Miranda’s Monster Madness | Love, Aquatic

My soul is full of longing

For the secret of the sea,

And the heart of the great ocean

Sends a thrilling pulse through

Me.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I think since the film The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del Toro, some people have been intrigued by the idea of sea creature romance. Years ago, pre-The Shape of Water, I remember reading THE MERMAN’S KISS by Tamsin Ley and her other books about human/merperson romance under the water. I loved the stories but was always a little skeptical about how that would work out long-term. Now, authors have a host of different ways to problem-solve and make such a relationship work. With the monster romance boom, I’ve read about krakens, swamp monsters, and tentacles – lots of tentacles. Let’s discuss.

FOUND BY THE LAKE MONSTER might only be a novella in Lillian Lark’s Monstrous Matches series, but it is my absolute favorite. Amy and Adrian find each other in kind of a bizarre way, but they turn out to be a perfect match with more in common than they might have originally thought. Adrian had signed up to be matched. He was looking for love, companionship, and someone to have offspring with. I love him. He’s so gentle and sweet. By fate or coincidence, his intended match/blind date doesn’t show up, but Amy happens to be in the area. She’s with a group of goofballs and adventurers on the search for a lake monster. She’s an accountant and not normally somebody who’d be in a group like this. When Adrian stumbles upon Amy, her unexpected instant attraction has her not correcting his assumption that she’s his match/blind date. This is a hot romance for sure, but these two are also so adorable as they get to know each other.

Like a few of the heroes discussed her, Zethe in RESCUED BY THE KRAKEN by Jade Waltz is a lifeguard but is also what some might think of as a beta hero. He’s strong and heroic but he is also super sensitive and solicitous when it comes to the woman he recognizes as his mate. Rey is initially only visiting the monster run resort Zethe works at as a lifeguard, but he does everything to convince her how important she is to him and what he and the location have to offer. Not only is Zethe extremely giving, but he also allows Rey to move their blossoming relationship at her own pace, and doesn’t make any demands on her, other than to ask for an opportunity to get to know her. This is an enchanting mix of sweet and sexy.

I love a good anthology. There are some really fab monster-themed romance anthologies out there, and the ones with multiple authors have lured me down the rabbit hole of monster romance and I’ve discovered some great authors. There are two that I highly recommend for fans of paranormal and fantasy romance – BEACH SHOTS AND MONSTER KNOTS (which has stories from a bunch of different authors), and THE MONSTER’S MATE by Adrian Blue. THE MONSTER’S MATE has a variety of monsters, with stories set in different time periods, all written by Adrian Blue, and all involving the town of Deathfall and the courtship process of monsters. You’re able to buy each story individually online or the collected anthology, but I like having the collection. I plan on discussing this anthology in future articles about different types of monsters, but there’s one that’s perfect for this discussion. In The Lake, a human woman is courted by a lake monster. This short story is different from other stories I’ve read because the “hero” never speaks, but he can convey his emotions to the human heroine he rescues after her car takes a dip in his lake. As I’m reading along, my mind conjures up a figure like cousin It from The Addams Family, but with tentacles instead of hair. The author is able to successfully describe how the lake monster silently offers comfort, friendship, and later on – sexual satisfaction. Each instalment in this collection are erotic vignettes varying slightly in length and tone – mostly because of the differences in the individual characters – but each nails it when it comes to getting the chemistry right between the main characters involved.

