In a kingdom that fears the sea, Ria Lucroy longs to be brave. Bodies are washing ashore and everyone knows who's to blame. Legends of the Heartless King shroud the continent in fear; they call him a pirate, a monster, a god. When his mercenaries raid her father's merchant ship, Ria's family is faced with a horrifying demand. They will spare his life, in exchange for one of his daughters. Determined to save her sisters Ria launches herself into the world of pirates. Face-to-face with the Heartless King, she finds he is far more than the stories told. He is a man, with a human name and blood-stained hands, bound to the seas by a centuries-old curse. As their chemistry blooms into something more, Ria finds herself caught in an ancient web of secrets. Battling creatures of the deep alongside those that reign its surface, she discovers how to love a heartless man ... And when her iron-willed sister tries to pull her home Ria finds her heart torn between two worlds. As monsters - both human and otherwise - threaten to destroy the life she's come to love, Ria learns that curses aren't so easy to break.