Take Your Seaside Arms

Mel Bossa

Summary

When fifteen-year-old Rian Mariso's family road trip to the East Coast turns into a summer of heartbreak and self-discovery, he never expects to be swept away -- literally -- by a storm and rescued by a beautiful merman with a sparkling silver tail shimmering beneath the waves.
Now years later, Rian is a successful but closeted insurance salesman, haunted by memories of that secret kiss he shared with the merman whose sea blue eyes he never forgot. Though his friends pressure him, Rian doesn't have the courage to come out to his conventional parents. His life has become a sham, and the loneliness is slowly killing his dreams.
Then one night, the past resurfaces in the most unexpected way. The merman, who now calls himself Olson, shows up in the marina by Rian's home, in human form, desperate and weak. After years of searching for Rian, Olson has made a terrible deal in exchange for his human legs. Together, Rian and Olson have four weeks to conquer the spell, but for Rian, that means risking being discovered by his family. As Rian and Olson's connection deepens into something fierce and transformative, old wounds reopen, and time begins to run out for Olson.
Can they find a place where they both belong -- on land or at sea -- before it's too late?

Available since: 02/26/2026.

Print length: 207 pages.

Other books that might interest you

Up All Night

Annabeth Albert

What happened to my predictable life?
I had a stable life as a fire captain in Seattle, married to one of my best friends and raising two awesome kids. Now, my kids are grown, and my marriage is toast. I'm solidly past forty and back in my tiny hometown of Mount Hope, Oregon, filling in as a firefighter. My future is one big question mark keeping me up at night.
Also keeping me up? The short-order cook at Honey's Hotcake Hut.
Denver might be close to my age, but we're total opposites. The former rock roadie runs from stability, never puts down roots, and lives for the moment. Point in case, we barely speak before he invites me into his shower.
I've never been with a man, but my fresh start has me trying all sorts of new things—including Denver’s shower.
Our future? Hopeless.
Denver doesn't do repeats, but I convince him to have a fling since we're both in Mount Hope short-term. The more time we spend together, the deeper our friendship and bond grows. Our time together outside of the bedroom, reveals a caring side to the grumpy cook. Even better, my sunshine-y optimism softens him like butter.
Should a fling give me these deep feelings? Nope.
Worse, the feelings are mutual. Big decisions loom for both our futures, and our time together grows short. I might have Denver's heart, but his trust is far harder to win. He's the answer to all my question marks, and I need him to believe in us. Can I convince him to give our love a chance?
UP ALL NIGHT features a grumpy/sunshine pairing for a forty-something firefighter on a path of self-discovery with an UP ALL NIGHT short-order cook. It contains loads of first-time feels with sexual awakening and exploration with a heaping helping of personal growth and deep connection for this opposites-attract couple.

Show book

Hot Rival Summer

Casey Cox

Hot Rival Summer is a scorching MMM poly romance. 
Contains mature themes.

Show book

My Wildest Date - A Hilarious...

Casey Morales

Just when things couldn't get any stranger . . . 
. . . a hot guy walked in with a cougar cub on his shoulder. 
Yeah, that one caught me by surprise, too. 
My Wildest Date is the continuation of Michael's search to find himself and his perfect match. 
He fumbled out of the closet, then met an amazing guy with a pair of cute toddlers. Now he's thrown into the zoo with lions and tigers - oh, my! 
You'll love this story because it's giddy fun to laugh at yourself while you fall in love. 
Get it now! 
My Wildest Date is the third volume in the hilariously cheeky, best-selling Raised by Wolves series, a contemporary MM romance about a newborn gay finding himself. It has hurt/comfort, found family, sexual awakening, first time gay, and a guy who finally realizes who he is and what he wants. 
These books chronicle a young man's life and are best enjoyed in series order. 
What do real listeners say? 
★★★★★ “ . . . an absolute blast to read!!!!! . . . hilarious.” 
★★★★★ ". . . absolutely charming, humorously self-deprecating. It's the beginning of his journey, funny, sad, and touching." 
★★★★★ "Storytelling at its best. . . laugh out loud funny. . ." 
★★★★★ ". . . cute, innocent coming out storyline." 
★★★★★ “ . . . humorously self-deprecating . . . I’m very glad I stumbled across this book.” 
★★★★★ “Strongly recommend you don’t drink anything while reading this novella.” 
★★★★★ “ . . . fell in love with this story quickly . . . Thank you, Casey!” 
★★★★★ “This was too cute . . .”

Show book

Betrayal by Rita Potter

Rita Potter

Betrayal is the exciting conclusion to the As We Know It series. 
The survivors at Whitaker Estate are still reeling from the vicious attack on their community, which left three of their friends dead. 
When the mysterious newcomer Alaina Renato reveals there is a traitor in their midst, it threatens to tear the community apart. Is there truly a traitor, or is Alaina playing them all? 
Dillon Mitchell and the other Commission members realize their group might not survive another attack, especially if there is someone working against them from the inside. Despite the potential risk, they vote to attend a summit that will bring together other survivors from around the country. 
When the groups converge on Las Vegas, the festive atmosphere soon turns somber upon the discovery of an ominous threat. But is the danger coming from within, or is there someone else lurking in the city? 
Before it’s too late, they must race against time to determine where the betrayal is coming from.

Show book

Heppel Ever After

Con Riley

Because every epic romance deserves an epic happy ending . . .  
 
 
 
All Charles Heppel wants is a wedding. It's not much to ask now that he's set his playboy days aside for his almost-ordained fiancé. He can't wait for a lovely, lazy beach honeymoon with His Holy Hotness to continue Hugo's education in the bedroom. 
 
 
 
Surely this third wedding date will be the charm and won't get cancelled, will it? After all, Hugo's followed his calling almost to the end of his path to ordination. Nothing should keep him from gaining his own parish with Charles as his husband. 
 
 
 
Hugo's calling thinks differently, demanding he leaves for the remote island of Kara-Enys without Charles. 
 
 
 
That news should be shattering, but if Charles Heppel has one thing going for him, it's that he's relentlessly optimistic. And romantic. Most islands have beaches, don't they? He'll join Hugo to have the honeymoon first on their own version of Love Island. They can get married later! 
 
 
 
All he needs to do is find him . . .  
 
 
 
Contains mature themes.

Show book

Vows and Vendettas

Anne Russo

Sequel to Love and Larceny

After a daring art heist reunited ex-lovers and partners in crime, Ethan and William, they find themselves living a quiet life in Phoenix, on the run from a vengeful crime boss, and working to rebuild their lives and their relationship.


William, hoping to make their love official, decides to whisk Ethan away to the sun-kissed shores of St. Barts for what he hopes will be the romantic proposal of a lifetime. However, their chance to reconnect and reaffirm their love turns into a deadly fight for survival and freedom when a mysterious stranger emerges, determined to settle the score.


Now William faces an unimaginable dilemma: to protect the man he loves and secure their future, he must make a terrible choice. One that could derail their lives forever and change everything.


Amidst an uncertain future, will this be William's one chance to propose to the love of his life before it's too late?

Show book