Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "hurricane"

The Buccaneer Coast by James L. Nelson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As far as Spain is concerned, the New World belongs to it, not interlopers from France, the Dutch Republic, or England. To take back what is theirs, a Spanish force attacks the islands of Saint Christopher and Nevis and lanceros hunt boucaniers on the northwest coast of Hispaniola. LeBoeuf and his partner are stalking wild pigs when lanceros pursue them. Le Rongeur, a thief and abhorrent man whose only good qualities are his swiftness and his aim, flees. LeBoeuf expects this to be his last day, yet still he stands his ground and lashes out against his attackers.

A fleet of Spanish galleons and warships near their destination, Santo Domingo. Among their passengers is the new lieutenant governor of Hispaniola, Don Alonso Menéndez de Aviles, and his wife. Her father has the money and power, but Don Alonso knows this will not be for long. Traveling among the other vessels is a French ship laden with a surreptitious cargo and secret papers that will allow him to acquire the wealth and influence that he so desperately craves.

Benjamin Graves is either lucky or unlucky. It has always been so and now seems to be a mix of the two. He has lost the cargo that he stole from his employer, Señor Corregidor, because the Spanish attack Nevis, but being aboard his appropriated vessel, he has eluded the invaders. However, he fails to elude Maja, Corregidor’s henchman, and is now on his way back to Santo Domingo to await a fate worse than death . . . unless he can change his luck, which often happens if given the time to talk his way out of a hopeless situation. Two such opportunities present themselves – Spanish ships in pursuit and, later, pirates – and Benjamin has a plan, if he can get Maja to listen.

Maja is a brute of mixed blood, who keeps his own counsel and follows orders. Like capturing Graves and returning him, the ship, and its cargo to Santo Domingo. The problem is he has two of the three and Señor Corregidor will not be happy. But Maja is also savvy and waits for opportunities to present themselves. Like Graves’s risky schemes to elude their Spanish pursuers and to trick the pirates into making a fatal mistake. He knows that sooner or later he will no longer be just property. He will be free and more powerful than the man who owns him.

The Caribbean is a dangerous place, not only because of the various factions claiming ownership, but also because Mother Nature is an unpredictable force that unleashes her fury when it suits her. A hurricane obliterates LeBoeuf’s way of life, yet leaves behind hope for a new life. The same tempest wreaks havoc on Don Alonso’s plans, almost as much as those who are far more experienced in the ways of the New World do. The storm is the catalyst that propels these four men onto pathways that will eventually collide in wrathful ways that promise to be just as life-altering as the devastating effects of the hurricano.

This is the first book in a new series that brings to life the men who hunted wild pigs, but were forced to become the bane of Spain’s colonial empire. Nelson precisely sets the stage for the titles that follow and he does so in a way that makes the reader antsy for their next rendezvous with the characters. He provides maps and a glossary to assist those unfamiliar with Hispaniola and nautical terms. Adept readers may notice some sentences with missing and wrong words, as well as a few misspellings, but the action and character depth easily overcome these. There are a few words, like prithee, that may catch the reader by surprise, but they help recreate the time period. The constant use of Don Alonso’s full name, or even those of a few other Spaniards, may become tiresome to some readers, but they help establish the necessary pompousness of a character, as well as the strict formality of Spanish society.

The Buccaneer Coast is a tale of hope, betrayal, and the brutal reality of life where the best lessons learned may involve unlikely allies and the best way to survive is to trust no one. Nelson vividly depicts life as boucaniers and skillfully demonstrates a plausible way in which these men became buccaneers. A masterful storyteller, he takes simple scenes and crafts them into spellbinding events that transport readers from the present back to the seventeenth century where they experience individual lives as if they stand side by side with the characters.




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Daughters of the Storm by Joan Druett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Helen Pederson enters the room at her estranged husband’s California estate, she expects to learn what hostess duties he needs her to perform this time. Instead, she is confronted by six individuals who together stir up a two-decades-old nightmare. Two she knows well. Her husband, Harold Pederson, runs the wealthy family empire that his grandfather founded. Once he makes a decision, it’s impossible to change his mind. The second is their daughter, Jewel, who suffers from a congenital mental illness that manifests itself in angry tantrums that have become more violent as she ages.

The other four people are Skye Hamilton, Maggie Bacchante, Jack Giacomo, and Kate Giacomo. Skye is the business manager of Bacchante Wines. Maggie, whose family owns the winery, is an up-and-coming fashion designer. Although they are not related, she and Kate look amazingly like twins and they grew up together. Kate is a bestselling author. Her adopted father, Jack, is a well-known fireman who specializes in fighting oil well fires.

Twenty years ago, in the midst of a hurricane, three babies were born: Jewel, Kate, and Maggie. Three little girls. Three identical cribs. Amid the chaos, no labels identified who was who or which baby belonged to which mother. Now, Harold wants to know which is truly his daughter. He has a plan to learn the truth – sail to the Pacific island where the hurricane hit – and he has the money to insure that no one refuses to accompany him on the cruise.

Druett steps away from her traditional historical fiction to craft a modern-day mystery. Her characters are well-developed and unique from each other, in spite of the similarities between Kate and Maggie. A shady sailing boat, a kidnapping, unexpected deaths, odd financial manipulations, a peculiar assistant, Jewel’s tantrums, and a brewing hurricane add further spice to the suspense. Stirring up the past is never a good idea and doing so often results in unintended consequences as Daughters of the Storm clearly demonstrates in a fashion similar to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Readers who enjoy this first offering in the Bacchante series will eagerly await the next book, Storm Swept.




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The Dangers of Loving a Rogue by Jeri Black

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Betrothed since birth, Celia Breckenridge wants to experience adventure before settling down to become a wife and mother. A trip to Bermuda to provide companionship and comfort to a dying aunt allows her to fulfill this dream. Of course, getting one’s wish doesn’t always work out exactly as one expects – a lesson Celia soon learns when she departs Bermuda after her aunt’s death but before the ship her father arranges arrives.

While traversing the streets of La Rochelle, France, Jackson Beaumont happens upon a stabbing victim. The dying man is an old friend, who not only identifies his murderer but also bequeaths to Jackson the treasure map that the fiend sought. Jackson and his crew quickly depart with the intention of unearthing the Spanish emeralds.

Halfway across the ocean, they happen upon a pirate ship and her prey, as well as a lovely captive tied to a mast. The pirate turns out to be his friend’s murderer and Jackson has every intention of making his nemesis pay. He also rescues Celia, after she manages to shoot one of her captors in the foot. As traumatic as her capture and rescue are – and she’s not completely certain she hasn’t traded one sticky situation for another – Celia pleads to be taken home to England. The best Jackson can do is to drop her and the captured pirates off in Charles Town, South Carolina.

Both their plans are thwarted when the sheriff informs them that the pair must remain in town. Otherwise, Jackson will not be able to claim the ship he captured for his own and, without Celia’s testimony, the pirates will not be prosecuted. Further complicating their separate desires are an impending hurricane (actually two) and the growing attraction between them.

There are several shortcomings to this story. Too many characters have names starting with “B,” which may cause some confusion over who is who. It’s also not always easy to know who is speaking, such as when Jackson and his nemesis engage in conversation, or when his nemesis refers to Jackson as “mon amie,” which means a female friend rather than a male one. Readers are misled into believing that the impending danger, while Celia is aboard the merchant ship bound for home, stems from an approaching storm when she retires for the evening. When she is later awakened by pounding feet, she immediately jumps to the conclusion that the ship is under attack even though there have been no salvos of gunfire. Since the story takes place in 1752, readers familiar with pirate history may be puzzled by South Carolina’s tolerance of pirates, but Black admits to using poetic license for the sake of her story in her author’s note.

Even so, The Dangers of Loving a Rogue is a fast-paced historical romance. Black’s portrayal of the pirates is realistic and accurate, while that of the storms and their devastation are easily imagined and provide the perfect set-up for piratical revenge. One of the best lines comes from Celia after she is taken from the pirate ship onto Jackson’s: “’Twas rather like a chicken being welcomed to the stewpot.”(47) Readers who like swashbuckling adventure spiced with love will enjoy this story.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-roma...)



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The Sugar Winds by Lyle Garford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In December 1799, Jamaica’s governor sets in motion a secret invasion plan under the direction of Royal Navy Captain Horatio Nelson and Army Captain John Polson. Nelson, new to the region, lacks knowledge of the Spanish Main, so Sir James Standish recommends Owen Spence. Forced out of the Royal Navy on false charges in the past, he is a trader who spies for the Crown.

Spain has entered America’s War of Independence, which leads to shortages and hardship in the Caribbean. Instrumental in bringing necessities to Barbados, Owen fears the situation will only worsen and further endanger England’s West Indian colonies. Aside from sharing his knowledge with Nelson and Polson, he also ventures to Spanish ports to garner information both for the planned invasion and for his spymaster.

The direness facing Owen’s family and friends on Barbados only worsens when a major hurricane strikes. Its damage is far-reaching, affecting many of the Caribbean islands, and Owen and his crew do what they can to supply food and materials to their home base, as well as islands that are technically enemy territory but whose inhabitants often provide him with vital information.

Equally concerning are the rumors of a French invasion. Owen must find out whether they are grounded in fact or are just misinformation. If the former, what is the enemy’s intended target? Ferreting out the truth requires courage, daring, and the willingness to infiltrate French territory. In doing so, he also learns that an old nemesis is present. What he does not know is that this nemesis is aware of his presence.

The book reads like a series of vignettes that relate historical events without deep involvement by the principal characters. Owen is an observer, an essential skill for someone who gathers information, but his being so means the reader also watches from the sidelines instead of being fully immersed in the story. For example, the fleet battle between the British and the French unfolds as Owen and his men watch from a safe distance, except when an enemy vessel intends to run through them to escape a Royal Navy ship. Owen’s impressions of what he witnesses or experiences are what help tie the narrative together.

Several interwoven threads also bind the story together. One involves Owen’s struggles between duty and love. Another concerns slavery, which is somberly portrayed when Owen and his crew come to the aid of a ship in distress. The third involves the unfair treatment of island inhabitants when outsiders invade. Garford does a commendable job showing the controversial complexity of Admiral Rodney, a man determined to enrich his pockets while also being a skilled tactician. Equally noteworthy is his portrayal of the Zong massacre, an incident that impacts Owen in unexpected ways as this trilogy draws to a close.

The Sugar Winds takes place in the opening years of the 1780s. It is a time when world events have a great impact on the West Indies, yet most readers are unaware of these incidents, such as the capture of St. Eustatius and the Battle of the Saintes. Readers familiar with the previous titles will enjoy finding out what happens to the various characters. Newcomers with an interest in obscure history will find the happenings here illuminating.



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