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The Sea
Literature professor Louise Richards has a secret. She isn’t human. Her evergreen body harbors a weathered soul, jaded and no longer thriving. That is, until fascinating student Nicole Stark walks into her classroom and awakens something within.
Nicole is different and alluring in ways Louise can’t quite put her finger on. Who is this mysterious, enticing woman? What is she hiding? Louise would love to lose herself in those knowing eyes and that teasing smile, and find out everything.
A supernatural lesbian romance about embracing secrets and being true to ourselves.
approx. 4,000 words; short story
Nicole is different and alluring in ways Louise can’t quite put her finger on. Who is this mysterious, enticing woman? What is she hiding? Louise would love to lose herself in those knowing eyes and that teasing smile, and find out everything.
A supernatural lesbian romance about embracing secrets and being true to ourselves.
approx. 4,000 words; short story
20 pages, ebook
First published October 15, 2018
4 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
K.L. Hughes
9 books484 followersKL Hughes is an American poet and fiction author writing in multiple genres. Growing up in a small town of just over 1500 people, she spent much of her time inventing various ways to entertain herself as well as others. Whether it was through vocal performances of original children’s songs or theatrical re-enactments of books, movies, and actual events, Hughes showcased her extensive imagination and creativity at a very early age.
She began writing poetry at the age of nine, a passion that rapidly grew and expanded to include short stories, novellas, and eventually novels. Throughout elementary school and high school, Hughes won several contests and competitions focused in original poetry and short-story composition.
After graduating valedictorian of her high-school class, Hughes went on to pursue and earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Theatre Arts and English Literature. Her collegiate studies allowed her to develop and hone her skills in poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, and fiction prose.
Working as a writer full-time, Hughes lives in the United States with her wife and their Dalmatian. When not writing, she enjoys theatre and film, travel, visits to old cemeteries and haunted houses, putting on one-woman musicals for her wife, long walks and hikes, and family time.
She began writing poetry at the age of nine, a passion that rapidly grew and expanded to include short stories, novellas, and eventually novels. Throughout elementary school and high school, Hughes won several contests and competitions focused in original poetry and short-story composition.
After graduating valedictorian of her high-school class, Hughes went on to pursue and earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Theatre Arts and English Literature. Her collegiate studies allowed her to develop and hone her skills in poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, and fiction prose.
Working as a writer full-time, Hughes lives in the United States with her wife and their Dalmatian. When not writing, she enjoys theatre and film, travel, visits to old cemeteries and haunted houses, putting on one-woman musicals for her wife, long walks and hikes, and family time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
October 8, 2018
'ARC provided by Ylva-Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review'
**'Dialogue should be brief...Emotion creates memory and readers affinity.Humor is emotion and often the most powerful one.Don't tell jokes.Expose the humor of reality and the truth of the story..'
Beautiful read!
'THE SEA' captures the ambivalence at the center of a professor having to make a choice: does she act on all these alluring,desirable and at the same time sort of magnetic feelings that she has towards this very intriguing student or just keep letting those constant dreams & thoughts haunt her. To readers this is a very short and descriptive story of seductiveness with interesting attraction from a distance that might lead to something maybe. Recommended!
**'Dialogue should be brief...Emotion creates memory and readers affinity.Humor is emotion and often the most powerful one.Don't tell jokes.Expose the humor of reality and the truth of the story..'
Beautiful read!
'THE SEA' captures the ambivalence at the center of a professor having to make a choice: does she act on all these alluring,desirable and at the same time sort of magnetic feelings that she has towards this very intriguing student or just keep letting those constant dreams & thoughts haunt her. To readers this is a very short and descriptive story of seductiveness with interesting attraction from a distance that might lead to something maybe. Recommended!
October 11, 2018
4.25 Stars. What a tease. This is an excellent short story, but it is a short. I knew this was a quick read, but I was assuming novella length. I am disappointed it’s so short but only because I was completely hooked. Just when I desperately wanted to keep flipping the pages it was over. I don’t know if this was just a little short Hughes wrote for Halloween, but I would love, love to see this turned into a full length book or at least another short or novella to continue the story. It’s always really exciting to me when good authors take a chance to step outside their normal genre. Hughes took the seductiveness of her romances and gave it a light paranormal twist. Well it absolutely worked and I wish more authors would take this chance. I really hope Hughes doesn’t stop here, this is the kind of book I want to read.
An ARC was given to me by YLVA for a honest review.
An ARC was given to me by YLVA for a honest review.
October 17, 2018
I enjoyed it so much I read it twice. The story made me smile but the writing took my breath away. Dr Louise Richards is mesmerized by one of her students in the Advanced Literary Analysis course she teaches. She can feel her presence when she’s nearby, she’s distracted by her gaze, and knows she needs to stay far away.
I’m a fan of short stories and, even though this was shorter than I expected it to be, I was riveted by every word. Beautifully written.
Book received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.
I’m a fan of short stories and, even though this was shorter than I expected it to be, I was riveted by every word. Beautifully written.
Book received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.
January 31, 2019
I finally hopped on the bandwagon and read this wonderfully written short story about a vampire who becomes infatuated with one of her students and struggles with her attraction. I can totally understand why after finishing this some readers were left frustrated as the story ends without having truly started. Really all this is, is a 4000 words tease.
Still worth the read but do I want an entire book now that I've essentially gotten the gist? This may be an unpopular opinion but no. No I don't.
Still worth the read but do I want an entire book now that I've essentially gotten the gist? This may be an unpopular opinion but no. No I don't.
Read
October 17, 2018This was free on YLVA’s website, so you won’t lose anything except a little time if this isn’t to your liking. It’s well written for a short, but it’s so short it’s hard to get invested in it at all. There isn’t much of a story, per se, but a quick, intimate look at a woman’s obsession with one of her students. I’ll admit, I’d be curious to read more with actual detail and a plot, but as-is, this was really just a giant tease with an unsatisfying ending. Be warned, the ‘story’ stops at 81% (on the Kindle app) and the remaining 19% is ‘Other books by YLVA blah, blah, blah,’ which is frustrating as hell. Because of this, I’m not rating it; I’m too annoyed to be fair.
January 2, 2019
The Sea was an absolute gem! Ms.Hughes did wondrous with this book - from some minor yet very interesting background of Doctor Richards' that I would really like to learn more of to the mysterious student by the name of Nicole Stark, the goddamned bane of her professor's existence.
25 pages on the Scribd app but with its gorgeous cover, extremely interesting storyline, the mother of all forbidden romance, a chance to a HEA for someone deserving of one - The Sea would be able to take down full-length books, anytime, anywhere.
25 pages on the Scribd app but with its gorgeous cover, extremely interesting storyline, the mother of all forbidden romance, a chance to a HEA for someone deserving of one - The Sea would be able to take down full-length books, anytime, anywhere.
October 8, 2018
Liked it well enough for a short. Would have been better IMO if it were at novella length but I get it. Wonder if this is meant to be a part of an anthology or if it's a stand alone with follow ups. Guess we'll see.
December 20, 2019
I did not realize this was a short story as I opened it on the train this morning, then promptly finished when I got to work. Quick little read that was very eloquent and full of longing by MC Louise Richards, who has been alive for centuries. Her meeting of student Nicole Stark threw her for a spin. The language was quite beautiful and I was quickly drawn in, only to have it end! So bravo for a lovely read, but now I do want to learn more about these two. The MCs backstories would be unique and oh-so-welcome to discover as a reader, as this has the potential to be an incredible story should Ms. Hughes choose to make more of it.
October 18, 2018
3 Stars for a short, short story leaving you wanting more. Free on the Ylva site. Love, love the cover.
October 21, 2018
K.L. Hughes (of Popcorn Love fame) wrote the little teaser The Sea used as a free promotion for Publisher Ylva. The story is about a 700-year old vampire who is baffled by the lusty feelings she’s experiencing when a young student (don’t worry she’s legal) enters her classes. What we get is her struggle as she tries to resist the urge to pounce this woman. The story is over before it has a chance to really begin and I heard Ylva got quite some flack over it. I know you are not supposed to look a gifted horse in the arse (or any other orifice) but people seemed bummed that a potentially great story was cut so short. Maybe K.L. Hughes can be persuaded to write this as a full-length novel someday.
f/f
Themes: great potential but too short to get the juices going, Hughes felt more poetic in her proze this time, vampires and their sore gums… those retractable canines truly are a bitch.
3.5 stars
f/f
Themes: great potential but too short to get the juices going, Hughes felt more poetic in her proze this time, vampires and their sore gums… those retractable canines truly are a bitch.
3.5 stars
October 24, 2023
Why did I just torture myself? Why can't this become a novel?! It would be awesome.
K.L. Hughes writing is so good, even when condensed in few pages. The longing and mystery!
This is a perfect short reading for Halloween.
K.L. Hughes writing is so good, even when condensed in few pages. The longing and mystery!
This is a perfect short reading for Halloween.
October 17, 2018
Me, reading the first sentence: Aaaah yes this is what I’ve been waiting for. My crops are flourishing, my skin is clear, my depression n anxiety are cured…
Me, reading the sentence “I could hear her body functioning: liquids sloshing about, stomach groaning, teeth grinding the slightest bit”: Okaaaay well this is definitely an interesting CHOICE.
Me, understanding why this sentence makes sense, muttering under my breath with a lot of feeling: hell yeeeeeeesssss, sweet mother Sappho!
Me, after the last sentence: Yes hello, I want a 80k sequel please?
Me, reading the sentence “I could hear her body functioning: liquids sloshing about, stomach groaning, teeth grinding the slightest bit”: Okaaaay well this is definitely an interesting CHOICE.
Me, understanding why this sentence makes sense, muttering under my breath with a lot of feeling: hell yeeeeeeesssss, sweet mother Sappho!
Me, after the last sentence: Yes hello, I want a 80k sequel please?
April 6, 2021
Neat short story! A 700+ year old vampire teacher of literature feels she is a hollow shell, not much interest in anyone or anything. Until a student captures her attentions, and she struggles against the feelings... what is it about this student?
You can get it for free on the YLVA Website: https://www.ylva-publishing.com/produ...
You can get it for free on the YLVA Website: https://www.ylva-publishing.com/produ...
October 20, 2018
What a tease. I want more, please.
October 17, 2018
ARC received from YLVA in return for an honest review.
I’m not really sure how to review this one. I know it’s a short story, but honestly, it read like an excerpt. It literally ends just where the action would be expected to start. The story is intriguing but provides very few answers. I hope this is the first of a series, or that at the very least there’s a follow up, because without it this is a frustrating read.
4 stars because what’s there is well-written and hooks you in, but there needs to be MORE!!!
I’m not really sure how to review this one. I know it’s a short story, but honestly, it read like an excerpt. It literally ends just where the action would be expected to start. The story is intriguing but provides very few answers. I hope this is the first of a series, or that at the very least there’s a follow up, because without it this is a frustrating read.
4 stars because what’s there is well-written and hooks you in, but there needs to be MORE!!!
October 24, 2023
4 Stars - very good short story. would love to read more but it is still a perfect bite sized morsel with a great ending.
January 5, 2022
Just when it seemed to get interesting… the book ended !! Damn… The Sea was a really short read, and now I guess I will just have to play it out in my mind how the story panned out or wait (in vain?) for a full length novel… or not!
Available in Scribd
Available in Scribd
October 20, 2018
"The Sea" by K.L. Hughes is a paranormal short story with two very interesting characters. The reader sees the story through the eyes of Professor Louise Richards who we discover is not human but an old soul who has become tired of the life she has had to live. Then she meets Nicole Stark, one of her students who is an intriguing mystery to Louise.
I picked up this short story mainly because of the author. I generally don't choose paranormal tales, but I knew Ms. Hughes is an excellent author so I gave it a try. I'm very glad I did. The story is told in the first person narrative through the eyes of Louise. First person narrative is hard to do well, but "The Sea" is a perfect example of how to write in this narrative.
As I read the story, I was able to put myself inside Louise. I saw what she saw, felt what she felt, smelled what she smelled and tasted what she did. The descriptions were so sharp and vivid it was easy to do that. Excellent writing.
I would love to see this story turned into a novel and I do hope the author is planning to do so. I would gladly choose to read this paranormal story as a book.
I received this story as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, but you can also get the story free at the publisher's website.
I picked up this short story mainly because of the author. I generally don't choose paranormal tales, but I knew Ms. Hughes is an excellent author so I gave it a try. I'm very glad I did. The story is told in the first person narrative through the eyes of Louise. First person narrative is hard to do well, but "The Sea" is a perfect example of how to write in this narrative.
As I read the story, I was able to put myself inside Louise. I saw what she saw, felt what she felt, smelled what she smelled and tasted what she did. The descriptions were so sharp and vivid it was easy to do that. Excellent writing.
I would love to see this story turned into a novel and I do hope the author is planning to do so. I would gladly choose to read this paranormal story as a book.
I received this story as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, but you can also get the story free at the publisher's website.
November 8, 2018
4.0 - Good story with intriguing characters. Wish there was more.
I really liked this first person short paranormal tale. While low word count is often an invitation to do quick little fluffy romance pieces, The Sea was a little deeper and more introspective than other fictions of like genre and length. Hughes didn't just tell us Louise's age, she made us feel it by putting the weight solidly on the reader's shoulders with each detail and observation we experience through Lou's eyes.
