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Salt & Light: A British Paranormal Romance with Found Family and Cornish Magic
Some secrets have consequences. His just ran away to Cornwall.
Rosamunde Carbis is Saltmere's resident sea witch—tide magic, ancient partnerships with Cornish sea spirits, and fourteen months of carefully avoiding Dr Kieran Ashworth. The academic who nearly destroyed her village. Who's spent all that time trying to prove he's changed.
Nobody knew Kieran had a child until his nine-year-old daughter appears in the village square, alone and terrified, looking for her dad.
Lily ran away from London because something underground is calling to her—old magic, angry voices, liminal spaces only she can sense. And she's not the only one hearing it. Saltmere's magical children are being marked by spriggans, grotesque Cornish spirits who guard ancient places... and steal children.
The mines beneath the village have been disturbed. The boundaries are breaking. And the spriggans want something.
Rosamunde should walk away. But watching Kieran parent with quiet desperation, seeing Lily find friends who don't think she's strange, feeling domestic routines form in the spaces between crisis—her walls are cracking faster than Saltmere's foundations.
Some partnerships start with magic. Some families are forged in crisis. And some sea witches discover that the most dangerous thing isn't the spriggans ...
It's wanting to stay.
A British paranormal romance
- Seawitch heroine with tide magic and Cornish sea-spirit pacts
- Single-dad hero proving he's changed
- Found family, magical children, and small-town belonging
- Spriggans, mine folklore, and lighthouse showdowns
- Domestic intimacy and caregiving attraction
- Steamy slow-burn with autumn equinox magic
Salt & Light is the sixth and final book in The Saltmere Chronicles, a steamy British paranormal romance series set in coastal Cornwall, where ancient magic meets modern love.
Contains mature content. Written in British English with authentic Cornish setting and dialect.
Rosamunde Carbis is Saltmere's resident sea witch—tide magic, ancient partnerships with Cornish sea spirits, and fourteen months of carefully avoiding Dr Kieran Ashworth. The academic who nearly destroyed her village. Who's spent all that time trying to prove he's changed.
Nobody knew Kieran had a child until his nine-year-old daughter appears in the village square, alone and terrified, looking for her dad.
Lily ran away from London because something underground is calling to her—old magic, angry voices, liminal spaces only she can sense. And she's not the only one hearing it. Saltmere's magical children are being marked by spriggans, grotesque Cornish spirits who guard ancient places... and steal children.
The mines beneath the village have been disturbed. The boundaries are breaking. And the spriggans want something.
Rosamunde should walk away. But watching Kieran parent with quiet desperation, seeing Lily find friends who don't think she's strange, feeling domestic routines form in the spaces between crisis—her walls are cracking faster than Saltmere's foundations.
Some partnerships start with magic. Some families are forged in crisis. And some sea witches discover that the most dangerous thing isn't the spriggans ...
It's wanting to stay.
A British paranormal romance
- Seawitch heroine with tide magic and Cornish sea-spirit pacts
- Single-dad hero proving he's changed
- Found family, magical children, and small-town belonging
- Spriggans, mine folklore, and lighthouse showdowns
- Domestic intimacy and caregiving attraction
- Steamy slow-burn with autumn equinox magic
Salt & Light is the sixth and final book in The Saltmere Chronicles, a steamy British paranormal romance series set in coastal Cornwall, where ancient magic meets modern love.
Contains mature content. Written in British English with authentic Cornish setting and dialect.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2026
About the author
Toria Howell
10 books4 followersToria Howell writes atmospheric paranormal fiction rooted in the folklore of the British Isles — the kind of stories where ancient creatures stir beneath coastal waves and old magic lingers in the landscape. Her books span paranormal romance and cosy mystery, drawing on the real myths and legends of Cornwall, Wales, and beyond rather than anything found in a Hollywood special effects department.
A cunning woman herself, Toria brings an insider's understanding of folk magic to her writing — no sparkly wands or dramatic midnight rituals required. Born in the UK but shaped by life in several countries, Toria writes with British spelling and slightly confused pronunciation. She finds inspiration in mist-covered hills, crumbling castles, local gossip, and the peculiarities of rural life—some of which find their way into her books if she’s not paying attention.
When she isn't dreaming up ways to weave selkies, Cŵn Annwn, and standing stones into love stories and mysteries, she can be found in her home in the Welsh Valleys with a cup of tea, a good book, and her two black cats, Salem and Nyx, who are far more destructive than they sound. When she’s not writing, Toria’s most likely reading in a patch of sun, manipulating the weather for better driving conditions, or losing horrendously at tri-dominoes to her family, though she maintains that she's improving.
A cunning woman herself, Toria brings an insider's understanding of folk magic to her writing — no sparkly wands or dramatic midnight rituals required. Born in the UK but shaped by life in several countries, Toria writes with British spelling and slightly confused pronunciation. She finds inspiration in mist-covered hills, crumbling castles, local gossip, and the peculiarities of rural life—some of which find their way into her books if she’s not paying attention.
When she isn't dreaming up ways to weave selkies, Cŵn Annwn, and standing stones into love stories and mysteries, she can be found in her home in the Welsh Valleys with a cup of tea, a good book, and her two black cats, Salem and Nyx, who are far more destructive than they sound. When she’s not writing, Toria’s most likely reading in a patch of sun, manipulating the weather for better driving conditions, or losing horrendously at tri-dominoes to her family, though she maintains that she's improving.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 30, 2026
Salt & Light was another enjoyable visit to Saltmere and a fitting continuation of a series I've really come to love. I especially enjoyed seeing Rosamunde take centre stage, and the addition of Lily brought a lovely warmth to the story.
As always, Toria Howell effortlessly blends Cornish folklore, mystery and heartfelt relationships, while continuing to expand the world and bring back familiar characters. Saltmere feels more alive with every book, and it's become a place I genuinely enjoyed visiting.
As always, Toria Howell effortlessly blends Cornish folklore, mystery and heartfelt relationships, while continuing to expand the world and bring back familiar characters. Saltmere feels more alive with every book, and it's become a place I genuinely enjoyed visiting.
May 10, 2026
5 Stars 😁😁😁
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews