The Frog Ward's Journey

by Laura Greenwood, Ariana Jade

A journey across the sea will change everything.

As the granddaughter of the captain, Ines loves nothing more than visiting new places alongside her trusty frog familiar. And with a mission to collect tea witches for Purple Oak underway, she has a reason to do just that.

Alone in the world and without anyone to rely on, Susie has been searching for a purpose and a way to use her mer powers. When a ship visiting her port reveals they need a mer to help them on their way, she sees the chance she's been looking for.

As Ines and Susie bond on their journey across the sea, they realise there might be something more between them than just friendship.

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The Frog Ward's Journey is a cozy fantasy romance with a sapphic romance, a frog ward who wishes they could save everyone, a mer looking for home, unusual magic, a pinch of steam, and a happy ever after.

Genres: Fantasy, Adult, Romance, Lesbian

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2026

About the author

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy romance and urban fantasy. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set, with her partner. When she's not writing, Laura can be found exploring worldwide cusine with her partner, drinking tea, and reading fantasy books. Laura specialises in quick reads, featuring healthy relationships and consent-positive moments, regardless of whether she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-inspired modern fantasy, cozy fantasy or anything in between.

Discover one of Laura Greenwood's most popular series:
- The Apprentice of Anubis (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Forgotten Gods (mythology inspired fantasy romance)
- Jinx Paranormal Dating Agency (mythology inspired paranormal rom-com)
- House of Blood and Roses (vampire romantasy)
- Amethyst's Wand Shop Mysteries (urban fantasy murder mystery)
- Scales of Justice (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Purple Oak Oasis (cozy fantasy romance)
- Falhaven Castle (cozy fantasy romance)

You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in her Facebook Reader Group.

Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Frog Ward's Voyage by Ariana Jade and Laura Greenwood is a fun little sea adventure with a sweet romance between the niece of a ship's captain and the mer she hires for the voyage. Ines has a lot of responsibility keeping things afloat aboard her family's ship, The Dolphin. Susie is just trying to find a stable job so she can afford to eat. The two have a meet-cute in a tavern, and the next day, they prepare to set off together for two weeks at sea.
Benoit the cheeky frog is adorable and a nice little addition to the cast. I enjoyed getting to know Ines and Susie as they bonded on their journey. The time period is fairly short, but the relationship doesn't feel rushed. They overcome a bit of external adversity, strike a balance between their feelings and responsibilities, and develop a sweet relationship. They also enjoy some steamy moments.
The Frog Ward's Voyage is another nice little novella from one of my favorite authors. I always enjoy these low-angst, sweet-and-spicy happily-ever-afters.
#novella #wealthypoor #ward #familiar #frog #oppositesattract #sweet #spicy #onaship #mer #ocean #sea #HEA
I received a review copy from the author. This is my honest opinion.

[Jacqueline Halle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Purple Oak Oasis series featuring a mer and a ward (and frog familiar Benoit) sea journey. This book has cozy fantasy romance vibes and is fairly light reading. This is a FF story, there's some spice with this one. I like how the series is broken down into mini stories that interconnect.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review with representation information and trigger warnings on my blog.

Susie, a merperson, is looking for a new job after being abandoned in a port town by a previous employer who refused to pay up. She encounters Ines, who is recruiting merpeople for her ship’s voyage back home. Romantic entanglements between the head of the ship and the crew are frowned upon, but Ines and Susie end up falling for each other anyway.

I’ve previously greatly enjoyed other novellas in the Purple Oak Oasis series by these authors (such as The Cherry Dryad’s Blossom and The Bat Ward’s Watch), and I enjoyed this one as well. It’s a fun fantasy adventure story that has a good balance of tension and stakes that feel realistic without overriding the cozy, healing aspect of the story. Like other protagonists in Ariana Jade’s stories such as Akira in Voyage of the Winter Wolf, Susie is healing from some trauma in her past that makes it difficult to trust, and especially difficult to trust someone she’s becoming employed by. It makes for realistic friction in her relationship with Ines without making the plot line too complicated. I found the scene where Susie and Ines are dancing together while realizing they have feelings for each other to be so sweet.

I always love the interactions between the wards and their familiars in this series, and Ines’s interactions with her frog familiar were adorable as well. He was a great addition to the story, and it was also interesting to see how Susie interacted with him and how they grew comfortable around each other.

Overall, The Frog Ward’s Journey was a heartwarming sapphic fantasy romance. The one sex scene in the book adds to the relationship between the two female leads and was written in a sweet and positive way. If you enjoy sapphic fantasy stories, sea voyages and inventive magic systems, make sure to pick this one up.

The Frog Ward’s Journey by Laura Greenwood and Ariana Jade released April 16. Thank you to the authors for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a ARC copy from the author and though a review wasn’t required, I wanted to offer my honest, voluntary impression of it.

This story centers around a young woman who has been alone and on her own for many years. When she hears of a ship interviewing for crew members she takes a chance and shows up. She is hired on and is diligent at her job always afraid that one wrong move will mean she’ll be let go. She forms a tentative friendship with the one who hired her but her fear of doing something wrong is always with her even when she saved a sailor who fell overboard! When she discovers a problem with the rudder on the ship and works to free it with the help of others, almost dying in the process, she finds the feelings she has for her friend are reciprocated and her lonely life can finally be a memory.

I enjoyed this story! Anyone who has grown up with feelings of self doubt and feeling worthless and insignificant will enjoy this book! They like me will understand the significance that kindness, consideration, appreciation and affection can have on a person who has never known it but has yearned for it their entire life!

I recommend this book honestly and openly because those feelings and lack of receiving it are something I know personally! When you haven’t experienced human kindness it’s so very hard to believe it’s real when it’s finally given to you!

I believe everyone will relate to Susie’s inner conflict as she copes to understand that Ines is serious in offering her friendship to Susie- because she genuinely cares about her!

[Mystyc Metrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Purple Oak series, and I felt that this one was a bit different, in a good way! The other stories focused more on the Brewers and were set in Purple Oak, but this one takes place on the Dolphin, a ship making its way back to the Purple Oak oasis. Ines, the granddaughter of the captain, enjoys finding the crew and overseeing activities on the ship. Susie is a mer who has been stranded by her previous crew and is hoping to make her way home. She's very excited by the opportunity to potentially sail on the Dolphin, and she is super excited to be selected. As the ship journeys towards Purple Oak, the girls grow closer and a sweet romance blossoms. There is also an adorable frog named Benoit with some fun antics! I thought the oceanic setting was a fun twist, and I really enjoyed it. These are quick, fun reads and I've been following along to see what happens!

[Autumn Aria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure why but I did not really enjoy this as much as I am supposed to. The story felt a little shallow and flat.

The story itself didn't make much sense, like, how can 'merfolk' be so hopelessly useless at being in the sea? The term mer people itself means people of the sea or lake. That's my understanding anyway.

It also felt rather slow moving and I struggled to keep my attention when normally I can finish this in a day

I actually have enjoyed most of their books over the years especially Ariana Jade/Arizona Tape which writes mostly sapphic. So I couldn't pinpoint what exactly is lacking here.

Thank you to the authors for a free copy.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sweet & gentle tale of discovered romance

This was nicely written, especially in places like the pending disappointment from Susie when she realises that Ines is genuinely nice to everyone and also from the later romantic moments - including the realisation that Susie can tease Ines back in turn.

There are some moments of action however, overall, this is a delicate short story of gentle intimacy.


(I was fortunate to receive an ARC however the above is, as ever, my own opinion.)

PS: The blurb above is incorrect: Ines is the niece of the Captain, not the granddaughter.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This was absolutely precious. Susie is a mermaid, Ines is a ship captain with a Frog familiar. Susie works for Ines aboard her ship and I loved how quiet and cozy this was. They’re both really likable characters and their chemistry was lovely. I really enjoyed this. You don’t have to read the other books to read this, it works pretty well as a standalone.

Spice: ❤️‍🔥/❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story, it combines two stories, the weather witches journey and Ines and Susie’s journey. You feel bad for Susie who is a mer and has not been treated fairly. Ines’s frog, Benoît, introduces Ines and Susie by trying to jump into Susie’s drink. The two get to know each other on their journey to Tea Bay. The Weather witches, Eva and Max are on their way to the Purple Oasis. A good quick read. I received an arc and the views and opinions are my own.

[Sherryle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story read so sweetly. The characters mentioned join together after they rode the waves of going home for Suzie. They found love & fell hard. This story ended up with them both wanting to sail again on a journey towards more happiness. Suzie finds that certain person whom put out her feelings of home & more, this was on the way back to Suzie's home which does not have any good feelings. This made me cry. I really liked this story more than the last story & I don't know why!!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting instalment in the Purple Oak Oasis series, which actually takes place outside the Oasis. It was fascinating to see a different part of the world in which the Oasis exists, and different characters for a change. I really liked the main characters and the story was really engaging too. I’d definitely recommend it (and the rest of the series) and I’m looking forward to seeing what characters are brought forward next.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susie and Ines

Susie is barely surviving. The young mer is elated to be hired to The Dolphin's crew. She has heard good things about the ship. The job becomes even better as she becomes friendly with Ines, a frog ward. Their friendship deepens as the journey draws toward an end.

This is a sweet sapphic romance. I received an advance copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sussie is a mer looking for a place to belong and is hired by Ines and joins The Dolphin crew. Along the way these two fall for each other. An easy cute read and a frog ward that stole the show. Easy quick and gentle read that adds to to Purple Oak Oasis. Made me laugh a few times and these two had a few issues to overcome.

[Jo Fouracre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and a little cottage coreish. I loved the characters and the ways these books always interlink with each other. I just wish we had more interaction either here or frog familiar he is super duper cute !!

[Monique Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick and sweet story in the Purple Oak series. It can be read as a stand-alone. Inez and Susie are a lovely couple and Benoit is fun. The story is interesting and has a little bit of danger and a lot of flirting. I am really enjoying this series.

[Carolyn Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mer in need of a job meets an adorable frog and his ward and sets sail in a voyage that might change her life. This was an entertaining read with action and romance.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susie did not have a happy life. She had lost so very much in her young life. No one to worrier ore care if she lived or not. The trip was a little scary but mostly pleasant. Very nice story.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful story. I adored the characters and the unique plot kept me hooked.

[Sarah Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Frog Ward’s Journey” is an adorable sapphic paranormal romance novella set in the world of Laura Greenwood and Ariana Jade’s Purple Oak Oasis series.

The main characters of this novella are Susie and Ines, who have an instantaneous connection that starts as friendship, but eventually turns into so much more.

I thought that Susie and Ines were both extremely likable characters, and I really enjoyed their story. Laura Greenwood and Ariana Jade are both extremely talented authors, and I highly recommend their writing styles!