The Sea is light at 4000 words, and only about a 10 minute read. But Louise and Nicole's characters were intriguing enough that I’m hoping that this short story is a precursor to a book about them down the road. I would love to see what Hughes takes us next.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
I really liked this first person short paranormal tale. While low word count is often an invitation to do quick little fluffy romance pieces, The Sea was a little deeper and more introspective than other fictions of like genre and length. Hughes didn't just tell us Louise's age, she made us feel it by putting the weight solidly on the reader's shoulders with each detail and observation we experience through Lou's eyes.
The Sea is light at 4000 words, and only about a 10 minute read. But Louise and Nicole's characters were intriguing enough that I’m hoping that this short story is a precursor to a book about them down the road. I would love to see what Hughes takes us next.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
October 18, 2018
Beautiful writing. Truly felt the need/desire/want. Would love to read a full novel like it. Much too short. Left me with many of the same feelings as Dr. Lou.
October 11, 2018
Nicole Stark’s eyes captures Professor Louise Richards. “When she looked up, our eyes met. Hers were green; not a dark, rich green like emeralds but a light green, so light they could change colors in the right setting. They could be the soft gray of spring rain clouds or the translucent blue of the moon’s reflection on water, something almost white.”
KL Hughes short story The Sea reads like a beautiful poem to attraction and desire. Her descriptive prose takes you exactly where she wants you to go. You become as mesmerized by Nicole as Professor Richards. For all Dr. Richards’ restraint to give into her desire for her student you read on wanting her to cross that line.
The beauty of a superb short story is the ability of the writer to slow everything down to be savoured and consumed at a palatable pace. Ms Hughes has just taught us a Master Class. 5 ⭐️
KL Hughes short story The Sea reads like a beautiful poem to attraction and desire. Her descriptive prose takes you exactly where she wants you to go. You become as mesmerized by Nicole as Professor Richards. For all Dr. Richards’ restraint to give into her desire for her student you read on wanting her to cross that line.
The beauty of a superb short story is the ability of the writer to slow everything down to be savoured and consumed at a palatable pace. Ms Hughes has just taught us a Master Class. 5 ⭐️
October 19, 2018
Too freaking fast. I want more, 200 pages more.
October 13, 2018
!!!!! Really enjoying this and then it ended. I did not realise it was that short. I so hope there is a continuation of the story.
Good writing, well executed, too good to leave as a short.
Arc from ylva for honest review.
Good writing, well executed, too good to leave as a short.
Arc from ylva for honest review.
October 18, 2018
This short story was amazing!
It captured me as a reader and drew me in to it with the wonder of the words that formed it. With a poetic feel, and a dark, deeply beautiful story I was entranced and swept up in this story that isn’t all as it might seem at first. Fascinating with haunting beauty!
The perfect read for a long, relaxing coffee break with some biscuits (or maybe on an Autumn evening with a nice glass of wine and the lights down low!)
Loved this so much that I wish there were more, but it is perfect just as it is!
It captured me as a reader and drew me in to it with the wonder of the words that formed it. With a poetic feel, and a dark, deeply beautiful story I was entranced and swept up in this story that isn’t all as it might seem at first. Fascinating with haunting beauty!
The perfect read for a long, relaxing coffee break with some biscuits (or maybe on an Autumn evening with a nice glass of wine and the lights down low!)
Loved this so much that I wish there were more, but it is perfect just as it is!
October 16, 2018
A really fantastic short story, one that left me wanting a hell of a lot more. I hope there is more to come with these characters.
October 29, 2018
This is an excellent story. The wriing is clean and evocative. I liked it very much.
My only gripe is the length. I knew that this ws a short story, and I have no issues with that. I like short stories, but for thsi story in particular it was a little too short. I found the ending tobe quite a dissappointment. Frustrating. I so desperately wanted more.
On teh good side, KL Hughes features on my list of authors to look outfor and I will probably read more (when I get the TBR pile a little shorter).
My only gripe is the length. I knew that this ws a short story, and I have no issues with that. I like short stories, but for thsi story in particular it was a little too short. I found the ending tobe quite a dissappointment. Frustrating. I so desperately wanted more.
On teh good side, KL Hughes features on my list of authors to look outfor and I will probably read more (when I get the TBR pile a little shorter).
October 26, 2018
Maybe just maybe this will be made into a full length book. A girl can only hope.
December 14, 2018
This was a well written paranormal short. O downloaded it for free from Smashwords. The narrative was good and I felt I was with the main character and experiencing her desires and needs. A good little read I wish had been longer.
November 12, 2018
What a fantastic short story. It sucked me and kept me there to the end. I was left me wanting more but that’s me being greedy. Oh and I loved the cover.
September 13, 2019
Way too short, but my... what an enticing read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews