When a grumpy park ranger meets a charming kraken, love might be worth the swim upstream in this sexy monster romance.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Tentacles & Triathlons by Ashley Bennett, which releases on June 9th 2026.
There is only one thing holding back Briar Glenn Parks Department supervisor Reece Rollins from success in his upcoming triathlon—his subpar swimming skills. At the urging of his sister’s wolven mate, Reece joins Leviathan Fitness to train in the gym’s Olympic-size pool. There he meets Cyrus, a charming kraken with unparalleled skill in the pool, and many, many tentacles that both intimidate and intrigue Reece. When Cyrus offers to coach Reece for his race, he happily accepts the help.
For the past few months, Cyrus has been floating through life without his usual spark. He’s even hit a creative block with his painting and hasn’t been able to produce a new piece of artwork in a while. But the opportunity to train this handsome human grump gives Cyrus something real to smile about.
New and unexpected feelings begin to arise from the depths as Reece and Cyrus start to spend time together in and out of the water. But can both men let down their guards enough to be swept away by love?
EXCERPT
The beanbag flew out of my webbed hand and careened toward a cornhole board emblazoned with the Leviathan Fitness logo. With a loud thud, the neon green bag dropped into the hole, giving me another three points.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Fallon groaned from the other end of the yard where the cornhole boards were set up. “When you said you’d never played before, I didn’t expect you to be this good.”
I blinked my wide eyes, giving the griffin an innocent smile. Although I’d never played, my kind took to new games easily. You’d think Fallon would know this after fourteen years of friend-ship. There was a reason I wasn’t allowed to join in on game night. “Hmm, maybe it’s the tentacles or something,” I said with a shrug. My grin widened as one of the thick tendrils in question uncoiled from where it was wrapped around my forearm and gave Fallon a playful wave.
He shook his head and trotted over to me. “I’ve had enough getting my ass kicked for one day. Let’s grab a drink and mingle.”
Initially, I’d been hesitant to attend the party, but Atlas and Fallon were both adamant that I should be present.
I knew my appearance could be unsettling to humans, and I hated the thought of any of Atlas and Tegan’s guests feeling un-comfortable. It wasn’t every day that you saw an ancient blue-green sea creature shuffling around on six tentacles. I resembled something you’d see in a Guillermo del Toro film, not a guest at a backyard barbecue.
Fallon led the way to the cooler and I scuttled close behind him, my tentacles rolling and writhing over the grass to propel me along.
“Water for you, Cy?” he asked, digging through the cooler with his scaled talons.
“Please,” I said, scanning the crowd around us. It was a mix of humans and monsters, locals and small business owners engaging in companionable conversation.
Fallon used his talon to pop the cap off his beer, and just as he was about to speak, Atlas called out to us.
“Hey, guys. Come here for a second. I want you to meet some-one.” The wolven shifted his giant body, and that’s when I caught my first glimpse of him.
The rays from the sun caught his hair, illuminating the light red strands in a fiery blaze of color. His face was handsome—chiseled and masculine—with a thick mustache above his lip and a beard covering his jaw. A light dusting of freckles coated the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Forest green eyes accented with tiny flecks of gold assessed me, watching my every move as Fallon and I neared the small group.
“This is Tegan’s brother, Reece,” Atlas said, his body swaying slightly. “He’s the head of the Parks Department here in Briar Glenn.”
I’d heard all about Tegan’s brother from Atlas. His bravado and alpha male posturing when it came to his sister’s relationship. What Atlas didn’t tell me was how ridiculously hot he was.
