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The Salt in the Sea
A downtrodden ex-soldier.
After leaving the military, werewolf Victor is shunned in his civilian life. Money is tight, so when an ex-comrade offers him an easy job—getting a package from an island—he jumps at the chance.
A lost inn-owner.
When Selkie Thoma opens the door to a knocking patron, he wants to close it again immediately. Standing before him is Victor, his one-night stand from three years ago. The last thing Thoma wants is to have to explain why he left that night.
As Victor and Thoma cross paths unexpectedly, emotions flare anew. But Victor is only on the island for a week, and Thoma can’t face his past, the consequences of his decisions, or the resulting condemnation from his sea-going selkie family.
A dead body in a post office.
When a corpse is discovered, fingers throughout the community point at Victor. With time running out before justice is served, it’s on Thoma to find out the truth. Because on the island justice is deadly.
After leaving the military, werewolf Victor is shunned in his civilian life. Money is tight, so when an ex-comrade offers him an easy job—getting a package from an island—he jumps at the chance.
A lost inn-owner.
When Selkie Thoma opens the door to a knocking patron, he wants to close it again immediately. Standing before him is Victor, his one-night stand from three years ago. The last thing Thoma wants is to have to explain why he left that night.
As Victor and Thoma cross paths unexpectedly, emotions flare anew. But Victor is only on the island for a week, and Thoma can’t face his past, the consequences of his decisions, or the resulting condemnation from his sea-going selkie family.
A dead body in a post office.
When a corpse is discovered, fingers throughout the community point at Victor. With time running out before justice is served, it’s on Thoma to find out the truth. Because on the island justice is deadly.
- GenresFantasy
125 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2025
24 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Rivers
7 books4 followersJD writes queer speculative fiction where they fall deeply and madly in love while figuring out the world around them.
She collects hobbies as others collect books and has an unhealthy addiction watching competitive cooking shows.
JD lives close to the woods with her husband and the cutest dog in the world.
She collects hobbies as others collect books and has an unhealthy addiction watching competitive cooking shows.
JD lives close to the woods with her husband and the cutest dog in the world.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2025
I read a copy of this book as a judge for the SFINCS (Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship). This review is a reflection of my opinion and not directly of the book's performance in the competition.
This is a really interesting little book. There's a real vibrancy to the setting: magic is REAL here and there are several moments that communicate this really beautifully. The setting was fascinating, the dual perspectives had two very distinct outlooks, and the pace moved easily without being breakneck fast.
It's strongest from about the midpoint onwards - the book really hits its stride about then and turned from something interesting into a story I could get more invested in. There were lots of striking images and good emotional moments.
Sometimes, I felt like little bits of it didn't cohere quite in a way that made sense to me. Towards the end in particular I could have done with something a little more detailed as to what was going on at an emotional level (or, more accurately, could have done with more setup earlier on). Emotions in particular moved very quickly in this book - it's not a slow burn in the slightest.
This is generally just solid queer fantasy romance/mystery and if you like the sound of it, I'd recommend it - it very much delivers on its promises!
This is a really interesting little book. There's a real vibrancy to the setting: magic is REAL here and there are several moments that communicate this really beautifully. The setting was fascinating, the dual perspectives had two very distinct outlooks, and the pace moved easily without being breakneck fast.
It's strongest from about the midpoint onwards - the book really hits its stride about then and turned from something interesting into a story I could get more invested in. There were lots of striking images and good emotional moments.
Sometimes, I felt like little bits of it didn't cohere quite in a way that made sense to me. Towards the end in particular I could have done with something a little more detailed as to what was going on at an emotional level (or, more accurately, could have done with more setup earlier on). Emotions in particular moved very quickly in this book - it's not a slow burn in the slightest.
This is generally just solid queer fantasy romance/mystery and if you like the sound of it, I'd recommend it - it very much delivers on its promises!
July 22, 2025
A charming novella that is primarily a romance between a part-werewolf and a landbound selkie. At its heart it's two broken men finding someone to make him feel whole again, with a little flavoring of small town murder mystery. I love when a romance novel also gives us a plot outside of the romance itself, I think it makes the relationships shine all the stronger and that is definitely the case here. I hesitate to even describe it as urban fantasy, as it's mostly set on a very sparsely populated island, but it's certainly a modern fantasy setting, with contemporary technology and society mixed through with all sorts of magical beings. I would love to see more stories set in this world, and to learn more about the selkies, if the author chooses to revisit this world.
August 18, 2025
I was looking for a quick read and got it! I enjoyed this a lot and hope to read more by JD
December 4, 2025
3.5 stars; delightful book, but i have discovered not really my speed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews