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Sea Fey #1
The Selkie Bride
Recently widowed, Megan Culbin has inherited more than just a quaint cottage on the Scottish coast; she has inherited the ire of an ancient monster - and the protection of a virile Selkie warrior.
290 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Melanie Jackson
185 books182 followersMelanie, an award-winning author of more than fifty novels, stories and poems lives with her writer husband in the California Gold Country with their cat (also a writer who has a page on myspace) and their dog (who is hoping to get a page on facebook as soon as she masters typing). Melanie likes gardening but hates the deer who also like her garden, and she volunteers at a local animal shelter.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 25, 2026
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Since my written English is the beginner level, so, please bear with me while I’m trying to write this review…😂
•
I’ve finished reading this book just now, and somehow, I felt a sadness creeping out of my heart. Probably because this book is written in the style of POV of the heroine (POV1). Our heroine, Megan Culbin moved to Scotland to begin a new life. Leaving her old life back in America, she just wanted a quiet life without any attachment to anyone. Her previous marriage left her scarred from the inside, and the trauma made her scared of getting married again. But, who knows what awaits for her in Scotland, eh?
•
This story was set up in 1920s. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I just couldn’t stop flipping the pages. The author did take her time to elaborate Megan’s feelings, her surroundings in this new place, the atmosphere, making like we were together with Megan in her journey building her new life. Personally, I felt sad for Megan…😢🥺 Her life wasn’t easy from childhood until she moved to Scotland. And still, living in Findloss, danger finds her and disturbed her quiet life…😱😨
•
Came our hero into the picture, Lachlan. I simply 💖♥️💛 this slow burn romance between Lachlan & Megan. Megan, who’s trying to understand and find out who is Lachlan, and at the same time, figuring out who is the Devil that created chaos in this small village. But, along the way, she didn’t realise that she started to fall in love with this weird man who only visited her cottage at night. Why? You need to read to find out…😎
•
I ♥️💖💛 this story. It was beautifully written, full with Scotland folklores such as selkies, mermen, finmen and all other sea creatures. This story is not entirely focused on the battle with villain per se, it’s more the healing process that Megan went through while dealing the disturbance in the village. Slowly, from her quiet life that she’d dreamed on before this, she’s becoming a brave woman, and faces everything head on…👍🏻👏🏻 Ahh, I simple love Megan’s character. She can be stubborn at times, but, she deserves to be stubborn. Haha…🤣😂
•
Megan & Lachlan’s journey in finding each other is truly wonderful. In the end, they are no longer alone and have each other for a long time. I think, what made me really sad is because both of them were alone before finding each other. In this book, you can feel how alone Megan is. Neighbours are far away, and most of the time, she has to manage everything by herself. I was scared for her, and at the same time, I really want to hug her, and to soothe her.
•
Overall, I did not expect that I would love this story. I’ve learned quite a bit about this Scotland’s folklore Selkie. And I definitely want to read the other book in this series. If you’re into a paranormal romance that doesn’t involve werewolves and vampires, then, perhaps you may want to try reading this one.
Since my written English is the beginner level, so, please bear with me while I’m trying to write this review…😂
•
I’ve finished reading this book just now, and somehow, I felt a sadness creeping out of my heart. Probably because this book is written in the style of POV of the heroine (POV1). Our heroine, Megan Culbin moved to Scotland to begin a new life. Leaving her old life back in America, she just wanted a quiet life without any attachment to anyone. Her previous marriage left her scarred from the inside, and the trauma made her scared of getting married again. But, who knows what awaits for her in Scotland, eh?
•
This story was set up in 1920s. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I just couldn’t stop flipping the pages. The author did take her time to elaborate Megan’s feelings, her surroundings in this new place, the atmosphere, making like we were together with Megan in her journey building her new life. Personally, I felt sad for Megan…😢🥺 Her life wasn’t easy from childhood until she moved to Scotland. And still, living in Findloss, danger finds her and disturbed her quiet life…😱😨
•
Came our hero into the picture, Lachlan. I simply 💖♥️💛 this slow burn romance between Lachlan & Megan. Megan, who’s trying to understand and find out who is Lachlan, and at the same time, figuring out who is the Devil that created chaos in this small village. But, along the way, she didn’t realise that she started to fall in love with this weird man who only visited her cottage at night. Why? You need to read to find out…😎
•
I ♥️💖💛 this story. It was beautifully written, full with Scotland folklores such as selkies, mermen, finmen and all other sea creatures. This story is not entirely focused on the battle with villain per se, it’s more the healing process that Megan went through while dealing the disturbance in the village. Slowly, from her quiet life that she’d dreamed on before this, she’s becoming a brave woman, and faces everything head on…👍🏻👏🏻 Ahh, I simple love Megan’s character. She can be stubborn at times, but, she deserves to be stubborn. Haha…🤣😂
•
Megan & Lachlan’s journey in finding each other is truly wonderful. In the end, they are no longer alone and have each other for a long time. I think, what made me really sad is because both of them were alone before finding each other. In this book, you can feel how alone Megan is. Neighbours are far away, and most of the time, she has to manage everything by herself. I was scared for her, and at the same time, I really want to hug her, and to soothe her.
•
Overall, I did not expect that I would love this story. I’ve learned quite a bit about this Scotland’s folklore Selkie. And I definitely want to read the other book in this series. If you’re into a paranormal romance that doesn’t involve werewolves and vampires, then, perhaps you may want to try reading this one.
July 1, 2026
This was, without a doubt, the worst book I’ve ever read. To categorize this as a romance is a bald-faced lie. I was completely bored to tears throughout this book. I fear there was not a single aspect that I enjoyed. When most chapters are filled with nonsense inner monologue and dialogue is scarce, it’s difficult to connect with the story. Yikes.
October 29, 2020
Because sometimes, you just want a mindless book, to distract you from real world problems. So a romance involving mythical creatures fits the bill. Could also be considered a historical romance. Both genres are ones I used to read profusely a number of years ago. It was kind of fun to go back to, for a quick read. This one did the trick. Well written, with a decent story. Obviously not a grand work of literature, but I didn't choose it for that.
April 25, 2012
I am surprised these books aren't more popular. They are very cute, with well developd historical settings and a great Scottish flavor. They are well written and paced, and very romantic.
My main complaint about this book is that it was just so like her earlier book, The Selkie. The similarities made it seem too much like a retelling, not like its own story. It really needed to branch out a bit more!
My main complaint about this book is that it was just so like her earlier book, The Selkie. The similarities made it seem too much like a retelling, not like its own story. It really needed to branch out a bit more!
August 3, 2014
The book is categorized as a paranormal romance. I enjoyed that the storyline is much more along the lines of a folklore tale. It included elements, of some of the things told to me as a child, by my Scottish relatives. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical romance based in Scotland with a twist of gothic.
January 25, 2017
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
I read this book for the Unapologetic Romance Readers 2017 Reading Challenge. Specifically, I read it for the Shapeshifter/Werewolf Romance category. While werewolf romances are easy, I'd already read a romance involving werewolves for the Paranormal Romance category, and I wanted to do something a little different for this. So I went for The Selkie Bride, in which the hero, Lachlan, is a selkie. For those not familiar with selkies, they're a type of fantasy creature that can wear a sealskin to transform into the shape of a seal, and they hide the skins when they go ashore in their human shapes.
Our heroine is Megan Culbin, recently widowed and broke due to the debts her husband left behind. With very little to her name, Megan moves to Scotland to the cabin of her former husband's uncle, who is also deceased. The cottage is located in the town of Findloss, which was buried by the sands some years ago in a freak storm that didn't touch any other town along the coast, and then was un-buried about fifty years in the past. The book itself is set in the 1920s as a record Megan leaves behind her upon her departure. As such, it has a definite period feel to it, much more so than stories that are written in the third person but set in the past. It was something I actually really liked here, because I think it did help to establish the time and place. Megan is an American living in Scotland, and there is a lot of phonetic Scottish accent use here, but I managed to muddle through. I think the writing style actually helped it be not as obnoxious as it typically can be to me.
