Book Review #156 - The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle

Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant.

Unexpectedly, Kait is awoken by a beautiful, selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure.

Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

My Rating: 4/5

I would like to thank the author for kindly sending me a copy for review. The link to her blog is here.

This book is about Selkies. The only previous book I have read about Selkie's is Melissa Marr's short story in the Love is Hell anthology book. I was really excited to read a full length book about Selkies.

I was captivated by this book instantly. The descriptions used to introduce Shapinsay painted a clear picture in my head of the setting.

I really liked how the writing incorporated the Scottish accent. Certain words were spelt the way it would sound with the accent instead of the proper way it is written. This added dimension not only to the characters but also to Shapinsay.


Kait was an intriguing character. She was really likeable from the very start. I loved her relationship with her brother Blair although at times he annoyed me with him being so over protective of Kait.


The changes in points of view was really insightful because the two main characters come from vastly different worlds and having them both share their POV's it enable you to learn more about both worlds.


Eamon was a very unique, occasionally funny character. He annoyed me towards the end though when he wouldn't get back into the water. I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't.


The ending caught me by complete surprise. It was really unexpected.


After reading this, I am now interested in reading other books about Selkies as they are a very enigmatic creatures that there aren't many books about.