Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Penguin
5 stars

In Sea Witch (Children of the Sea, Book 1 – Caleb Hunter’s story), Kantra built a fascinating paranormal world where the mortal children of the earth (humans), immortal children of the sea (selkies) and immortal children of the fire (demons) maintain a precarious balance. That balance was threatened when the demons began murdering humans on World’s End, a small island off the coast of Maine. In Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2 – Dylan Hunter’s story), we learned of a prophecy that says a daughter of Atargatis (the selkie mother of the Hunter siblings) will permanently change that balance of power, a prophecy the demons from Hell will do anything to keep from being fulfilled. In Kantra’s new release, Sea Lord (Children of the Sea, Book 3 – Lucy’s story), the demons strike at the heart of both selkies and humans in a bid for supremacy through the annihilation of their enemies, putting the selkie island of Sanctuary, the human island of World’s End, and the lives of the people on both, at risk.

Lucy Hunter has always lived her life on the outside looking in. The youngest of the Hunter siblings, she was still an infant when their mother abandoned them, taking Lucy’s oldest brother, Dylan with her. When she was nine, her brother, Caleb went away to college leaving Lucy behind to take care of the meals, the house and their drunken father. With that kind of childhood it’s not surprising that over the years Lucy has mastered the ability to withdraw into herself to the extent that even her own family rarely notices her. She leads a quiet life on World’s End, teaching school and caring for her father. No one, not even Lucy herself has any idea of the cauldron of confusion, anger and fear that bubbles just below her surface or of the well of power, just waiting to be tapped.

Handsome, arrogant and with a sense of entitlement as natural as breathing, when selkie prince, Conn ap Llyr needs something he simply takes it. It’s the selkie way. They don’t share the human need to own material goods. The sensual creatures live in the moment and aren’t encumbered by the messy emotional attachments that plague humans, which is why they generally only mate with their own kind. But the selkie numbers are dwindling, with no full-selkie children having been born for the past hundred years. When his magic shows him a vision of Lucy he understands that she is the one who has been chosen to save his people by bearing his children. It doesn’t matter that she’s human, that he isn’t attracted to her or that she may not be on board with the idea. In his mind, it’s a simple matter of traveling to World’s End, enthralling her with his sexual allure then bringing her back to Sanctuary to re-populate his island. But simple becomes complicated the first time they touch and from that moment on their lives are irrevocably changed.

This series continues to get better and better with each book written. With lush writing,

Conn stood at the meeting of sea, stone and sky, a lonely figure sculpted in taut, clean lines of marble and moonlight. Naked. His shoulders gleamed. His muscles were fluid as the waves, his hair as black as night, as he gazed out to sea. Something in his posture, some shadow on his face, pierced her heart. She closed her eyes, but she could still see him burning at the water’s edge, weary, proud, and alone.

vivid descriptions,

The sun slipped in the bronze sky, staining the pewter water to gold and veining the clouds with fire.

and smoldering sensuality,

Lightning shattered the shadows as she gathered the storm, owned it, rode it. Rode him. Power pulsed inside and out. She shuddered. He groaned. He felt the crackle and surge as she closed around him, rising and falling like the sea.

Kantra skillfully invites the reader into the heart of the selkie sanctuary and into the hearts and minds of her characters. Taken from her home, Lucy is forced to look deep inside herself, confronting her fears, the tightly held secrets of her family and, when her magic begins to appear, the knowledge that she may be more like her mother than anyone could have ever guessed. Conn also is forced to question the beliefs he has held for thousands of years as he finds himself being drawn ever closer to Lucy until he reaches the point where he cannot imagine his world without her. The two have much to teach one another and although their physical chemistry is immediate and incendiary I was pleased that the author had the patience to move their relationship forward slowly, letting their emotions evolve naturally and not trying to rush them along. But, just as happiness is finally within their grasp, the demons strike with deadly precision, forcing both of them to make heart-wrenching decisions with potentially catastrophic ramifications.

Will Lucy and Conn get their happy-ever-after? Will Lucy’s family finally learn to value and trust her as she deserves? Will she be the one to forever alter the balance of power or will that responsibility fall to a future generation? Who will survive the demon attack? More importantly, who will not? Take an unforgettable journey to the selkie island of Sanctuary in Sea Lord, where all the answers await.

I strongly recommend reading this series in order – Sea Witch, Sea Fever, Sea Lord.