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Salt and Shadow: Legend of a Cursed Bloodline
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26Freedom isn’t found in escape—it’s forged in transformation.
Naomi learned early that survival meant erasing herself. Trapped in an abusive relationship, she seizes an unexpected fortune as her only chance to disappear—cutting ties and fleeing toward a life she hopes will finally be her own.
She finds refuge in Nev, a windswept island where the salt air offers space to breathe and the fragile promise of belonging. But safety is temporary. Drawn to Romero—an enigmatic man with ties to Kedar, a country steeped in danger—Naomi feels something awaken beneath her skin, instinctive and unsettling.
As Naomi begins to rebuild, she sees patterns that can no longer be denied. She’s cursed and it’s thriving on her silence, suffering, and submission.
Love will not shield her from it. Distance will not weaken it. And every attempt to outrun her past only tightens the curse’s grip.
To claim a future of her own, Naomi must stop running and uncover the truth of who she is—even if embracing it means stepping willingly into the shadows she fears most.
Salt and Shadow: Legend of a Cursed Bloodline is an urban romantasy about survival, found family, and the cost of becoming who you choose to be.
Naomi learned early that survival meant erasing herself. Trapped in an abusive relationship, she seizes an unexpected fortune as her only chance to disappear—cutting ties and fleeing toward a life she hopes will finally be her own.
She finds refuge in Nev, a windswept island where the salt air offers space to breathe and the fragile promise of belonging. But safety is temporary. Drawn to Romero—an enigmatic man with ties to Kedar, a country steeped in danger—Naomi feels something awaken beneath her skin, instinctive and unsettling.
As Naomi begins to rebuild, she sees patterns that can no longer be denied. She’s cursed and it’s thriving on her silence, suffering, and submission.
Love will not shield her from it. Distance will not weaken it. And every attempt to outrun her past only tightens the curse’s grip.
To claim a future of her own, Naomi must stop running and uncover the truth of who she is—even if embracing it means stepping willingly into the shadows she fears most.
Salt and Shadow: Legend of a Cursed Bloodline is an urban romantasy about survival, found family, and the cost of becoming who you choose to be.
410 pages, ebook
First published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 11, 2026
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Spice: 2.75 🌶️🌶️ (only a few scenes but definitely a bit of suggestive content as well)
"Most of my life had been a lie. So many things I believed about myself were false, but the greatest, most tragic lie I believed for years is that I was powerless.”
I really enjoyed the representation of Naomi’s mental health and journey of self acceptance in this book. It definitely has given me a few things to reflect on. Naomi’s relationship with Romero is so healthy and refreshing compared to the past, and she is finally learning to accept that that’s what she deserves! Sure, there were some big screw ups and fights, but nobody is perfect. And they were both there for each other at the end. Romero is so patient and understanding with her. Even through Naomi’s healing, while he was still healing himself. And I like that we got to see their relationship actually develop rather than an insta-love dynamic, but still having a “fated” feel.
I really enjoyed the fantasy elements of the book with our modern world woven in. And I like that it’s not plot heavy. You can kick back, relax and just read without heavy thinking. And since the book is fast paced, you’ll fly through it! However, speaking of the plot, I am a little bit confused on the curse aspect. I don’t really understand how that worked. But I do believe there will be another book that will clear things up, so I believe we were meant to still have questions! Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this!
“I snuggled in close as he wrapped his arms around me. With him, I was home. I’d finally found where my heart belonged.”
Spice: 2.75 🌶️🌶️ (only a few scenes but definitely a bit of suggestive content as well)
"Most of my life had been a lie. So many things I believed about myself were false, but the greatest, most tragic lie I believed for years is that I was powerless.”
I really enjoyed the representation of Naomi’s mental health and journey of self acceptance in this book. It definitely has given me a few things to reflect on. Naomi’s relationship with Romero is so healthy and refreshing compared to the past, and she is finally learning to accept that that’s what she deserves! Sure, there were some big screw ups and fights, but nobody is perfect. And they were both there for each other at the end. Romero is so patient and understanding with her. Even through Naomi’s healing, while he was still healing himself. And I like that we got to see their relationship actually develop rather than an insta-love dynamic, but still having a “fated” feel.
I really enjoyed the fantasy elements of the book with our modern world woven in. And I like that it’s not plot heavy. You can kick back, relax and just read without heavy thinking. And since the book is fast paced, you’ll fly through it! However, speaking of the plot, I am a little bit confused on the curse aspect. I don’t really understand how that worked. But I do believe there will be another book that will clear things up, so I believe we were meant to still have questions! Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this!
“I snuggled in close as he wrapped his arms around me. With him, I was home. I’d finally found where my heart belonged.”
July 10, 2026
ARC Review – Salt and Shadow: Legend of a Cursed Bloodline by Kate Beaumont
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5) | 🌶️
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
Salt and Shadow has such an interesting premise, and I really liked the idea behind this story. It follows Naomi as she runs from an abusive relationship and tries to find safety, freedom, and a place where she truly belongs. Her journey leads her to Nev, a windswept island that gives her the first glimpse of peace, but it quickly becomes clear that her past is not the only thing haunting her.
I appreciated the way this book explored heavier topics like trauma, abuse, discrimination, substance abuse, and the complicated process of healing. This is definitely one where readers should check the trigger warnings before going in. The story doesn’t shy away from the lasting effects of survival, and I liked that healing wasn’t presented as something simple or instant.
Romero was one of the stronger parts of the book for me. As a warrior from Kedar, a region known for its brutality, he had this quiet intensity that balanced Naomi’s more chaotic energy. He was patient, grounded, and honestly… bless his heart for everything he put up with. I liked the tension between him and Naomi and the way their connection had that slow-burn, almost fated feel without the romance completely taking over the story.
The world itself was also intriguing. I enjoyed the contrast between the different regions, cultures, and ways of life, especially the mix of modern elements with more traditional or harsher customs. There are clearly a lot of secrets woven into this world, and even though the book doesn’t end on a major cliffhanger, there are still plenty of unanswered questions that make me curious about where the series will go next.
That said, I did struggle with Naomi as the story went on. I understood that she came from a harsh background and was carrying a lot of trauma, but her bluntness and vulgarity started to wear on me after a while. I also found myself frustrated by some of her choices. After seeing her have the strength to leave an abusive relationship, it was hard to watch her run from people who genuinely cared about her and wanted to help. There were definitely moments where I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The pacing was okay overall, but the middle did feel slower to me. I also felt like the interaction between Naomi and her ex toward the end could have used more depth. For such an important piece of her past, that moment felt a little rushed and I wanted more emotional weight from it.
Overall, this was a unique urban romantasy with strong themes of survival, trauma, transformation, and found family. While Naomi frustrated me at times and I wanted a little more from certain scenes, I still enjoyed the concept, the world, and the questions left open for future books.
Tropes / Themes:
🌊 Urban romantasy
🖤 Cursed bloodline
✨ Found family
💔 Healing after trauma
🔥 Slow-burn connection
⚔️ Warrior MMC
🌙 Secrets & hidden truths
🌿 Survival and transformation
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5) | 🌶️
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
Salt and Shadow has such an interesting premise, and I really liked the idea behind this story. It follows Naomi as she runs from an abusive relationship and tries to find safety, freedom, and a place where she truly belongs. Her journey leads her to Nev, a windswept island that gives her the first glimpse of peace, but it quickly becomes clear that her past is not the only thing haunting her.
I appreciated the way this book explored heavier topics like trauma, abuse, discrimination, substance abuse, and the complicated process of healing. This is definitely one where readers should check the trigger warnings before going in. The story doesn’t shy away from the lasting effects of survival, and I liked that healing wasn’t presented as something simple or instant.
Romero was one of the stronger parts of the book for me. As a warrior from Kedar, a region known for its brutality, he had this quiet intensity that balanced Naomi’s more chaotic energy. He was patient, grounded, and honestly… bless his heart for everything he put up with. I liked the tension between him and Naomi and the way their connection had that slow-burn, almost fated feel without the romance completely taking over the story.
The world itself was also intriguing. I enjoyed the contrast between the different regions, cultures, and ways of life, especially the mix of modern elements with more traditional or harsher customs. There are clearly a lot of secrets woven into this world, and even though the book doesn’t end on a major cliffhanger, there are still plenty of unanswered questions that make me curious about where the series will go next.
