Category: Pirate Romance

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Kimberly reviews The Highlander’s Pirate Lass by Heather McCollum

TITLE: The Highlander’s Pirate Lass
SERIES #: The Brothers of Wolf Isle #2
CHARACTERS: Eliza & Beck
AUTHOR: Heather McCollum
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/23/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Eliza Wentworth is no lady. After the notorious pirate Jandeau murdered her family, she vowed to spend the rest of her life at sea, saving others. She’d rather be firing cannons than embroidering pillows—or worse, bowing to the demands of a husband. But when she’s stranded on an island off the coast of Scotland, now she is the one in need of help. And, annoyingly, that help comes not only from a man, but a man she struggles to resist.

Highlander Beck Macquarie has never met a woman like Eliza. He hasn’t met many women, period, thanks to the blasted curse set upon Wolf Isle decades ago. To save the clan, he needs a wife and bairns, and rough-around-the edges Eliza is anything but wife material. She has no intention of staying once she’s able to set sail again. He should let her go. But the desire between them is impossible to ignore.

When she asks Beck to teach her the ways of the bedroom while she bides her time on his island, he can’t say no. As they learn more about each other, though, past trauma and secrets resurface. Now, Eliza must choose between the freedom and comfort of the only life she’s ever known and sacrificing it all to save the people she loves…including Beck.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I read very few Highlander romance books but Heather McCollum is one I enjoy. McCollum never has a “damsel in distress” feel to her stories even if the heroine needs help (which we all do) sometimes. But, I have never enjoyed pirate romance. Something doesn’t appeal to me with that genre but since it was McCollum I picked up this story.

With all that being said, this was not one of my favorites by McCollum but for a pirate romance it wasn’t bad. I never really enjoyed Eliza. She is so harsh and self-centered. Beck is another thing altogether. I adored him. He was so sweet and cared so much for Eliza. Was willing to do anything she needed. While she treated him like a doormat.

A part of me kept hoping Beck would realize he deserved better and some sweet lass would steal him away from Eliza. But, of course, this is a romance so a HEA happens and while not my favorites by McCollum I enjoyed the story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kelly reviews The Bright And Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

TITLE: The Bright and Breaking Sea
SERIES: Captain Kit Brightling #1
CHARACTERS: Kit Brightling & Rian Grant
AUTHORS: Chloe Neill
NARRATOR: Danielle Cohen
RUN TIME: 10 Hours & 55 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: November 17, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.
Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles’ Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte’s fleet. Her ship is small, but she’s fast–in part because of Kit’s magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.
Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn’t know him or his motives–and she’s dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who’s been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.
Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall.

REVIEW:
Pirates, magic and mayhem..
Such a wonderful start to a new series for Chloe Neill. The Bright and Breaking Sea follow Captain Kit Brightling and her crew. Captain Brightling is tasked with saving a member of the Crown. The task includes sharing the leader role with Viscount Rian Grant. The success of the mission will depend on how well these two can and will work together.
I listened to The Bright and Breaking Sea on Audio. Danielle Cohen is a new narrator to me. I thought she did a wonderful job narrating this book. I will say that there was a time or two when she said a word that caught me off guard. But only because that is not how I pronounce them. But I had to remind myself that this story takes place in New London.
I am very much looking forward to the next adventure in the Kit Brightling series! If you are looking for an adventure romance who’s main character is awesome I would suggest picking up this book.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

TITLE: The Princess Beard
SERIES #: The Tell of Pell #3
CHARACTERS: A Princess, A Pirate, A Centar, A Dryad, An Elf and many other crazy characters
AUTHOR: Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
NARRATOR: Luke Daniels
RUN TIME: 13 Hours & 11 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.
Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.
When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails–which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.
This is not a story about finding true love’s kiss–it’s a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.
But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there’s Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there’s Tempest, who’s determined to become the first dryad lawyer–preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They’re joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn’archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you’ve got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!
In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars The Princess Beard is the third book in the Tells of Pell series by Delilah S Dawson and Kevin Hearne. I listened to this book on Audible as I have listened to the first two books and Luke Daniels is an amazing narrator. This was another epic adventure in the land of Pell.
I did enjoy this book. Each of the characters has a great journey of enlightenment that they are on.
At times the puns were a little too much. Over all this was another good addition to the Tells of Pell trilogy. Will we see these cast of characters again in the future? Only time will tell if we will be able to visit Pell yet again.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine & Audible.com in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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Kimberly reviews Pirate’s Pleasure by Lisa Kessler

pirates pleasureTITLE: Pirate’s Pleasure
SERIES #: Sentinels Of Savannah #3
CHARACTERS: John & Harmony
AUTHOR: Lisa Kessler
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/22/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
No one steals from this pirate…

John Smyth has survived mutinous pirate crews, wars, and the passage of centuries by keeping his life as he did his ships, organized and well stocked. But when his crew is tasked with stealing Pandora’s Box for the government, it opens a door to destruction, and her name is Harmony Andrews.

Harmony is a risk-taking investment broker by day, and a thief by night. As a member of the underground Digi Robins crew, she steals relics to sell on the dark web and donates the money to people without insurance who need life-saving medical treatments. After taking a box from the docks in Savannah, she finds herself being hunted on multiple fronts, but she never expects the chaos trailing her to lead directly to her boss, the sexy, infuriating John Smyth.

The fearless thief has tangled with the wrong pirate, but he will be forced to choose: will he keep his heart safe at port, or follow it into the storm of pleasure.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the third in the series but I didn’t realize that when I requested it from NetGalley. While it can be read as a stand alone you can tell that you are missing some information from the previous books.

I have read this author off and on for years and to be honest have never been into the whole pirate thing but since I knew the author I thought I would give it a try. And I wasn’t disappointed.

I felt the story was a little slow in the beginning and it took me a bit to understand that the series is about immortal pirates and the women they fall for. Seems an odd combination. But once the romance relaly got started it was an enjoyable read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3hearts-68-77