Half Moon Bay

Betray humanity and risk insanity to love a siren queen.

Cape Althea whispers of a wraith guarding the bay. Capricious weather and the glint of iron scales betray an ominous presence, but nothing more… until Laura Rivell sets sail.

Embarking on a revival cruise with her childhood friend, Laura is reborn into darkness instead of the promised light: A fate of ethereal dirges, kindred spirits, and a treacherous siren that the sheltered Miss Rivell cannot resist. Now Laura must decide whether to turn her back on religion, society, and humankind itself to love a monster—

And perhaps become a monster.

Seize the lure of Half Moon Bay, romantic Gothic fantasy for women influenced by Andersen’s Little Mermaid meets Eggers' Nosferatu, crafted for souls that embrace the villain within.

“Half Moon Bay blends genres and offers readers intense romance that knows no bounds—a truly distinctive novel.” —The BookLife Prize (2025)

“This story is so inventive that it seems like folklore uncovered, rather than told. Manteufel’s writing is filled with rich imagery and detail, and her voice will remind readers of the best Gothic novels—lush and haunting, expressive and hypnotizing, but always clear about the most heightened moments… a dark fairytale. Half Moon Bay is a book about what happens when you chase monstrosity and you catch it.” —Ana Hansen, Sparks Editorial

Title Information
*Closed door sapphic romance with fade-to-black intimacy
*Engaging worldbuilding with siren lore, undersea politics, and man-eating siren horror centered around femme rage
*Categorized Adult for mature themes with the full advisory on the copyright page
*Man Devil Press does not support the use of Gen-AI programs in the arts. No Gen-AI was utilized in the making of this book.