Aslan: the 16-year-old boy named after a lion. A boy with his entire life ahead of him.A boy running from a terrible secret. All it takes is one awful night to change everything. One secret, one smuggler, one boat, one storm. And he wakes in an entirely different existence. Staring into the ocean blue eyes of his 12-year-old rescuer.

Neridat: the 12-year-old girl named after a sea nymph. A girl with lofty dreams and absolute faith that she’ll achieve them. All it takes is a bright, sunny morning to change everything. One boy clinging to wreckage, one sea cradling him close, one chance at keeping him safe.

He’s illegal and unwanted. She’s stubborn and so sure. He’s lost absolutely everything. And she’s found the only thing she ever wanted.

They begin as rescued and rescuer, slowly growing from 12 and 16. He’s not allowed to touch her. She’s convinced he is the one. But as each day dawns on his illegal existence, Aslans’s secrets creep ever closer, the death he ran from hunts ever faster, and the darkness that he can’t get free of finally finds him. And it costs him everything.

A true coming-of-age story that spans a lifetime. This book deals with heavy subjects. Check the content warnings on the author’s website.

Lunamare is a tangled romance that fans of the Ribbon Duet will love. Combining the beautiful drama of Nicholas Sparks with the brutality of dark romance, Pepper Winters has created a tale of soulmates, secrets, cruelty, and heart-wrenching love.