Seven years ago, Meriel Byrne was thrilled to attend the Burbank company party at the old Block Island Sound mansion. Falling over the edge of a cliff, resurrecting a family curse, and turning into a seal weren’t on her list of things to do. Now her biggest worries are finding food and preventing herself from becoming a killer whale’s main course. But once a year, she returns to the bay to look at the mansion and wonder what might have become of her life had she remained human.

Ronan Burbank’s playboy lifestyle ended shortly after Meriel vanished. Plagued by an embezzling employee and rumors he’d murdered Meriel, he’d been forced to sell his business piece by piece. All that’s left is his racing boat company, Winner Take All Racing. One stormy night, filled with misery and buoyed by liquor, he steers his sailboat into the sea, intent on ending it all.

Luckily, Meriel is there to save his sorry ass. Granted a temporary reprieve for her selfless act, Meriel has just one day to find a way to end her curse. Can love truly conquer all? You’ll have to read the story to find out.

A sweet and enduring modern day fairy tale, Heart of the Sea is one of those stories you’ll find yourself returning to when you need a pick-me-up. In a nice twist, it’s the heroine who actually rescues the hero from his sad state. Sela Carsen’s depiction of a human-turned-seal-turned-human again is humorous and engaging. The only thing you’ll be left wanting is for more pages to turn.