Monstrous Heart

A sensational debut novel perfect for fans of Outlander and The Binding. This is gothic, epic, romantic fantasy at its very best; a tale of magic, intrigue on dangerous waters and a love story for the ages. Arden Beacon arrives in the salt-swept port of Vigil with a job to do. Tasked with using the magic in her blood to keep the lighthouse burning, she needs to prove herself worthy of her family name and her ancestors' profession. But the coastline Arden must keep alight — battered by a sea teeming with colossal, ancient beasts — is far from the cultured, urban world she knows. It is a place of secrets, rumours and tight-lipped expectations of a woman's place. More than anyone, the town folk whisper about Arden's neighbour, Jonah Riven, the hunter of leviathans. They say he murdered his wife. They say he is as much a monster as his prey. Amidst all her determination and homesickness Arden cannot get this shadowy stranger out of her head. A plot swirls around the lighthouse keeper, the hunter and the authorities. Arden must make sense of these dark waters — before they wash her away. A sensational fantasy debut — a gothic tale of intrigue on high seas and a love story for the ages. A sensational debut novel perfect for fans of Outlander and The Binding. This is gothic, epic, romantic fantasy at it's very best; a tale of magic, intrigue on dangerous waters

Since losing her great love to the Queen of the Sainted Isles, Arden must fulfil an impossible promise before she can return home — she must complete the dangerous Rite that will return Jonah's spirit to the abyssal Court of the Deepwater King. This sets her off on a journey far out at sea to find believers of the old religion on the oil-slick and mysterious islands beyond the horizon. But such a responsibility will not come without sacrifice, for the Deepwater folk who worship the King require the most desperate payments the soul, and with one man Arden may have to pay the greatest price of all... Astonishingly original, with world-building to rival the depths of the ocean, McKenna has drawn a rich tale of longing and courage — penning the perfect oceanic steampunk fantasy.