Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 6

Review of J. D. Davies's The Cursed Shore

The Cursed Shore: An epic Napoleonic naval adventure by J. D. Davies

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The summer of 1795 finds English soldiers disembarking at Quiberon Bay in Brittany. The expedition – a joint venture with French royalists – is an attempt to regain control of France and place the imprisoned boy king Louis XVII on the throne. Accompanying the expeditionary force is Lord Edward “Ned” Wilden, who is also a lord of the Admiralty and less widely known, a spymaster for the prime minister. Neither believes this venture will be successful. There is too much infighting between the royalist factions. The emigrés look upon the Chouans and Vendéeans with disdain, even though these men of varying social ranks have remained in France to fight the republicans, while the former fled their homeland. Ned’s job is to keep peace among these factions, a thankless job that he would far rather be someone else’s.

Leonore Kermorvant, the widow of a royalist martyr whom she betrayed to the republicans, questions where she stands with her brother-in-law. There is an attraction between the two, but there also is an unbridgeable gulf that neither seems willing to cross. Perhaps this is one reason she dares to violate all that she believes in to provide succor to a wounded royalist colonel.

Philippe Kermorvant, Vicomte de Saint-Victor, is livid when he discovers the intruder in his home, but the colonel’s contingency plans find Philippe the prisoner instead of the royalist. It is only Leonore who can save him, but her actions have opened a wider chasm and once free, he immediately goes to sea. Since his requests for a new ship fall on deaf ears within the Marine Nationale, he grudgingly accepts a privateer’s commission from a Swiss merchant and his son. Philippe has misgivings but needs the funds to repair his chateau. With a comrade from his old crew joining in this voyage, he sets aside that niggling worry. Only to have it roar back to life when secret orders are revealed after they set sail.

Davies has a knack for taking disparate threads and twining them together to create a riveting tale that is adroitly brought together in unexpected ways that eventually make perfect sense. At the same time, the characters and the situations they face elicit emotions that readers readily understand and identify with. Normally, Lord Wilden is portrayed more as the villain in the Philippe Kermorvant Thrillers, but in this third title in the series he is a likeable character who comes across in ways that make him very human. It is the introduction of a new, young character that deftly makes this humanizing poignant and real, while at the same time bringing the realities of war front and center. Of the three books so far, The Cursed Shore is the best and Davies does a laudable job in making a highly complex event easy to comprehend.



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This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/JDDavies.h...

Review of Guy Haley's The Arkanaut's Oath

The Arkanaut's Oath by Guy Haley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Drekki Flynt, swashbuckler extraordinaire. A Kharadron privateer, he captains Aelsling, the fastest sky-cutter in the Skyshoals and named for his wife . . . er ex-wife, whom he hopes will return to him soon. He and his fellow skyfarers have come to the filthy, lawless Bavardia to meet with his former father-in-law who has a long tally of grudges against Drekki. (Not least of which are that Drekki stole his daughter and his ship.) But if Drekki accepts this venture, Throkki will wipe the slate clean and stop sending assassins to kill Drekki.

Such an offer tempts Drekki as much as treasure for the taking. Of course, there has to be a catch. Nothing comes easily for him and his fellow skyfarers. This time around, he is chosen for this venture because he is the best and he is expendable should things go awry (which is a given when Drekki is involved). Lady Sanahsa Lerarus, a human mage, must retrieve the last Talisman of Achromia before the current one protecting the old empire’s surviving city against daemons and other dark magic fails.

Naturally, they will not be the only ones searching for the Talisman and some will try to stop them. Oh, did I mention that the hidden vault that holds the Talisman is located somewhere in a derelict city infested with grots, the ancestral enemies of duardins, which is what Drekki and many of his skyfarers are? Nor is the vault simply a vault; it has special powers such as turning intruders into stone. Not only can’t Drekki refuse this job; there also is no aether-gold for him and his fellow skyfarers. But fear not, Drekki has ways and means of finding treasure in the least likely of places.

