{"id":32208,"date":"2026-06-23T11:05:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=32208"},"modified":"2026-06-23T16:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:34:31","slug":"review-tentacles-triathlons-by-ashley-bennett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/23\/review-tentacles-triathlons-by-ashley-bennett\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Tentacles &amp; Triathlons by Ashley Bennett"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-32208\" data-postid=\"32208\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-32208 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_xz6n729 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_4vh9729 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_i6ut729 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"987\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?resize=640%2C987&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-32210\" title=\"tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett\" alt=\"tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?resize=664%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?resize=768%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tenacles-and-triathlons-ashley-bennett.jpg?resize=400%2C616&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_s4ex729 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">There is only one thing holding back Briar Glenn Parks Department supervisor Reece Rollins from success in his upcoming triathlon\u2014his subpar swimming skills. At the urging of his sister\u2019s wolven mate, Reece joins Leviathan Fitness to train in the gym\u2019s 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.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">For the past few months, Cyrus has been floating through life without his usual spark. He\u2019s even hit a creative block with his painting and hasn\u2019t 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.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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?<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_jja7729 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_51dr729  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16466 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts-1.jpg?resize=135%2C44&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jun 9, 2026<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Leviathan Fitness<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>2<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Tentacles. It was definitely the tentacles.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was my first time reading a book from <strong>Bennett<\/strong>, so color me surprised when I found out it was the second book in the series. No worries, as the story works as a standalone. I wanted to love this book, and there were plenty of parts I did enjoy, from the setting to the vivid descriptions of the monsters and the interesting world in which the characters exist.=<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The story centers around the town of Briar Glenn, a town brimming with both humans and fantasy creatures alike. Our main characters are <strong>Cyrus<\/strong>, a 400-year-old Kraken, and <strong>Reece<\/strong>, the local park ranger. Cyrus is living a half-life, depressed and with no inspiration to paint he\u2019s a shell of the Kraken he used to be. Reece is a friendless jerk who\u2019s dealing with childhood trauma impacting his relationships with his family and co-workers. But Reece is attempting to mend fences and is training for a triathlon, who better to help him learn how to be a better swimmer than Cyrus, a natural? Only what starts as merely a friendly relationship soon becomes much more as these two are fated mates.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As I mentioned, the setting, the cast, and this world Bennett has built is enjoyable. What I struggled with were the goals and motivations for Cyrus, which seemed rooted simply in the fact that Reece was his mate. Whereas Reece is only about the triathlon. The spice is spicy, with plenty of tentacle-steamy scenes, and the plot is driven by this sexual relationship that builds into more. I also found Reece hard to relate to or enjoy. His anger and general off-putting attitude felt forced; also, he was always calling himself names, but in reality, in some of those instances, he wasn\u2019t being rude or a jerk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you want low angst, fated mates, insta-spice with a fantastical world in a contemporary setting, this one\u2019s for you. I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll check out the next book, but I wouldn\u2019t mind a story featuring Reece\u2019s co-worker, Javier.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_8gdv729 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4w43uUD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/43RHVuw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/tentacles-triathlons-ashley-bennett\/1143119030?ean=9780593957004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/tentacles-triathlons-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Ashley_Bennett_Tentacles_Triathlons?id=QYGFEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is only one thing holding back Briar Glenn Parks Department supervisor Reece Rollins from success in his upcoming triathlon\u2014his subpar swimming skills. At the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,112,128,48],"tags":[146,216,361],"class_list":["post-32208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-landra","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-3-stars","tag-contemporary","tag-monster-romance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Tentacles &amp; Triathlons by Ashley Bennett - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/23\/review-tentacles-triathlons-by-ashley-bennett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Tentacles &amp; Triathlons by Ashley Bennett - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is only one thing holding back Briar Glenn Parks Department supervisor Reece Rollins from success in his upcoming triathlon\u2014his subpar swimming skills. 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At the urging of his sister\u2019s wolven mate, Reece joins Leviathan Fitness to train in the gym\u2019s 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.<br \/><br \/>For the past few months, Cyrus has been floating through life without his usual spark. He\u2019s even hit a creative block with his painting and hasn\u2019t 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.<br \/><br \/>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?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p> <hr \/> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jun 9, 2026<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Leviathan Fitness<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>2<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p> <hr \/> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Tentacles. It was definitely the tentacles.<\/em><\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was my first time reading a book from <strong>Bennett<\/strong>, so color me surprised when I found out it was the second book in the series. No worries, as the story works as a standalone. I wanted to love this book, and there were plenty of parts I did enjoy, from the setting to the vivid descriptions of the monsters and the interesting world in which the characters exist.=<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The story centers around the town of Briar Glenn, a town brimming with both humans and fantasy creatures alike. Our main characters are <strong>Cyrus<\/strong>, a 400-year-old Kraken, and <strong>Reece<\/strong>, the local park ranger. Cyrus is living a half-life, depressed and with no inspiration to paint he\u2019s a shell of the Kraken he used to be. Reece is a friendless jerk who\u2019s dealing with childhood trauma impacting his relationships with his family and co-workers. But Reece is attempting to mend fences and is training for a triathlon, who better to help him learn how to be a better swimmer than Cyrus, a natural? Only what starts as merely a friendly relationship soon becomes much more as these two are fated mates.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As I mentioned, the setting, the cast, and this world Bennett has built is enjoyable. What I struggled with were the goals and motivations for Cyrus, which seemed rooted simply in the fact that Reece was his mate. Whereas Reece is only about the triathlon. The spice is spicy, with plenty of tentacle-steamy scenes, and the plot is driven by this sexual relationship that builds into more. I also found Reece hard to relate to or enjoy. His anger and general off-putting attitude felt forced; also, he was always calling himself names, but in reality, in some of those instances, he wasn\u2019t being rude or a jerk.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you want low angst, fated mates, insta-spice with a fantastical world in a contemporary setting, this one\u2019s for you. I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll check out the next book, but I wouldn\u2019t mind a story featuring Reece\u2019s co-worker, Javier.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4w43uUD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/43RHVuw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/tentacles-triathlons-ashley-bennett\/1143119030?ean=9780593957004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/tentacles-triathlons-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Ashley_Bennett_Tentacles_Triathlons?id=QYGFEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32208"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32218,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32208\/revisions\/32218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}