Some of my favorite stories from BEACH SHOTS AND MONSTER KNOTS are Stolen by the Dagon by Eve L. Hart, Kept by the Kraken by Ami Wright, Destination Monster Wedding by Sabrina Cassidy, and Date Night with the Kraken by Jenna Edon.  In Stolen by the Dagon, the story opens with a girlfriend swimming in the water, horny, and her uninspiring boyfriend acting like a cold fish on the shore. When he dips out, a sea monster appears out of nowhere to satisfy his abandoned girlfriend. Rather than the ominous feeling in the film Jaws, the aquatic surprise in this case is unexpected yet deliciously erotic and welcomed by the woman. Kept by the Kraken is a prequel to Ami Wright’s Monstrous Deals series. This is perfect for readers who enjoy the “fake relationship” trope. Shelly is upbeat but a little clumsy and looking for some direction in life. Gudroshcruka is a billionaire and a kraken, but he’s a marshmallow at heart and being pressured by his family about finding a mate and bringing somebody to his sister’s wedding. They wind up getting together in true rom com fashion. They both give each other the acceptance they each crave. Destination Monster Wedding by Sabrina Cassidy might be my favorite in this collection. Claire is a curvy human woman happy that her sister is getting married and found happiness with her monster fiancé, but she’s not looking forward to dealing with her overbearing mother nitpicking her to death. This story resonates for me, and probably a lot of women, whose mothers love them in their own way, but may do more unintentional harm than good in an effort to be “helpful” to their daughters. While on her own, Claire happens upon a charming (in the best and totally sweet way) cecaelia named Haru. Over the time leading up to the wedding, Haru and Claire get to know each other and become both emotionally and physically intimate. I loved this story because of the main characters and because of the way Haru woos Claire. Date Night with the Kraken by Jenna Edon is a M/M/M/F reverse harem, sweet, funny, and spicy story. I realize that, for some readers, a relationship with multiple people involved can be a deal breaker, but I think Date Night with the Kraken is still worth another look – even for readers who might normally be into this type of relationship. Kelsey is a confident woman but hasn’t had a lot of luck with relationships. After a little nudging from her bestie, she finds herself out at a bar looking for a good time. What she gets winds up being quite a bit more than she could have ever dreamed – three kraken devoted to her and calling her their fated mate. A lot of the story is about the three guys trying to prove their love and commitment, and Kelsey being a little freaked out. The pursuit is amusing to watch, and the guys are really sweet.

RESCUED FROM THE DEPTHS is part of Ella Maven’s Drixonian Warrior series but is a shorter standalone story. Sierra is a human woman panicked to find herself in water, on another planet. Quist becomes an anchor or her. He normally sees himself as less than normal Drixonians, but Sierra views him as heroic, strong, and the kind of caring hottie she desperately needs right now. I enjoyed the “stowaway” vibe, and how this couple helped each other. The super sexy times weren’t bad either. Two other phenomenal stories about guys who play hero are TAKEN BY THE SWAMP THING by Jasmine Rose and RESCUED BY THE LAKE MONSTER is part of Monica Ash’s Cassie Storm: Paranormal Investigator series. This is an interesting tale of aquatic monsters – both good and bad ones – but this is not for readers looking for a HEA. I don’t know if the other books in the series are similar, but Cassie doesn’t wind up with the sea monster she finds in this story. He rescues her from a malevolent and different type of sea monster, and they become intimate, but she moves on in the end. If you’re looking for a story with adventure and sexiness, this will work for you. In TAKEN BY THE SWAMP THING, the female protagonist is suffering through an engagement in an arranged marriage type of situation to a man who is as disgusting physically as he is in his soul. Looking for a release from the stress, she goes to the swamp and, in the middle of pleasuring herself, is found by a gorgeous man of mystery who walks out of the swamp. Part man, and part monster, he is more caring than the regular human she’s engaged to. The story includes several steamy encounters while building to the dramatic moment of resolution between the three main parties.

There are some other amazing aquatic monster tales to explore. SEA CREATURES PREFER REDHEADS is set in the 1940s and is part of Brianne Gillen’s Phoenix Pictures series. It includes the novelty of a secret sea monster actual about to play one in a film without anybody knowing the truth. It’s a lot of fun and very rom com-y. MASTERED BY THE SEA MARQUIS by S.J. Sanders is part of the paranormal historical multi-author Monsters Ball series in which human woman attend an exclusive ball/house party with only assorted monsters as potential mates. My favorite in that series is BEGUILED BY THE BEASTLY BARON by YD La Mar – very Phantom of the Opera (musical version) meets a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel, with LOTS of spicy scenes to make my heart flutter. STALKED BY THE KRAKEN by Lillian Lark has a matchmaker trying to make a match for a kraken, but she finds it difficult to deny the natural chemistry they have together. In Katee Robert’s Deal with a Demon series, human women are desperate and make deals with a demon in order to better their lives in some way. In THE KRAKEN’S SACRIFICE, Catalina winds up going with the kraken Thane. There are a lot of family secrets and drama, but the passion between Catalina and Thane is very intense as well. This story has an interesting way of having the human woman able to breathe under water. ANCHORED TO THE SHARKMAN is part of the Interstellar Protections Agency series by Jade Waltz and will be out at the end of July.