That said, I did struggle with Naomi as the story went on. I understood that she came from a harsh background and was carrying a lot of trauma, but her bluntness and vulgarity started to wear on me after a while. I also found myself frustrated by some of her choices. After seeing her have the strength to leave an abusive relationship, it was hard to watch her run from people who genuinely cared about her and wanted to help. There were definitely moments where I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The pacing was okay overall, but the middle did feel slower to me. I also felt like the interaction between Naomi and her ex toward the end could have used more depth. For such an important piece of her past, that moment felt a little rushed and I wanted more emotional weight from it.
Overall, this was a unique urban romantasy with strong themes of survival, trauma, transformation, and found family. While Naomi frustrated me at times and I wanted a little more from certain scenes, I still enjoyed the concept, the world, and the questions left open for future books.
Tropes / Themes:
🌊 Urban romantasy
🖤 Cursed bloodline
✨ Found family
💔 Healing after trauma
🔥 Slow-burn connection
⚔️ Warrior MMC
🌙 Secrets & hidden truths
🌿 Survival and transformation
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this book as an ARC from the author, in return for my honest review.
Set to release August 11, 2026 - add it to your TBR!
I truly enjoyed this book. For a first time novelist, I found the book to have a great pace, and good world building. There wasn't a moment where I was bored, looking at my reading progress asking, "Are we there yet?"
I enjoyed Rom & Naomi's slow burn, but fated relationship. I found myself rooting for them hard and I fell in love with both of them. They are flawed and real and I found myself relating to multiple facets of both of them.
I loved the focus on mental health and trigger topics. It's important that you read the trigger warnings going into this book as there are a few. In some of the scenes, I felt emotions (anxiety, anger, etc) which really helped me feel immersed in the book.
The spice was good! It wasn't the focus of the book, which I appreciated and it wasn't so drawn out that I got bored and skipped ahead. I'm starting to sense a theme with my attention span.
The only constructive feedback I would have for this author is to expand the a couple of the scenes (feedback given directly to author) but otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.
This is book 1 of 5 - and I cannot wait to read the rest.
Set to release August 11, 2026 - add it to your TBR!
I truly enjoyed this book. For a first time novelist, I found the book to have a great pace, and good world building. There wasn't a moment where I was bored, looking at my reading progress asking, "Are we there yet?"
I enjoyed Rom & Naomi's slow burn, but fated relationship. I found myself rooting for them hard and I fell in love with both of them. They are flawed and real and I found myself relating to multiple facets of both of them.
I loved the focus on mental health and trigger topics. It's important that you read the trigger warnings going into this book as there are a few. In some of the scenes, I felt emotions (anxiety, anger, etc) which really helped me feel immersed in the book.
The spice was good! It wasn't the focus of the book, which I appreciated and it wasn't so drawn out that I got bored and skipped ahead. I'm starting to sense a theme with my attention span.
The only constructive feedback I would have for this author is to expand the a couple of the scenes (feedback given directly to author) but otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.
This is book 1 of 5 - and I cannot wait to read the rest.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received the ARC and this is my honest review.
So I just finished Salt and Shadow. And wow! Unlike any other story I have read before. So unique and captivating.
The pacing was fantastic, and the healing journey for both Rom and Naomi was crazy rough but so rewarding.
I love the elements af a how each country or place have completely different ways of life and cultures. The mix of modern but also outdated ways of life intertwining. Giving that fated mates vibe, but in a way I have never experienced before.
Abuse, trauma, discrimination, substance abuse.. all these elements worked into the story was just so WELL DONE!
Change can be difficult and healing so much more. This story was honestly incredible.
The spice was also very very good 🌶.
Really excited for book 2
So I just finished Salt and Shadow. And wow! Unlike any other story I have read before. So unique and captivating.
The pacing was fantastic, and the healing journey for both Rom and Naomi was crazy rough but so rewarding.
I love the elements af a how each country or place have completely different ways of life and cultures. The mix of modern but also outdated ways of life intertwining. Giving that fated mates vibe, but in a way I have never experienced before.
Abuse, trauma, discrimination, substance abuse.. all these elements worked into the story was just so WELL DONE!
Change can be difficult and healing so much more. This story was honestly incredible.
The spice was also very very good 🌶.
Really excited for book 2
July 4, 2026
For anyone who has ever felt lost, let this book lead you home. A tale of what seems like constant struggle that leads you to finding your true path and person. Thank you Kate for this incredibly captivating story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews