A fun, exciting, and addictive tale of stolen crowns and swashbuckling second chances.
Known as much for her temper as for her skill at the wheel, Marvalaine, called Lainey by everyone who knows her, captains the steam-and-sail fishing vessel Portstara out of Starsdale Cove with her loyal first mate Rydon by her side. A committed skeptic, Lainey only believes in what she can see and feel, and has no way to prepare herself for what’s in store. She is actually the exiled future queen of Falstaria, hidden since infancy from enemies who believed her royal family long dead. Mid-storm on her eighteenth birthday, Lainey rescues a drowning seal who turns out to be Arrendale, the selkie prince to whom she had been secretly betrothed as a child. An alliance meant to bind the human, elven, troll, and selkie realms together, Arrendale and Lainey’s union is a strategic partnership, nothing more. Within a single day, she’s crowned, wed, and told a truth her aunt and the Falstarian court have kept from her for her entire life: the stars have been dimming for years, and the resulting storms, tides, and failed harvests will only stop when Lainey claims her throne and comes into her own as a portal mage. But Arrendale has a ruthless twin named Blandon, who believes the crown and the bride should have been his all along, and he’ll do whatever it takes to retain the throne. While Blandon hunts the newlyweds across the Four Corners, Lainey has to outrun him and save both her new marriage and the realms depending on her.
Toni Cabell delivers a fun, exciting, and addictive tale of stolen crowns and swashbuckling second chances in Girl of Sea and Starlight. The story never lingers too long in one place, mixing shipboard adventure, political intrigue, and soft romance without ever feeling rushed, carrying a lighthearted sense of humor even when the stakes turn dark. Blandon is a complex antagonist, feisty Lainey is well-drawn, and the secondary cast is just as strong. Rydon brings a fatherly steadiness, and Cedron, the loyal troll, still teases grown-up Lainey like the childhood friend he is. Hulda the pixie’s magic reshapes Lainey’s world in small, funny ways, and Willa the cat comes along for the journey with her bed and toy mouse in tow. The book’s romance is a comfortable slow build, a clean, emotion‑forward love story that leans on longing and loyalty rather than anything explicit, which keeps it feeling genuine rather than forced. Relatable and strong-willed, Lainey remains the book’s anchor throughout, her fiery temper easy to recognize and even easier to root for, especially when she pulls rank on her own crew or lets her guard down with the people she trusts most. An undeniably captivating book, Girl of Sea and Starlight is a humorous, saltwater adventure that readers who enjoy fantasy world-building paired with tender romance will find hard to put down.
