A Walrus & A Gentleman by Emmaline Strange

Ragnar Ambrose is a simple guy with simple tastes. He enjoys the predictable solitude of his life as a lighthouse keeper, and though he’s been unlucky in love, he’s content with his quiet routine of collecting oceanographic data, knitting, tending the lighthouse, and of course, maintaining his reputation as the town’s local cryptid. He’s a gruff Walrus shifter, who prefers being alone to being the butt of a thousand family jokes. He likes his lonely life.
It’s peaceful. He understands it. And above all, it’s quiet.
Enter Kellan West, an exuberant artist determined to use his prestigious summer painting fellowship at Ragnar’s lighthouse as a fresh start. A survivor with a heavy past, Kel has only one rule: don’t get attached. He’s only here for the summer, so why indulge his crush on the scowling lighthouse keeper? Anyway, he has art to produce, and local mysteries to unravel. When the mysterious creature known as the Selkie King saves Kel from drowning, he simply has to learn more.
What he learns proves to Kel he’d been right along: trust is a mistake, and everyone has a secret.

Content warning: mentions of past abuse