Rebecca Hart

As many of you know, I write YA but I signed with a publisher that mostly publishes adult romance. One of the coolest things to come out of it is my friendship with author Rebecca Hart.Her novel, Call of the Sea, drops June 21, and while it’s classified as an adult book, there’s a ton of crossover appeal to young adult readers. (See my full review on Goodreads.)

Call of the Sea opens when our heroine, Ellie, is a child full of you-know-what and vinegar who yearns to join her sea-faring father aboard his ship, The Siren’s Call. Like him, she has salt water in her veins. Unfortunately, she’s bound by the restrictions of her day, which dictate that she act like a good girl.

Bor-ing.

So after she grows up  bit, she formulates a plan to disguise herself as a boy and sets sail, essentially giving the middle finger to convention. (Sound like any YA heroines you know?) And did I mention Daniel? He’s a selkie who can transform from a human to a seal and back again, kinda like the original shapeshifter. He’s also been charged by Ellie’s dad to look after her and keep her safe, though she doesn’t know it.

And Daniel does keep her safe … to a point. *wicked grin* Once they’re–ahem–adults, things get hot, and this is where I must mention that there is a smokin’ scene between the two. It goes further than a YA scene would go, but it’s very well done, nongratuitous and would only offend the most delicate flowers and younger readers.

Here’s the official blurb:

Neither can deny the call of the sea, but how long can they deny their feelings?

Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth.

Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O’Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Siren’s Call. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.

Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other in order to quell the raging storm between them or have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.

This book is perfect for those who are tired of the angsty paranormal titles that dominate YA shelves these days. Not that there’s anything wrong with angsty–after all, I wrote the mother of all angsty YA titles. 🙂

Here’s where you can find Rebecca and her book: