The Waters Of Ryujin
A Global Beasts Book
by Beth A. Freely
Beauty. Betrayal. A love that defies centuries.
Cursed by the Shogun and transformed into a water dragon by the sea god Ryujin, Hanzo Ikeda has guarded the hidden lake for over a century, forgotten, feared, and alone. Bound by magic and grief, his humanity fades with each passing year… until she arrives.
Asuka, the Shogun’s youngest daughter, is destined for a marriage of politics and power. But when she strays too close to the forbidden waters, she awakens the creature whispered about in palace legends. Instead of a monster, she finds a man with a sorrowful gaze and a soul as deep as the lake.
Drawn to one another through dreams, secrets, and stolen moments, Asuka and Hanzo must defy the forces that seek to keep them apart. But love alone may not be enough to break the ancient curse, or survive the storm it will unleash.
A lush retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in 1700s Japan, The Waters of Ryujin is a sweeping tale of fate, sacrifice, and the transformative power of love.
Award-winning author Beth A. Freely was born and raised in upstate New York, with a brief and very influential stint living in Great Britain that can be seen in her writing. Today she calls New Mexico home. When asked how long she has been writing, she’ll tell you, “All my life.”
In 2003, she published some of her fanfiction online and won awards for her stories. Two years later, she was the 1st Place winner of the 2005 Arche Books Publishing Novel Writing Contest in Women’s Fiction with her novel Behind the Eyes of Dorian Gray. In 2022, she took home 1st Place in Romance/Science-Fiction and 2nd Place in Science-Fiction/Aliens & Alien Invasion in the Spring Bookfest Awards with her novel Beyond The Steps of Stone.
Beth holds a masters in English and Creative Writing and enjoys horseback riding, swimming, reading, cuddling her cats, and helping other authors hone their craft.