Inkbound Realms

Notes, musings, and dispatches from across the realms.

Next Up: Saltwater Between Us — Coming Soon!

Feb 1
2 min read

Updated: Feb 13

Saltwater Between Us

by Jade Black Releasing Mid-April 2026

There are stories that whisper. There are stories that linger. And then there are stories that grab you by the hand, pull you barefoot across hot sand, and say, Come on. You deserve this.

Saltwater Between Us is very much the third kind.

This is your official heads-up that my next release—written under my romance pen name, Jade Black—is on the horizon, and I am vibrating with excitement like a sail catching its first good wind.

If you’ve been craving a lush, escapist romance with adventure in its bones and heart in its chest? Pull up a beach chair. This one’s for you.

The Spark: A Woman, a Boat, and the Open Sea

At its heart, Saltwater Between Us begins with a simple, dangerous idea:

What if you chose yourself?

Cerys Duncan does exactly that.

She leaves behind the predictable rhythms of her life and sets out on a solo sailing journey, chasing freedom, adventure, and the version of herself she hasn’t had space to become yet. No safety net. No partner. Just her, the boat, and the vast, glittering unknown.

And then—because stories love timing us like this—she washes up (not literally, don’t worry) on Te Motu Aroha, a breathtaking island paradise where the air smells like salt and fruit and possibility.

Enter Liam.

Charming. Grounded. Carrying the quiet weight of obligation like an anchor he never asked for.

Their connection is immediate, but not easy. Magnetic, but not simple. The kind of attraction that feels less like fireworks and more like a tide you didn’t notice rising until suddenly you’re knee-deep and breathless.

✨ Tropes, But Make Them Sun-Soaked ✨

If you’re a trope reader (hi, welcome, same), Saltwater Between Us is serving:

Vacation / Island Romance
Finding Love While Finding Yourself
Fish Out of Water
Right Person, Wrong Time
Slow Burn
Grand Gesture
Happily Ever After… with Adventure Still Intact

This is a romance that simmers instead of sprinting. The longing builds. The emotional stakes deepen. And when the payoff hits? It hits with intention.