Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: The Malevolent Sea
SERIES: Adventures In Love and the Paranormal #2
AUTHOR: Ellis Colton
PUBLISHER: FiresignTen Press
LENGTH: 198 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2025
BLURB:
Zeke and Ian find themselves with a new case . . . and a new relationship!
Jealousy pushed Zeke to finally confess his feelings to Ian.
Danger pushed Ian to finally confess his feelings to Zeke.
Now they’re together and out to battle evil. Between determining what the new Big Bad is and trying to navigate how an actual relationship works, they’ve got their hands full!
At least they get to fall into bed together at the end of the day . . .
The Malevolent Sea is the second book in the ongoing adventures and romance of Zeke Hanson and Ian Clarke, former foster brothers turned best friends and lovers, as they hunt monsters and chase their own happy ever after. Best enjoyed after reading The Case of Thistledown House, the story of how Zeke and Ian started hunting – and stopped pining in secret!
REVIEW:
While navigating the new romantic dynamic of their relationship, Ian and Zeke travel to Maine, where renovations to an abandoned building have disturbed something that falls within their paranormal skill set.
The Malevolent Sea is the second book in the Adventures in Love and the Paranormal series. To fully appreciate the story, it is recommended to read this book after completing Book One, The Case of Thistledown House. The first book demonstrated that Ellis Colton is a promising author to watch. The Malevolent Sea is a sweet tale of two friends who become lovers, navigating their new dynamic against a backdrop of paranormal events. I can see that many people will devour the pages, but I struggled to connect with this arc for reasons I will outline shortly.
The tale begins as they leave the aftermath of their first adventure in Thistledown House, where their friends-to-lovers relationship is new, and so are the nervousness and concerns that accompany it. There are many inner thoughts alongside many cheesy one-liners that some readers will soak up with joy, making their hearts swell. This situation is a well-trodden, frequently written path.
The story is written in the third person from the viewpoints of Ian and Zeke. A high percentage of the book follows the boys’ new relationship, and paranormal elements that happen in Maine, in the absence of Ian and Zeke, are labelled as interlude chapters. Interlude feels more like an advertisement break in a program, where, when I was a child, we used to get an ice cream, so maybe it would have been clearer to say ‘meanwhile on the coast…’ or something similar, as this feels more inclusive and less separate from the events between Ian and Zeke. The arcs of the paranormal and Ian and Zeke’s investigation don’t merge until halfway through the story, which was somewhat late for my liking.
Zeke is a natural flirt, which causes some tension. Ian has abilities that enable him to sense supernatural activity. They are lovely people working in a world where believing in the paranormal can lead to a straitjacket and medication. So, I understand why they might hide their true purpose with cover jobs. But insurance investigators? Who bought the policy, and what is the expected payout? Then again, those experiencing grief may overlook certain details. Nonetheless, for a story that delves into such detail as the colors used in the piles of washing, I was left with many other questions about actions and decisions whose potential answers were omitted.
However, much about this story suggests I should think better of it—two lovable protagonists, who fight for each other against paranormal baddies. Like the last book, the supernatural elements are well-written, which elevates the drama. The surface story is good, but the devil is in the missing details, and I’m not talking about the color of socks. For much of the story, I felt as though I was reading two different arcs, and many actions are performed with good intentions, yet I found myself second-guessing alternatives. The stories that get my top marks are the ones I can’t put down and intend to finish regardless of the late hour.
RATING: 
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