Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by obr
Beneath Black Sails by Clare Sager
4.0
This, my friends, is Fantasy Romance with a big emphasis on the romance. If you like all the tropes that the enemies-to-lovers subgenre has to offer packaged up with pirates and magic, you could hardly do better. I personally am no avid romance reader, so while the storytelling is strong I was always going to find those tropes a bit much. That in no way invalidates this as a worthy, if familiar, read. Think [b:Piratica|1021244|Piratica (Piratica, #1)|Tanith Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330810587l/1021244._SY75_.jpg|710415] meets [b:Between Two Thorns|15797394|Between Two Thorns (The Split Worlds, #1)|Emma Newman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1355162536l/15797394._SY75_.jpg|21520287] with a snifter of steaminess and you'll be on the right track.
We follow the Lady Vice, a pirate famed not for being captain of her own ship (much to her displeasure) but for being a woman. Not that there aren't other female pirates, just none so successful, reckless and downright fabulous. It doesn't hurt that she's a "sea witch"; one with fae power over the waters. The tavern patrons of Lundun sing songs of her deeds while she sails the Arawakéan seas, stealing ships with cunning. Then along comes the famed pirate hunter Knigh Blackwood. He's young, handsome and motivated to go after this Queen of the Seas by the high price on her head. After being tricked by her, he concocts a plan that will bring her in to face justice... But also in to his life in ways he never imagined.
You know what I loved? This is unashamedly fun. Yes, the underlying bones of the romance are the same as many others, but gosh darn it, if you're going to do tropes you might as well do them with this much aplomb. For any (fellow) prudish readers out there, there is a reasonably *ahem* steamy encounter or two, making this book more mature than Ms Sager's Counterfeit Contessa series (which, for the record, I adore.) The pacing is pretty consistent, mixing in slow scenes with epic sea battles
Set in the same world as [b:A Thief & A Gentlewoman|41285532|A Thief & A Gentlewoman (Counterfeit Contessa, #1)|Clare Sager|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534783629l/41285532._SY75_.jpg|58012195], but in a different part of the reimagined world, there is the tiniest bit of crossover (the infamous sabrecats get a mention) but it's completely unnecessary to know anything from the other series. While the Contessa was in an alternate Mediterranean, Vice sails between tropical pirate isles and the reimagined Regency England where magic is rife thanks to the native fae. The detailing of the world might not be quite as rich given than the vast majority of the action takes place at sea, far removed from any one place, but the ideas are planted ready for if there's more shore-leave to come.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say Vice and Knigh are you classic enemies-to-lovers couple; easy to rile, quick to deny all feelings despite all evidence to the contrary. They notice each others scent, or the tightness of each other's clothes. I was slightly sad to see that Vice, as a sexually liberated woman, had to come over all annoyed about being sexually attracted to someone when that's never been a problem in the past and she's evidently quite the tease. But again that's one of those tropes that maybe I just don't get. There are some confected conflicts, but they make sense in terms of the story and the characters' respective pasts. As for side characters, I will say that I wish we'd gotten to know the crew better earlier on.
It's not just Vice who's the tease though. Sweet fae in a teacup, there are so many little delicious hints at people, places and events that could happen in future. How it ends is something fresh. Don't go gunning for a traditional HEA anytime soon considering how events unfold. Classic though they may initially be, our couple are more complex than that.
Now that the basics have been established, I'm absolutely stoked to see how Vice and Knigh navigate the big, wide world where X marks the spot... though whether it's treasure or danger remains to be seen.
-I received a free ARC copy of this ebook from the author. This does not influence my ability to enjoy nor my decision to review this book-
We follow the Lady Vice, a pirate famed not for being captain of her own ship (much to her displeasure) but for being a woman. Not that there aren't other female pirates, just none so successful, reckless and downright fabulous. It doesn't hurt that she's a "sea witch"; one with fae power over the waters. The tavern patrons of Lundun sing songs of her deeds while she sails the Arawakéan seas, stealing ships with cunning. Then along comes the famed pirate hunter Knigh Blackwood. He's young, handsome and motivated to go after this Queen of the Seas by the high price on her head. After being tricked by her, he concocts a plan that will bring her in to face justice... But also in to his life in ways he never imagined.
You know what I loved? This is unashamedly fun. Yes, the underlying bones of the romance are the same as many others, but gosh darn it, if you're going to do tropes you might as well do them with this much aplomb. For any (fellow) prudish readers out there, there is a reasonably *ahem* steamy encounter or two, making this book more mature than Ms Sager's Counterfeit Contessa series (which, for the record, I adore.) The pacing is pretty consistent, mixing in slow scenes with epic sea battles
Spoiler
although I did find that last escape surprisingly low in tension - I kept expecting something a bit more bombastic before they hit the open seas but then again I've probably watched Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times!Set in the same world as [b:A Thief & A Gentlewoman|41285532|A Thief & A Gentlewoman (Counterfeit Contessa, #1)|Clare Sager|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534783629l/41285532._SY75_.jpg|58012195], but in a different part of the reimagined world, there is the tiniest bit of crossover (the infamous sabrecats get a mention) but it's completely unnecessary to know anything from the other series. While the Contessa was in an alternate Mediterranean, Vice sails between tropical pirate isles and the reimagined Regency England where magic is rife thanks to the native fae. The detailing of the world might not be quite as rich given than the vast majority of the action takes place at sea, far removed from any one place, but the ideas are planted ready for if there's more shore-leave to come.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say Vice and Knigh are you classic enemies-to-lovers couple; easy to rile, quick to deny all feelings despite all evidence to the contrary. They notice each others scent, or the tightness of each other's clothes. I was slightly sad to see that Vice, as a sexually liberated woman, had to come over all annoyed about being sexually attracted to someone when that's never been a problem in the past and she's evidently quite the tease. But again that's one of those tropes that maybe I just don't get. There are some confected conflicts, but they make sense in terms of the story and the characters' respective pasts. As for side characters, I will say that I wish we'd gotten to know the crew better earlier on.
It's not just Vice who's the tease though. Sweet fae in a teacup, there are so many little delicious hints at people, places and events that could happen in future. How it ends is something fresh. Don't go gunning for a traditional HEA anytime soon considering how events unfold. Classic though they may initially be, our couple are more complex than that.
Now that the basics have been established, I'm absolutely stoked to see how Vice and Knigh navigate the big, wide world where X marks the spot... though whether it's treasure or danger remains to be seen.
-I received a free ARC copy of this ebook from the author. This does not influence my ability to enjoy nor my decision to review this book-