The hero here is Lachlan, a selkie warrior who shows up on Megan's doorstop one stormy night in pursuit of a wicked finman (another creature) who is terrorizing Findloss. He also reveals that Megan seems to be tied up in the drama to a greater degree than she initially imagined. Lachlan is, of course extremely attractive, and while Megan isn't a virgin widow (which was nice, as it's kind of a tired trope) her relationship with her former husband was rocky at best and downright disastrous at worst, so despite having decided to forsake relationships, she's still intrigued by him to a great degree. There's also something of a growing level of affection between them, though I never felt that it had as much chemistry and "sizzle" as a lot of other books. I think this was, in part, due to the writing style. Megan is somewhat of a reserved character, and I think that the book being from her perspective (and written as a record she left behind for others, rather than just an ongoing internal monologue) lent a level of restraint to it that, accompanied with time and place, means the romance here doesn't "pop" like you'd find in Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, or Courtney Milan books.
Still, I found this an enjoyable story. I think selkies are a somewhat under-utilized mystical creature class, and I'm glad that I used this for the category. The setting here is done very well, with great images that really evoke the town of Findloss. There's also just enough dark creepiness in it to have me looking a bit nervously out into my dark living room while reading in my bedroom, even though I knew I was being silly. So, yes, enjoyable. Did I devour it? No. But I liked it, enough that I might look into the second book, The Selkie (more of a companion than a direct sequel from the sound of it) sometime in the relatively near future.
3.5 stars out of 5.
I read this book for the Unapologetic Romance Readers 2017 Reading Challenge. Specifically, I read it for the Shapeshifter/Werewolf Romance category. While werewolf romances are easy, I'd already read a romance involving werewolves for the Paranormal Romance category, and I wanted to do something a little different for this. So I went for The Selkie Bride, in which the hero, Lachlan, is a selkie. For those not familiar with selkies, they're a type of fantasy creature that can wear a sealskin to transform into the shape of a seal, and they hide the skins when they go ashore in their human shapes.
Our heroine is Megan Culbin, recently widowed and broke due to the debts her husband left behind. With very little to her name, Megan moves to Scotland to the cabin of her former husband's uncle, who is also deceased. The cottage is located in the town of Findloss, which was buried by the sands some years ago in a freak storm that didn't touch any other town along the coast, and then was un-buried about fifty years in the past. The book itself is set in the 1920s as a record Megan leaves behind her upon her departure. As such, it has a definite period feel to it, much more so than stories that are written in the third person but set in the past. It was something I actually really liked here, because I think it did help to establish the time and place. Megan is an American living in Scotland, and there is a lot of phonetic Scottish accent use here, but I managed to muddle through. I think the writing style actually helped it be not as obnoxious as it typically can be to me.
The hero here is Lachlan, a selkie warrior who shows up on Megan's doorstop one stormy night in pursuit of a wicked finman (another creature) who is terrorizing Findloss. He also reveals that Megan seems to be tied up in the drama to a greater degree than she initially imagined. Lachlan is, of course extremely attractive, and while Megan isn't a virgin widow (which was nice, as it's kind of a tired trope) her relationship with her former husband was rocky at best and downright disastrous at worst, so despite having decided to forsake relationships, she's still intrigued by him to a great degree. There's also something of a growing level of affection between them, though I never felt that it had as much chemistry and "sizzle" as a lot of other books. I think this was, in part, due to the writing style. Megan is somewhat of a reserved character, and I think that the book being from her perspective (and written as a record she left behind for others, rather than just an ongoing internal monologue) lent a level of restraint to it that, accompanied with time and place, means the romance here doesn't "pop" like you'd find in Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, or Courtney Milan books.
