Needing the Kraken: Cursed Mermen Book 6, Aramis Jordan

This book was...interesting.

I liked the premise and was drawn into the general story trajectory and was tantalized by the tentacle love... But somewhere between the beginning of the middle and the very end I got lost. The spice was there, oh holy good night, was it there, but that was kind of what carried the story. There were feels and they came on slowly since admissions were kind of few and far between with most of the feels being revealed through actions and inner dialogue rather than being shared and communicated.

The scene where certain personal truths were shared and explained was actually done well with tact, heart, and acceptance. Perhaps it was a little too easy, but by this point there was a whole lot of drama put behind them, danger conquered, and time for genuinely deep feelings to take root. I didn't mind that it was more tender and sweet rather than complicated.

And we have the implantation and birthing scenes....oh my... If that kind of cephalopod stuff is not your thing, understandable, just skip ahead.

Also, if this is the first book of the series that you read, as was the case for me, there's nothing included, even in the epilogue, that would give spoilers for any of the previous books. There are a couple characters and groupings that interested me in the epilogue, but I have to say, despite that interest, those stories will likely not make the top ten on my To-Read list merely because the writing is very word heavy with less progress achieved than expected with the sheer number of words. I totally feel the reviews of readers that said they skimmed a whole lot. At times I wish I had.

*$4.99 on Amazon or Free on KU!

A man on the run.

A dangerous sea witch offering shelter.

Nobody can know who Sebastian really is. Driven from his home and chased by the king’s henchmen, Sebastian runs into Malik, a sea witch and kraken shifter. At first he’s repulsed by Malik’s eight long appendages, but with nowhere to go, Sebastian has no choice but to fling himself into Malik’s many arms.

Malik is the mightiest witch in the New World. His magic grants him dark powers, but the one thing he can’t have is love—because Malik guards a deep secret. When Sebastian comes to him for protection, he grants it. As they grow closer, the pressure on Malik to reveal his best-kept secret mounts. But what if the truth sends Sebastian running into the arms of his enemies?

Needing the Kraken is a 72,000 word MM romance. It features an intense love story, plenty of steam, secret identities, close proximity and a non-binary main character. This gay, paranormal romance is a standalone and the final book in the Cursed Mermen series. HEA guaranteed!