Ebb and Flow Series by Isabel Murray

Joe McKenzie’s high-flying London life imploded six years ago, and it happened dramatically enough that paramedics were involved. That’s all in the past. Now, Joe couldn’t be happier living a solitary life as a fisherman on England’s wild northern coast. Okay, he could be happier. It’s not like he’s depressed or anything but, you know. The weather’s not great. Life’s a bit samey. He’s only thirty-eight. The idea of another forty years is a bit exhausting, to be honest... moreJoe McKenzie’s high-flying London life imploded six years ago, and it happened dramatically enough that paramedics were involved. That’s all in the past. Now, Joe couldn’t be happier living a solitary life as a fisherman on England’s wild northern coast. Okay, he could be happier. It’s not like he’s depressed or anything but, you know. The weather’s not great. Life’s a bit samey. He’s only thirty-eight. The idea of another forty years is a bit exhausting, to be honest. He passes the time pretending to be a fisherman but the truth is, he sucks at it. Then Joe makes the catch of a lifetime when he stumbles across the mysterious Dave washed up on the beach—an enormous man with gills and uncanny power over the sea. Once Dave stops trying to kidnap Joe and/or kill Joe’s fishing buddy, Jerry, turns out he’s kind of…intriguing? And not half as smooth as he seems to think he is. There’s a lot Joe doesn’t know about Dave. He doesn’t know why Dave keeps disappearing or why he can’t seem to stay away. He doesn’t know what Dave wants from him. He doesn’t even know what, exactly, Dave is. And Joe can’t ask, because they don’t speak the same language. Joe does know one thing, though. He is in love. Which, great. How’s that going to end well? Catch and Release is a gay paranormal romantic comedy featuring a truly terrible fisherman with an octopus phobia, a merman (maybe? Confirmation pending) with no sense of personal boundaries at all, constant communication fails, a whole lot of sea life not in the sea but in Joe’s house, yes, it’s dead, some epic yearning from both sides, some truly awkward sex, and bewilderingly enough, maybe a way to make it work? less

Every spring, Joe McKenzie’s merman lover, Dave, comes back to him. Every autumn, Dave returns to the sea. This is how it goes. This is how it’s gone for a while now. Six months of the year together and six months apart is not ideal, but Joe will take it. He’d wait a lifetime for Dave, after all. Only this year, it becomes clear that a lifetime spent watching the waves for a lover who will never return could very well be in Joe’s future... moreEvery spring, Joe McKenzie’s merman lover, Dave, comes back to him. Every autumn, Dave returns to the sea. This is how it goes. This is how it’s gone for a while now. Six months of the year together and six months apart is not ideal, but Joe will take it. He’d wait a lifetime for Dave, after all. Only this year, it becomes clear that a lifetime spent watching the waves for a lover who will never return could very well be in Joe’s future. Because even though Dave wants to come back…there are things out there in the mysterious deep which might have other plans. This year, instead of his usual blissful six months of living and loving, Joe’s got a wounded merman to keep safe from further harm, and just when things are finally starting to get back to normal, it all goes sideways. Now Joe’s left wondering—is Dave the catch of a lifetime after all? Or is it time for him to cut the line? Catch of a Lifetime is book two in the Ebb and Flow series, and is a novella-length sequel to Catch and Release. less