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Seashells and Daiquiris
I bought a cursed seashell and now it won't stop telling the hot bartender my deepest secrets.
My name is Freddie, and I write love stories for a living.
Not that you'd know it lately. I haven't published in a year, my agent sends me smiley-face texts that feel like threats, and the only thing I've written recently is a grocery list that made me cry. So, of course, I ran away to a beach for inspiration.
The plan did not include a cursed seashell.
It definitely did not include the broody, silver-haired bartender who hasn't felt a single emotion in six years—because his ex (a sea witch, as he so casually mentions) literally ripped his heart out and sealed it in a shell.
A shell that I bought. From a shop. For six dollars.
Now it won't leave my pocket. I've tried everything. Setting it down? Back in my pocket. Throwing it in the ocean? Back in my pocket. Wearing a dress with no pockets? The beautiful, damned thing appeared in my hand.
And it screams my thoughts out loud. Every unfiltered, mortifying, wildly inappropriate thought I have is broadcast at full volume. Even to the bartender that the shell informs I like the tattoos on his delicious forearms.
My name is Freddie. I write love stories for a living. I just never expected to find one inside a seashell.
My name is Freddie, and I write love stories for a living.
Not that you'd know it lately. I haven't published in a year, my agent sends me smiley-face texts that feel like threats, and the only thing I've written recently is a grocery list that made me cry. So, of course, I ran away to a beach for inspiration.
The plan did not include a cursed seashell.
It definitely did not include the broody, silver-haired bartender who hasn't felt a single emotion in six years—because his ex (a sea witch, as he so casually mentions) literally ripped his heart out and sealed it in a shell.
A shell that I bought. From a shop. For six dollars.
Now it won't leave my pocket. I've tried everything. Setting it down? Back in my pocket. Throwing it in the ocean? Back in my pocket. Wearing a dress with no pockets? The beautiful, damned thing appeared in my hand.
And it screams my thoughts out loud. Every unfiltered, mortifying, wildly inappropriate thought I have is broadcast at full volume. Even to the bartender that the shell informs I like the tattoos on his delicious forearms.
My name is Freddie. I write love stories for a living. I just never expected to find one inside a seashell.
Unknown Binding
Published August 13, 2026
About the author
Charlotte Mallory
20 books349 followersCharlotte Mallory has joined Amazon and their Kindle programs to share her love for Dark Fantasy Romance stories. What she enjoys most is taking well loved tropes and adding her own take on them. Right now, she greatly enjoys anything with Fantasy or Contemporary with an Alpha male lead, paired with a female lead that can absolutely handle her own!
In her spare time, she enjoys nature, bonsai trees, coffee, and taking random art classes.
In her spare time, she enjoys nature, bonsai trees, coffee, and taking random art classes.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 21, 2026
Мені оця саме більше сподобалась, вона і маленька і смішненька. Коментарі Мушельки це шось 🔥
Та і Ліам дуже хорошенький чоловічок 😍
Та і Ліам дуже хорошенький чоловічок 😍
August 30, 2026
3,5 ⭐
Мені дуже сподобалась задумка із серцем у мушлі, але реалізація підкачала.
Занадто просто і наївно.
Мені дуже сподобалась задумка із серцем у мушлі, але реалізація підкачала.
Занадто просто і наївно.
August 14, 2026
A solid 4.5 for me!
Seashells and Daiquiris by Charlotte Mallory is such a fun, low angst, and fast-paced summer read! It’s a novella which means it’s perfect for reading in between larger books to break things up! It’s also extremely funny and I think that’s one of my favorite things about this book.
Our FMC, Freddie, is trying to find herself again and also overcome her writer’s block which is why she’s staying at her cousin’s house in Crescent Cove. On an adventure around town, she finds her way to Odessa’s shop and finds the seashell she’s had dreams about. She ends up buying it for $6 which ends everything in a “really sweet or ominous“ exchange and she makes her way to the bar where she not only meets our MMC, Liam, a cursed merman. That little shell she bought not only contains his heart, but it also shares Freddie’s innermost thoughts and feelings out loud! This is, of course, mortifying but both she and Liam set out to try and break this curse. Freddie being like “I swear I’m not like this,” while Liam tries not to laugh had me giggling multiple times while reading.
In doing this, they find that being around each other isn’t so bad and there’s something a bit different about this time. Even the sea witch who placed the curse upon Liam isn’t happy that it’s different. They have to wait until the first full moon of the season to try and break the curse, but they find that they are drawn to each other— even with Liam missing his heart heheh.
As with the others in this fun summer series-I had a great time reading it and I’m almost caught up on all of them!
Seashells and Daiquiris by Charlotte Mallory is such a fun, low angst, and fast-paced summer read! It’s a novella which means it’s perfect for reading in between larger books to break things up! It’s also extremely funny and I think that’s one of my favorite things about this book.
Our FMC, Freddie, is trying to find herself again and also overcome her writer’s block which is why she’s staying at her cousin’s house in Crescent Cove. On an adventure around town, she finds her way to Odessa’s shop and finds the seashell she’s had dreams about. She ends up buying it for $6 which ends everything in a “really sweet or ominous“ exchange and she makes her way to the bar where she not only meets our MMC, Liam, a cursed merman. That little shell she bought not only contains his heart, but it also shares Freddie’s innermost thoughts and feelings out loud! This is, of course, mortifying but both she and Liam set out to try and break this curse. Freddie being like “I swear I’m not like this,” while Liam tries not to laugh had me giggling multiple times while reading.
In doing this, they find that being around each other isn’t so bad and there’s something a bit different about this time. Even the sea witch who placed the curse upon Liam isn’t happy that it’s different. They have to wait until the first full moon of the season to try and break the curse, but they find that they are drawn to each other— even with Liam missing his heart heheh.
As with the others in this fun summer series-I had a great time reading it and I’m almost caught up on all of them!
August 18, 2026
This is one of the 8 connected Crescent Cove novellas, each one written by a different author. This one is a hoot, mainly because of the talking shell that blurts out all of the FMC's unconscious dirty thoughts about the MMC.
However, this novella had the fewest connections to the other 7 books in the series, and there were a lot of errors left in the ebook version currently on Kindle Unlimited, like spelling mistakes, missing or additional words, or the wrong word being used. There was also a plot point about the shell itself that petered out and didn't get resolved. These things are all evident while reading through the novella for the first time, so I just think that it needed a bit more time spent on proofreading and developing the ending. The foundation of the novella was solid, but it just needed a bit more time and attention.
However, this novella had the fewest connections to the other 7 books in the series, and there were a lot of errors left in the ebook version currently on Kindle Unlimited, like spelling mistakes, missing or additional words, or the wrong word being used. There was also a plot point about the shell itself that petered out and didn't get resolved. These things are all evident while reading through the novella for the first time, so I just think that it needed a bit more time spent on proofreading and developing the ending. The foundation of the novella was solid, but it just needed a bit more time and attention.
August 30, 2026
The talking seashell was funny.
September 17, 2026
⭐⭐⭐
I was really excited about this premise. A cursed seashell forcing people together, getting someone’s hopes up each time it happens. There was a lot of potential here, but I don’t think it was fully realized.
As a whole, the pacing was a bit off for me. I think it took too long to get to the meat and potatoes, and I found myself growing bored in the first several chapters. The rest of the books in this collection I finished in one or two sittings, and this one ended up spread out across four days because I was struggling to stay interested.
With the odd pacing, things felt very slow, and then suddenly ramped up, trying to cram all the character development into the last 10%. While this was technically a dual POV, I don’t think Liam’s chapters added anything. Character development as a whole was lacking, I don’t feel like I knew anything about the characters other than Freddie is struggling to write after her break up and Liam has a crappy ex. There were hints to Liam opening up again, but it wasn’t fully explored.
That said, I did like what was happening once we got there. The shell is funny, it adds tension in the best moments, and I like that the curse backfired in a way on Liam’s ex. I’m glad I waited it out, but I do wish there had just been a bit more happening from the start.
I was really excited about this premise. A cursed seashell forcing people together, getting someone’s hopes up each time it happens. There was a lot of potential here, but I don’t think it was fully realized.
As a whole, the pacing was a bit off for me. I think it took too long to get to the meat and potatoes, and I found myself growing bored in the first several chapters. The rest of the books in this collection I finished in one or two sittings, and this one ended up spread out across four days because I was struggling to stay interested.
With the odd pacing, things felt very slow, and then suddenly ramped up, trying to cram all the character development into the last 10%. While this was technically a dual POV, I don’t think Liam’s chapters added anything. Character development as a whole was lacking, I don’t feel like I knew anything about the characters other than Freddie is struggling to write after her break up and Liam has a crappy ex. There were hints to Liam opening up again, but it wasn’t fully explored.
