When the Tides Held the Moon

By: Venessa Vida Kelley

Narrated by: Lee Osorio, Joel de la Fuente

The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman in this queer historical cozy fantasy, as a young Puerto Rican immigrant goes through a journey of love and self-discovery after capturing a merman for a Coney Island sideshow act in turn-of-the-20th-century New York.

"A lushly historical romance … This book is a charming fable—an elemental dance of fire and water."—THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Venessa gives life to the most unexpected things. I have a strong, strong feeling that this is the start of something special.”—TJ KLUNE, New York Times Bestselling Author of The House in the Cerulean Sea

Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds everyone, especially the eccentric side-show proprietor who commissioned it. Benny’s work earns him an invitation to join the show’s eclectic crew of performers—his first welcome in the city—and share in their astonishing secret: the tank Benny built is a cage for their newest exhibit, a living, breathing, in-the-flesh merman stolen from the banks of the East River under a gleaming full moon.

The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveler, and a kindred spirit more beautiful and compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own.

A cage is no place for a merman to survive. Though releasing Río means betraying his new family, bankrupting their home, and losing his soulmate forever, Benny must look within for the courage to do what’s right, and find a love strong enough to free them both.

©2025 Venessa Vida Kelley (P)2025 Recorded Books

a devastating beautiful queer romance

all the queers thrive in the end!!!! so like, y'all better go read this title and fall in love with the sea alongside Benito

Beautifully moving and utterly romantic

Fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue (as I am) should download this immediately. Though this story could not be more different, Benny and Rio's love is just as epic. Part historical fantasy, part magical realism, and all romance, with a found family I would defend to the ends of the earth. This is going straight onto my shelf of all-time favorites. Gorgeous story and a beautiful performance.

Narrators brought the characters to life!

I absolutely loved this story. The narrators with different voices and accents really brought the characters and the overall story to life. I was in tears throughout. I want to go get a physical copy of this book so that I can read it again myself and add it to my collection.

Soooo Wonderful!

A love story that transcends all expectations. Absolutely beautiful! Great character development. Great depiction of the time period. Thoughtful writing about some 'difficult' topics. Bravo!

This book will be listened to again and again.

I highly recommend!

My heart melts

What an absolutely beautiful love story, an amazing work of art.
The authors use of words, metaphors, and colloquialisms paint a picture in my mind. I love the historical aspect as well. I love history, even though I know that the version that we are told is not always how it actually happened. history is always written by the victor, or the most popular vote at the time: everyone knows this. shameful as that may be.
I love how the author took a part of our countries, wild and dirty history and inserted something beautiful in it.