Reviews with content warning for Gore - Sea of Ruin

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

30 reviews

deesquared's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Bit of a rollercoaster, couldn’t stop reading, definitely check triggers! I’m not sure if it was historically accurate, but still a wild read.

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valentinaap's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

this book is violent. very very very violent. and usually dark romance is not my cup of tea, but gods, this book had me hooked.

there were moments when it was too much and i just wanted to scream, but at the same time i couldn't stop reading it.

bennet was such a bad bitch. we love a girlboss. she was not afraid, she always held her head high, even when shit was ugly.

the pace was superb. amazing. i would read 70 pages without even realizing. i love books like that. read the trigger warnings tho

I LOVE A THROUPLE. i am a sucker for throuples, so i am so so so happy about how that went down. and also that they had a happy ending<spoiler/>

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paperdreams's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

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littlemaggiemae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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alyssa_dorene's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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friends2lovers's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

Author: Pam Godwin
Series: None, this is a standalone. (There is a prequel short story called King of Libertines, but it's not necessary to read it at all. If you do, it can be read before or after Sea of Ruin.)
Genre: dark historical romance
Setting: mostly 1721 (early Georgian era) in the West Indies
Main Characters: Bennett Sharp, Priest Farrell, Ashley Cutler
Tropes: pirates, adventure, estranged marriage, captor/captive, ménage (MMF)
Format: Kindle ebook (own), published April 28, 2020, © 2020
Length: 555 pages, 151k words
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥(5 out of 5) - High Steam
Sexual Content:

There were 5 full, explicit sex scenes plus at least 6 additional scenes that I wouldn't count as flames/full scenes. A lot of explicit descriptions and mentions throughout of sexual attraction and arousal. Includes anal (noncon/dubcon), spanking as discipline (dubcon), voyeurism, ménage à trois (MMF with minimal on-page MM interactions), and forced exhibitionism

Spoiler Warning!
I was having trouble with the spoiler tags, so I'm just giving a warning upfront that this entire review contains spoilers!

I can see why this is a 5-star read for a lot of people. For me, there were moments and aspects of this that were worthy of 5-stars. But, I like to reserve a 5-star rating for my absolute favorite books, the ones that I wouldn’t change a thing about. And Sea of Ruin doesn’t quite meet that standard. Overall, I found it a compelling, interesting read that I couldn’t put down once I got to the good stuff around a quarter of the way in. I would recommend it with caveats. This is a dark historical romance. Check the content warnings at the bottom of this review. Rest assured there is an HEA but it's not a traditional one - The book ends with the heroine in a polyamorous MMF relationship with two men.

He was, quite unfortunately, a handsome son of a bitch. Inarguably handsome, but in a rigid, chillingly regal manner.

Hands down, my favorite part of this book is the character of Ashley Cutler. I didn’t truly become engrossed in the story until Bennet is held captive on his ship. There’s just something about a buttoned up, seemingly cold/unfeeling hero bottling up his emotions, hiding secrets, and on the edge of losing control. I also really loved all the adventure! The only other historical pirate romances I’ve read have been low on sea-faring action. This was not at all lacking in that regard! Surprisingly, I also really dug the darker content and themes, if only because it raised the stakes. I’ve said many, many times before that I prefer historical romance to contemporary because it’s usually higher stakes. I think I need to delve into some other subgenres like dark romance or romantic suspense to get the higher stakes that I want. I definitely plan to try more of Pam Godwin’s backlist.

A lot of what I didn’t like about Sea of Ruin is related to being in the heroine’s first person point of view for the entire narrative. The focus on the heroine was probably the best choice for the story Godwin was telling, but it did not work for me on several levels. The suspense is magnified, but there were many times I would have liked to see what was happening with other characters or get inside their heads. Despite being in Bennett's head the whole time, I didn’t get a good sense of her characterization beyond a surface level archetype - beautiful and badass. Since the heroine is a hoydenish type, I didn’t always like her perspective and could have used a break.

Typically, a first-person POV would be effective at conveying the emotional depth of the main character. While Bennett is obviously distressed and in pain while these things are happening to her, the violence and torture she endures throughout the book do not traumatize, change, or otherwise affect her long-term in a profoundly meaningful way. Without those plot points being a catalyst for dynamic character growth, the constant violence just seems over the top and gratuitous. Perhaps Godwin deliberately chose not to dwell on the trauma so as not to bog down the narrative or create too morbid of a mood. To me, it kind of felt like a repetitive loop where Bennett is abused and violated, she escapes or is rescued, she does a reset to normal, then is thrown back into a dire situation. Violence, escape, return to normal, repeat.

