First published 2026
Marine biologist Harper Hafdóttir arrives at Bell Island, twenty nautical miles from Boston, carrying scientific equipment and personal trauma in equal measure. She seeks evidence of Thalassa, an unknown octopus species that may inhabit the waters around this fog-wrapped refuge. The island has sheltered women fleeing Salem's witch trials and served as an Underground Railroad station. Now it hosts unexplained seismic events and creatures that challenge scientific explanation. Harper meets Lady Loreana Bell, whose family has governed the island for four centuries and who appears to have anticipated Harper's visit. Inside the gothic Bell Manor, Harper experiences overwhelming déjà vu and discovers a journal from 1690 written by a young woman trapped in a religious cult. As a tsunami approaches the island, Harper's recurring dreams begin to make terrible sense, revealing why she was truly drawn to this place where the past refuses to stay buried.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy, horror, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, haunting, lyrical, mysterious, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, mysterious-stranger, past-refuses-to-stay-buried, recurring-dreams
Setting: Bell Island, Boston, Bell Manor, Salem
Period: 1690, Salem Witch Trials Era, Underground Railroad Era, Contemporary
384 pages · Paperback · Kensington
Content warnings: death