He also has a knack for finding trouble, and this time around trouble abounds. There are gargantuan squigs, snotlings, daemons, witch hunters, screamers, disc riders, unnatural storms, harkraken, a shipwreck, and Kaptain Blackheart who dares to fly the Jolly Orruk! Not to mention a spy aboard Drekki’s vessel, or the immense vortex that is slowly pulling them inside.

In the true fashion of swashbuckling novels of yore, The Arkanaut’s Oath takes readers on a breathtaking, daring adventure reminiscent of the largest, twistiest, and most exhilarating roller coaster imaginable. The imagery of Drekki’s world is masterfully drawn with words that are far better than the poetic verses crafted by Drekki’s ship’s poet. Interwoven with serious topics of war and strip-mining are humorous episodes, such as the security guard who also collects autographs. This may be Drekki Flynt’s first full-length novel, but I certainly hope it will not be his last. He may be used to being unpopular, but he’s also one of a kind and he and his fellow skyfarers are just the right sort to have with you when things get dicey.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Haley.html



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Review of John Howe's Shanghaied

Shanghaied by Jon Howe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After a visit to a tavern following a day’s work in his print shop, Eamon McGrath awakens to a nightmare. He is no longer in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He is on a ship with no memory of how he got here. He must get back to his wife and children, but that is impossible. The ship is no longer at anchor; she’s far out to sea. He has been shanghaied!

Eamon is not the only one to be kidnapped. Sam Holbrook becomes a close friend, as well as the ship’s doctor since he tended to the animals back on his farm. Coop is the youngest at sixteen and easily adjusts to his new life. Jack is older and more accepting of his fate than the others. After all, this is not his first time being forced. The last man taken never awakens, so he will not endure any of the agony and pain that Eamon does. Shipboard life has its dangers and then there’s the first mate, a brutal taskmaster who quickly becomes an enemy. To survive, Eamon must adapt and accept his fate, for theirs is a journey that will take them round the Horn to Hong Kong.

Shanghaied is a gripping, emotional voyage that vividly recreates shipboard life and the dangers seamen faced in the second decade of the 19th century. It is a story of change, because no one escapes the life-altering reality of being kidnapped. Those left behind without a clue as to what happens to their loved ones must also come to terms with their new situations.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Howe.html



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Review of MaryLuTyndall's The Resolute

The Resolute by MaryLu Tyndall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Imprisoned for her association with a notorious pirate, Gabrielle is only saved from the hangman’s noose because of her pregnancy. She hated this child at first, because of the assault, but now she has come to love the babe she is unlikely to know. Once he’s born, she will meet her demise. At least she has been wise enough to keep her identity a secret. This way her shame will not become her family’s. Perhaps she deserves her punishment for her foolishness, her ignorance, and her willfulness. After all, having forsaken God and her parents, how can she truly expect help from them?

Assistance does arrive, but not in any form that Gabrielle desires. She isn’t the only one languishing in gaol, and when the pirate captain who engineers the escape learns the identity of her child’s father, she finds herself in another kind of a prison. This time aboard a different pirate ship, where the captain intends to use her and her child as bait to lure his nemesis into a trap to avenge past wrongs.

Cadan Hayes never intended to kidnap the woman, but her presence is a temptation he just can’t ignore. He has waited a long time to make Damien Allard pay for destroying his marriage and enslaving him. And detesting Gabrielle is easy, given that he despises women who belong to the aristocracy. No matter how much she tries to hide that aspect of her upbringing, he recognizes it all too well. Still, she is pretty, smart, and courageous. She knows things about ships and sailing that no highborn woman should. Plus, she likes his pet iguana and that feeling is mutual. What Cadan cannot abide is children, yet it isn’t long before hers is also a passenger aboard his ship!

Revenge isn’t the only item on his bucket list. He and his crew have one last clue to acquire to find a dead pirate’s hidden treasure. The problem is that they aren’t the only ones seeking those riches. Damien also wants them, and he’s underhanded enough to do whatever needs to be done to get what he wants – the treasure and a family, even if the mother is determined to keep his son away from him. Helping him is a traitor within Cadan’s crew, who has his own reasons for betraying the man who calls him friend.

The Resolute is the seventh book in the Legacy of the King’s Pirate series and relates the story of a daughter of the reformed pirate, Edmund Merrick Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. The story opens in 1696 in New Providence, but takes readers to other islands in the Caribbean as it unfolds. As usual, Tyndall entwines history with romance to craft a stunning tapestry that vividly depicts pirate life, treasure hunting, and wayward individuals who have lost their faith. Just when you think there is a resolution, she inserts another twist that adds greater complexity to draw us deeper into the adventure. Greed, love, fear, shame, hate, and anger are just some of the emotions we readily identify with. While some may find the frequent references to the sound of water against the ship’s hull a tad frustrating, myself included, the strength of this book is the memorable, multifaceted characters that Tyndall brings to life. While Gabrielle, Cadan, and Damien – a particularly despicable, but totally realistic villain – are the stars of this tale, the ones who steal the show for me are Soot, the gunner, and his pet rabbit, Hellfire. The Resolute is a fitting conclusion to the Legacy series . . . or is it? After all, pirates still haunt the seas.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Tyndall.ht...)



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Review of Jeanne Brownlee Becijos's Christopher Hawkins and His Daring Escapes

Christopher Hawkins and His Daring Escapes: A Revolutionary War Novel by Jeanne Brownlee Becijos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Forethought and enterprising best describe young Christopher Hawkins. He has a dream and wants to be ready when the day comes to make that dream a reality, which is why he practices stowing away on a boat docked in Providence, Rhode Island. On the day the colony declares it no longer owes its loyalty to King George, he asks to join his best friend as a cabin boy aboard Commodore Whipple’s ship in the Continental Navy. Despite his father’s support for independence, his answer is a resounding “No!”

Mr. Hawkins has other plans for Christopher, and they have nothing to do with sailing. Instead, when Christopher turns twelve in 1776, he begins his seven-year apprenticeship at a tannery where the air reeks and danger abounds. Plus, one worker likes to torture Christopher and the other young apprentice. Too young to do anything about his father’s promise or the situation, Christopher accepts his fate and bides his time. One day, he will go to sea and fight for America.

On the one-year anniversary of his apprenticeship, he reads an advertisement for work aboard a privateer. Even though he knows there will be severe consequences for breaking his contract at the tannery, he reckons the owner will have to catch him first. That will be difficult if he’s at sea, so Christopher runs away and signs aboard the Eagle as a cabin boy. The tannery owner isn’t the only one looking for him. So are the British. Sooner than he expects, Christopher finds himself a prisoner aboard one of His Majesty’s ships. He does as he’s told, but he also plans. One day, he will be free!

This novel is based on the real-life exploits of Christopher Hawkins, a young New England lad determined to fight for his country. His actual memoir – written at age seventy, in 1834 – is currently housed in the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although the author, one of his descendants, felt others needed to know his story, she wanted to fill in the blanks not discussed in the memoir. This fictional version of his early life abounds with determination and ingenuity, for Christopher escaped several times during the war, including from the notorious prison hulk Jersey, which was a death trap for anyone imprisoned there.

Christopher Hawkins and His Daring Escapes is more than just a tale of war. It’s also a coming-of-age tale that shows how Christopher learns and matures as he faces new and difficult situations, including the tearing apart of his family and the death of friends. No matter how dire the situation, he never gives up and one of the most important lessons he comes to understand is the meaning of freedom.

Although written for pirate apprentices, adults will enjoy this adventure too. The narrative is fast-paced and easy to read. Several pictures are also included, as is a map of Christopher’s escape route. Anyone wishing to view the American Revolution, colonial life, and privateering from a child’s perspective will find this a gripping tale intertwined with historical details that enrich the setting.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Becijos.html)



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Review of Katie Daysh's The Devil to Pay

The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A French frigate leads HMS Scylla and HMS Meridian on a merry chase into dangerous waters in the Caribbean. A fight ensues, Meridian runs aground, and Scylla’s captain is slain, leaving Lieutenant Arthur Courtney in a quandary. The French ship catches fire and explodes while the Meridian’s captain has called for assistance. The French may be the enemy, but there are survivors and Arthur chooses to rescue them first – a decision the other captain will not forget.

With the signing of the Treaty of Amiens the following June, the 1802 peace means it’s no longer necessary for Britain to maintain a large naval presence. The services of Scylla>, her crew, and Arthur are no longer required, so she is broken up, the men dispersed, and he goes on half-pay with nothing to do. The only bright spots in his predicament are his visits to his beloved sister, who will soon wed, and the love of his life, Hiram Nightingale, who is already married. Theirs is an affair that must be kept secret; society and the navy are not accepting of intimate relations between two men. Still, they have much to discuss, but broaching these subjects may open quagmires Arthur’s not yet willing to confront.

One evening, an agitated Mrs. Nightingale arrives at the tavern where he and Hiram dine. They are all summoned to the Admiralty in London, which does not bode well for any of them. It turns out a ship carrying two diplomats – France’s Hugo Baptiste and England’s Sir William Haywood (Hiram’s father-in-law) – has gone missing. They were to discuss a key component of the treaty that hasn’t been implemented, and news of their disappearance could topple the tenuous peace between their two nations.

Initially, Arthur hopes to lead the expedition to find the missing ship. Those hopes are dashed when Sir Rodney Bryant reveals that the commander will be his brother, Jerome Bryant – the same captain Arthur had the audacity to abandon in favor of saving the enemy when their ship caught fire and then accuse of poor seamanship. Nor does Captain Bryant want Arthur as his first lieutenant, but Arthur knows Sir William and is a friend of Hiram. Equally surprising is the discovery that Arthur will reunite with the French captain he saved. Captain Bonfils commands Fantôme, the French ship also sent to search for the missing diplomats.

As Arthur comes to terms with his present situation, which feels almost as fragile as the peace, he finds himself thinking back on the early days of his naval career and his first love. The trigger for these memories is the theft of a surgeon’s scalpel and the accusations of the ship’s master, who used to be the Lysander’s captain when she was a merchant ship. As a result, two of the ship’s crew are arrested on multiple charges, and the penalty should they be found guilty is death. The situation strikes too close to home for Arthur, and he investigates the original crime in hopes of preventing the execution. At the same time, he strives to determine what happened to the missing Loyal>, especially after Captain Bryant is severely injured and Fantôme fails to arrive at the appointed rendezvous. The critical piece of the puzzle comes from an American captain, and Sir Bryant entrusts Arthur, with his outside-the-norm thinking and experience as a tarpaulin officer, to rescue the missing before it’s too late.

Amidst some chilling and mind-boggling action, including two ships colliding during a storm and a sea fight between foes as a volcano erupts, this is a novel of introspection. Arthur has more in common with the sailors than the officers, with the have-nots than the haves like Hiram. He must find his place in the world, but time and again the past and the present collide to prevent him from achieving his goals and his dreams. The Devil to Pay is the second in the Nightingale and Courtney series. Not everyone will find the story appealing, but if you’re willing to take a chance, Daysh does not disappoint. She vividly recreates the Georgian navy and neatly melds fiction and fact to create a compelling tale that is as heart-wrenching as it is rewarding. Her characters are three-dimensional, complete with foibles and strengths we’ve all faced at some point in our lives. You may think the past has little to do with the present, but time and again, she shows that the opposite is true. And sometimes confronting that past is the only way for us to move forward.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Daysh.html...)



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Review of Julian Stockwin's Inferno

Inferno by Julian Stockwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After his most recent trials and tribulations, Captain Thomas Kydd is in sore need of rest and renewal. The one man who may provide such a place is an old friend and mentor, Tobias Stirk. He, too, is injured, although his are more physical in nature than Kydd’s. To be on a more equal footing – friends instead of commander and commanded – Kydd travels incognito to Dunlochry, Scotland, on the island of Mull. There, the two become involved in a search for treasure aboard the remains of an Armada shipwreck. Just one problem: the hoard is far enough underwater that to retrieve requires diving equipment. The device closest to their location has only been used once before and that was a long time ago.

While away from the navy on their own adventure, Napoleon’s new policy threatens the very existence of Britain. No other European country is permitted to trade with the English, and with only Denmark, Sweden, and Russia not under the emperor’s control, he may well achieve what his failed invasions could not. When word reaches London of secret talks between France and Russia, those in command feel there is little recourse left to them. They must demand that Denmark surrender its navy to the British for the duration of the war. That is the sole way to keep the French from achieving total domination of Europe and to maintain open avenues to trade in the Baltic, where vital naval resources are purchased.

There’s just one problem, and it’s a doozy. Denmark is a neutral country. To violate that neutrality will be injurious to British honor, yet no one has an alternative to stopping their archnemesis. Still, before taking such a step, King George wishes to appeal to his Danish counterpart for a peaceful accord without going through regular diplomatic channels. Only one person may achieve this goal, Nicholas Renzi, the Earl of Farndon, and this time, his wife Cecilia, Kydd’s sister, must participate in the subterfuge.

In the meantime, Kydd resumes command of Tyger and joins the fleet that is amassing to carry out the Admiralty’s directive. This will be a joint operation between the navy and the army. Major General Sir Arthur Wesley will command the land forces, and their action is seen through the eyes of a young ensign whose brother serves aboard Tyger. With each passing day, the clock ticks closer to all-out hostilities and no way out for those within the walls of Copenhagen, including the Farndons. Danger also stalks Kydd, who is approached by a stranger seeking assistance and leaves his ship in hopes of securing additional help from rebel Swedes. Instead, he finds himself kidnapped and awaiting transport to France to stand trial before his most public execution.

Inferno is the seventeenth entry in the Kydd Sea Adventures series, but it is one in which Thomas Kydd plays only a minor role. In some regards, the same is true for Nicholas. Instead, much of the story takes place in government offices in London and on the ground outside Copenhagen. This is a fictional recounting of the Second Battle of Copenhagen, a complicated affair that Stockwin does a superb job of simplifying just enough for most readers to follow without getting bogged down in details and to comprehend the nuances that made this episode in Anglo-French-Danish relations so important to Great Britain.

There are two minor technical shortcomings with this book. First, there are a few formatting issues, such as the “Dramatis Personae” (list of characters) being placed in backwards and split in half by the placement of the maps. Also, it helps to think of the title not as a conflagration, as suggested by the cover art, but as “a place or state that resembles or suggests hell.”

Die-hard Kydd fans will find this a rendering of good historical fiction, but some readers may be disappointed that Kydd does not play as central a figure as he has in earlier novels. (There are forty-three chapters between one of his appearances and the next.) Perhaps Stockwin’s intent is to provide readers with the same respite Kydd needs while providing an engaging and different interlude before his next adventure.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Stockwin.h...)



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Review of Spanish Warships in the Age of Sail

Spanish Warships in the Age of Sail, 1700-1860: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates by Rif Winfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As history passes, change is inevitable. Sometimes, it’s hard to see how those changes influence fundamental elements within an organization and its equipment. Spanish Warships in the Age of Sail, the latest volume in the Warships in the Age of Sail series, seeks to alter this by showcasing how Spain’s naval fleet evolved during a specific span of time. In this case, the book focuses on the period in which the Bourbon monarchy came to power in November 1700 until steam began to replace sail. Whenever possible, the authors also discuss each ship’s career, where she sailed and fought, and what became of her.

The book opens with an explanation of the Spanish Navy’s structure and organization, which is followed by information concerning Spain’s weights and measurements, names, dates, naval ranks, monetary units, flags and royal arms, and conversions. Two chronologies are included; that of the Trastamara and Habsburg Eras covers 1492 through 1697, and the Bourbon Era begins with the death of Carlos II in 1700 and extends through the monarchy’s restoration in 1874. The next seventy-six pages provide a historical overview (before the Habsburgs into the mid-19th century), the leaders of the Bourbon Navy, Spain’s regional navies that were precursors to its national navy, auxiliary groups (such as the guardacostas or coastguard), the Manila Galleons, fleet lists, naval construction, departmental organization and dockyards, naval ordnance and architecture, copper sheathing, management of material resources, and acquiring, training, maintaining, and retaining naval personnel.

It is at this juncture that the authors discuss the sources and archives that were consulted, as well as the difficulties they encountered in identifying and providing information on individual vessels. There is also a bibliography, a glossary, and a list of the abbreviations used in the main portion of the book.

The heart of the book appears in twenty-four chapters where Spanish naval vessels are discussed, beginning with ships of the line with three decks and ending with lesser fore-and-aft rig boats. The major warships cover six chapters and each is arranged chronologically. Among the other vessels found in subsequent chapters are brigs, bomb vessels, storeships, fireships, packets, galleys, xebecs, barks, and cutters. There is also an addendum about paddle and screw warships that were powered by a combination of sail and steam; these are not reviewed in detail. Seven appendices pertain to vessels that participated in the 1588 Felicísima Armada and the 1639 Battle of the Downs; rules governing the building of ships during the 1600s; the types and numbers of ships in various years between 1782 and 1860; expenses for the Spanish Navy in different locales (1714-1800) as well as government expenditures (1801-1860); ordnance regulations; and official officer and crew numbers aboard different types of vessels.

Although there is an index, it lists only the names of specific vessels. Black-and-white illustrations (portraits, drafts, and maps) and tables are found throughout. Technical details for the different classes of vessels and single designs are provided, as is information on the ship architects, shipwrights, and building dates if known. Significant details about individual ships are provided, as is the order of battle for major sea battles. That being said, the authors make it clear that there are gaps in the provided information. Some of this stems from a fire that swept through naval archives in 1734.

Spanish Warships is not meant to be read from cover to cover. Written by eminently qualified authors, it is a reference book that provides researchers with invaluable information that is as accurate and comprehensive as it can be. Much of the source material comes from archival primary documents. It is highly recommended and is a great companion to previous titles in the series.


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




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Review of Toni Runkle & Steve Webb's The Pirate's Curse

The Pirate's Curse: Brigands of the Compass Rose by Toni Runkle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


On the day Port Royal hangs the infamous Calico Jack Rackham in 1720, two women and a babe sail for the Carolina coast to begin life anew. Although the child is innocent, he bears the mark of evil. Having been betrayed, Rackham makes a pact with a mysterious African. Being raised from the dead may give immortality but always at a price. This pact involves a curse that transcends generations and those impacted bear a peculiar birthmark.

Fast forward to present day Arizona and a high school swim class. Bonnie Hartwright’s reluctance to change into her bathing suit draws the attention of girls more fortunate than herself – girls with money and family and friends. All of which Bonnie has given up hoping for after fifteen years of being passed from foster family to foster family. She is deathly afraid of water, and with good reason, but her classmates tease and taunt her. When one girl spies Bonnie’s unusual birthmark, she snaps a picture and posts it on social media. Seething, Bonnie is out for revenge; she just doesn’t foresee the consequences.

Those in authority deem her incorrigible and send her to an infamous juvenile detention center. After a few weeks in hell, she is selected to participate in a North Carolina summer reform program. There’s just one problem. This boot camp requires her to learn to sail on water. Surely, there’s a mistake, but she’ll grin and bear it until she can make her escape. She has no intention of ever going back to lockup.

