When the Tides Held the Moon

The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman in this beautifully illustrated, USA Today bestselling, queer historical cozy fantasy, as a young Puerto Rican immigrant goes through a journey of love and self-discovery after capturing a merman for a Coney Island sideshow act in turn-of-the 20th century New York.

"A lushly illustrated historical romance . . . This book is a charming fable — an elemental dance of fire and water." ―THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | USA Today Bestseller | BookRiot Best Books of the Year | Amazon Best Romantasy of the Year | Reader''s Digest Top 10 of the Year

When Benigno “Benny” Caldera creates an exquisite ironwork tank for famed Coney Island playground Luna Park, he’s offered a wondrous opportunity: a job backstage with the show’s eclectic cast. Benny knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith like him doesn’t get many chances in 1910s New York City. Little does Benny expect, however, to share in the Menagerie’s most shocking secret: the tank will cage their newest exhibit, a live merman stolen from the East River.

More than a mythic marvel, Benny soon comes to know the merman Río as a kindred spirit, wise and more compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own.

Releasing Río could mean losing his found family, his new home, and his soulmate forever. Yet Benny’s courageous choice may just reveal a love strong enough to free them both.