Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "secrets"

What the Parrot Saw by Darlene Marshall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blackmailed by a brothel madam, Captain Matt St. Armand acquires a package that needs safekeeping. One might expect this to be boxed cargo of some type, but this package turns out to be a scribbler named Oliver Woodruff, who has a penchant for annoying Americans with his antislavery views. Matt agrees to take him to Nassau, but only if he does as he’s told and isn’t too annoying. After all, the Prodigal Son carries only two things – crew and cargo, and Oliver hasn’t a clue about sailing a schooner. That makes him just about worthless to Matt . . . but his manner of speech and style of dress spark a kernel of an idea that may alter Matt’s thinking.

Captain St. Armand’s scrutiny makes Oliver decidedly uncomfortable, but what choice does he have. If he doesn’t escape the island, he’s likely to be shot – a reality that nearly comes to fruition when he accompanies the notorious sea rover back to his ship. He’s not exactly certain what duties his assignment as “cabin boy” entail, but from St. Armand’s languid perusals, Oliver has no intention of being placed in a compromising situation. While his tongue tends to speak before his thoughts warn against doing so, Oliver isn’t stupid and it doesn’t take long for him to discover one of St. Armand’s secrets.

When St. Armand orders a merchant ship to heave to on the pretense of making a trade, Oliver is surprised when he’s ordered to accompany the boarding party. That’s when he learns another of St. Armand’s secrets – one that could get them all killed. Oliver’s interactions with the pirates, with their newly acquired cargo, and his intervention when one of the captured crew members tries to attack St. Armand, demonstrate that Oliver has the gumption needed for a special, but dangerous, mission. That he is an English gentleman whose family owns a successful cotton mill further convinces St. Armand that Oliver is just the man to help them in Florida. Having come to the Caribbean for one last adventure before assuming his duties at home, Oliver throws caution to the wind and accepts Matt’s proposal. Their weeks of training and planning bear unexpected fruit, but no amount of preparation equips him for the torture and betrayal he experiences when the mission goes awry.

The adage “Never judge a book by its cover” could well be used to describe this story based on the above description. This is a romance set in 1839, but it’s not what a reader will expect in spite of it being typical of the genre. Time and again Marshall interweaves humor, drama, and suggestive, sometimes explicit, overtones in a way that can leave you feeling decidedly uncomfortable or chuckling at the repartee. Marshall also defies tradition in opting to present Oliver as a beta male, although this move makes it difficult to connect with his character at first. Halfway through he becomes more personable, the mark of good character growth.

Overall this is a good story, but two weaknesses stand out. First, several scenes feel less developed than they should be to really connect with the reader. Second, recovering from the betrayal occurs too quickly. The jail scenes bring home the brutality of slavery, as well as the danger both the runaway slaves and those who help them to freedom endure. Marshall’s character description of Matt St. Armand as a captain and a slave is stellar, but weaker when Matt returns home to England.

What does the parrot see? You must read the book to find out. Be forewarned: Roscoe the parrot, who is the ship’s cat, is a scene-stealer in this fourth book in Marshall’s High Seas series.




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Tides of Mutiny by Rebecca Rode

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Laney “Lane” Garrow has a dream. She wants to be captain, like her father, of the Majesty and command her crew. An achievable possibility . . . unless you live in the realms of the Four Kingdoms. In any life obstacles exist to thwart one’s dreams, and Lane’s is a doozy. Any female who sets foot on a ship’s deck is deemed a pirate and hanged. That’s why, for eleven years, Lane has lived her life disguised as a lad who serves as a cabin boy. But as she’s grown older, her father has become more paranoid, restricting her to the confines of the ship whenever they are in port.

While in Hughen, a rumor surfaces that makes Lane question its truth. She must know whether her father was once a pirate. There is only one way to find out – she must go ashore even if it means defying her father. But actions have consequences and her single act of defiance launches a cascade of events that affect not only her but everyone around her.

One of those consequences is that a young man knows Lane’s secret. Aden has his own secrets, but he must reach a certain destination before it’s too late. If he fails, many will suffer and the only way to accomplish his mission is to blackmail Lane into getting him aboard Majesty. That, in turn, leads her honorable father to be deemed an outlaw.

Nor is Aden the only one who’s blackmailing Lane. One among the crew trades in secrets. He keeps them for a price. At least until revealing the secret will garner what he wants most – command of the Majesty. He hatches a plan to achieve that goal. Neither Lane nor Aden want him to succeed, but stopping him means revealing secrets neither wants anyone else to know.

Set in a fantasy world, Tides of Mutiny takes place over three weeks. It is a riveting tale of rebellion, trafficking, kidnapping, usurping a throne, betrayal, love, guilt, and destiny. Rode skillfully demonstrates that good and bad are never as clear-cut as we might imagine. Although written for young adults, adults will enjoy this serpentine adventure of courageous determination and unconventional thinking that has a twist you may not see coming.




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