Bonnie isn’t the only misfit brought to the camp. Many others are already there. As different as they seem, they have similarities. They pilfer rather than purchase. Defiance is second nature to them, especially when dealing with those in authority. Each has suffered misfortune in their young lives.

There is another commonality: they are all descendants of Mary Read, who dressed as a man and went pirating with Calico Jack and Anne Bonny. Murder eventually forces Mary to safeguard those she loves and those who will come after she dies. This passion gives rise to the Brigands of the Compass Rose, and each of the teens present will have the chance to earn their place among the other brigands who have come before – if they can survive the summer and each other.

Of course, there are those in the nearby town who are also descendants of early North Carolinians. Some are not happy with having a boot camp of juvenile delinquents nearby. One desires to use that land for his own purposes. He’s just waiting for the perfect excuse, which happens to arrive shortly after Bonnie begins training to become a brigand. Thieves are stealing treasure off luxurious yachts on the waterfront. And the only crooks in town are the teens at the sailing camp. Like sand sifting through an hourglass, the sword of Damocles threatens Bonnie and her fellow brigands-in-training. Unless they can learn to trust each other and act as a team, evil will triumph.

Runkle and Webb spin a delightful tale that grips readers from the get-go and doesn’t release them until the tale ends. Even then, there’s a promise of more adventure to come. The authors do a fabulous job of weaving pirate history and lore into the story that is seen through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old outsider who has no one in her life whom she can trust, befriend, or love. They bring the past to life and meld it with the present, spicing it with mystery, danger, and magic. An array of emotions – good and bad, happy and sad – and incidents that any reader will readily identify with make this the perfect piratical tale for old and young alike who seek a vicarious way of escaping the humdrum routine of everyday life.


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



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Review of Rachel Rueckert's If the Tide Turns

If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The girl just dove off the pier right before his eyes. She doesn’t sink right away; she ventures farther afield until her strength gives out. That’s when he jumps in and rescues her.

Maria Brown (also known as Goody or Mehitable) just wants to learn to swim. She’s been teaching herself, but those lessons can only go so far. Swimming allows a sense a freedom, something which is nearing an end. At seventeen, she should be married, but she’s learned that resisting is futile. Sooner or later, she will have to marry John Hallett and her life will no longer be her own.

Samuel Bellamy should be looking for a job now that the war has ended and the Royal Navy has released him from service. But jobs on Cape Cod are few and there’s something about the beautiful girl he saves that speaks to him. It’s as if they are kindred souls. To see her again, he offers to give her swimming lessons.

Despite the risk to her reputation, Maria takes him up on his offer. The time they spend together is precious, and Sam’s unique way of looking at life stirs long-buried ideas within her. Still, the clock ticks closer to the inevitable period when their paths will diverge. She already knows her future, or at least she thinks she does. For Sam, he’s offered a chance to acquire riches enough to convince Maria’s father that he deserves to wed Maria instead of the prosperous and influential Hallett. Waiting in the wings, however, is Maria’s mother. She’s determined that her daughter will follow a straight and righteous path, one where Maria will not have to endure what she has. Before long, choices are made – ones that cannot be undone – and their paths are forever altered in ways neither expects.

Rueckert masterfully whisks together historical facts with legend and lore to create a spellbinding and realistic tale that breathes new life into Maria Hallett and Sam Bellamy. Along the way, we experience the cruelties and hardships of social life on Cape Cod, as well as the desperateness that drives people toward alternatives they might never have pursued otherwise. If the Tide Turns takes place between 1715 and 1717, and readers meet real life pirates such as Paulsgrave Williams, Henry Jennings, Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach, John Julian, and John King (the youngest known pirate). Time and again, the story transports readers with its you-are-there sensation. Even if you know the story of Sam and Maria, Rueckert will make you think again. Unexpected twists and harsh realities are deftly entwined with hope and aspirations to create a story of enduring love.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Rueckert.html)




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