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Thalassic Love: A MM Romance

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"I've never hated anyone before, but I must admit, you're the worst person I have ever met."
"I know."


Working as a fine dining waiter aboard The Sounding Siren, the most luxurious cruise ship in the world, Vixen Taylor hustled to make it to the top. On the evening of a staff stress test, however, he meets Harrison Wallace, the spoiled-rich captain’s son who will do anything to make sure he's the center of attention.

Harrison, infuriated with Vixen’s serving abilities, is determined to dismantle his career. Meanwhile, Vixen is ready to prove he’s right where he belongs. Though, the more time they spend fighting each other, the more their hatred gets muddled with feelings they didn't know were possible.

And maybe first impressions aren't always what they seem.

306 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2026

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About the author

M. Rose

2 books9 followers
M. Rose is a self-published author from a small town in Central Pennsylvania, where she currently lives with her cat. She first found her love for writing gay romance on a little app called Wattpad back in 2014. She has never stopped writing since then, and in 2021, she discovered the world of self-publishing.

When she's not busy pouring her heart and soul into writing a new book, you can find her hanging with her cat, watching the latest movie at the theater, or devouring a gay romance novel. She hopes you love her stories as much as she does and will continue to follow her throughout this exciting journey!

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Bobby's Reading.
189 reviews19 followers
July 14, 2026
This was good for a DEBUT! But in my opinion, there were times I got distracted by the writing. I know M. Rose will continue to keep writing, and I know that when you keep writing, it’ll get better each time. This was good, but wasn’t strong enough to make me rate it higher.
Profile Image for Mayami.
73 reviews5 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 1, 2026
Woooooo! Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers plot! You actually get to see how there’s such a fine line between hate and love. Straight into this, you fall for Vixen. What a character! He’s upbeat, he’s kind, smart, sassy, he’s original and determined, and just fierce! A firecracker! You can’t not love him! His inner monologue is hilarious! Harrison said “he’s tastes like mint with a bit of sweetness and a dash of attitude”. Exactly!!! Ali is just a bundle of warmth, isn’t he?! All support, no judgement, like a true friend that we all hope for. You just smile every time he’s there.

Harrison is so complex. Even with his backstory unfolding, you may find it hard to level with him. Feelings, other than anger and arrogance, seem foreign to him. It’s almost like he never grew up. One line that really swayed me was “There is nothing more pleasing to me than finding meaning in someone else’s imagination”. WOW!!! That encapsulates so much for all of us as readers. People who love the arts. It’s why we love reading books, diving into the minds of our authors and floating in their world. I completely adore that passionate idea! Harrison said he feels like his mother is a ghost on the ship, but in reality, he is. He’s wasting away in a pit he was placed in with no understanding on how to get out. Drowning in his mask. Crumbling. Vixen’s presence dug him out. Gave him the strength to find his way back to himself. You felt their hate, especially Vixen’s, but we get the see the slow development of their desires.

Their story is so adorable with such hilarious dialogue. I laughed so much! Once they’re together, it turns into such a romantic read. You literally swoon over everything at this point. They’re the definition of being perfect for one another. My smile was plastered on my face and I said AWW I don’t know how many times. I would not have minded if this book was way longer since you like these characters so much. Beth as well. The epilogues here are probably one of the best I’ve read! I love knowing where the mains end up. It makes you feel complete. Word for me here is PASSION. Hate is passion that can easily change its face. Passion for going after what you really want, for giving things a chance, for giving someone grace even though you think they may not need it. Spice was great, plot was great. Highly recommended read!

(Another thought, when Vixen said he knows this will end in pain because eventually, one will die and the other will left alone, that was moving because of how true it is. That’s what love is, knowing that eventually you will be torn from the other but still accepting that and wanting the journey, the life that you will go through side by side. I got a little misty eyed there.)

“We hug and kiss each other until the moon shines brightly above us and the stars watch us in awe” 💙🖤💙

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (I’ve heard I tend to rate spice levels a bit low compared to others since I guess I’m just freaky lol)
Profile Image for Amelia Dullay.
31 reviews1 follower
Review of advance copy received from Author
May 31, 2026
Before I get into the details, I’d like to say that overall, this is such a refreshing book! (Crazy thing to say about an enemies to lovers story, I know.) Reading it felt like that first fresh breeze you feel when you step out of the car at the beach and the wind full of salt and summer, but still carrying that cool, refreshing edge.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 5/5 ✨

I actually find a lot of steamy scenes in books to be unbearably cringe, but these felt authentic while still having me screaming, kicking my feet, and throwing my phone across the room (in a good way).

It’s difficult to find a dual POV book that develops both characters equally well. Usually one character ends up overshadowing the other, so it was such a pleasant surprise when not only was Vixen already, of course, lovable, but I also found myself growing strangely protective of and attached to Harrison. This book definitely had me going from aw to oh to damn? to OMG, GO AWAY, WHAT IS GOING ON? It genuinely exceeded my expectations. Both characters are so charming that I never really “favored” one POV over the other, which is rare for me. With some dual POV books, there’s always that moment of “ugh, him again,” but here the shift between perspectives felt completely natural. Every chapter left me wanting more from whichever character I was currently reading.

At first, Vixen came across to me as a hardworking, no nonsense person, but as the story unfolds, you realize he’s actually quite prideful and has a surprisingly childish side to him. Harrison, on the other hand, starts off as this childish, spoiled rotten rich son of a b*tch, but the more you get to know him, the more you realize he’s an incredibly empathetic and emotional person, someone who somehow feels too much and not enough at the same time. I personally ended up feeling a deep connection to Harrison after getting to know him better.

By the end of the book, I had babied both of them so much that they’re basically my children at this point. And the ending? SO. DAMN. HAPPY. A better ending than I could’ve ever hoped for.

(MY BABIES ARE MARRIED!!!!!!) 💐💐💐🕊️

And of course, a final shoutout to my babe Ali, you the real one ☝️😔. Hoping you get your hubby or wifey someday.

“Wish you the best, bestie ✨” — Me to Ali

I genuinely can’t wait to have this on my shelf!!

In all seriousness, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read this. The author is such a sweetheart, and all of her hard work shines through in the writing. You can really feel the effort and care that went into every word
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for jules.
245 reviews
June 24, 2026
I enjoyed most of this book - the cruise ship setting was really interesting, and there was real tension between Vixen and Harrison at the start. The whole push-and-pull thing was well done and I was pretty invested in their relationship by the time they had their first kiss. The spicy scenes were great. I could tell this book was a work of love by the author, which is always super nice to see.

That said, I think the story could have done with better editing. It dragged a bit in the middle, and then in the last 15% so many things happened and it was all so fast. I wanted to see Vixen and Harrison open up to each other and fall in love more slowly, but once they got together they very quickly became obsessed with each other and the whole thing got very sugary sweet. Some of the side characters seemed to change personality halfway through - Ali started off as a serious, professional guy but by the end he was acting and speaking exactly like Vixen.

And I felt bad for Lance! Poor guy did nothing wrong! He was 100% in the right about getting upset over Vixen sleeping with other men without protection. It was really not cool and Vixen put Lance at risk of catching something. It was shitty that the friend group turned on him and that Vixen's mom hated him from the beginning for some reason (and loved Harrison for absolutely no reason at all lol). Honestly Lance deserved better!! #justiceforhotmanlance

A few smaller nits:

Harrison's way of speaking was SO ODD. He used zero contractions in both his inner thoughts and his dialogue. I think it was meant to reflect his wealthy upbringing and homeschooling? But it was just so strange and made him sound so robotic. No one talks like that.

Vixen's name?? Um. Why was that his first name? It means a sexually attractive woman lol. Somehow no one in the entire book ever questioned it or brought it up or thought it was weird that a grown man was named Vixen. It actually made me wonder if English is the author's second language (I'm also an ESL speaker).

Anyway. I did like the story overall! And I think it could be made much stronger with some edits. I look forward to more books from this author and will be reading them when they come out.
Profile Image for Eiji Reads.
130 reviews14 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 13, 2026
In exchange of an honest review i got to read the ARC version of Thalassic Love by M. Rose by the author.

First of i have to say i loved reading this story from the first page to the last page and I spendt the last two days binge reading it. Vixen have just finished his training as a staff member of the Sounding Siren and this is where the story starts the first night on board of the Sounding Siren during the first stress test before the ship sets sail the next day. Alongside his new best friend Ali everything goes well until the son of the owner of the ship comes walking into the room and every eyes are upon him. Harrison Wallace is someone that crave respect and the best service, hes hot headed and fast to anger if something is not right, right away. So when Vixen accidentally spill some alcohol on him during serving him food Harrison gets mad and makes a big scene and tells everyone how bad of a server he is along side threatening to sue him and telling him he should have lost his job becuse of it. This is where the story about two people that that becomes enemies after an accidental first meeting turns into a bitter war of who is right and wrong and an unlikely story about affection craving and broken hearts, and lost souls. This is a beautiful story about living on a boat and working for half a year at a time and forced proximity and the unlikely relationship that seemed so unlikely also suddenly becoming a great match. 5 stars from me to this great book that i recommend to everyone!

Last of all I want to Thank M.Rose for letting me read the ARC of this book and I can't wait to see what the future brings of stories from her!
19 reviews2 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 18, 2026
Thank you M.Rose for the ARC I received of this book.
I honestly did not know what to expect as I don't usually read enemies to lovers but the blurb was interesting and I had never read a book with a MC that worked on a cruise ship let alone a MC that just lived on a cruise ship!
We meet Vixen a young man with a dream to be a great chef but as he thinks this is unattainable he decides to travel the world whilst working instead. He gets a great gig on a top shot cruise ship as a waiter in the best restaurant. During the soft opening night he has the misfortune of meeting Harrison the Captains's son who is arrogant, rude, picky and entitled. It doesn't go well...

What starts as both claiming to hate each other, turns from hate sex to real emotion and love. As the book moves along you discover that Harrison is far more vulnerable than you would anticipate and deep down is just sad and lonely. This was such a lovely easy book to read, The characters were written well, the dialogue at times hilarious and swoony, just lovely. I particularly thought It was great not to have a break up scene as is the norm, you were just able to enjoy the real love story in the end.

I also like the 2 epilogues that gave you an insight into their future, I felt that this was a really great touch.

Thank you so much M. Rose for the opportunity to read your book.
Profile Image for Allie Owings.
71 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 12, 2026
First off, thank you to M. Rose for giving me an opportunity to read this arc! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

Vixen is working as a waiter on an upscale cruise ship to which Harrison’s father is the captain. Before the guests arrive, the waitstaff has a “stress test” to do a dry run. Harrison gets seated at one of Vixen’s tables, and Vixen accidentally spills Harrison’s wine on him. Needless to say, their first impressions weren’t great. But after being forced to be near each other, they very slowly start to learn more about each other. Harrison can let down his walls, and Vixen is willing to learn to trust Harrison and truly be himself.

Overall, this was a fun read, and the characters were lovable. At the end of the book, there’s a time jump and then two epilogues, and while that’s unconventional, this author did a really good job at showing where Vixen and Harrison ended up! Also, the ending was adorable and had me tearing up!
Profile Image for Mickie  Daniels .
2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
May 31, 2026

I had the pleasure of receiving an ARC of this book, and I absolutely loved it! As a huge MM romance reader, this one is definitely going on my favorites list.

Harrison and Vixen were everything I wanted from an enemies-to-lovers romance. The spoiled rich kid and fine-dining waiter dynamic was so much fun, and their slow-burn romance unfolding at sea had me hooked from beginning to end.

This book had the perfect mix of tension, spice, sweet moments, and humor. I found myself smiling, laughing, and blushing more than once. There were so many great lines, but this one completely stole my heart:

“I will give you the entire ocean if you let me love you.”

Excuse me while I melt into a puddle! 🥹❤️

If you love MM romance, enemies-to-lovers, slow burns, and characters you can’t help but root for, definitely add this one to your TBR! 📚✨
Profile Image for Steph1216.
51 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 9, 2026
This is the first MM romance I’ve read that takes place on a cruise ship! It centers around staff member Vixen Taylor and the captain’s son, Harrison Wallace. They quickly get off to a rough start with Harrison vowing to make Vixen’s life on the ship as hard as possible. That changes when Harrison sees Vixen with another crew member on a drunken night and gets jealous and protective. Vixen witnesses a private moment Harrison has and the walls between both start to slowly come down. I would say the animosity doesn’t stick around for too long and this is more of a love story. They both fall hard for each other and this is a sweet story.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Megan | BooksBadgersAndQuills.
112 reviews3 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 14, 2026
"Thalassic Love," introduces us to Vixen Taylor, a waiter on the luxury cruise ship The Sounding Siren who has hustled his entire life to get to where he is. Harrison Wallace, the captain's son, is a spoiled rich-kid who can't be anything but the center of attention. When the two clash after an incident at a dinner Vixen is serving, tempers will flare, and feelings get muddled.

What to expect:
🚢Enemies to Lovers
🍽️M/M romance
🚢Dual POV
🍽️Slower burn romance
🚢Takes place on a cruise ship
🍽️Open door sex scenes
🚢TWO epilogues

Grab a copy if you're a fan of cruises, enemies to lovers banter and tension, and M/M romance!

Thank you to the author for the complimentary ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for V.
3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
May 31, 2026
It was an honor to receive an ARC copy of this book, and I absolutely adored it! As a huge fan of MM enemies-to-lovers romances, Thalassic checked a lot of boxes for me. Vixen and Harrison are perfectly matched, even if it takes them a while to realize it themselves. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the slow-burn romance is executed beautifully. The characters are charming, the tension is delicious, and the growth for the characters brings the story all together. If you love slow-burn enemies-to-lovers stories with swoon-worthy characters, this book is definitely worth picking up!
Profile Image for Jennifer Ervine.
360 reviews
June 14, 2026
Such a sweet book. An MM enemies to lovers story about a cruise ship captain’s son and a member of the wait staff. Harrison is pretentious, entitled, and grumpy and Vixen doesn’t take any of his attitude. They both claim to hate each other and try to convince themselves that they aren’t falling in love. The emotion was intense and well written. The spice was go good! I think I fell in love with Harrison’s vulnerability the most. With no third act breakup, it was refreshing to just be able to enjoy their love.
Profile Image for Jam Morningstar.
52 reviews3 followers
June 19, 2026
what a sweet story! i received this book as an ARC, and even though ive had a very busy month, i have to say that this book was a breath of fresh air! vixen (awesome name btw!) is so cute, so is harrison in his own way and i could picture them both clearly in my mind. they were even cute as enemies :’) i was so thankful for both of their growth, and im glad they got their happy ending! ali and vixens mom were totally right from the start. also, i have to say, ali is one of my favorite side characters ive ever come across! fabulous book 💜
1 review
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 9, 2026
I was honored to receive an arc for this book. It was an amazing story. Vixen and Harrison’s characters were beautifully written and I felt everything they went through as they navigated their feelings. The fear, the sadness, the hate, the pain, the joy and the love. I felt every bit of it. My only regret was that the story had to end and I couldn’t live in their world anymore but it will definitely be a world I revisit and reread multiple times.
905 reviews7 followers
June 22, 2026
I hate when the MMCs hook up with other people! It seriously pisses me off! ESPECIALLY AFTER THE 2 MMCs HOOK UP!! I tend to root for the other person. So in this case, Lance and Vixen.

And the whole “sugar daddy” thing without them actually being sugar daddies was just weird!

And why does Harrison talk like he’s from the 1800s?
1 review
June 20, 2026
really enjoyed reading this book! it was a quick read that just always made me want to stop whatever i was doing to start reading again! i wish there was more!
Profile Image for Vikka's  Corner.
54 reviews11 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
June 19, 2026
Vixen & Harrison ⚓️

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book. This is a new to me author and it is always a pleasure discovering new authors.
This book is an MM romance and takes place on a cruise ship. Vixen is a fine dining waiter and Harrison is the entitled son of the ship's captain. It is hate at first sight. Their journey from hatred, to lovers, to friends then to everything was sweet, passionate and swoony. My favorite line was,
"I will give you the entire ocean if you let me love you."
How perfect, right?
This is a slow burn enemies to lovers where the spice is spicing.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews