Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Spellshop #3

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Mariner “Marin” is the captain of the supply ship “Silver” and has loved the sea for as long as she can remember. Her parents were sailors and when they retired, they helped her buy her own ship, going into debt to the sorcerer they hired to enchant the hold. Marin was sure she would be successful and could pay back the debt quickly, but when she is betrayed by her fiancé, and learns that her parents are in danger of losing their home, she is driven to save them and to never fall in love again! She sails between the Empire capital of Alyssium and the Crescent Islands with just a sea serpent named Perri for companionship – and she likes it that way. But after two years, she can admit she is a bit lonely and agrees to take on a crew member – a sentient wax myrtle named Ree. They set sail to Alyssium to look for work and are surprised to find the city ablaze! She and her shipmates head for the conservatory to check on their friend Daxicent “Dax” the musician, and against her better judgment agrees to ferry him and his friends to safety.

But when they arrive at the island, Dax asks to stay aboard when his friends disembark, Marin wants to refuse, but then has a thought, she asks him to stay and attend the festival on her parent’s home Island of Flicker, while pretending to be her boyfriend. He readily agrees, his life has been sheltered at the conservatory, and he is delighted to have new experiences and to spend time with Marin. He is working on his opus, to present at the winter solstice and to become a grand master at the conservatory. When the time comes, he plays the part of her boyfriend perfectly and Marin admits she might be falling for him, but bad news about her parents’ debt makes her harden her heart once more. Determined to earn the money she needs, they set out once again, but one trial after another makes any chance of a happy ending seem impossible and she refuses to let Dax give up on his dream, even if hers can never be.

I read the Enchanted Greenhouse and was delighted to discover that this story runs concurrently with that one and actually answers some lingering questions I had after that book. I loved Marin in that book and enjoyed the opportunity to really get to know her in this book. She tries to be a crusty old sailor but truly has a heart of gold and will do anything to help others, even at the cost of her own dreams. She is attracted to Dax, but past experience has made her heart-shy and unwilling to risk being hurt again – understandable, but she held on to that hurt a bit too long in my opinion. Dax is a gentle, kind soul who finds music in everything he sees, he is the perfect contrast to Marin. I was lucky enough to be granted advanced access to the audiobook and felt that the narrator Caitlin Davies did an amazing job of giving each character their own voice, it made an already great story even better. I loved the ending of this story and am looking forward to the next installment. I really don’t think you have to read the previous books to enjoy this story, but I do think reading them in order will enhance your reading experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC/Audiobook that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *