Achillean Romance with Fangs
THESE TREACHEROUS TIDES SERIES
READING ORDER
With the exception of books 2+ in the No Man’s Lander series, these books may be read in any order. If you would like to experience the stories in chronological order however, they go as follows: Our Bloody Pearl, Once Stolen, Odder Still, Stronger Still, Ever Death, then the final two unnamed No Man’s Lander books.
If you’re here for the world building, you may also want to read just the books that pertain to the Aurora Cycle plotline. These are, in order, Once Stolen, Odder Still, Stronger Still, and Ever Death.
STANDALONE BOOKS
Our Bloody Pearl
This adult fantasy novel featuring an nonbinary disabled protagonist is a voyage of laughter and danger where friendships and love abound and sirens are sure to steal—or eat—your heart.
The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.
That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.
Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?
Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.
In this book you will find:
- Mild gore due to carnivorous sirens.
- Sensations of drowning.
- Occurrences of PTSD.
- Implied rape in a character’s backstory (not shown or described).
- Short segments of emotional and physical abuse from the villain.
- Side character death.
The queer platonic relationship in this book has a happy ever after ending.
There are no sexual or romantic interactions, only deeply emotional platonic ones.
Representation in this book includes:
Main characters
- Paraplegic (POV)
- Non-binary agender (POV)
- Implied to be asexual, possibly aromantic (POV)
- Asexual and panromantic (Love interest)
- Signed language (both)
- PTSD (both)
Side characters
Sapphic, Trans, women of color, vitiligo, agender as the norm among sirens with the mention of nonbinary humans also existing.
Once Stolen
Return to Our Bloody Pearl‘s steampunk-inspired world of merfolk in this fun, fast-paced adventure with a hate-to-love romance, a boat-load of sass, and even more heart.
No one with half a brain would rob the jungle’s most notorious energy cartel. The vibrations of their power-producing stones are the only thing that calms the mer-snake Cacao’s agonizing sensory condition though—and after being banished from his homeland swamps for similar thefts, he’s desperate.
When his attempt fails stunningly, a chaotic escape leaves him chained to a cartel prisoner: a self-proclaimed hero with a hidden stash of ignits so large, Cacao would never need to steal again. He’s determined to get his hands on it, even if it means guiding her home straight through the mist-laden and monster-filled swamp that exhaled him, with scheming poachers and a desperate cartel leaders on their tail.
But the selfish and the self-righteous can only flee together for so long before something snaps…
In this book you will find:
- Cultural ableism.
- Adolescent abandonment
- Two instances of animal injury and death.
- Accidental house fire.
- Kidnapping.
- Secondary character drinking alcohol including non-violent drunkenness.
The romance in the book has a happy ever after ending.
There are no sexual scenes.
Representation in this book includes:
Main characters
- Pansexual (POV)
- Autistic (POV)
- Sensory disorder (POV)
- Nonbinary she/her (Love interest)
Side characters
(Rubem) biracial Black man, homosexual, later revealed to be genderqueer, (Xera) a person of color, nonbinary, deaf, bisexual, social anxiety, (Fern) pansexual.
There will be a final These Treacherous Tides standalone novel, though it does not currently have a release date.
NO-Man's lander Series
Odder Still
Rubem of No-Man’s Land was content keeping to his wine, his pets, and his extensive collection of fishnets. But since a sentient, fuel-producing parasite bonded to his brainstem, every morally-depraved scientist and hardcore rebel for a hundred miles wants to ruthlessly dissect him. The parasite itself is no better, influencing his emotions and sassing him with his own memories as it slowly takes over his body.
The only person offering Rubem help is Tavish K. Findlay, a dashing and manipulative philanthropist whose mother’s fuel company monopolizes their corrupt underwater city with an iron claw. She desperately wants to tear Rubem apart for the parasite before those who oppose her can do the same. Her son is irresistibly charismatic though, and after a lifetime of being kicked out and disavowed, Rubem is desperate to believe in the friendship Tavish offers.
With revolutionary plots and political schemes tangling his every choice, Rubem must soon decide whether or not to trust Tavish in his fight against the parasite’s growing control.
Odder Still is a M/M fantasy novel with a biracial and class-crossing slow burn romance, murderous intrigue, and a Marvel’s Venom-style parasite-human relationship in an underwater steampunk city. It is the first of four books in the No-Man’s Lander series, each with a romantically fulfilling ending.
In this book you will find:
- Alcohol consumption, alcoholism, and drunkenness (without alcohol-related anger or violence).
- References to a past violent pet death, and multiple instances of animal death, including those of cats and dogs.
- General fantasy violence with minor fantasy gore.
- References to feeling a parasite move inside the body of the point of view character.
- Near drowning.
- Instances of severe blood loss due to scientific experimentation.
- References to the dissection of a parasite from the main character’s body.
- Body horror of an aesthetically-pleasing, shimmering rainbow variety.
The romance in this book has a happy for now ending.
There is one fade to black sex scene.
Representation in this book includes:
Main characters
- Biracial Black man (POV)
- Gay (POV)
- Chronic depression (POV)
- Alcoholism (POV)
- Genderqueerness revealed in later books (POV)
- Bisexual (Love interest)
- Trans man (Love interest)
- Blind (Love interest)
- Anxiety disorder (Love interest)
Side characters
(Elspeth) Wheelchair user, genderqueer; multiple non-binary characters, multiple character of color.
Stronger Still
Rubem has become the voice of the auroras—of their rage, at least.
Between his threats and Tavish’s diplomacy, most of the world is finally listening. But pockets of denial linger, including the Findlays’ old trading partner, the self-governing city of Venalt. While Venalt was once a thriving metropolis of watery channels and garden balconies, now its dying aurora is the only thing holding back the sea monsters that threaten to sink the city.
As Rubem navigates Venalt’s stubborn government factions and apocalyptic prophecies, he discovers that someone in power wants the city destroyed—and they’re willing to kill its aurora protector to see their plans through. Rubem is quickly becoming all that stands in their way, but he seems always one step behind and never quite strong enough.
And like the world’s auroras, he’s growing weaker by the day…
Join Rubem and Tavish for another adventure of mystery, murder, and monsters, in a Venetian-inspired city where the Findlay family lingers on in well-buried secrets. While many These Treacherous Tides books can be read as standalones, the No-Man’s Lander series is best enjoyed chronologically.
In this book you will find:
- Alcohol consumption and active monitoring of a known alcoholic tendency.
- General fantasy violence with one scene including fantasy gore.
- Terminal illness.
- Death of a prominent character.
- A post-post rap-up open ending that will be continued in the future books.
The romance in this book has a happy for now ending.
There are two fade to black sex scenes.
Representation in this book includes:
Main characters
- Biracial Black man (POV)
- Gay (POV)
- Chronic depression (POV)
- Alcoholism (POV)
- Genderqueerness touched on briefly (POV)
- Bisexual (Love interest)
- Trans man (Love interest)
- Blind (Love interest)
- Anxiety disorder (Love interest)
Side characters
Chronic/fatal illness, multiple non-binary characters, multiple character of color/biracial characters, autistic-implied character, wheelchair-using species.
There will be one more book in the No Man’s Lander series, arriving after the final These Treacherous Tides standalone.