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H. L. Macfarlane
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The Boy from the Sea: A Dark Gothic Romance Kindle Edition

by H. L. Macfarlane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

A troubled mind, a creeping obsession and a sea that’s full of secrets.

When lonely Grace Ferguson meets fellow student Lir Murphy in her marine biology lab the last thing she expects is to fall into a deep, startling obsession with the young man. Lir is strange, quiet and filled with a love for the sea that nobody else understands. When he surprises Grace by reciprocating her feelings she’s convinced she’s found her oddball happily ever after.

But when a series of grisly attacks plague the west coast of Scotland Grace is forced to consider that her marine-loving paramour is more than simply ‘strange’. As Lir’s behaviour grows more erratic, and his relationship with Grace evolves into something dark and dangerous, Grace must figure out who or what Lir is…or risk losing herself in the process.

From the best-selling author of Prince of Foxes comes a brand new Gothic romance for lovers of all things monstrous, tragic and villainous. If you always loved J.D. in Heathers then this is absolutely for you. Pick up your copy of The Boy from the Sea today!

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  1. Print length
    289 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    November 9, 2023
  5. Reading age
    16 - 18 years
  6. File size
    3.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKJ3HQ5S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macfarlane Lantern Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2023
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16 - 18 years
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

About the author

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H. L. Macfarlane

H. L. Macfarlane

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Hayley Louise Macfarlane hails from the very tiny hamlet of Balmaha on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland. After graduating with a PhD in molecular genetics she did a complete 180 and moved into writing fiction. Though she loves writing multiple genres (fantasy, romance, sci-fi, psychological fiction and horror so far!) she is most widely known for her enemies-to-lovers STEM rom-com, The Unbalanced Equation, and her Gothic, Scottish fairy tale, Prince of Foxes – book one of the Bright Spear trilogy.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
10 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Moonlit_sapphire
    4.0 out of 5 stars A story that stays with you
    Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2024
    This was an interesting read and stayed with me in ways I did not expect. The book starts off as we meet Lir, and hear about his traumatic past. We then meet Grace and watch as her interest is piqued by the aloof Lir. In the background mysterious things are happening and people are getting hurt. What really happened to Lir’s parents? Who is hurting people? What’s real and what isn’t? We follow Grace as she tries to find the answers to these questions and sort out her feelings for Lir.
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  • Of Books & Portkeys
    5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025
    This story was a “page turner”. It will quickly rope you in and leave you wanting more. It was so good I kept giving my husband a daily review. He’d even ask if I forgot. Loved the who done it aspect that gave you just enough clues without allowing you to figure out the ending. Highly recommend.
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  • HB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Gothic Romance
    Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2024
    What a fun and cool story, I loved the nautical and sea vibes. So unique!

    I received a copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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  • Aswa Khan
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not Gothic and Instalove
    Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2023
    CW:
    - murder
    - social anxiety
    - animal death
    - sociopathy
    - abusive relationship

    The Boy from the Sea by H.L. Macfarlane tries to be a gothic romance without gothic staples or an explanation of the subline and supernatural.

    Grace Ferguson is a marine biology PhD student who has social anxiety and has a hard time making friends. In one of the classes where she is a teaching assistant, she meets a strange student, Dylan Lir Murphy. She becomes obsessed with him—perhaps it is his silence or his downcast eyes, but she must know who he is. Stalking turns to dating, however, after Lir states that he likes her. While their whirlwind romance begins, Lir sometimes goes away to strange places on the coast of Scotland. And a few days pass by, and someone has died in that same city.

    While the perpetrator is way too obvious, the main character is blind to the evidence. There were times that the relationship was manipulative and controlling—Lir subtly drew Grace away from the few friends she had despite all of them trying to warn her.

    The intrigue of knowing why kept me hooked, but by the time we got there, I stared at my text and said, "wait, there's nothing?" We have the reason for the murders, but despite being claimed that the "gods" would be pleased, we have no idea which gods. Lir researches plenty of various myths but never seems to settle on which gods would let him go home. Is it all of them?

    Lir and Grace are both flat characters with very little to define themselves. Grace is a shy, socially anxious girl. Lir...swims a lot and lost his parents. That's it. Is that enough for infatuation?

    The biggest issue I had with the novel was the lack of gothic elements. Where is a haunted house that is its own living character? Where are the moral issues of loving a monster? Where is the overwhelming nature that is stronger and greater than man? Where are the anti-war and anti-capitalism themes? Where are the gods?

    Another issue I had was Grace's love for Lir, allowing herself to go along with his plans. I don't like non-strategic characters. If you are getting a PhD in marine biology, surely you are intelligent. Surely, you understand nuance, strategy, methods, research. Why would you buckle under another person who gave you attention?

    But abusive relationships are hard to escape; that's the point.

    I never believed in either character's love for each other. Instead, there was obsession and infatuation, which could not carry this story from the lack of believability. I don't know WHY these characters are obsessed with each other; I am just told they ARE.

    The new final chapter also invalidates the question of Lir's survival. While it's fine that he survived and ends with Grace once more, why? What is either character's motivation? Why are they infatuated? Is it fate, the gods, loneliness?

    I felt lost amongst the waves and felt pity for a dead cat instead of anyone else.

    Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and for allowing me to dive into this cold romance.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Rose Patterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sooo Goood!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2024
    What a great suspenseful story! I loved it. I listened to the audio version of the book and it was fantastic, I couldn't put it down. The narrator, Broghanne Jessamine was so good. She drew me into the story. I felt like I was going through everything Grace Ferguson was going through. It was a beautiful love story, until it wasn't. Two shy, awkward and quiet people find each other and fall in love. The romance between Lir and Grace turns dark quickly when Lir's behavior grows inconsistent and unpredictable. I was at the edge of my seat. So many twists and turns and the ending was so good. It was very sad and there were so many shocking moments, but the suspense made the book. H.L. Macfarlane has a way of making your heart beat so fast and feeling like you are part of the story. I will be searching out more books by this author.
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  • Megan Adamson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2023
    **4.5/5**

    “Maybe I just don’t like happy endings. Or maybe I don’t believe in the existence of one’s soul. Either way, I always stopped reading the story the moment the mermaid turned into foam.”

    Grace, a young, pretty teaching aide in her university science lab, is only trying to finish her thesis and get her microbiology degree. That is her focus. That is, until devilishly handsome and slightly mysterious Dylan “Lir”, one of her lab students, catches her eye. That is where this story begins. Lir spends all of his free time swimming, mostly out in the open ocean, or studying ancient mythology and stories of the Gods. The first chapter in the book gives a pretty understandable reason for his fascination with the sea. But that is all that is clearly defined. At least for a while. But that ending? I did NOT see that coming.

    This story sucked me in and did not let go. I loved each and every one of the characters. I definitely connected with the writing style, even Grace and her incessant schoolgirl crush/inner monologue of romantic desperation. Cuz I mean, what young girl hasn’t been just stupidly head over heels in lust before? There were definitely a couple of times where her willingness to shrug off potential red flags was a bit too convenient for the sake of the story, but aside from that bit of nitpicking, I absolutely loved The Boy From the Sea, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a short but fantastic little piece of lore, love, mystery, and the sea.

    I want to thank NetGalley, MacFarlane Lantern Publishing, and Hayley Louise McFarlane for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Boy From the Sea.
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