Rating: 3🌈

A crossover with Charlotte Brice’s ShiftARS series, Kraken Klaus has some interesting ideas and mythology woven into the romance storyline of a young mershifter in his first job aboard a ocean liner and the kraken, God of the Sea, he awakens.

The character of Moshe is very appealing. Young, impressionable, and good hearted, the author gives Moshe an equally interesting history and background to accompany his endearing personality.

Brice skimps on the information about his immediate family life, his mother and imposing, often absent , famous Captain of a father. Those details are needed to understand why Moshe is so underrated and ignorant of Mer history.

Also a good plot line but not fully explored was the toxic dumping. There was more structure that needed to be laid down for this story line. It’s a major part of the book but at the end, the reader is still left with a number of questions about why no one notices on board ship that this is going on at sea , what ever happens to Moshe’s father, the toxic investigation results, etc. That’s all discarded in favor of the romance.

The romance is the main plot, of course. Lots of tentacles and tentacles sex, with a bit of kink. FYI. The newly awakened Kraken is detailed in his looks and lack of current knowledge of the status quo between humans , shifters and such. That made total sense. But oddly not as powerful as one might expect for a God of the Sea. Seemed more Kraken Lite.

Ryuu does a narrative service here by revealing much of the backstory behind the Mermaid/Mer shifters and why they have been so land removed, rarely being able to shift into their original forms. It’s a mixture of myths, sort of paying the price for wanting legs.

The siren aspect is unclear as it’s brought in very late in the story.

However, how Brice describes and handles it, makes me want so much more. And have it brought in earlier on so it felt more like an overall part of the story than an add on. It was one of my favorite things about the story and Moshe’s character. Over way too soon.

Spoilers.The ending, nicely dramatic, had too many loose ends and odd moments. Moshe just forgot about his family and ran off to live in an underwater palace with Ryuu the Kraken, complete with a kitchen and tea kettle of sorts. And lots of edible moss . Forever.

All in all, Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Charlotte Brice has some interesting elements and some really sexy moments. A grab bag of fun and tentacles under the sea. But it didn’t quite gel for me. It might for you.

You read the description and decide for yourself.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

This is not your typical Christmas story. Sure, it’s set on a Christmas holiday cruise liner. Of course there is a roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Yes, there are presents, chocolate and tinsel…

…but there are also tentacles. And we all know that is what you came for.

When Moshe realises his fellow mer crew are dumping toxic chemicals into the sea, under the guise of holiday cruises, he is horrified.

When the only song he can ever remember lures up a giant sea octopus, he can finally stop his own people from polluting the sea.

But Ryuu has other things on his mind. He responded to the song of his mate. Sure, he’ll destroy the boat for his love, but Moshe demands the passengers be unharmed.

Thank goodness the ShiftARS are there to do the actual work, these two are very easily distracted by all the wonderful Christmas things Moshe will leave behind when he joins Ryuu out at sea.

Ryuu couldn’t deny his boy a final experience of Christmas, even if he doesn’t understand stuff like the forest of chocolate trees, or the Christmas Daddy.

Kraken Klaus is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone.

Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!