That said, I did like what was happening once we got there. The shell is funny, it adds tension in the best moments, and I like that the curse backfired in a way on Liam’s ex. I’m glad I waited it out, but I do wish there had just been a bit more happening from the start.
September 18, 2026
Fun, cute and slightly unhinged—just the kind of magic any summer needs! ☀️🍹🐚
The opening line had me cackling, and the timing was way too perfect for me because… you and me both, girl 😂
“Here’s the thing about rock bottom: it has Wi-Fi.”
🐚 Cursed hero
🍹 Fake dating
☀️ Forced proximity
💘 He falls first
✨ Fated mates
🧜♀️ Sea witch villain
🏖️ Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I loved the characters and their chemistry, but the absolute show-stealer was Shellie with all her embarrassing and wildly inappropriate commentary 🐚😂
“I’d climb him like a tree.
Liam’s jaw tightens.
He heard all that. Uh oh.”
Being a short novella, everything does move pretty fast, and I would have loved a little more time for the romance to build and to see some more fishy scenes (take that however you want 👀), but it’s the perfect summer palate cleanser to put a smile on your face.
This book is part of a multi-author collaboration set in the Crescent Cove universe, and I’ve truly loved my time there with the two books I’ve read so far.
Thank you so much to Charlotte Mallory for the gifted eARC 🫶🏼
The opening line had me cackling, and the timing was way too perfect for me because… you and me both, girl 😂
“Here’s the thing about rock bottom: it has Wi-Fi.”
🐚 Cursed hero
🍹 Fake dating
☀️ Forced proximity
💘 He falls first
✨ Fated mates
🧜♀️ Sea witch villain
🏖️ Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I loved the characters and their chemistry, but the absolute show-stealer was Shellie with all her embarrassing and wildly inappropriate commentary 🐚😂
“I’d climb him like a tree.
Liam’s jaw tightens.
He heard all that. Uh oh.”
Being a short novella, everything does move pretty fast, and I would have loved a little more time for the romance to build and to see some more fishy scenes (take that however you want 👀), but it’s the perfect summer palate cleanser to put a smile on your face.
This book is part of a multi-author collaboration set in the Crescent Cove universe, and I’ve truly loved my time there with the two books I’ve read so far.
Thank you so much to Charlotte Mallory for the gifted eARC 🫶🏼
August 21, 2026
Thank you to the author for the gifted eARC.
This was a fun little novella.
Freddie is on a writing retreat (essentially!) after dealing with writer’s block after a bad break-up, and lo and behold, she immediately gets tangled up with a cursed seashell. One that just happens to contain the heart of a cursed merman, who needs his true love to break the curse.
This story was fun and light, with plenty of humor and ridiculous antics. I felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment for Freddie; that shell literally just says what we were all thinking (but I like to keep inside thoughts on the inside please!).
There wasn’t a ton of time for their relationship to grow and get fleshed out—hey it’s a novella so space is limited!—but it was still an enjoyable summer read.
This was a fun little novella.
Freddie is on a writing retreat (essentially!) after dealing with writer’s block after a bad break-up, and lo and behold, she immediately gets tangled up with a cursed seashell. One that just happens to contain the heart of a cursed merman, who needs his true love to break the curse.
This story was fun and light, with plenty of humor and ridiculous antics. I felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment for Freddie; that shell literally just says what we were all thinking (but I like to keep inside thoughts on the inside please!).
There wasn’t a ton of time for their relationship to grow and get fleshed out—hey it’s a novella so space is limited!—but it was still an enjoyable summer read.
October 10, 2026
DNF at 17%
I'm just not hooked. We haven't even met the MMC yet, and I'm already 17% in. The town doesn't feel magical to me, and the timeline doesn't really make sense either. I thought she'd already been staying at her cousin's cottage for a week, but when she goes into town, it's her first time there.
You can blame this on me reading while having to sit through a boring work thing and not really paying much attention, but what else is a 50-page novella good for if not an occasion like that?
I'm just not hooked. We haven't even met the MMC yet, and I'm already 17% in. The town doesn't feel magical to me, and the timeline doesn't really make sense either. I thought she'd already been staying at her cousin's cottage for a week, but when she goes into town, it's her first time there.
You can blame this on me reading while having to sit through a boring work thing and not really paying much attention, but what else is a 50-page novella good for if not an occasion like that?
August 16, 2026
This book needed one more proofread. There were a few typos and some grammatical errors.
The shell mentions how it becomes more fragile when the connection between the lead characters grows. It's never mentioned again.
