the sea. And there’s more spice. Naturally, both are different, but the vibes of each one are definitely reminiscing.

With that being said, it felt suffocating (in a good way!?), because I, myself, fear the ocean so much, yet it still is so simultaneously pretty. Drenched offered both sides a chance to be seen and I liked it.

Pearl goes to a reclusive place to conduct experiments on algae to find a cure with her team when things start to become suspicious and they realize that something sinister is going on, on which they have no control over.

I adore the fact that it was a horror romance, I think it was such a great choice of genre for that story to be told. I’m glad I stumbled upon this book, I’ve been wanting to read something like that this past Summer and Drenched is exactly what I’ve been looking for all this time.

Thanks so much to Sephyrra for the arc🖤


🧜‍♀️dark monster romance
🩸horror romance
🧜‍♀️capt1ve
🩸marine biologist
🧜‍♀️plus size fmc

[♡ Naomi Callaway ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

“He was gripped by a long dark eel like tail dark which curled around him like smoke. My stomach knotted. It was keeping him, holding him in place.”

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drenched by Sephyrra ARC Review.

This review contains spoilers!


Ok so I know this review is late but I needed to have time to figure out what to rate this book as.

My thought?
Started off really strong. The writing was good, the story was good, the characters were good!
Towards the end with a certain scene. I was about ready to start pace walking because I was so stressed out.
There was some redemption at the end which was good but you can’t redeem yourself after your actions in that one scene.

To sum up?
Pearl is a self harmer after being SA’ed by her uncle.
Pearl and her friends (minus Jonathan because f that guy) go to a village to research the algae. (The same place where Pearls parents die years earlier.) They were warned not to go into the water by the villagers but they do anyway.
They get end getting sacrificed to the Abyss. Everyone dies except Pearl who was claimed by a sea entity who we later know as Rynar the MMC.
Rynar was a great MMC at the beginning. Love the “he falls first” trope. Then Pearl finds out what he’s been hiding and let me just say PLOT TWIST INDEED! I’ll admit I didn’t see that coming. (You’ll know when you get there.) But it involves keeping sacrificed souls captive that includes her parents and friends. After that reveal, is a SA scene between the two main characters that honestly bothered me. (There is a non-con trigger warning at the beginning of the book.)
At the end Pearl gets her revenge on the village that sacrificed her family, her friend and herself. Good for her. Then Rynar says that he set the souls free. So, I mean that’s good but still doesn’t erase what you did to her.
In the end, they do end up back together. He says he will spend eternity making it up to her which, great but again, does not erase what he did to her in my opinion.
Just a side note here, Pearl doesn’t forgive him straight away. It takes a bit of time.

I know I’ve probably left some things out but you’ll find them out more if you read the book.

It was hard for me to give a star rating so I needed to think about it first. It started off as a 5 star but I’ll have to drop it down to a 4-4.5 just for that one part. Other than that, it’s a good book! It was my first horror romance and it was interesting.

It struck some past things inside of me mainly with her self harm and this is probably the first book that had made me cry in a few years because there’s a character who I can relate to about this.

“The figure didn’t care. His focus was mine alone.”

His black eyes dropped to my hands, to the faint scars crisscrossing my wrists. His fingers traced the lines slowly, like they were something sacred. A shiver crawled up my spine.

“Why do you do this?” His gaze didn’t waver. The quiet in his voice was like a blade slipping under my skin. “Why wound yourself?”

My throat tightened, shame twisting in my stomach. “It’s not about dying,” I said finally, my voice barely audible. “It’s about feeling like I have control. Like I can decide something when everything else is in chaos.”

“Do you feel in control now?” The words slid under my skin, making my chest feel like it might shatter.

The question cut deep. “No,” I admitted, the word bitter. “Not anymore. But sometimes… sometimes it’s the only thing that silences the noise.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. Instead, his fingers brushed over my wrist again, his touch reverent. “You think these marks make you weak.” He said it like a fact, not a judgment. “They don’t. They show what you survived.”

“No one else would see it that way,” I muttered. “They’d see them and think I’m broken.”

“They are fools,” he said, his tone unwavering. “They do not see what I see.”

[Angela L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I've never read a horror romance before, but let me say I'm hooked. The details given in the story painted such a movie in my head. Once I was reading, it was so easy to get lost in the book, the rawness of the characters' emotions, everything was wow. 👌 I'm definitely going to be reading more from this author because I'm hooked and need all the books.

[Tate Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the horror aspect of the story. Seeing revenge, sacrifice, and protection in a violent and bloody way in a romance novel was a novelty for me. There were some really great gory snapshots that kept me invested, excited for more.

[Kayla Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot - 5/5
Characters - 4/5
Spice - 🌶️🌶️

Drenched is a gothic-paranormal romance following researcher, Pearl, as she visits a small island to investigate the medicinal properties of an algae and discovers something is amiss with the villagers and abyss.

I would strongly recommend going into this book blind and going along for the ride. The author has a unique, dreamy writing style that captures the reader from the first page and while this isn’t a particularly lengthy novel, it is well paced with multiple climatic moments.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[The Sultry Scribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, I am in love with Drenched by Sephyrra. I’m not going to lie, I’m still very new to the Erotic Horror genre, but Sephyrra’s writing drew me in and kept me captivated from page 1 and wanting more at the end. Pearl was such an enthralling FMC, and her inner turmoil & strength kept you focused on her fight all the way to the sweet end. Not gonna lie, I’m obsessed with Rynar, but everything I want to scream about contains ✨spoilers✨ Check out Drenched available December 29th!

[H. T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooh I liked this book! I recommend it to anyone who likes mermen and other sea monsters. It’s a horror romance with an HEA.

[The Unholy Devotion · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

I like this one better then the first and I loved the first! There’s something about redemption found in pain and suffering. It was such a beautiful story of forgiveness and letting go. The spice was top notch too, while I prefer lots of spicy this one had a good amount, I just wish there would have been a wee bit more or even more heavily detailed scenes (there is scenes they’re just not as “depth”). Either way I highly recommend this shorter story and this author.

[Charifi2212 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not my genre...at all.

[Michelle Brashars · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’re a monster.”
“Yes, but I’m your monster.”
🌊🌊🌊🌊
Deliciously dark and violent.

Monster who is bonkers obsessed with me? Yes PLEASE.

[Nora (Taylor’s version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

I’d say A for effort! The execution, however… not so much. The idea behind the book? Intriguing! (You’d never catch me in the ocean, though. I do not mess with what’s down there.)

The story follows Pearl Hart, a marine biologist determined to uncover the secrets of a strange island and its magical algae, all while trying to piece together the mystery of her parents’ disappearance. When Pearl takes matters into her own hands and dives into the abyss—quite literally—everything takes a sharp turn.

That being said, while it started strong (with a sense of adventure and tension), the execution unfortunately didn’t quite hold up for me. The story lost a lot of momentum as it went on. Things felt flat and rushed toward the end, and there were noticeable gaps in the storytelling—moments that were brushed over or felt incomplete. Another thing that became slightly annoying toward the end was the repeated dialogue or lines.

My biggest ‘issue’ was the author’s writing style. While there were some lines that flowed beautifully, there was also a lack of dialogue. This might be just me, but I wished there was more descriptive detail in the world-building. I also couldn’t connect with any of the characters, nor did I feel much dynamic between Pearl and Rynar. I liked her character until it felt like she became shallow.

Pearl, sweetie, do you really think a silvery-looking man with a tail and rows of teeth looks even remotely human?

Overall, I loved the concept and was rooting for this book to pull me in deep (pun intended), but it just needed more development—especially in the characters and world-building. I’d still recommend it to readers who enjoy ocean-based fantasy or mystery, but with a heads-up that it might not completely deliver on its potential.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

wtf?

This was bad. Not in a fun way liked I’d hoped, but genuinely bad. I made it 43% of the way through, and skimmed most of the last part of that. This book jumps from event to event rapidly. There’s no real explanation for anything going on, no emotional processing of the events either. The characters were shallow, no depth to any of them. A lot of telling rather than showing. The structure was all over the place too. Double spacing here, indentation there, no indentation for this chapter, single spacing here. That did not make it any easier to read this.

The horror aspect was lost. I think this author was going for a Cthulhu, dark and eerie village vibe, but failed. The supposed romance aspect I just barely started reading before giving up. The little of that I read was also lost on me and fell flat.

The lack of details left me feeling grossed out within the first chapter. The way the fmc’s relationship with Jaime and her coworker was poorly described made it seem like they were grooming their student. Clarification of their relationships was NEEDED, not optional. This lack of clarification or detail was applied to everything.

The way the men were talking and behaving, it felt like the author was setting up Pearl to be a perpetual victim. I can’t do books where the main character is a constant victim with zero fight.

[Keshia B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, y’all. This was my first-ever non-human romance, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. Drenched is dark, unsettling, and absolutely feral in a way that had me like… what did I just read??? If you love horror vibes, intense obsession, and a heroine who is smart enough to know she’s in danger but still ends up in said danger, this book is for you.

So, Pearl is a marine biologist on a research trip to a remote island, where the locals give her and her team with very clear, very loud warnings not to go diving. Naturally, they do the exact opposite, and surprise surprise, things go left immediately. Enter Rynar, a terrifying, possessive, not-at-all-human sea creature who snatches Pearl up and decides she’s his now. And when I say his, I mean in the most intense, no-escape, this-man-monster-will-drag-you-to-the-depths kind of way.

The ocean is already horrifying, but this? This took my fear of deep water to new levels. The creepy, atmospheric writing had me fully tense, and I felt like I was right there with Pearl, questioning all my life choices.

Now, let’s talk about the romance because… whew. This was my first time reading a monster romance, and y’all, I still don’t know if it’s my thing. Rynar is feral, obsessive, and has exactly zero chill. Like, I knew going in that this wasn’t going to be a soft, gentle, let’s-fall-in-love kind of story, but WOW. The steam? Intense. The power dynamic? Fully tilted in one direction. If you’re into the whole primal, monstrous, you-are-mine-now thing, this book will absolutely scratch that itch. Me? I was just sitting there wondering if I should be scared, intrigued, or both.

So, am I officially a monster romance girly? Undecided. But am I intrigued enough to try more? Yeah… maybe.

What I Loved
-A plus-size, over-35 heroine who is brilliant, capable, and refuses to go down without a fight
-The deep-sea horror atmosphere was top-tier, genuinely eerie and immersive
-Rynar’s obsessive energy was a lot, but I won’t lie… it worked in its own unsettling way
-If you love dark romance with little to no softness, this book delivers

My final thoughts....this book was a lot, but in the best way. It’s dark, disturbing, and leans all the way into the horror side of monster romance. If you love the idea of a terrifying, possessive sea creature dragging his woman into the abyss and never letting go, you’ll eat this up.

For my fellow monster romance newbies? This might not be the most gentle entry point into the genre, but it’s definitely a memorable one. I’m still deciding if this is my thing, but hey—I’m willing to give another one a try.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drenched contains triggering situations such as non-consensual and dubious-consent dynamics... monsters don't ask for permission, explicit content, primal/otherworldly behaviors, Emotional struggles, depression, self-harm, childhood trauma, mention of past rape, graphic violence, human sacrifice, and supernatural horror.

Drenched is a dark monster romance, that also explores themes of self acceptance, discovery and paranormal themes.

Drenched is the second book in the 'The Primal Sins Collection' but the books can be read separately, they don't follow on from each other.

I rated this book 4* I loved Pearl as a character, due to her personality and past experiences, they made her more relatable to me. I also loved the interactions between her and the other characters especially Rynar.. she hates him but he's obsessed and she's easy for him to manipulate...

Pearl, is a plus-sized heroine in her late 30s, who finds herself in an extraordinary romance with a sea monster who adores her every curve. If you're drawn to stories with passion, heart, and a hint of the supernatural, you'll love this one.

Rynar, guardian of the abyss. His physique was a masterclass in adaptation - webbed claws, a muscular build, and an unmistakable air of power. His obsidian gaze is suffocating. The sharp contours of his face, the vibrant fins, and the soft undulation of his gills all blended together in a hypnotic display.

I'd highly recommend this book to those not put off by the triggers.

[Katherine Rivera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Argh I had hopes but after 61% in I lost interest. Pearl a biologist like her parents. They died on an island, same one she years later sails to find answers. The characters weren’t developed as much as I’d liked. The events in the book were rushed. The mystery of the island and the abyss weren’t really explained. The author could have gone more in detail like how this came to be. I would have like more background on the parents. Seeing that she didn’t just come for answers on this mystery algae. They chose to ignore the leader of the island and sail to find more Algae, which turns out to have some magical properties. As they are diving they come across this sea creature. Her crew gets hurt, the creature falls in love with her in an instant. Shit hits the fan. Pearl and her crew plan an escape that goes pear shaped. In a heightened interaction with one of her crew mates she swallows the algae. Her entire crew dies by the hands of the islanders and the abyss. She’s saved by the creature. He’s clearly obsessed with her. There’s not yearning between her and this creature she falls for. No tension building. It felt like he was in her head (literally) and she made decisions because of him. Arghhh girl come onnn. Anyway I wanted to find out if she found a cure because I was hoping she would help Amanda. Hopefully Amanda got the help she deserved.

[Nora Ellen (Nbbookery) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted by the disappearance of her parents, Pearl and her diving team go to the same island where they vanished to study an unusual strain of algae. The locals forbid them from entering the water, but it isn't long before the team decides to risk it. Beneath the waves, they encounter otherworldly horrors, and Pearl's near-death escape from the depths brings the wrath of the Abyss on them. The villagers send the team to a watery demise, but the Abyss spares Pearl. She's been marked for a different fate, but will she give in to the creature's demands or try to save herself against the odds?

Oh, this one was really good! Pearl is a plus-size scientist who had her life flipped upside down when her parents vanished on their own hunt for this mysterious algae. Now, she's facing their fate until Rynar decides she's worth more to him alive. That doesn't mean she takes it lying down because this girl's a fighter. I do so love her fire. Rynar is mysterious as well as morally brackish. He kind of toys with her in a caring sense but ultimately wears the pants. However, when he smites the villagers for her? Swoon. And how Pearl brings a literal ancient being to his knees to grovel? Priceless. Their dynamic was hard-won, but definitely worth every fight.

[Lo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book.

There were just too many story inconsistencies, like random paragraphs that contradict what was happening like they were misplaced or something.

I liked pearl until I didn’t, she was cool in the beginning but she really turned into a brat. I didn’t like her and was annoyed with her. She was also a big contradiction stating one thing then doing/saying the opposite on the next page.

The ‘love story’ didn’t feel like a love story to me, it felt like insta-lust on the MMC side, we don’t see them connect at all. We see them hook up and then pearl continually states how much she hates him. I just didn’t see any genuine connection between them at all. It didn’t even feel like enemies to lovers it just felt jarring and gave me whiplash. She hates and could never forgive him then the next second says ‘let’s go home’ even though she hates the cave and her life there. It just felt like the story was trying to wrap up without things actually getting resolved.

I thought the overall story was a good idea, I just didn’t feel like it was executed well, I kept having to fill in the gaps for myself throughout the story. It just felt very clunky like a first or second draft.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK! PARTIAL SPOILER IN REVIEW

This book is rather underwhelming... the first part of the book is amazing, great character development of the FMC and her compatriots as they travel to an isolated island village, the mystery and the pull is there about wanting to know what's going on and what the Abyss is.
The second part of the book is where I was lost, the book takes a hard turn into the depth of unbearable repetition and bore. Spoilers follow (not of ending just some of the middle)

Spoiler Warning:
After her friends are killed and she is pulled into the underwater world the book falls flat, unfortunately even the attempt at some Stockholm Syndrome failed. You would think Beauty and the Beast-esc type stuff but it just came off as the MMC is very pretentious and annoying. The only thing they have going for them is the fact that he can make her "physically happy" and her inner monologue of do i love him why do i love him i shouldn't love him but i still do was hard to push through, at this point i don't even care about the Abyss, I wanted it to swallow her up and him up and just end the story there.

[Michaela Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m absolutely obsessed with this book! This was my first read from Sephyrra and I can’t wait to read her other books! Drenched was the perfect mix of supernatural mystery, hauntingly-beautiful ocean secrets and horror romance. This would be a perfect choice for readers just starting horror romance. Sephyrra has such a unique and magical writing style that I was hooked from the first chapter. I love the Abyss she created and how she showed just how deeply disturbing the ocean can really get. Our FMC, marine biologist Pearl comes looking for answers in a mysterious villages but learns she’ll have to do much more than a little bit of science to get what she needs. She’s a fighter and much stronger than the Abyss thinks. Please know this is not a gentle romance. Pearl is held by a possessive, ancient merman who has decided she’s his. He will do absolutely anything to make sure she never leaves him.

[Adrianna Heaney-velu · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But distance doesn’t erase shadows.”

“Drenched,” by Sephyrra

This book is a unique take on mermaid dark fantasy, delving into heavy and sensitive themes like trauma, self-harm, and sexual assault. While the story is not easy to read emotionally, it stands out for its poetic and haunting approach to fantasy, blending psychological depth with mystery and healing. The beginning of the book, focused on scientific exploration, felt a bit rushed, and the side characters introduced early on lacked detail or memorability, which made it harder to connect with that portion of the story, but it got better. It was a really good read and I’m glad that I picked it up. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Merman
-Plus Size
-Enemies To Lovers
-Breath Play
-Self-Harm
-SA

Thank you for the ARC, Booksprout.

[3v4nny]

what… ok so first i loved this sm, but idk if im remembering insatiable wrong or what but was it this insane on the gore?? and no thats not a complaint it was crazy and well… well deserved! i do need to mention that although all of pearls friends deaths were sad, jamies last words gutted me, i wish they both had more closure than what rynar gave to them but it was bittersweet. i cant forget to talk about pearl and rynar together, even though he was supposed to be this scary monster there were moments where he was cute lmao, AND this mf wooed her with many gifts and a castle! so adorable. i love this authors books sm and i cant wait till the next in this series. oh and i feel like this book was *loosely* inspired by the shape of water and i love that movie, if thats not the case well… whoops :)

[Briana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt a little like Whispers of the deep by Emma Hamm but not in a good way.

The FMC gets insanely repetitive from the middle to the end of the book.

The start was pretty good honestly, I thought it had a lot of promise and the way everything was described during the ‘horror’ type scenes was great, but it falls flat fairly quickly after that.
The consistent repetition of “I hate you”, “you ruined my life” blah blah blah got really annoying towards the end of the book considering the FMC started out really strong. She didn’t take shit from the others that were with her and tried to be respectful as possible to the villagers.

I wanted to love this book as much as I loved the Deep Waters series by Emma Hamm, but it was just so boring after the first initial event.

[CurvyGirlBookGuide · Rating 4 out of 5]

What book with a plus size heroine should you read next? - Drenched by @authorsephyrra - This horror romance with paranormal elements is haunting, beautiful, and dark, with a complex FMC not only exploring as a researcher but finding pieces of herself along the way. I loved reading Pearl’s journey and growth. Her heartbreak is tangible, but her fight and power is undeniable. The book follows her into the ocean’s depths where she finds unexpected things about her past, who she is now, and how she will navigate her future. I highly recommend reading Drenched if you enjoy reading stories about strong FMCs with great character arcs, dark, paranormal, horror tales, steamy romances, and morally grey MMCs with tails. Also, the aesthetics for this book just hit different 🌊🐚🧜

[Acoverofspice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it as i enjoyed the first book, but It was like a different person wrote this book.
Although the premis was good it reads like a first draft . It's disjointed and repetitive, needs editing and a rewrite in places. The moods and story line are all over the place, swinging back and forth and then going over the same thing again and again. The same sentence was used 3 times on one page it's frustrating and painful to read. The editor and alpha readers have clearly done nothing to help the author get the story to flow.

I will be reading the next in the series in hopes it is more like the first book.

I also need to point out it's not a horror romance. We could class it as a paranormal or monster romance at best.

[Manda S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a monster dark romance and it sooooo much better than I could have ever guessed it to be. I loved how much detail was put into this book. It was so much so that I was shivering just from the opening description of surrounding areas. The characters were amazing they all had so much depth to them that I couldn't always easily guess what they were going to do or say next. I was left to fell the emotions of what the character was giving off. I am looking forward to reading other works of art Sephyrra has to offer.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark seam monster horror romance.

Ok so this was my first merman romance and I liked most of it.

The story was actually quite good. Pearl, a scientist, and her friends/colleagues and a tool named Jonathan go to a small fishing town to collect special algae. The town is full of shady people who warn them to not go diving for the algae - they ignore them (obviously) and drama ensues!

I honestly didn't care much for Pearl, she was quite annoying. I liked Rynar though.

The spice was nice, I now know what a merman peen looks like. And against all odds there is a HEA.

My favourite line - "you're not my enemy, Pearl." "You're my purpose.".

[Crystal Junebug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kind of skeptical going into this book, but boy, am I glad I decided to plunge into this one (you see what I did there?). This wasn't the first merman book I've read, but unlike the others, this one was quite different. The world building into this strange underwater place was fascinating and the chemistry between Pearl and Rynar was perfect. I'm going to have to read the first in the series because I liked this one so much. If you're looking for something different than what you're used to reading in romance, give this one a try.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.