The Beacon and the Brine (Monstrous Cravings Book 2)

“Ursuline had been my savior—from the sea, from my cage. They’d set me free in every way, but with them… I wanted to be captured.” Katherine McIntyre brings us another beautiful world-building tale of found family, romance, and adventure in her Monstrous Cravings series with The Beacon and the Brine. This book is a standalone but does feature some characters from The Thorn and the Spire. The Beacon and the Brine is a reimagining of The Little Mermaid but turns the original on its tail by focusing on the male lead Erlich, who becomes betrothed to mermaid Arielle. In this tale the Triton family of mermaids are actually not very pleasant creatures. In fact no one in Peregrine City even knows they are mermaids. Monsters tend to be looked down on and are almost treated like second class citizens. So the Tritons pretend they are human as they gain a foothold in the business sector of the city. In their desire to make connections and improve their standing they agree to an arranged marriage between their daughter Arielle and the successful Durand family’s son Erlich. Erlich is sweet and artistic. He tried to become a successful part of his family’s business but corporate life is not for him. He’d rather be swimming in the sea or painting. His family is mean and frustrated with him so they agree to an arranged marriage with the Triton family’s daughter. Erlich feels like he has no choice and agrees to go along with it. Ursuline is the smart and sexy Triton family lawyer who also…

The Beacon and the Brine is the second book in the Monstrous Cravings series by Katherine McIntyre. While there are side characters from the other book in the series, this is a stand-alone novel and does not require prior reading. Although, considering this is an imaginative and romantic retelling of The Little Mermaid, familiarity with that tale might be beneficial. McIntyre has created a world where monsters and humans share space but like in the real world those with money hold the power and those who are different are discriminated against. Elrich is a human who comes from a rich and powerful family but he is a constant disappointment and failure to his parents. He dreams of escaping his parents’ control and living a life of his own. His dreams are cut short when he is told he is to wed heiress Arielle Triton. Neither Arielle or Elrich want this wedding and Elrich is learning the Triton family are not what they seem. Elrich finds an ally and companionship with Ursuline the lawyer who is held in contract to the Triton family. Ursuline and Elrich need to work together to escape the Triton family and find a life together. This is such a creative take on a well-known fairy tale. I loved the twists involved in the story and the development of Ursuline and Elrich’s relationship. Elrich is such a sweet, pure soul; you can understand why Ursuline was powerless to resist him. I am definitely going to read all of the books in this series.