The merman never shows his tail? Excuse me? How do you expect me to believe that he's not just some regular guy with a supply of Manic Panic??
Overall the story was very charming and fun.
3.5/5*
The shell mentions how it becomes more fragile when the connection between the lead characters grows. It's never mentioned again.
The merman never shows his tail? Excuse me? How do you expect me to believe that he's not just some regular guy with a supply of Manic Panic??
Overall the story was very charming and fun.
3.5/5*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2026
I needed a palette cleanser desperately and this novella did the trick! I was laughing from line one of this book! The flirty filthy seashell had some great lines. I loved the premise of two people who could feel nothing from past relationships, become whole with each other! It was such a cute and quick summer read. A perfect way for me to end the Crescent Cove Series!
September 18, 2026
This book could have used a little editing. There were lots of spots with the wrong word or weird punctuation. Other than that, it was a cute story about a struggling author and a merman. It wasn’t especially spicy and not much exciting about him being a merman, that part was surprisingly lacking. A fun, cute story with low angst.
August 15, 2026
My Favorite!
Out of all of these books in this series this summer, this one is by far my favorite! It was SO funny!!! Shellie cracked me up! Freddie and Liam’s story was the perfect end to this summer series!
Out of all of these books in this series this summer, this one is by far my favorite! It was SO funny!!! Shellie cracked me up! Freddie and Liam’s story was the perfect end to this summer series!
August 23, 2026
Absolutely adorable summer novella that pairs a down on her luck writer FMC with a cursed merman. Freddie has given up on love after a failed marriage and then there is the fact that she has the worst writer's block. She decides to escape to her cousin's cabin.
While there she stumbles on a seashell with a particular curse. Enter Liam, our MMC and merman. That shell contains his heart, which he is cursed to be without until true love can restore it (his ex has some anger issues to work through). The best part...the shell tells them each other’s rather scandalous thoughts. It leads to some hilariously laugh out loud awkward moments.
This is a novella so the romance does move quickly (Charlotte made it work) and did a wonderful job of give us a quick and fun summer romance with some fantasy vibes! If you need a quick and funny read, grab a copy of Seashells and Daiquiris!
While there she stumbles on a seashell with a particular curse. Enter Liam, our MMC and merman. That shell contains his heart, which he is cursed to be without until true love can restore it (his ex has some anger issues to work through). The best part...the shell tells them each other’s rather scandalous thoughts. It leads to some hilariously laugh out loud awkward moments.
This is a novella so the romance does move quickly (Charlotte made it work) and did a wonderful job of give us a quick and fun summer romance with some fantasy vibes! If you need a quick and funny read, grab a copy of Seashells and Daiquiris!
August 24, 2026
I wanted more!!
August 26, 2026
Cute story but way too many typos and missing words
September 7, 2026
Hilarious, sexy & sweet
There were errors that would have been caught in editing but the story was worth it. I laughed out loud multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were errors that would have been caught in editing but the story was worth it. I laughed out loud multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 8, 2026
sweet
This was a quick sweet read. Nothing traumatic or jarring, just a nice little fated romance between a human and a merman.
This was a quick sweet read. Nothing traumatic or jarring, just a nice little fated romance between a human and a merman.
August 22, 2026
This story was so self-indulgent in the best way possible. I spent the whole time reading this with a smile on my face, giggling and kicking my feet. Crescent Cove sounds like the kind of place I want to live.
Freddie is a romance author, who has been struggling to write for a while now, and she worries about the calls from her editor. She comes to Crescent Cove to gain some inspiration for her next novel, and on her first day purchases a seashell that announces your unhinged, raunchy thoughts (even the ones you don't consciously make) very loudly. I would have huge anxiety about this. Liam is a merman who runs one of the local bars, and the seashell Freddie bought is related to a curse placed on Liam.
I loved this story, and it's a perfect little summer read.
Freddie is a romance author, who has been struggling to write for a while now, and she worries about the calls from her editor. She comes to Crescent Cove to gain some inspiration for her next novel, and on her first day purchases a seashell that announces your unhinged, raunchy thoughts (even the ones you don't consciously make) very loudly. I would have huge anxiety about this. Liam is a merman who runs one of the local bars, and the seashell Freddie bought is related to a curse placed on Liam.
I loved this story, and it's a perfect little summer read.
August 24, 2026
An amazing book from this series again. Is it crazy that Shellie the shell was my favorite character, I don’t think it is. Liam is charming and Winie is so funny. I love them. I wanted to see more of Thalassa tho.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews