Habits of the Sea by Shae Ernshaw | A Dreamlike Gothic Romance

“We all crave something. A thing we can’t say aloud. A life unspoken, a life pushed aside and forgotten. Few of us go after it, recklessly, willing to burn the old life to the ground. I did just that. Not because I was brave, but because I was afraid of who I was becoming. Who I’d be if I didn’t.” – Habits Of The Sea by Shae Ernshaw.

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Every reader gets excited over the books they love — the books they recommend to everyone. The books that made them a reader. But every once in a while, you discover something even more magical than a favorite book… you discover an author.

An author whose writing feels so completely their own, that it almost feels like a language your reading heart was always meant to understand.

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It’s like how I felt when I first discovered Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series. Her beautifully detailed history paired with sweeping romance and magic — I just had to read ALL of her books. That is truly how I just felt reading Habits Of The Sea by Shae Ernshaw.

Before I was even finished reading I was searching for any and all of her other titles. My next bookclub read (my pick) is officially a book by her.

How lucky was I to not only receive an ARC of Habits of The Sea, but to also fall in love with an authors voice? Yes, I fell hard for Habits Of The Sea, but it was truly Shae Ernshaw’s voice that won me over completely. Here’s why I fell so hard…

Habits of the Sea by Shae Ernshaw Synopsis

Was it a dream, or was the disappearing island of Ellie’s childhood ever truly real?

Twenty years after the mysterious island disappears, Ellie returns in search of answers. Drawn back to the remote shore where the sea seems to breathe literal magic and bend time, she expects only a short visit again like her childhood, before returning to the life she’s planned with her fiancé, James.

But as Ellie grows closer to Clay, the island’s only inhabitant, the line between where she’s meant to be and where she truly belongs begins to blur.

My Habits of the Sea by Shae Ernshaw Review

A gothic atmosphere, dreamy prose, slow-burn yearning, magical realism… Habits of the Sea had literally everything I crave so deeply in a book. Shae Ernshaw truly delivered in every single aspect.

From the very first pages, Ernshaw’s prose wrapped itself around me, and I never wanted to escape. I felt like every sentence carried this beauty that made the characters and the island setting became so vivid, it all felt so alive in my head and off the pages…

This is one of those rare books where the atmosphere is perfectly woven into every page, every conversation, every interaction, every choice the characters make.

Speaking of characters… there’s Clay.

At first, Clay seems a little too rough around the edges. He’s very reserved with his words and feelings, but beneath his guarded exterior is this extraordinary tenderness.

Basically, he’s an absolute sap for Ellie.

He gives Ellie his bed without hesitation and takes the couch. He respects her and the life she already has instead of trying to force his way into it. He lets their relationship unfold so slowly and so naturally.

I’ll admit it. If you’re searching for books like Outlander, Clay gave me serious Jamie Fraser vibes.

He mutters ancient Gaelic, words against my flesh, his tongue tracing my earlobe, and my hands get lost in his sun-kissed hair, all while the ship makes its way farther out into the dark, past the island. The closest I’ve ever come to rescue. A thing I once wanted. But maybe I’ve already been saved.

Habits Of The Sea by Shae Ernshaw

Not because the stories are the same (although they are both Scottish and in love with a woman who is promised to another), but because they share that same unwavering devotion. The kind of man whose love is shown through kindness and loyalty and, of course, through pure life and death sacrifice.

And trust me, I don’t hand out Jamie Fraser comparisons lightly…

The romance was everything I hope for in a slow burn. It’s filled with longing and impossible choices. There is this constant pull between the life you’re expected to live and the one your heart craves instead.

Is Habits of the Sea by Shae Ernshaw Worth Reading?

Is Habits of the Sea worth reading? If you’re like me, I’m always searching for books that leave me with a literal ache of heartbreak from yearning that was tangible. Where the prose is as memorable as the plot and as haunting as the atmosphere.

Not to mention, we can’t help but love Scottish heroes within books that feel both nostalgic and magical.

Habits of the Sea gave me all of that. If you want that too, I cannot recommend this book enough.

But more than anything, I’m grateful for discovering Shae Ernshaw. Like I said before, finding a book you love is always exciting, but finding an author that speaks to you… to remind you why you fell in love with reading in the first place? Pure magic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this beautiful ARC!