Most importantly, the centrality of the heroine and her POV detracted from the most compelling relationship in the story: Priest/Ashley. I quite honestly would not give a fig if the ending of this had excluded Bennett from the picture. I guess I just love a forbidden romance between characters with a history. (I had a similar affinity for Val and Peter in Kate Pearce’s House of Pleasure series, whose relationship has parallels to Priest/Ashley) All the good romantic angst in this book is happening between Priest and Ashley, but since they’re only shown through Bennett’s limited perspective, their connection within the MMF triad is somewhat diminished.

I hated that we aren’t privy to any of their private conversations or interactions, especially between the time when Priest rescues them from Madwulf’s ship and Bennett wakes after her fever. In the single on-page MMF sex scene, Ashley and Priest kiss, but that’s it. And when summarizing their sexual encounters thereafter, Bennett’s narrative says Priest and Ashley “[...] never showed an inclination to fuck each other. I was their one and only focus.” This was extremely disappointing considering the build up to the reveal that Ashley was the secret lover that Priest cheated on Bennett with. To my disappointment, up until this point the romance was MFM, not MMF. Thankfully, things turn around and the way Godwin wrote their relationship actually serves a purpose and makes sense; the why of it just didn’t dawn on me until later. The last time they had seen each other, Ashley rejected Priest and they’ve been estranged ever since. It’s only after Ashley gives up everything and returns to them that Ashley and Priest finally have sex. It’s recounted after the fact from Bennet’s POV, but it does happen! So, my interpretation of all this is that Priest would not want to resume relations with Ashley unless he knew that Ashley was in it for the long haul and no longer in denial about his feelings.

“I don’t know what to call it…this invisible thing that wraps so tightly around us. All I know is that I want to protect it, guard it with my life, and never let it go. This isn’t something that needs mending or burying. It’s raw and honest and perfect, and you damn well know it.” Priest leaned back enough to hold Ashley’s gaze. “I love you.”
Ashley’s chest hitched, his expression so unguarded I felt his longing in my bones.
“You like hearing me say that to you?” Priest tangled his hands in Ashley’s hair, holding their faces together. “I love you, and I will keep fighting for us."

The longing! I’m glad the relationship moving forward will be a true MMF one. I just…sigh…would have loved to see more of Priest/Ashley untangling all their complicated feelings on-page in their own POVs, not through someone else’s.

Finally, I would like to know if the reader is meant to be completely in the dark about Priest/Ashley just like Bennett was. I read a spoiler review of this before starting it, so I knew that Ashley was the person that Priest cheated with. So perhaps that's why I picked up on all the breadcrumbs throughout and it seemed so obvious to me. I couldn't tell if the reveal was supposed to be shocking or not.

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30something_reads's review against another edition

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4.5

4.5 ⭐ This was a wild read for me. I went in to this one totally blind. My thought process was literally, "Wow this is pretty," and "Oooh look pirates!" and I honestly had a great time

BUT here is the thing. This book is DARK and angsty. I was not anticipating a dark historical romance just based off the cover and description so some of this story was pretty shocking as I was going through it. LOTS of trigger warnings needed for violence, suicide, sexual abuse, rape, gore - SO MANY THINGS!!! So.... as long as you are going into this knowing ALLLLL of that - this is a really good read.

It's the 1700s and Bennett Sharp is a badass lady pirate captain out there sticking it to the Royal Navy and slaver ships.
Her love interests are:
Priest Farrell. Another badass pirate rake who has spent the past 2 years hunting her down for reasons.
and Ashley Culter. Commodore for the English Navy and successful pirate hunter.

WHEW the steamy tension and spicy spice throughout this book is excellent.

And I was VERY much appreciative of their HEA - much needed after all of the darkness in this book. YEESH.

My only real complaint was the inclusion of the rape scenes as a plot device. I think we could have gotten to the same end without it. Same for the one scene between Bennett and Ashley that moved into the nonconsensual territory. - - again, dark dark VERY dark and angsty - - but overall had a really good time with the story and the characters.

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adhara13's review against another edition

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abir_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I keep coming back to this review to add trigger warnings... that's how many there are
See I finished this in a day so it should be 5 stars but there should've been some warnings about the rape and torture that happens in the book.

Also there was no aftermath of the rape, the MC had sex with her 2 partners after being raped.

Speaking of the 2PARTNERS, this was tagged mmf elsewhere but that's mainly mentioned, not really shown, it's mfm.

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tagreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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- Part of The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge, A Character "On The Run"
- Part of POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, A book set mostly or entirely outdoors

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General Review:

What a ride! Although I have issues with it, this book pulled me in from the start. The story was packed with so much action gripping you to know what is next. The author does not shy away from exposing the anti-heroes’ flaws and the romance is a dark one which left me with so many conflicting emotions/opinions. I am new to the Dark Romance world so I am not sure how much of the “darkness” I should have expected or what is considered “normal” in a dark romance so mostly I am basing my enjoyment of the book on the story itself and how it succeeded in maintaining my interest throughout, aside from the “love” between the characters.

Trigger/Content Warnings:

Sexual Assault, Rape, Lack of Consent, Violence

The Main Characters:

Bennett Sharp: Daughter of the infamous pirate Edric Sharp, Bennett is following in her father’s footsteps. She is a badass female Captain, fierce enough to command Jade, a ship with one-hundred-and-twenty-man crew
Priest Farrell: Known as the King of Libertines, Priest is an infamous raider well-known for boarding ships, overthrowing the captain, and taking command. At least this was his life before meeting Bennett who he ended up marrying
Ashley Cutler: Stone cold pirate hunter with a very high sense of duty. He commands HMS Blitz, the only one-hundred-gun ship of the line on the sea

The Plot:

Bennett has been on the run for two years. As the pirate daughter of the infamous Captain Edric Sharp, she is wanted by a lot of people: Navy officers wanting to bring her down, pirate hunters seeking the bounty for her capture, enemies wanting to eliminate their competition, but most importantly her husband Priest Farrell. After finding out his betrayal, Bennett left him and never looked back. Now, he is determined to find her and make her give him a second chance. However, just when their paths collide, Bennett is captured by Lord Ashley Cutler, who is determined to see her hang and collect his due recognition. But Bennett turns out to be more than what he bargained for, and when the lines between enemies and lovers start to blur, everyone’s lives become at risk.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

What I Liked:

The storytelling: The narrative was beautiful and you could easily imagine the scenes as they unfolded. The story was packed with action and suspense to keep you flipping through the pages.
Bennet & Edric Sharp: Chapters 2 and 3 were among my favorite ones. Although you could guess that she was going to meet her father, but from the moment Bennert start running, you can’t help but be engrossed in the scenery. Her interaction with her father was beautifully written with a heartbreaking end. I also loved the twist of her mother knowing about these meetings taking place
The aftermath of being caught by Madwulf: Probably the most suspenseful part of the story. With Priest thrown into the equation, I just couldn’t wait to see what his plan would be and how the 3 would be able to escape.
The treasure hunt: The compass was my favorite part of King of Libertines and Bennett finally being able to open it was very satisfying. Albeit cut short by the detestable Madwulf!

What I Disliked:

I would have loved to see a glimpse of how Bennett came to command Jade prior to having Priest and Ashley on board. She is one of the few - if not the only - female pirate captains so it would have been nice to see her first moments where she proved herself as a fierce captain on a ship full of men
Insta Love: In the King of Libertines novella, this was also one of the issues I disliked and it happens here again with Bennett and Ashley. They are both too quickly mesmerized by each other
The “Romance” between Ashley and Bennett: Ashley sexually assaulting Bennett and the lack of consent scene were really disturbing to read. It is quite alarming for Bennett especially to consider that they were in love. Moreover, the aftermath of the lack of consent is more focused on Ashley than on Bennett. We get to see how this affected him and how regretful he is that it happened and her feelings are eventually glossed over
The Love Imbalance: The story concludes as being this epic love story between our 3 main characters with Bennett being the main focus, however I can’t help but feel that the love/relationship between Priest and Ashley came out as far more superior/deeper than their love for Bennett, which took away from the resolution being all 3 of them ending up together
Bennett’s continual abuse: Bennett went through a lot of abuse that it got to a point where it became just too much! Characters do not need to be continually raped for them to have a dark backstory. She already suffered enough, her father’s death, her mother’s suicide, the fact that she succeeded in being a pirate doing whatever is necessary to survive, all are factors that portray her fierceness without resorting to sexual assault
Lack of trauma after rape: After being sexually assaulted for days by the admiral, I thought we would see more of a struggle for Bennett to get back to her normal self. I do not claim to know what rape survivors go through or how they handle their trauma but we failed to see any signs of Bennett trying to heal from what happened. She is forced to be so strong that she is not given the time to deal with the rape’s aftermath.

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