Still, I found this an enjoyable story. I think selkies are a somewhat under-utilized mystical creature class, and I'm glad that I used this for the category. The setting here is done very well, with great images that really evoke the town of Findloss. There's also just enough dark creepiness in it to have me looking a bit nervously out into my dark living room while reading in my bedroom, even though I knew I was being silly. So, yes, enjoyable. Did I devour it? No. But I liked it, enough that I might look into the second book, The Selkie (more of a companion than a direct sequel from the sound of it) sometime in the relatively near future.
3.5 stars out of 5.
November 17, 2017
I read this book expecting to be entertained by the idea of a selkie and human together. Unfortunately, Jackson was trying to make this a mystery with love on the side rather than a romance. Although pieces of the story were funny, too much of the book was taken up with the main characters thought process. There were almost entire chapters in which no dialogue took place, which made it rather slow and difficult to enjoy. Beyond even those literary problems, there was little written sex and what took place was lack-luster to say the least.
February 23, 2018
My teenaged self used to adore historical fantasy and fiction, and I figured that reading the odd book now and again would aid in my quest to stop my brain from turning to mush. I am currently writing my thesis (five more days!) and Melanie Jackson's books have been a welcome bit of light reading on my two-hour commutes to and from campus to home.
The story of Megan Colbin and Lachlan was adorably written, drew me in, and made for a bit of a giggle. I really enjoyed it, would recommend if you are in the mood for some Selkie lit.
The story of Megan Colbin and Lachlan was adorably written, drew me in, and made for a bit of a giggle. I really enjoyed it, would recommend if you are in the mood for some Selkie lit.
March 5, 2021
The story is very atmospheric and focuses on magic. While there is a sweet romance it is more entranced by the mood.
May 16, 2021
It took me a minute to get into this one, but once I did I enjoyed it!
August 5, 2022
The concept was interesting . However I found the main characters to be very boring and I had to force my self to finish this book.
January 22, 2026
i couldnt get into this book it seemes to have dragged out
January 11, 2017
blah didn't finish
June 29, 2011
3.5 stars for reasons.
Reasons:
First off, for all that a huge deal was made about land salt vs sea salt in the first book, in this one, it's just...salt.
Second, the question isn't really answered as to what happened with the Selkie women. I got that colonies of Selkies had died off or vanished or something but... were they women like the h in The Selkie? Or were they something else?
Third (this is a doozy), I started running across, in the last third of the book, paragraphs that seemed awfully familiar. The first time it happened, I stopped and reread the section to see why it dragged me out of the story. The paragraphs were essentially "lifted" from The Selkie and plopped in here. One might have had the narrator's ID altered.
Fourth, the bad guys have the ability to compel people to do their bidding. Why is it none of these Selkie men think of this when they go off on their wild goose chase? The bad guy always lures the h out into his grasp while they're off trying to find him elsewhere. One time, I can ignore. But it happened twice in the first book, and once (at least) in this one.
Beyond that... Time period is shortly before The Selkie, H is the great-grandfather of the H in The Selkie. Yeah; wrap your head around THAT one. Heroine is American of Scottish ancestry (again), and unbeknownst to her, another speshul snowflake, just...not like the previous h. Their relationship starts out of basic attraction rather than a compulsion spell, so no insta-lust. She does use the spell later when she realizes his cousin is in trouble and needs him back ASAP.
Reasons:
First off, for all that a huge deal was made about land salt vs sea salt in the first book, in this one, it's just...salt.
Second, the question isn't really answered as to what happened with the Selkie women. I got that colonies of Selkies had died off or vanished or something but... were they women like the h in The Selkie? Or were they something else?
Third (this is a doozy), I started running across, in the last third of the book, paragraphs that seemed awfully familiar. The first time it happened, I stopped and reread the section to see why it dragged me out of the story. The paragraphs were essentially "lifted" from The Selkie and plopped in here. One might have had the narrator's ID altered.
Fourth, the bad guys have the ability to compel people to do their bidding. Why is it none of these Selkie men think of this when they go off on their wild goose chase? The bad guy always lures the h out into his grasp while they're off trying to find him elsewhere. One time, I can ignore. But it happened twice in the first book, and once (at least) in this one.
Beyond that... Time period is shortly before The Selkie, H is the great-grandfather of the H in The Selkie. Yeah; wrap your head around THAT one. Heroine is American of Scottish ancestry (again), and unbeknownst to her, another speshul snowflake, just...not like the previous h. Their relationship starts out of basic attraction rather than a compulsion spell, so no insta-lust. She does use the spell later when she realizes his cousin is in trouble and needs him back ASAP.
September 14, 2013
Widowed after the death of her drunk husband and outcast from her family for marrying him in the first place, the heroine finds herself living in the small cottage of her step-uncle in a small secluded Scottish village. The village is shrouded in mystery and folk-lore with a large amount of ancient customs and superstitions.
Then, one night a strange comes to her door and she's dragged into a secret battle between the selkie and the finman.
This whole book was written as if in a dream. Everything is so marvelously out there with all the fey creatures she learned about but the heroine readily accepts that this world exists. Partly because it's in her blood and partly because it's quite obvious the hero isn't human. He was human features and emotions but he doesn't act like a human.
There's was a very odd but endearing relationship. It's not a sweep romance with deep love but a subtle courtship. The hero never tells the heroine what he's thinking or what he plans to do and tends to bite her in order for her to become drugged and complacent. The finman seriously scared me. She doesn't actually see him until well into the book but she know he's always there.
From the ominous scratching at her door to being chased by vicious storms he was constantly a subtle threat and I loved it. Then to be see him as she describes gave me the chills. This was a nice book, but very odd.
Then, one night a strange comes to her door and she's dragged into a secret battle between the selkie and the finman.
This whole book was written as if in a dream. Everything is so marvelously out there with all the fey creatures she learned about but the heroine readily accepts that this world exists. Partly because it's in her blood and partly because it's quite obvious the hero isn't human. He was human features and emotions but he doesn't act like a human.
There's was a very odd but endearing relationship. It's not a sweep romance with deep love but a subtle courtship. The hero never tells the heroine what he's thinking or what he plans to do and tends to bite her in order for her to become drugged and complacent. The finman seriously scared me. She doesn't actually see him until well into the book but she know he's always there.
From the ominous scratching at her door to being chased by vicious storms he was constantly a subtle threat and I loved it. Then to be see him as she describes gave me the chills. This was a nice book, but very odd.
August 19, 2019
um, yeah
May 27, 2013
I'm not sure if the prose was awkward in a few parts or my brain wasnʻt cooperating over the 3 days I read this novel, however I had to re- read pages 2 or 3 times to get it to sink in. Other than that I found this to be a great read and loved the use of both Scots and Gaelic by male protag Lachlan. Megan, the female protag was good value. She grew on me over the chapters and was a fitting and laconic counterpoint to Lachlan. I give this a 4.5 as I enjoyed the mythology of selkies, finmen, and the other world beasties of auld Scotland.
June 13, 2016
Much less romance than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not the simple, slightly trashy, story that the cover suggested. You truly can't judge a book by its cover! While the story jumped around a little and left some helpful details out, it was very interesting. Of course, I am a sucker for mythology, Scotland, and mythical sea creatures. So a tale about Selkies set in Scotland had me at hello!
September 28, 2016
This book was a slower read because of the detail of Megan Culbrin and the Selkie, Lachlan. There is Megan's history before she came to Findloss. About her family. She meets Lachlan and is not sure what he is but there is a great danger stalking Findloss, Megan, the Selkies and Lachlan. The Scotish language is a bit difficult to read but is needed. It is a good and exciting story.
June 4, 2014
my goodness. this book dragged on and was very dull. this was one of the most boring books ive read.
September 5, 2015
Storyline not interesting at all. Too much details explaining on unnecessary things and this book is the only book that have less dialogues i ever read
January 22, 2016
Enjoyed it
This book has everything I like to read in books. It had fantasy, adventure, and romance. It even comes with an exciting ending.
This book has everything I like to read in books. It had fantasy, adventure, and romance. It even comes with an exciting ending.
January 23, 2016
Awesome read, much better than doing Spanish homework or studying.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews