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A review by razzamatazzberry
The Sneaky Lass by Kennedy Sutton
medium-paced
3.0
Let's start with what I liked about this book.
1. The MCs were adorable. Cute buttons, I was giddy and really keen for them to get together.
2. It was a fun take on piracy - the front, the taking not killing, the acting and the pain when someone threatened the fascade and they had to prove themselves cruel.
3. The representation. Captain Holt was pan sexual, which made Jane's disguise and their attraction work very well. The other relationships were also sweet and believable.
4. I'm glad that I didn't now the spice level before reading because I wouldn't have picked it up if I had.I usually prefer at least once scene in my romances, and this only gave me kisses and vague hints. It's still pretty brutal, though with blood and gore, death and desperation, so it's absolutely not innocent.
Now onto what I didn't like as much, or, rather, which has me disappointed.
1. I like a good discussion, internal and external about the moral challenges the MCs face. With the fun take on piracy comes the moral dilemma of attempting to be a morally good thief. But if thieving is morally bad, and occasionally leads to you having to kill and maim, how can you be morally good. It is the question of "how can you be good while doing bad things?" I would have liked such a discussion. The MCs sneak past the discussion, dipping a toe into it, but I would have prefered it be taken on completely.
2. Along these lines, there were instances where the FMC's actions felt unsatisfactorally motivated. She'd think of one option, then the other, and then act. There were no considerations for consequences other than her being discovered, which just left me wondering why she was acting the way she was. This was enhanced by the lack of emotions, for example when she considered leaving the Sneaky Lass, she just couldn't do it, but I rarely found her agonising about the thought of it, or mourning the prospective loss, leading her to cling tighter to what she has, or act foolishly, or less carefully, threatening exposure.
3. This leads me to the premise of the story. The Sneaky Lass has the rule that any man who keeps a secret shall be marooned on a deserted island to die of thirst or suicide. This is, to me, an odd rule to have on a pirate ship. Even stranger, no one seems to care about the rule. If it were that important, before every departure, people would be lining up to tell every newcomer their deepest darkest secret. If it were that important, the two people who learn about her secret would have told the captain immediately and felt no regret about it. It just doesn't make sense.
4. This brings me to the climax.One of the sailors, I forget his name, tells the FMC a story in the beginning of her travel with the Sneaky Lass about a captain who fell in love and who changed the rules for his love's sake. This to me was a Chekovs gun. Holt would find out about Jane and, because he's in love with her, would forgive her. This did not happen and I am very disappointed. At every turn I waited for her to be discovered: I wanted her to take the boy's punishment because she was supposed to try to be a good person, but instead she flogged him. I wanted her shirt to become seethrough, causing Holt to ask questions about the binding around her chest. I wanted Holt to see the discomfort when they were at that brothel but it just served as a ploy to cause jealousy. I wanted Holt to sneak into Jane's room when she was bathing and discover it. I wanted him to find her stitching up her wound. Instead, he finds out while Jane is unconsious. I got to see nothing. No expression, no rage, no guilt, not even the need to save face in front of his men. Nothing. I am greatly disappointed. And while I want to know how things end up, I don't think I can bring myself to read the second book.
1. The MCs were adorable. Cute buttons, I was giddy and really keen for them to get together.
2. It was a fun take on piracy - the front, the taking not killing, the acting and the pain when someone threatened the fascade and they had to prove themselves cruel.
3. The representation. Captain Holt was pan sexual, which made Jane's disguise and their attraction work very well. The other relationships were also sweet and believable.
4. I'm glad that I didn't now the spice level before reading because I wouldn't have picked it up if I had.
Now onto what I didn't like as much, or, rather, which has me disappointed.
1. I like a good discussion, internal and external about the moral challenges the MCs face. With the fun take on piracy comes the moral dilemma of attempting to be a morally good thief. But if thieving is morally bad, and occasionally leads to you having to kill and maim, how can you be morally good. It is the question of "how can you be good while doing bad things?" I would have liked such a discussion. The MCs sneak past the discussion, dipping a toe into it, but I would have prefered it be taken on completely.
2. Along these lines, there were instances where the FMC's actions felt unsatisfactorally motivated. She'd think of one option, then the other, and then act. There were no considerations for consequences other than her being discovered, which just left me wondering why she was acting the way she was. This was enhanced by the lack of emotions, for example when she considered leaving the Sneaky Lass, she just couldn't do it, but I rarely found her agonising about the thought of it, or mourning the prospective loss, leading her to cling tighter to what she has, or act foolishly, or less carefully, threatening exposure.
3. This leads me to the premise of the story. The Sneaky Lass has the rule that any man who keeps a secret shall be marooned on a deserted island to die of thirst or suicide. This is, to me, an odd rule to have on a pirate ship. Even stranger, no one seems to care about the rule. If it were that important, before every departure, people would be lining up to tell every newcomer their deepest darkest secret. If it were that important, the two people who learn about her secret would have told the captain immediately and felt no regret about it. It just doesn't make sense.
4. This brings me to the climax.