Sand Castles

by Shenaye Suggs

Saela LaRue should be dead.

Instead, she wakes somewhere Umberland was never supposed to let her see.

A black-sand shore.

A woman who knows her name.

A curse placed at birth.

And a warning that her life has never belonged solely to her.

Back home, Zaire is unraveling beneath guilt, anger, and memories that no longer feel trustworthy. His marriage is fractured. His wife is missing. And the men around him know far more about both than they should.

The answers waiting beneath Umberland are worse than either of them imagined.

Bloodlines have been manipulated.

Memories have been buried.

Families have lied.

And Saela’s birth may have been engineered to create something powerful enough to change the fate of the island itself.

Now husband and wife are being pulled through different sides of the same hidden war, surrounded by factions that cannot agree on whether Saela is meant to save Umberland… or destroy it.

But before Saela and Zaire can face what is coming, they’ll have to decide whether their marriage can survive the truth.

Because love can rebuild almost anything.

Almost.

Sand Castles is a haunting Black gothic romantic fantasy of cursed bloodlines, altered memories, ancestral possession, secret societies, supernatural violence, and two married souls learning that rebuilding requires more than love.

Castles built on secrets were never meant to weather the tide.

Tropes and genres Black romance, contemporary fantasy, romantic fantasy, established marriage, hidden society, political fantasy, ancient bloodlines, secret organizations, chosen one elements, emotional healing, found family, conspiracy mystery, second-chance marriage, and supernatural mystery.

497 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2026

About the author

Shenaye Suggs (shuh-NAY SUHGZ) is a dreamer, a romantic, and a lifelong wanderer of the mind.
For years, she carried a world inside her—a place she once imagined building piece by piece on land, never realizing she could craft it instead through words. That world became Umberland, a Black-owned island pulsing with history, heart, and divine complexity. It is the home of her debut novel, Pray You Catch Me—the first book in the Love Like Honey series, following Zaire and Saela LaRue through love, loss, and self-return.

Writing became the container she’d spent her whole life searching for—the space where her many passions, curiosities, and eras could finally coexist. After years of being told to “pick a niche,” she decided to stop shrinking and start weaving. Through storytelling, she found freedom—a way to explore every mood, every lesson, every corner of the human experience.

She writes as she reads—moody, immersive, emotionally layered—embracing the beauty in melancholy and the poetry in stillness. Her stories live in that tender place between faith and longing, light and shadow, where transformation takes its first breath.

When she isn’t writing, she’s reading—usually curled under a blanket with a cup of tea, an ambience video flickering on the TV, and her two dogs, Zöe and Luna, somewhere nearby. She spends her quiet hours building playlists, pinning to Pinterest boards, or attempting to get into gaming with her husband Steven, her real-life book bae, from the comfort of their cozy home.

She loves foggy mornings, rainy afternoons, and any moment that feels like the world just exhaled. And through her writing, she hopes to give readers that same feeling—of exhale, of being seen, of belonging.

Reviews

[Quiantra]

Book 2 is nothing short of breathtaking. Let’s start off by clapping it up on how she gave us a summary on book 1, cause yall know we be forgetting what we read when it comes to a series…..

From the very first line “They said the storm passed. But what if it just changed form?” I knew I was stepping into something special. This isn’t just a story; it’s an experience. A slow-burning, black gothic/fantasy masterpiece that blends romance, ancestral power, political intrigue, and spiritual reckoning into something deeply immersive and unforgettable.

Saela LaRue is a heroine who lingers with you. Her return from the dead isn’t framed as spectacle it’s layered, haunting, and intimate. The way Suggs explores identity, memory, and inherited power through Saela’s awakening is masterful. And Zaire? Complex, flawed, and achingly human. Their love story isn’t polished or easy it’s fractured, tender, and real. Watching them navigate betrayal, destiny, and desire felt raw in the best possible way.

The world building in Umberland is exquisite. Bloodlines as currency. Secrets as infrastructure. Power humming beneath the surface of every interaction. The Dominion Collective adds an ominous, slow creeping tension that keeps the stakes high without ever overshadowing the emotional core of the story.

What truly sets Sand Castles apart is its emotional intelligence. This book understands that the most devastating collapses don’t happen from the outside they begin within. The prose is lyrical without being indulgent. The pacing is deliberate, rewarding readers who savor atmosphere and layered storytelling. Every revelation feels earned.

This is gothic fantasy like romance at its finest, moody, sensual, and deeply reflective. It’s about rebuilding after ruin. It’s about what survives betrayal. It’s about the kind of love that rises not because it’s perfect, but because it chooses to endure.

If you love stories rich with ancestral mystery, shadow politics, prophetic desire, and romance forged in fire, Sand Castles belongs at the top of your TBR.

A stunning, unforgettable novel. Ten stars without hesitation.

[Bookedupwithsayde]

I’m completely obsessed with this series, I need to know how it all ends. I’m desperate for book 3 already. I really hope we finally meet Zaire’s mom because there are definitely some things that need to be cleared up. And I’m dying to find out if Saint knows more than he’s letting on.

I refuse to believe Mr. Larue is actually dead, he has to be in hiding. And honestly, what if Saint knows where he is? That would be wild. Salea’s mom is also giving very suspicious energy… I just know she’s hiding something. And those two lab babies? Yeah, I don’t trust them at all.

In book 3, I feel like Nesha needs to meet her grandmother for some kind of closure. I really felt bad for Quade, too. As for Priest… I’m still unsure about him.

And where is Kamarah?! She pops up one minute and disappears the next like girl what is you doing? The Snow brothers are strange, and so are the people helping them.

I also have this feeling that someone we’ve already met or at least heard about is actually Salea’s father. At this point, I’m ready to call Scooby-Doo and the gang because I need answers ASAP

[Lexi]

First of all, it’s wild that this whole book only covers a little over 24 hours. And baby… it’s a whole rollercoaster in that time.

We pick up with Zaire and Saela right where they left off in book one. And let me just say thank you Shenaye for that recap at the beginning because I definitely needed it. More authors need to take notes, seriously lol.

Now the secrets? Baby… the secrets. Every time I felt like “okay they about to be good now,” somebody else popped up like, oh yeah… I got something to tell y’all. 😭

I really loved seeing Saela tap into her powers and learn more about her family. In the process she’s also learning more about herself and the world of Umberland. And honestly, that growth is what really started strengthening her relationship with Zaire. We finally got some real breakthroughs with them because low-key… I was ready to choke Zaire out for a minute there lol. But seeing more of his backstory helped me understand him a lot better. That man just needs to sit on somebody’s couch and talk it out, for real. 😂

Also, the way Shenaye describes their world the rooms, the people, all the details is really amazing. And then being able to see visuals of what she describes just makes it even cooler.

And baby… this is a true slooooow burn, but I really appreciated it. She really took the time to let them grow and come together in a way that felt real.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series. I needs to know what happens next.

[Cozyreadsbycrys]

This book was such an emotional and beautifully written read. Sand Castles pulls you into the characters’ lives from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. Shenaye does an incredible job of showing how love, trauma, healing, and personal growth can all exist at the same time.

The characters felt real and layered, and the way their stories unfolded kept me fully invested. There were moments that made me emotional, moments that pissed me off, moments that made me reflect, and moments that reminded me how powerful forgiveness and self discovery can be.

What I loved most was how the story balanced vulnerability with strength. Watching the characters navigate their past while trying to build something better for themselves was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

If you enjoy emotionally rich stories about love, healing, and finding yourself after life’s storms, Sand Castles is definitely a must read.

[BerriesBookNook]

Sand Castles is Book 2 in the Love Like Honey series.

Sand Castles picks up where Pray You Catch Me left me in a heart wrenching cliffhanger which our dear sweet Saela thought the only way to calm the storm was to end her own life 😭😢 However, it wasn’t the end. It was a new beginning, a resurrection if you will.

In Sand Castles, we see Sae navigate through her internal struggles and journey of who she is. She meets several of her ancestors that explains her true calling. But babeee, let me tell you! The secrets, twists, and turns that still reared their beautiful and ugly heads as the story unfolds will have you hooked and drawn in. Because they kept coming from the left, right, north, south, east, and west. Leaving you wondering, what other secrets are still needs to be uncovered. 🤔 Yes, there are a few characters that I wanted to “throat and gut” check along the way. 😬🫣

Sae is constantly learning about her gifts and powers, which is why the darkness wanted her so badly. Zaire is still confused and struggling as these hidden secrets are being discovered about himself and his family history. Our favorite couple still has a lot to learn about themselves and each other. I can’t wait to see what book 3 holds in store for us and the people of Umberland. 🤭😁

[RedVillainxREADS]

Saela & Zaire are still working through challenges. A break through must come these two are not in the best space.
I didn’t start off like the MMC. (I still don’t know how I feel about him). I would like to see them step out from this black hole. Also, for Sae to step into her power. Hell they both need too.

This pair is really going through it. They need all the ancestors support. They meet TDC, and some secrets are revealed.

A emotional rollercoaster with secrets, ancestral memories, and a couple fighting to keep from crumbling. The flashbacks fill in a few holes, but some things are still unfolding.

My hatred for Z has changed a tad bit. I can understand his reasons and get why he wasn’t my fave in PYCM.

[Bookmarked By Keya]

Wheww chile!!

This book was pure chaos in the best way. It starts as a slow burn with messy relationship issues, then suddenly people are coming back to life, secrets are flying, and the drama never stops. What’s wild is that all this craziness happens in basically two days. I kept turning the pages just to see what could possibly happen next. If you like slow burns mixed with drama and unexpected twists, this one is a ride.