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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A whirlwind of adventure, Brianna takes you for a full journey ride with this one. Full of charming and brooding rogues, pirates, bold heroines, pirates, sea spanning quests, and have I mentioned the pirates? This book is fun the whole way through.
Great banter between the characters and a fun premise with good growth, this is definitely a perfect summer binge-worthy pick. Easily accessible fantasy, you don’t need to be a prior deep fantasy fan to pick this one up and get into its groove.
This book is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers, epics quests, excellent side characters, and nautical escapades.
This book is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers, epics quests, excellent side characters, and nautical escapades.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my first pirate romantasy & it was SO much fun. We have a strong, feisty, independent fmc; a morally gray mmc; fun side characters; lots of adventure, & touches of magic & spice.
The author described the story so well & I can picture it perfectly. The dialogue flowed & the story was written. She set this book up nicely to go into book two. We still have lots of questions about the world & characters & a cliff hanger!! This is a perfect book for those who are looking to get into fantasy because this is an easy world to learn & follow! I was afraid this would be too spicy but it wasn’t overpowering & easy to skip over if that’s not your thing! My only problem was the romance felt rushed & I had hard time believing the characters’ feelings! 4⭐️, 2🌶️
Thank you to the author for an ARC copy of the book in exchanged for an honest review!
🏴☠️Morally gray
🏴☠️Slow burn
🏴☠️Touch her & die
🏴☠️Easy fantasy
🏴☠️Slow burn
🏴☠️Treasure hunt
adventurous
slow-paced
This book was.. a bit of a mess. There were only three chapters where I didn't spot at least one error. I'm guessing the author used text-to-speech due to the repeated use of "haul" instead of "hull" and several other similar issues. Also, a "silver tongue" means you're persuasive, not sassy; I think she meant a "sharp tongue" wherever that was used.
Also...
- According to the map, Emerald Cove is not a cove. And they refer to it as an island when it doesn't look much like an island, either.
- It was strange to randomly tell us Rowenya's age (36) halfway through the book.
- The series of events as Rowenya and her companion escape fromEmerald Cove was bizarre. You can't dodge a lightning strike, I doubt you'd get a concussion from being knocked over on the sand, being cold and wet does not actually cause fevers, and you aren't supposed to fall asleep if you have a concussion, but she does? For an unknown but presumably short amount of time? I was very thrown off by all of that.
- How tf did Rowenya not ask Grayson about his heritage until 91% of the way through the book?? He's some sort of immortal being and she just never asked what the deal is with his magic eyes or eternal life?!
- Similarly, I'm annoyed that we still don't know about Rowenya's mom. Clearly something is up but her internal thoughts very conveniently never revealed anything.
- How did Blythehave any idea where they were heading?? They didn't solve the riddle until they were at sea. Why would he randomly decide to check the death trap asteroid field Dead Man's Passage?
- Why tf would Grayson not warn Rowenya aboutthe barrier that made her feel like she was suffocating? When he warned her about scraping noises from the paddle a few pages later, I snorted. Really, dude??
- I kept thinking there would be a reveal that Grayson can read minds or that they're fated mates but I guess Rowenya just has the worst poker face of all time and the whole "I've been waiting/looking for you for forever" thing was meant in a general sense.
I was told this was an enemies-to-lovers romantasy with a treasure hunt and a morally gray MMC. What I got was a slow-paced pirate quest with basically no magical elements and an MMC who is pretty much only morally gray in that he's a pirate. I want to know the answers to the hundred questions I still have, but not enough to continue this series.
I was given an ARC and, clearly, that did not prevent me from sharing my honest thoughts. 😬 Sorry.
Also...
- According to the map, Emerald Cove is not a cove. And they refer to it as an island when it doesn't look much like an island, either.
- It was strange to randomly tell us Rowenya's age (36) halfway through the book.
- The series of events as Rowenya and her companion escape from
- How tf did Rowenya not ask Grayson about his heritage until 91% of the way through the book?? He's some sort of immortal being and she just never asked what the deal is with his magic eyes or eternal life?!
- Similarly, I'm annoyed that we still don't know about Rowenya's mom. Clearly something is up but her internal thoughts very conveniently never revealed anything.
- How did Blythe
- Why tf would Grayson not warn Rowenya about
- I kept thinking there would be a reveal that Grayson can read minds or that they're fated mates but I guess Rowenya just has the worst poker face of all time and the whole "I've been waiting/looking for you for forever" thing was meant in a general sense.
I was told this was an enemies-to-lovers romantasy with a treasure hunt and a morally gray MMC. What I got was a slow-paced pirate quest with basically no magical elements and an MMC who is pretty much only morally gray in that he's a pirate. I want to know the answers to the hundred questions I still have, but not enough to continue this series.
I was given an ARC and, clearly, that did not prevent me from sharing my honest thoughts. 😬 Sorry.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- first and foremost thank you to the author for giving me the chance to be an ARC reader!
.
.
Overall:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶🌶.75/5
.
.
- i am obsessed to say the least. This book is a perfect crossover of things like Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Mummy, which are two of my favorite movies!
- I loved Grayson. I immediately got good vibes from him and I knew I was going to enjoy his character. He very much reminded me of all of the men from POTC. If all of the main men in those movies birthed one child to carry on the legacy it would be this man. And i mean that as the highest compliment! He still has his own twists and turns and secrets though. I had a lot of respect for him pretty much from the get-go. Morally grey sure, but with good reason. He gets a green flag 💚 from me! (There's no green flag emoji so use your imagination)
- Rowenya I have equally as much respect for. She's so strong and capable, and the times when she's "damsel in distress" she's literally helplessly in distress and needs assistance. I love that she has respect for Grayson, but st the end of the day she's still strong and capable! Like thank you for having my back, but i can do this by myself I don't need to be babied. I LOVE that. It's not a full rejection of help either! It's just a believe that I can do this because I can vibe. I will say, I did immediately think she was younger in her 20's but I love it even more that she's older and that's where her self sufficiency comes from.
.
⚠️ spoilers possibly?⚠️
- I love Grayson & Rowenya's relationship. It started rocky for sure, but it genuinely seems so healthy? I feel like I'm not used to seeing healthy relationships in books all that often anymore, there's always gotta be some problem. But with THEM there's a problem and they talk about it? They both have tempers but they both respect each other enough to talk about it and express WHY they're upset and I love that so much. Nothing says power couple like a couple who communicates and talks about things instead of holding it all in and letting things explode.
- the way this book ended on such a cliffhanger?! First of all it was a deliciously tense cliffhanger and I hate you a little bit for it madam author but I also love you for it because I'm now chomping at the bit for book 2.
⚠️spoilers over⚠️
.
- I love that while there IS a cliffhanger, its done in such a way that really leaves you wanting more and excited to see how the story continues.
- you can really feel it in the book, that the author either already knows so much about ships, or did a lot of research that paid off. Which I adore because having a well researched topic book really pays off as far as getting you interested and invested in the story. It felt really well put together and thought out when you're reading it, which just made the whole experience more immersive.
- the side characters were and are so much fun! They're written in a way that's engaging and you get to like them, but it doesn't take away from the main story.
- I would die for Tommy. IYKYK. he's a sweet angel and I will actually cry if anything happens to him (< this was written before finishing the book and the following is after finishing the book - ⚠️ madam author HOW DARE YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT ⚠️ )
- almost, ALMOST more than enemies to lovers. I love rivals to lovers. Because often rivals are on the same side but against each other, and the sweet sweet moment when they realize they're on the same side and more powerful together?! I eat it up everytime and this time is no different.
- I love a man with "touch her and die" energy. Not that Rowenya NEEDS a man who thinks that about her, but 🥵 man the way Grayson feels about her. Once again, I'm eating that up, its done so well and Rowenya has set such clear boundaries for herself, like "i respect that you feel that way, and i love you for it but dont forget I can fight and I will fight"
.
- one thing that wasn't my favorite was the use of 'male' as opposed to 'man/men'. Unless Grayson & crew are another species, male seems out of place. There was a particular time (I'm paraphrasing here) where Rowenya said something like "it drives me crazy to be attracted to this male one minute and hate him the next" i just feels that in most of the instances 'male' is used feels unnatural and could be replaced with man/men. (This was also written before finishing the book, but I maintain that using Male instead of Man feels unnatural)
Overall:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶🌶.75/5
.
.
Overall:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶🌶.75/5
.
.
- i am obsessed to say the least. This book is a perfect crossover of things like Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Mummy, which are two of my favorite movies!
- I loved Grayson. I immediately got good vibes from him and I knew I was going to enjoy his character. He very much reminded me of all of the men from POTC. If all of the main men in those movies birthed one child to carry on the legacy it would be this man. And i mean that as the highest compliment! He still has his own twists and turns and secrets though. I had a lot of respect for him pretty much from the get-go. Morally grey sure, but with good reason. He gets a green flag 💚 from me! (There's no green flag emoji so use your imagination)
- Rowenya I have equally as much respect for. She's so strong and capable, and the times when she's "damsel in distress" she's literally helplessly in distress and needs assistance. I love that she has respect for Grayson, but st the end of the day she's still strong and capable! Like thank you for having my back, but i can do this by myself I don't need to be babied. I LOVE that. It's not a full rejection of help either! It's just a believe that I can do this because I can vibe. I will say, I did immediately think she was younger in her 20's but I love it even more that she's older and that's where her self sufficiency comes from.
.
⚠️ spoilers possibly?⚠️
- I love Grayson & Rowenya's relationship. It started rocky for sure, but it genuinely seems so healthy? I feel like I'm not used to seeing healthy relationships in books all that often anymore, there's always gotta be some problem. But with THEM there's a problem and they talk about it? They both have tempers but they both respect each other enough to talk about it and express WHY they're upset and I love that so much. Nothing says power couple like a couple who communicates and talks about things instead of holding it all in and letting things explode.
- the way this book ended on such a cliffhanger?! First of all it was a deliciously tense cliffhanger and I hate you a little bit for it madam author but I also love you for it because I'm now chomping at the bit for book 2.
⚠️spoilers over⚠️
.
- I love that while there IS a cliffhanger, its done in such a way that really leaves you wanting more and excited to see how the story continues.
- you can really feel it in the book, that the author either already knows so much about ships, or did a lot of research that paid off. Which I adore because having a well researched topic book really pays off as far as getting you interested and invested in the story. It felt really well put together and thought out when you're reading it, which just made the whole experience more immersive.
- the side characters were and are so much fun! They're written in a way that's engaging and you get to like them, but it doesn't take away from the main story.
- I would die for Tommy. IYKYK. he's a sweet angel and I will actually cry if anything happens to him (< this was written before finishing the book and the following is after finishing the book - ⚠️ madam author HOW DARE YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT ⚠️ )
- almost, ALMOST more than enemies to lovers. I love rivals to lovers. Because often rivals are on the same side but against each other, and the sweet sweet moment when they realize they're on the same side and more powerful together?! I eat it up everytime and this time is no different.
- I love a man with "touch her and die" energy. Not that Rowenya NEEDS a man who thinks that about her, but 🥵 man the way Grayson feels about her. Once again, I'm eating that up, its done so well and Rowenya has set such clear boundaries for herself, like "i respect that you feel that way, and i love you for it but dont forget I can fight and I will fight"
.
- one thing that wasn't my favorite was the use of 'male' as opposed to 'man/men'. Unless Grayson & crew are another species, male seems out of place. There was a particular time (I'm paraphrasing here) where Rowenya said something like "it drives me crazy to be attracted to this male one minute and hate him the next" i just feels that in most of the instances 'male' is used feels unnatural and could be replaced with man/men. (This was also written before finishing the book, but I maintain that using Male instead of Man feels unnatural)
Overall:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶🌶.75/5
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first foray into pirate romance fantasy and it set a high bar! It read like it was written by a pirate -and I mean that in the best way. Someone who knows all the intricacies of ships, navigation and even pirate culture. It checks all the boxes- enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally grey MMC and a cliff hanger ending. The FMC isn't just a kick ass pirate captain but she's in her MID 30S! I'm definitely 'hooked' and will be waiting for the next one!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was able to secure an ARC of OTSAS and I loved it 🏴☠️🚢⚓️🩵🌊🧜🏼♀️!!! Thank you to Brianna Remus for trusting me to review and read your words ahead of publishing 🥹
TLDR version of the Review:
Check trigger warnings before reading.
In a swash-buckling tale of rivals to lovers pirate dark romance, we get a killer instinct FMC Rowenya and a morally grey cheeky MMC Grayson who you can’t help but love. The world is full of lore and creatures from vampyres to sirens and witches, and the treasure hunt adventure our 2 main characters set off on throughout the book gave Pirates of the Caribbean energy in the best way. And the ending cliffhanger we get definitely makes me hungry for book 2 ASAP!
I’m still thinking about these characters days after reading and I can’t wait for the next instalment in this trilogy.
SETTING ⚓️
Although most of the book takes place at sea, Remus does a great job at making the ship feel like a whole other world.
Set in a world where mythical gods, vampyres, sirens, witches, pirates and magic all exist, we get a healthy dose of magical realism backdropped by a politically corrupt kingdom, and hence, a layered storyline that evokes another time and place (a la Pirates of the Caribbean).
STORYLINE 📖
Our characters individual storylines were surprisingly layered and complex as well - but not in a way that detracted from the overall plot, rather in an way that gave them a lot more depth and added to their respective arcs throughout the book.
As we follow our FMC and MMC on their journey to find the treasure unlocked by The Serpents Key, we explore themes of found family, belonging, trauma, and loss (so again, check your trigger warnings before reading), amid the slow burn romance between Rowenya and Grayson- which brings me to:
THE ROMANCE 🩵
I LIVE for a rivals to lovers so for me the dynamic between Grayson and Rowenya was a delight. We start with Grayson kidnapping Rowenya to help him find and secure the treasure of The Serpents Key to forced proximity at the inn, and eventually get the ‘touch her and I’ll 🔪 you’ vibe (which we love) so it was definitely giving rivals to lovers as promised. And the nickname Little Pearl is everything 🐚
When he [SPOILER]cuts off the hand of the guy who dared to touch her without consent !!!! 🥵
And I also LOVE that our FMC is 36. It was so nice to see an age gap relationship (since our MMC is immortal) where the protagonist isn’t freshly 18 or 21 and has a bit more life lived. Like slay women in their 30s 💅🏻
The *one* thing I might say about the pacing of the romance was that because we did have a slow burn and lot of tension before we them get intimate in any way (which I lived for), it might have made sense to draw out Rowenya’s feelings of contempt towards Grayson a bit longer before she realized what she was actually feeling was lust/attraction. It felt like maybe she admitted to herself how hot she thought he was a bit too early.
EDITING/METAPHORS ✏️
I did love all the sea and star metaphors - especially ones like our loved ones who have passed on “dancing among the stars” - however, the storm metaphors for what Rowenya was seeing in Grayson’s eyes were a bit overdone. I get why we described his godly features that way, but I think that specific metaphor may have been overused.
As well, something that held me back from going all the way to 5 stars was that I did note a few typos while reading. Totally get this can happen, but it was just that extra little editing thing that held that final star back for me.
OVERALL 🫶
I had a GREAT time with this book and I’m really excited for the sequel. Thank you again to Brianna for the chance to be an ARC reader and I can’t wait to continue reading about Rowenya and Grayson in the coming sequel.
If you like magic, pirates and romance novels, this book is for you.
TLDR version of the Review:
Check trigger warnings before reading.
In a swash-buckling tale of rivals to lovers pirate dark romance, we get a killer instinct FMC Rowenya and a morally grey cheeky MMC Grayson who you can’t help but love. The world is full of lore and creatures from vampyres to sirens and witches, and the treasure hunt adventure our 2 main characters set off on throughout the book gave Pirates of the Caribbean energy in the best way. And the ending cliffhanger we get definitely makes me hungry for book 2 ASAP!
I’m still thinking about these characters days after reading and I can’t wait for the next instalment in this trilogy.
SETTING ⚓️
Although most of the book takes place at sea, Remus does a great job at making the ship feel like a whole other world.
Set in a world where mythical gods, vampyres, sirens, witches, pirates and magic all exist, we get a healthy dose of magical realism backdropped by a politically corrupt kingdom, and hence, a layered storyline that evokes another time and place (a la Pirates of the Caribbean).
STORYLINE 📖
Our characters individual storylines were surprisingly layered and complex as well - but not in a way that detracted from the overall plot, rather in an way that gave them a lot more depth and added to their respective arcs throughout the book.
As we follow our FMC and MMC on their journey to find the treasure unlocked by The Serpents Key, we explore themes of found family, belonging, trauma, and loss (so again, check your trigger warnings before reading), amid the slow burn romance between Rowenya and Grayson- which brings me to:
THE ROMANCE 🩵
I LIVE for a rivals to lovers so for me the dynamic between Grayson and Rowenya was a delight. We start with Grayson kidnapping Rowenya to help him find and secure the treasure of The Serpents Key to forced proximity at the inn, and eventually get the ‘touch her and I’ll 🔪 you’ vibe (which we love) so it was definitely giving rivals to lovers as promised. And the nickname Little Pearl is everything 🐚
When he [SPOILER]
And I also LOVE that our FMC is 36. It was so nice to see an age gap relationship (since our MMC is immortal) where the protagonist isn’t freshly 18 or 21 and has a bit more life lived. Like slay women in their 30s 💅🏻
The *one* thing I might say about the pacing of the romance was that because we did have a slow burn and lot of tension before we them get intimate in any way (which I lived for), it might have made sense to draw out Rowenya’s feelings of contempt towards Grayson a bit longer before she realized what she was actually feeling was lust/attraction. It felt like maybe she admitted to herself how hot she thought he was a bit too early.
EDITING/METAPHORS ✏️
I did love all the sea and star metaphors - especially ones like our loved ones who have passed on “dancing among the stars” - however, the storm metaphors for what Rowenya was seeing in Grayson’s eyes were a bit overdone. I get why we described his godly features that way, but I think that specific metaphor may have been overused.
As well, something that held me back from going all the way to 5 stars was that I did note a few typos while reading. Totally get this can happen, but it was just that extra little editing thing that held that final star back for me.
OVERALL 🫶
I had a GREAT time with this book and I’m really excited for the sequel. Thank you again to Brianna for the chance to be an ARC reader and I can’t wait to continue reading about Rowenya and Grayson in the coming sequel.
If you like magic, pirates and romance novels, this book is for you.
I was given this book to read as an ARC copy and was very grateful to receive it. However, I did end up DNFing it at chapter 10 (page 138). This book just isn't for me. I think that the plot needed to play a stronger role in the story. I don't think that the characters were written in a way that made me care what was going to happen. I think that if I did keep reading this may have ended up as a 3 star read. However, the constant description of the MMC's eyes or how the FMC wanted to run her fingers through her hair was just too much.
There was a lot of pirate cliches and the FMC was extremely quick to anger for no reason constantly pulling her dagger and threatening to stab everyone in particular the MMC. The MMC constantly grabbing the FMC's chin and touching her all the time I found completely creepy. I think that this story is more Romance with a slight fantasy background. Whereas I personally prefer a more indepth and involved fantasy plot with a well-established romance to back that up. Unfortunately, I just wasn't drawn in by this writing style at all and had no desire to pick the book up or to continue to read it to find out what was going to happen next.
There was a lot of pirate cliches and the FMC was extremely quick to anger for no reason constantly pulling her dagger and threatening to stab everyone in particular the MMC. The MMC constantly grabbing the FMC's chin and touching her all the time I found completely creepy. I think that this story is more Romance with a slight fantasy background. Whereas I personally prefer a more indepth and involved fantasy plot with a well-established romance to back that up. Unfortunately, I just wasn't drawn in by this writing style at all and had no desire to pick the book up or to continue to read it to find out what was going to happen next.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you want a pirate romance on the high seas with a hunt for treasure, a villainous MMC who is smokin hot and a story that will captivate you from page one then look no further. I devoured every last bit of this book. Honestly, it’s a 6 star read for me.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Thank you to the Author for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first pirate romantasy, and let me just say, I'm a big fan. This book was filled with adventure, intrigue, romance, and found family.
The fierce loyalty amongst the crews was so admirable and made an engaging read. Rowenya was an unlikely Pirate Captain, but held her own in a male- dominated world. She was a really dynamic FMC.
I'm not usually a big fan of the kinda gritty, long-haired MMC, but whoa, Grayson Tyde was totally swoonworthy. Immortal, bad- ass, touch her and die Pirate Captain that knew what he wanted from the moment he laid eyes on her.
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the depth of the themes in this book. Themes, such as an unlikely FMC Pirate Captain leading her crew and rival pirates who work together to fight human trafficking.
My favorite character in the book was Tommy, he added an interesting dynamic to the story. He made Rowenya maternal, and Grayson softer- neither of which you would have expected from ruthless Pirate Captains.
I was really appreciative of the story-telling of the treasure hunting. It was fresh, exciting, and kept me interested. I cannot wait to learn more about some of the creatures in their world.
The chemistry, tension, and banter between Rowenya and Grayson was really hot. The book was not overly spicy nor sexually explicit, but the writing was so great that you still felt the heat between them.
This book ended on a really original cliffhanger. While cliffhangers are frustrating, I have many questions and theories. I'm really eager for the next book to come out.
This was my first pirate romantasy, and let me just say, I'm a big fan. This book was filled with adventure, intrigue, romance, and found family.
The fierce loyalty amongst the crews was so admirable and made an engaging read. Rowenya was an unlikely Pirate Captain, but held her own in a male- dominated world. She was a really dynamic FMC.
I'm not usually a big fan of the kinda gritty, long-haired MMC, but whoa, Grayson Tyde was totally swoonworthy. Immortal, bad- ass, touch her and die Pirate Captain that knew what he wanted from the moment he laid eyes on her.
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the depth of the themes in this book. Themes, such as an unlikely FMC Pirate Captain leading her crew and rival pirates who work together to fight human trafficking.
My favorite character in the book was Tommy, he added an interesting dynamic to the story. He made Rowenya maternal, and Grayson softer- neither of which you would have expected from ruthless Pirate Captains.
I was really appreciative of the story-telling of the treasure hunting. It was fresh, exciting, and kept me interested. I cannot wait to learn more about some of the creatures in their world.
The chemistry, tension, and banter between Rowenya and Grayson was really hot. The book was not overly spicy nor sexually explicit, but the writing was so great that you still felt the heat between them.
This book ended on a really original cliffhanger. While cliffhangers are frustrating, I have many questions and theories. I'm really eager for the next book to come out.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes