Two mer-people sneaking into a town that’s historically been very anti-merpeople and trying to lead normal lives, befriending various townsfolk, all in extreme danger of being found out. Sound familiar? This was well written, and clearly very heavily inspired by Luca, the movie set in Italy with two merboys. I don’t mind fan fiction or work that’s inspired by another, but this was VERY obvious. To the point where I couldn’t picture anything other than the characters and setting from Luca, just older and as adults rather than young boys. A few edits, like changing basic physical features, genders, would make a big difference in immersion for me. Regardless, I did enjoy this and liked how Kane expanded on the lore presented in Luca for the Mer. I am interested in seeing where Kane takes this story in the following books.

Storm and Sea is a captivating debut that sweeps readers into a richly imagined world of adventure, magic, and emotional depth. Tereza Kane crafts a compelling narrative with lush prose and vivid world-building, immersing us in a tale of destiny, love, and sacrifice. The dynamic between the characters is electric, blending tension, passion, and personal growth in a way that feels both epic and intimate.
A solid beginning of the series!

This book was adorable, and I really enjoyed the mix of mythos that was happening with the story. The characters were entertaining, and the writing was done really well. The multiple POV's were handled well, even if at times it was a little repetitive, but I felt that it added depth and more world-building to the story.

As a fan of Luca, the disney movie, I absolutely loved this!

I'm new to merfolk romances, so this was a leap for me! I loved the idea of this book and the book had promise.
But it fell short to me.

As an writer myself, I'm working on multiple POVs. Reading this, I thought I'd have a bit of understanding for that aspect but I was more confused and hated the repetitive of the same scenes over and over,

It wasn't a terrible book, in fact, it was quite enjoyable at times, I loved Atreus and Nyel. But unfortunately it didn't help with the story for me.

Storm and Sea is a poignant and immersive debut that blends rich world-building with emotional depth. Set in the post-WWII Italian fishing village of Baia Vita, the novel follows Atreus, an exiled Mer hiding among humans, and Nyel, a runaway Mer fleeing oppressive traditions. Their paths converge as they confront personal demons and external threats, including a criminal family endangering the village's survival.

Kane's narrative excels in crafting a vivid setting and complex characters. The slow-burn romance between Atreus and Nyel is tender and authentic, resonating with readers who appreciate nuanced character development. The novel also delves into themes of found family, identity, and acceptance, offering a heartfelt exploration of belonging.

While the multiple points of view enrich the story, some overlapping scenes from different perspectives occasionally disrupted the pacing. Nonetheless, the emotional resonance and intricate world-building make this a compelling read.

Storm and Sea is a captivating start to the Storm and Sea Saga, promising more adventures and emotional journeys in future installments.

Storm and Sea

3.5/5 stars 🌟

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this eARC

I liked and disliked the multiple POVs in this book and felt I was rereading the same chapters over again at some points which got a little repetitive.

Personally for me at then start of the book it gave a full list of definitions of things you’ll see in the book which actually kind of put me off as I felt I had to remember a lot of key information for throughout this book, I found myself forgetting certain things and feeling like I should go back to remember what’s what.

The characters are good but some of their ages made me feel confused as most were in their twenties but also felt younger by the mannerisms. I’m not 100% sure if this was a YA or Adult book now.

Some bits at the end felt a bit rushed but I did enjoy the relationships between the characters and felt they helped build the world around them well.

Overall I felt like this was similar to the movie Luca, and seeing some of the other reviewers agree!

A very interesting book, but it feels more like a beginning than a whole story.

I love the world created here by the author. It's obviously inspired by the film Luca, but it's much more serious. Like in the film, the story follows two mermen who try to live on a human island. The young men meet at the beginning and slowly form a friendship. There's a whole cast of supporting characters and a few of them also have their own chapters.

Be aware that this book has a few content warnings at the beginning. And it's missing one - "implied sexual abuse"

I think the other povs add more to the story but also make it less focused. Marina, Leo and Nephi have their own storylines which aren't connected to our main characters. I expected that the story would focus more on a growing relationship between Atreus and Nyphel and less on everyone else. Especially when most of the stories are clearly a set-up for the next books and miss a good resolution. Unfortunately, this is the issue for the whole book. There's a lot happening but only a few situations get resolved. (Also, multiple povs are here as an excuse to go back and repeat the same scenes, which after a while, gets annoying.)

The characters are well written, and they're the best part of the book. Their behaviour is at times even too realistic, especially when everyone has some secrets or mental health issues. It would be nice if they talked more about their feelings, but it's not suprising considering their history.

Overall, this book wasn't bad, it just didn't deliver on what I wanted from it. But it can be the beginning of quite an interesting series. If you like mermaids, found family and serious topics then it could be a book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance opportunity to read this book.

This book, even before I started it, was giving the movie Luca. But just BL-lified. The relationship between Atreus and Nyel was very much a slow-burn. I admit that this book took me quite awhile to finish. I'd power through, and then forget about it for a few weeks, then power through, and then forget about it. During this final power-through, a lot happened. So much that I wondered why it was happening so fast. Then the end...if you can call it that. This book obviously is going to have a sequel or I really hope it does! There are so many loose ends that need to be addressed! All in all though, I liked it.

How could you not love gay little merpeople - it’s like we got what we wanted out of Luca. I would definitely recommend this

Obviously a Luca fanfic brought to life, this was a very sweet story but still had a lot of great worldbuilding to pack a punch. I agree with other reviewers that there were just a little too many POVs and it could have been trimmed down, but I loved the characters, the story, the setting. All of it.

I believe this is more of a “me” thing than anything else. It’s multiple POVs, like up to 6, I believe, and while those many POVs didn’t necessarily ruin it for me, the repeating of an event from a different perspective got a bit—old. And a bit confusing?

We’ve got mer lore and a sweet romance but I also felt like too much and not enough was happening at the same time. The found family was a nice addition and is a favorite trope of mine as well.

The cover is FANTASTIC.

{I was gifted a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}

The best way I would describe this book is that if the movie Luca was gay and that still wouldn’t do it justice.

When I first started reading this I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the book because at first glance it seemed like it would have been a Luca fanfic or an exact copy. But even though it was clearly inspired by Luca it still is a story in its own right.

One of the things I was surprised about was the amount of detail in the Mer’s lore and their beliefs about certain spirits and traditions.

Another thing I liked was the fact that we had other characters POVS other than Atreus and Nyle, but it didn’t feel forced or redundant.

Loved the characters that were meant to be likable and hated the ones that clearly weren’t. (Looking at Nyel’s parents) Hopefully this isn’t the end we see of Nephi as he is such a fascinating character and I would love to know more about him.


Really enjoyed the found family aspect with Atreus, Marina, and Giovanni, in a way they all needed each. I hope their relationship gets explored in the sequel.

Overall the book is an amazing debut by Tereza and the only problem I have is that I would have liked to see more of Atreus and Nyel’s romance but that would probably be more developed in the sequel

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This was a heart wrenching slow burn mlm story. It was long and sometimes a bit complicated, a lot happening, but I did feel it helped the world building. I will pick up pt 2 definitely.

This book was an interesting twist on a romance novel with merfolk.
I have honestly never watched Luca and you don't need to have seen it to be able to enjoy this.

There were some snags with the story with changing POV's having repeated dialogue for a page or two and then catching up with new content. Or having Italian words mixed in that you can somewhat get by without needing context, but it does make reading slightly lower when you want perfect comprehension.

I liked how the characters weren't perfect they each had their own flaws and inner monologues that showed more of who they were. Although the brief history and lore makes me want a compendium or at least a bonus chapter to explain species, abilities, and how mer and humans used to interact.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

whew okay this is finished. i've put this off for a bit solely because of the short glossary at the beginning and i didn't have the patience to sit and digest it before starting the book until today. and oh boy i'm so glad i finally got around to it. i've been in a loop of epic romantasy and emotionally damaging danmei so this cozy fantasy was such a breath of fresh air.

i love the small italian town setting of this and the way this is seen through our main five characters— the seasoned disguised mer Atreus, the newly arrived mer Nyel, Atreus' best friend Leo, Nyel's halfling brother Nephi and his sister (not blood related) Marina. the way Alvise represents the overcommercialisation and taking over of local heritage is well represented and i was very surprised to find myself drawn into this particular plotline. i didn't expect the mers to help overcome this by herding the fish and driving Alvise's ships out but i wish we saw more of the process instead of the timeskip to after it worked.

i feel like i didn't fully digest Leo's story. it is so dark compared to the rest of the characters. i expected the whole, big family breadwinner arc and the struggles of that, but hot damn, that whole thing where he became Alvise's property and the abuse he went through? honestly it pained me, especially how there was no resolution to it. seeing the light die in his eyes, especially through Nephi's perspective is excrutiating to read and executed well. i am very curious to see how their romance develops, especially now that Nephi has run away. but that isn't the point because Leo absolutely has to find a way out of this. oh god this hurts.


Marina's story is a mixed bag for me. i like how she learns that she doesn't always have to be the ray of sunshine her mother wants her to be, but i found the romance with the doctor a bit off putting, especially with him being a new guy in town who makes his rounds with the women and literally uses the same lines on all of them. i'd like to see how this goes forward though.

personally i liked the arc that Atreus and Nyel go through. and though the romance is VERY slow burn, i enjoyed seeing how they both grow with each other's help, namely Nyel helping Atreus get over his fears of hiding and being the first to accept him as a halfling, and Atreus' presence pushing Nyel to take steps to unifying the mers of Corallina and the humans of Biata Vita. who doesn't love a power couple who help each other become better? their sunshine grumpy dynamic is always very cute to read and i can't wait to see where this story goes now that Nyel is off to the mainland to study with Marina.

very excitedly waiting for book 2!!

3.5 rounded up

a new take on mermen?
I’ve never seen Disney’s Luca, but after some sleuthing, it looks like this is being marketed as a queer reimagining of it. So when I read, ‘Atreus retained all four limbs upon transformation but gained a powerful tail…‘ I was like, okay—that’s new.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the beautiful cover art—and honestly, if I’d taken a second to look at the artwork on the back, I probably would’ve had a much easier time picturing what the mer looked like. Lol, my bad.

This book had its fair share of issues, but overall, it was pretty charming. Once I let go of trying to make sense of the mermaid physics—like how exactly you’re supposed to set a table underwater—I found myself enjoying it a lot more.

Characters
I actually quite enjoyed most of the characters in this. Nyel was definitely my least favorite as he was the most insufferable/ignorant but it suits his character so it wasn’t such as huge deal for me. While Atreus and Nyel were the main focus, the other characters and their relationships actually got a decent amount of ‘screentime’ too, which I’m not sure was the right move.

My biggest gripe? Leo and Atreus were meant to be best friends for years, but they were just painfully lukewarm towards each other. Atreus honestly acted like he couldn’t care less about Leo?

Plot/Pacing
The pacing was kind of all over the place. I don’t usually read a lot of multiple POV books, and this one felt like it had a million. A lot of the time, it was just the same scene repeated from different perspectives, which made things drag.

The author could’ve kept the mob storyline but removed the whole ‘pet’ subplot and just made the mob boss money-hungry instead of a sexual predator.

Thus, this definitely toed the line of fanfiction at first and then kind of went full-on towards the end, with all the trauma and hurt/comfort tropes happening. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it—I did, just wasn’t expecting it.

worldbuilding/setting
This is where I think the book struggled the most but also did its best? There were so many charming elements about the island and the different mer communities. But here’s the thing—the book was supposedly set in the 1960s or 70s (I think? The ARC’s already gone from my library, so I can’t check). Yet, the dialogue and characters felt very modern.

writing
I actually didn’t have any major issues with the writing. Aside from the above issues, I was pleasantly surprised by how it was written.

in conclusion
This book was kind of absurd, but I also didn’t mind it? If I saw a special edition with illustrations—especially if they were by the same artist who did the cover—I’d definitely be picking it up.

Storm & Sea:

📌MM fantasy romance

📌 found family

📌hurt/comfort

📌slowburn

The pure bliss of happiness and anticipation is what this book was. I loved every single aspect, every detail and most importantly the characters. Who wouldn't fall in love with them.

The complexity and the pain these characters go through and the arc... The arc that the characters had made you feel like you are on a journey with them, and you grew up with them as well.

I want to say so much but I don't have words for that. With the gravitas the author has described certain scenes and the way the character acts make you realize that even though a book is written with research it doesn't mean that emotional depth should be missing and this book made sure to hit all the right emotional notes at the right time.

Can't wait to read more from this series. A must have book and must-read book.

I don’t usually write my thoughts before finishing a book but I couldn’t help myself with this one. I felt conflicted because I didn’t know how I felt about the story while reading it. As a result, this is a combination of my thoughts during and after finishing the book.

I felt bad for Atreus throughout this book because I could relate to him. Atreus was scared and lonely. Left to his own thoughts, he was haunted by his inner demons that were never revealed or overcome by the end of this book. And it hurt seeing him struggle because he was a good kid who deserved the world. That said, I disliked how it was mentioned that Atreus was supposedly loved by everyone because it didn’t feel like that. Yes, Atreus has a thorny personality and a few did genuinely love him, but the rest was likely earned through Atreus’ hard work after countless years and the care didn’t show.

This story felt like it was meant for Nyel. Nyel was the main character. He was the perfect character, loved by all instantly, naturally talented, gifted, strong and confident, while also being sincere and innocent. It’s hard to dislike a character like Nyel but I couldn’t really love him. There was nothing that compelled me to love his character and instead I kept questioning why Nyel and not Atreus or Leo.

Leo was a character I also felt immensely bad for because he was suffering. Leo didn’t confide in anyone, nor did he complain. He accepted his situation quietly by putting up a brave front. And I hated that on such a small island he was able to hide the abuse physically evident on his body. Or was it just the folks ignoring it to not get involved. Either way, I started to dislike the island folks because even if they were scared and struggling to survive they could have said something. Anything really, or at least an acknowledgement of Leo’s situation. I understand the times were tough on the island, but unity and support is what should help them get through it.

That said, the story is somewhat interesting. I originally liked the concept but by the end of this book, I felt it may be following a cliche storyline into the next book. This book keeps Atreus’ past largely a mystery, Nelphie is also a questionable character and let’s not forget the villain. A true despicable villain who is non-redeemable. These are the few reasons that are keeping me intrigued with this series.

The writing felt a bit confusing to me at times. Honestly, I couldn’t understand how the mermaids looked so I came up with my own version. The writing is faithful to each characters’ personality but it’s execution is sometimes lacking because they start to sound similar. This story takes the multiple POV approach which is enjoyable when done well. However, this story repeats events in one or more characters’ perspectives. If it was a reference or added value, then I’d have no issues but sometimes I was re-reading entire scenes again from a different viewpoint. They didn’t add value or paint the characters differently and it ultimately made me lose focus.

The romance is slow and isn’t very evident until later on in this book. Though I felt like there was a lack of scenes between Atreus and Nyel that supported the growth of their feelings. Sometimes I wondered if those feelings developed because of their circumstances and if it would be different had there been another mermaid.

Overall, this was a story I liked but disliked. After many days, I still don’t have a clear stance but I know that this is a book I could re-read. I would still find the same parts both enjoyable or not, but I would also find new things. This book seems to have quite a bit of content that can be easily missed. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I feel like Tereza wrote this story in such a smart way. First off, the multiple perspectives were done in a way that kept the story going without throwing the reader around everywhere. It’s crazy how this story of self love and really finding out who you are resonated with my youth growing up gay and trying to understand it! Not going to lie there are multiple parts where I was cry crying!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars rounded up. I would have given this book 4 stars but Nephi raised it to 5 stars for me.

If you love the movie “Luca” you will love this novel, especially if you were wishing they would get together romantically!

I loved the setting and the characters! It had so many tropes that were perfect for me. I was going insane at so many lines in the novel. I swooned, I was giddy and happy and angry and disgusted at times (by a certain someone’s actions who was so evil in this novel it was terrifying). I felt so many emotions while reading. It also had a lot of funny lines and banter moments between all the characters that had me laughing out loud.

Not only did I love the plot and the setting, but the characters were fantastic. Every single one of them. Of course I loved Atreus and Nyel, but Giovanni and Marina were also amazing side characters.

I wasn’t expecting to love Nephi as much as I did, but he stole my heart from the second I met him! He completely stole the show the whole novel! I love him so much, he is easily one of my favorite characters just in general. I am a sucker for the tortured bad boy that secretly has a heart of gold but still keeps his sass, which is exactly who he was.

I honestly cared more about him and Leo than I did Nyel and Atreus. Though I loved them too. Leo and Nephi just had such a great dynamic. The back and forth of Nephi wanted to end Leo because he hates humans but he can’t help but be attached to Leo, was so deliciously good. Their parts together were my favorite part of the book, especially the scene where Nephi told Leo he would be at the beach a lot.

I liked Leo, but sometimes he wasn’t a great friend to Atreus. I also could have done without him liking Nyel. But that is probably because I shipped him and Nephi so hard. I thought Leo was going to be a sunshine boy, but he actually had a lot of layers which was very interesting. My heart broke for him and his situation. I wanted to hug him and save him so badly!

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Nyel and Nephi as well. I loved that at first they didn’t look at each other as brothers but by the end they were family. It’s not a perfect relationship, and I didn’t expect it to change in a day, but it’s better than it was to start. Even Nephi and Atreus’s banter was so funny. The scene where they were deciding who would stay up to keep watch had me cackling.

Nyel and Atreus’s relationship was the slowest of all slow burns! It killed me! I am so happy we are getting more books because I would have lost it if this was all we got. I’m especially glad we are getting more books because if it ended how it ended I would have been so disappointed, even though it is very similar to the ending of “Luca.”

The one thing I didn’t like about this was the repeating of the same scenes just in different POVs. I understand the author wanting to show the other characters feelings on the matter, but it could have been a quick reference to that scene then show their feelings instead of repeating the dialogue word for word. It was too repetitive and it happened a lot when it didn’t need to be in there.

I highly recommend this novel. Even if you’ve never seen the movie “Luca,” this is a great ride of a novel. There are so many components to it. You will laugh and you will cry, and your heart will be so full by the end. I can’t wait to read more!