A stunning period debut full of sapphic longing and nerve-wracking mystery. Jean, a young midwife living on the outskirts of 1800’s Nova Scotia is awoken in the middle of the night by cries of pain. She ventures out to discover a young woman in labor who doesn’t speak a word of English. Somehow Jean is able to help her deliver her baby and ascertain her name, Muirin. But her happy and open demeanor changes when her husband and Jean’s neighbor Tobias arrives. Although he agrees to let Muirin stay with Jean for a week to help her adjust to motherhood, his hot and cold behavior brings more questions than it answers.

In an effort to help Muirin Jean secretly begins teaching her English. But the more she learns, the more Jean becomes weary of Tobias’s intentions. And when their feelings grow beyond friendship Jean realizes she has to get Muirin out of there. But the deeper Jean digs, the more danger she finds herself in. Will Jean be able to save Muirin, the baby, and herself before Tobias figures out their plan? And what is the “treasure” Muirin keeps saying Tobias stole from her?

This freaking book oh my god. I knew it was going to be a 5-star read about halfway through and right I was. Definitely a slow burn and the prologue may seem out of place initially if you aren’t familiar with the original folktale. However, I don’t mean those as critiques in any way shape, or form. A Sweet Sting of Salt was completely flawless. Despite its slow pace, I found myself unable to put it down. The tension of Tobias’s increasing threats combined with the breathtaking chemistry between Muirin and Jean left me reeling for more.

Jean is everything I could want in a main character. She is stubborn but not annoyingly so and loyal to a fault for those she loves. Her unwavering determination to help Muirin despite barely knowing her is the stuff of sapphic dreams. And their friends to lovers' romance didn’t feel forced or trauma bondey. I despise tropes that only put people together due to a lack of choices or adrenaline-based relationships that are passion-heavy but will inevitably fizzle out. Which, thank goodness, could not be further from the relationship here.

I went into this book not knowing the original lore of the folktale it’s based on, The Selkie Wife, and I loved it. So don’t feel forced to do a load of research before cracking this open. The mystery is actually more interesting, in my opinion, if you don’t because the folktale does give parts of it away. But if you do already know the story don’t worry, there is still plenty of heart-pounding tension to keep your eyes glued to the page. Also it's so queer for a period piece!! Major bonus points in my book.

All in all, if you make one book purchase in April 2024, let it be this one. Not only will the cover look beautiful on your shelf but the story will have you racing to rate 5 stars on Goodreads faster than Jean can make the dough for her biscuits. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishings Ballantine for sending this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

CW: Abusive relationship, animal death, attempted murder, blood, childbirth, death, kidnapping, homophobia, pregnancy, stalking, and violence.