Jean has made a place for herself as a respected midwife. When a woman she doesn't know appears in labor on her land in the middle of the night, Jean does what is needed to deliver the baby, strange as the birth is. Her visitor turns out to be the mysterious new wife of Jean's nearest neighbor, Muirin. Jean and Muirin strike up an easy friendship despite the growing displeasure of Muirin's husband, Tobais. Tobais who seems to prefer is wife kept closed away from the world, or at the very least from Jean. But Jean is determined to try at this friendship, and to try to look after Muirin in what ever way she can.

I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand times more a folklore retelling but make it queer is the easiest way into my heart and Rose Sutherland delivers. It's more than just adjusting the story of the selkie wife to reflect the horror behind the tale of a person taken from their home at the simple desire of a man. Sutherland presents a town and a community that fits directly into the myth and wraps itself around the reader. Jean's life and the lives of those important to her feel tangible and firm with the folklore dressing that comes with it. Sutherland is able to take the kind of story tale that is told at bedsides and expand it into a universe the invites the reader to make a home along side the characters.

Really good book. I loved the description of the sea and I could almost smell the salt on the wind. The love story was subtle but solid. This is one I'd revisit again in years to come.

Beautiful. Lyrical. Queer. Found family.
As started in the afterword, the Selkie story historically inspires empathy for the husband- abandoned by his wife. Yet no one holds him accountable for kidnapping, abuse, holding his wife hostage because of his supposed love. This retelling is a must!
Jean is an amazing woman- strong, passionate, intelligent, compassion and loving.
Muirin srumbles upon Jean in the midst of labor. They form a friendship- to the horror of Muirin's husband. Determined to not leave her in isolation, Jean continues to seek Muirin.

This book is beautiful. I honestly don't have the words.

I couldn't put this book down, and everything I try to write about it feels flat. I absolutely adored this book.

This book was beautiful and such a wonderful take on the selkie wife story. I loved the way the author wove the characters together and how she raised the stakes to the point where you weren’t sure what was going to happen. I will absolutely be recommending this book to others and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

I went into this book not knowing the folktale and I’m so glad I didn’t look it up first. I couldn’t read fast enough needing to know what happened and hoping it had a HEA, especially being sapphic historical fiction. It was the perfect rainy day read, from the character building to all of the fine details and more. Not high on the steam level, but also not nonexistent by any means. The yearning alone covered it. Truly no idea how this is a debut.

The lore and the atmosphere of this book was so incredibly good! It felt as if you could feel the author weaving the story around you as you read. It was so achingly beautiful. I love that the author wove Celtic legends through the story but it didn't feel like a simple re-telling. This was truly a beautiful book and I will absolutely recommend it on my platform.

I'm always wary of new selkie stories. It's such a beautiful concept but there's so much pain and you can't always guess which way an author will go with it.

Sutherland goes real. She dives straight into the gritty emotions, the loneliness and despair. But Jean and Muriel aren't just punching bags for the story. They work hard for their flickers of hope and happiness, and they keep working.
There's a too-convenient twist near the end, but that's not a bad thing. The stakes are personal and just right.
I really enjoyed this book and if you're interested in selkies and spinsters and sapphics (oh my!) I think you'll like it too.

I’m glad I saved this book for December, because this was a delightful read for cold weather. Snow, cozy fires, heaps of warm blankets for snuggling… am I describing real life or the book? Both!

A Sweet Sting of Salt was very readable: hard to put down and easy to zoom through. The characters were easy to fall for and the setting was romantic in a strangely gloomy way. The storytelling was predictable but the beats hit in all the right spots and left me feeling very satisfied.

My only complaint is that the ending is just a massive info dump. I wanted something more fleshed out and worthy of the story’s atmosphere but I was left wishing for much more.

Still, this is a wonderful romance to lose yourself in for a weekend.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I have this in my dnf pile currently. I read a few chapters, and while intrigued by the storyline, the writing style hasn’t resonated with me. I’ll try again in a month or look for the audio to see if that format is a bette option for me with this book.

Set in the 1830s in a fictional village in Nova Scotia, this debut novel is a queer reimagining of the Scottish folk tale, The Selkie Wife. Jean Langille, Barquer Bay’s midwife, is something of a recluse, living on the remote outskirts of the main village. She has felt shunned by the villagers because of the vitriol spewed by the mother of her lifelong best friend—and at 19, her lover—who marries her daughter off to a man quickly and blames Jean for having corrupted her. But Jean believes she had at least won the villagers’ respect for her midwifery skills over the five years since.

One stormy night she hears what she thinks is an animal in distress near the salt marshes on her property, and when she investigates, she finds a woman who speaks a foreign language she takes for Gaelic in labor. Jean helps her back up to her house and delivers a healthy baby boy. Muirin is the fairly recent bride of Jean’s neighbor, Tobias, who Jean goes to visit in the morning to tell him he has a son and Muirin is safe and so he can bring Muirin and his son home. But when they return to Jean’s house it is clear Muirin does not really want to go and Jean invents a reason why she should stay longer. Tobias, Jean learns over the next few months, is violently possessive of his wife and determined to keep her new and only friend Jean, who has been teaching Muirin English, away from her.

That situation sets all the suspenseful action into motion. The story is full of interesting characters: Jean herself: headstrong, fearless, sometimes reckless, but fiercely protective of those she loves The half-Indigenous Anneke, her midwife mentor and a mother figure for Jean, who lost her own mother too young. Anneke’s son Laurie, a gay sailor who is Jean’s only other friend. Laurie’s lover, Dal. Muirin and her family, who Jean meets toward the end of the novel. The story held my interest from beginning to end, the tension throughout is palpable, and the writing is solid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rose Sutherland for the opportunity to read an ARC of A Sweet Sting of Salt, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Historical fiction is not usually a genera I gravitate towards but I loved the cover and am a fan of folklore, I’m glad I gave this book a chance! The characters and setting were well developed without being overly descriptive. One night, Jean the town’s midwife, wakes to find a strange woman outside in a storm about to give birth. The woman doesn’t speak English but Jean is eventually able to determine she is the neighbors new wife, Muirin. Immediately Jean senses something is wrong in their relationship. Jean has to decide if helping Muirin is worth putting herself in danger. If you are a fan of historical fiction, folklore, LGBTQIA +, feminism, or thrillers I would highly recommend this book.

A sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland is an enjoyable read with great pacing and excellent world building. Dialogue was a bit stilted but did not take away from the overall reading experience. I can not wait to acquire a physical copy when this book is released.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a beautiful sapphic retelling of selkie legends set along the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-1830s. When Jean, a midwife who lives in an isolated cottage, hears cries outside of her window one stormy night, she investigates and helps a strange woman named Muirin deliver a boy with webbed fingers and toes. Muirin is the wife of a fisherman named Tobias, and as the two women form a friendship, Jean discovers that Tobias has stolen Muirin from her family and forced her into wedlock. As Jean and Muirin grown closer, the midwife vows to save her friend and her child from their dire situation, discovering unbelievable secrets about the world around her.

The dedication to this novel reads: “To anyone who has ever been lonely. Keep searching; your people are out there,” and the plot of the book enforces this touching idea. Jean and her childhood friend Laurence are engaging characters who both feel like outsiders in the rocky landscape they call home. Muirin, who barely speaks English, is also an outsider looking for a way to return to her own home. The book turns on the power of choice in love and underscores the importance of freedom in defining the most essential facets of individuality. Tension rises as storms rip through Nova Scotia and the women make brave choices about their futures.

In addition to an engaging story line, the novel is filled with folklore, opening with a memory about The Young Teazer, a ship which burst into flames in the harbor in June of 1813 and continues to haunt the residents of the coastal villages. Selkie myths and legends are used to explore real world issues like post-partum depression, suicide, and autonomy, and fairy lore about protecting infants from becoming changelings casts a light on the darkest fears of new mothers, but the novel ends with a heartfelt conclusion that will have readers believing in the beauty of true love and the power of community. If you enjoy novels that will sweep you away and leave you searching the horizon for magic, then add Rose Sutherland’s debut A Sweet Sting of Salt to the top of your list. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale “The Selkie Wife.”

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland was an outstanding debut.
A descriptive Sapphic historical fiction retelling of The Selkie Wife that captivated me and once I started I couldn’t stop.
Each character and event is skillfully portrayed, further enhancing the immersive experience.
Overall, this is a compelling novel that I found hard to put down.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Dell for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“A Sweet Sting of Salt” by Rose Sutherland is a debut sapphic novel that takes place in a seaside village where fisherman folktales are abundant. The book follows Jean, the village mid-wife, and Muirin, the mysterious wife of Jean’s fisherman neighbor, Tobias. Their paths cross when Jean, finding Muirin in labor during a massive storm, helps deliver her baby. Muirin cannot speak English and seems as if she has been isolated since marrying Tobias. Jean takes a liking to Muirin quickly and upon Tobias coming to collect his wife and new child, notices that something isn’t right between the two. Jean is worried how Muirin will adjust in the seclusion of their home and with being a new mom. After convincing Tobias that Muirin and the baby staying with Jean for a bit is best for everyone, the two women form a strong bond and trust. As events unfold, Jean realizes that Muirin is in danger and does everything she can to help set Muirin free of the cage she has found herself in.

What I enjoyed most, is how Sutherland drops hints of folklore and foreshadowing throughout the story. It was nicely done and really rounded out the ending well. I felt that the pacing could have been better, as it seemed the first half was on the slower side. Overall, this was a solid debut novel, and I truly enjoyed it.

CW to note:
• Post partum suicide (past-off page)
• Isolation
• Manipulation
• Marital rape (off-page-mentioned/inferred)
• Kidnapping
• Death, murder
• Violence
• Stalking, bullying, threats

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you for this compelling period story of Jean, a midwife in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s who lives a pretty isolated life..until she discovers Marin, a woman in the marsh and helps her deliver her baby...things go off from there. This is a femaie driven story with some interesting themes....and a bit of folklore aspect sprinkled in! I liked the female characters and I liked the conflicts they faced. A very unique piece of storytelling.

This book was not for me. I hate giving bad reviews, but I did not enjoy it. I'm sure it is great for someone else

Strengths:

Compelling characters: Jean is a compassionate and resourceful midwife, while Muirin's vulnerability and hidden strength make her a compelling protagonist.

Atmospheric setting: The stormy backdrop adds an element of suspense and isolation to the story.

Intriguing plot: The mystery surrounding Muirin's past and the threat to her life keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.

Exploration of themes: The story delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the power of love to protect and heal.

Weaknesses:

Pacing: The story could benefit from a slightly faster pace in some sections.

Character development: Some of the supporting characters could be more deeply developed.

Overall, Under a Tempest Sky is a captivating and heartwarming tale of love, resilience, and the courage to stand up for what is right. The characters are engaging, the setting is atmospheric, and the plot is full of suspense. Fans of historical fiction and women's fiction will find this novel to be a satisfying read.