Where Loyalties Lie

Best Laid Plans #1

by Rob J. Hayes

Everybody knows Captain Drake Morass is only out for himself.

As the fires of a dying city burn on a distant shore, Drake sees an opportunity to unite the other pirate Captains under his flag and claim a crown for himself. If he is to succeed, he will need allies and the Oracle named Keelin Stillwater, the best swordsman in the isles, as his right hand.

With enemy ships sailing his waters and setting fire to his cities, and the sinister Tanner Black threatening to steal the throne before Drake even has a chance to sit upon it, Drake Morass must somehow convince the other Captains that his best interests are also theirs.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology and is set in the same world as The Ties That Bind trilogy, continuing Captain Drake Morass' story where the trilogy left off.

Genres: Fantasy, Pirates, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Dark

371 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 2017

About the author

Winner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie

Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

Winner of the third Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) contest!

I video-review all 7 SPFBO champions here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buU_R...

Over a thousand books have sailed into the jaws of the SPFBO. And from that Helen-worthy armada 40 finalists have been selected over the years. And in all that time only two books have scored higher than this one.

Check out the contest here:
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2...

So you really don't need me to convince you to read this book.

This is a rollicking tale of pirates doing ... pirate things. Those of you not of a maritime bent will be pleased to hear that there isn't much of a focus on the mechanics of ships or the technical side of nautical matters. This is story more about fighting, fucking, and feuding.

Drake Morrass (half way between morass and more ass) wants to be pirate king, and he has a plan.

There's a distinctly Pirates of the Caribbean flavour to the yarn, though with decidedly less comedy. We are treated to rape, murder, massacres, and betrayals.

The plotting is fairly loose. The driver for the story is external pressure, provided by the nations tired of being pirated now acting to destroy the pirates. And frankly it's often tempting to root for them to be successful. After all, these are murdering pirates preying on traders who are trying to make a living.

None of the characters have much by way of redeeming features, but it is easy enough to let yourself be swept along with their aims based on a measure of charisma and the fact that they are the only points of view we're offered.

In many ways this book feels very much like a setup for book 2. Very little is resolved, and we are offered all manner of character hooks to carry us into the next volume, unexplained family ties, intriguing personal histories etc.

There's a lot of imagination on display, and the various pirate islands have their own flavours with some fantastical elements. All in all the world building feels sound and also like a small window onto somewhere that we have only just started to explore.

Hop aboard and let Rob J Hayes sail you off on an adventure!



Check out the other finalists here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2...


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...

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was my choice for Fantasy Book Review in the SPFBO and it WONNN!!!! Currently, this book is the 2nd highest rated (after French's The Grey Bastards) out of approximately 900 books! Check the link for more info. https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in The Best Laid Plans duology and will be followed up by The Fifth Empire of Man shortly. This novel was assigned to me as part of Fantasy Book Review's contribution to the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off and it has progressed to our internal semi-final stage. I think many fantasy readers will wish to read this based on the next two words: grimdark pirates! The two main characters in this pirate-tastic tale are the legendary Captains' Drake Morrass, who's only out for himself, and Keelin Stillwater, the best swordsman within the pirate isles. The two become unlikely allies as a larger threat beckons. The Empire is burning cities, killing women and children, and are essentially looking to eradicate piracy and all involved whilst manning the largest and greatest warships ever seen. The pirates need to unite or they are finished.

Instead of Point of View perspective, this narrative is presented as Point of Ship perspective, following numerous individuals who frequent the different vessels. This is a really interesting take on character presentation, doesn't get confusing, and led to a quality and deepness to the main players of which there are about 12. Grimdark is normally littered with 'bastards you love to hate,' for the majority, I don't think that assumption fits here. There are a few utterly evil characters sure, but I think in an environment where rape, murder, and robbery are the norms, that the World is the real bastard here and even the cut-throat pirates do what they do just to survive and they have elements of goodness, ambitions, and hopes. I clearly saw how some of the characters developed and almost became better people due to new comradeship and the ever looming threats. The way it's superbly well written, I truly felt like I knew the characters after a chapter or two, and when I finished the book I kept thinking about them. Thinking about what had happened, their often notorious pasts which were generally just hinted at, and what could possibly happen next. I would recommend taking a few notes regarding characters so you can remember which ships characters like Princess, Feather, Keelin, and Yanic are on.

This story includes Treasure Island-esque elements such as pirates loving rum, ships hierarchies, and one Captain even has a parrot. These things never feel forced or cliche and suit the world expertly. This book has some dark scene so be warned, especially a rape scene that happens early on to a likable character. One of the reasons I like grimdark is that no-ones safe and literally, anything could happen in those scenes. The sea battles were exquisite, as were the characters relationships- past and present. As stated, it's a dark environment but the narrative is littered with humour which sometimes keeps things light in the face of terror. The World seems typical but well-created fantasy. I believe this is set in the same world as and follows the events of The Ties that Bind. It has numerous religions, magics, and monsters. There may be some nuggets here a fan of his previous trilogy would recognise however, this duology is a complete standalone. In similar fashion, this book needs paying attention to. I don't think anything that was written here is coincidental and will, therefore, relate to upcoming drama, showdowns, or past revelations. Although we get to know the characters relatively well they are still mysterious and make future reveals and future engagements an intensely exciting prospect. Where Loyalties Lie is written and edited brilliantly. The ending has 2 or 3 action-packed climactic scenes which were great. It's completely self-contained but maybe at the finale, the sides are set for what I hope will be a breathtaking conclusion. I requested the ARC of book 2 off Rob about 10-minutes after I finished this one which I guess speaks volumes on how engrossing and enjoyable this story was. Where Loyalties Lie is piratical grimdark mastery, superbly written, with utterly engaging characters, and is a true contender for this years #SPFBO. Details of which can be found here. http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...

[Mark Lawrence]

Nearly a thousand books have sailed into the jaws of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO). And from that Helen-worthy armada 30 finalists have been selected over the years. And in all that time only one book has scored higher than this one.

So you really don't need me to convince you to read this book.

This is a rollicking tale of pirates doing ... pirate things. Those of you not of a maritime bent will be pleased to hear that there isn't much of a focus on the mechanics of ships or the technical side of nautical matters. This is story more about fighting, fucking, and feuding.

Drake Morrass (half way between morass and more ass) wants to be pirate king, and he has a plan.

There's a distinctly Pirates of the Caribbean flavour to the yarn, though with decidedly less comedy. We are treated to rape, murder, massacres, and betrayals.

The plotting is fairly loose. The driver for the story is external pressure, provided by the nations tired of being pirated now acting to destroy the pirates. And frankly it's often tempting to root for them to be successful. After all, these are murdering pirates preying on traders who are trying to make a living.

None of the characters have much by way of redeeming features, but it is easy enough to let yourself be swept along with their aims based on a measure of charisma and the fact that they are the only points of view we're offered.

In many ways this book feels very much like a setup for book 2. Very little is resolved, and we are offered all manner of character hooks to carry us into the next volume, unexplained family ties, intriguing personal histories etc.

There's a lot of imagination on display, and the various pirate islands have their own flavours with some fantastical elements. All in all the world building feels sound and also like a small window onto somewhere that we have only just started to explore.

Hop aboard and let Rob J Hayes sail you off on an adventure!



Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes



...

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Ahoy, mate! This was a fun and engaging grimdark pirate adventure.

Some of you most likely know about Where Loyalties Lie (WLL) from this year SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) competition that’s being held by Mark Lawrence. This book is currently leading the competition and has a strong chance of actually winning it or becoming the second place; it’s pretty much guaranteed now. However, I want to clarify that although I’m one of the judges for the competition, I’m not reviewing this book to have my rating be included in it. My co-blogger, Celeste, has reviewed it already and her rating of the book remains the one that should be put accountable in the competition. I’m just reading this duology because she recommended it to me and I’m pretty much in the mood for a grimdark book filled with foul-mouthed words; this book fulfilled these criteria.

The plot of the book centered on Captain Drake Morass, who are trying to unite the other pirate captains under his flag but in order to do that, he’s going to need allies and the help of the Oracle—Keelin Stillwater—to become his right-hand man. WLL is pretty much a slow burn, the plot took its time to get going and overall it seems more like a preparation book for the big conclusion in the second book. The first thing you’ll notice when you start this book is the unique naming and storytelling style of the multi-POV. Instead of characters’ names, we get the ships’ names and within each chapter, we get to see the story unfolds from the perspective of the specified ship’s crews instead of it being limited to a few characters only. Sure the main characters are still Drake, Keelin, and Elaina Black, but I found this style of storytelling a unique experience and something I really appreciate. It did take me around 100 pages to really warm up to the characters but once I did, my experience reading this pirate fantasy adventure was overall fun and engaging.

Do know that this is a grimdark book, it contained plenty of explicit sex scenes, rape, and it’s full of foul-mouthed language (which I’m really in the mood for) but most importantly, it never stopped being fun. Hayes’s characters and dialogues are great, the characters behave as if they’re real pirates (not that I ever see one in real life) and speak with an accent like the one you see in most pirate entertainment media. The politics between the pirates, the honor among thieves, and the dangerous—at times humorous—interactions between the pirates are something that I know a lot of readers will enjoy.

My favorite part of the book however lies within the setting and the nautical action sequences. This book reminds me of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, a game that I didn’t expect to love but somehow it won over me. The book took place in the Pirate Isles and every small island’s setting and inhabitants were well described vividly. There aren’t a lot of nautical action sequences yet here but when they’re there, it was fantastic. I REALLY hope the second book will give me more of this because Hayes’s nautical battle is great, intense, and definitely something I look forward to reading more. All of these work because of Hayes’s prose which was simple but efficient. Even though this is an indie book, it’s very well polished. I literally only spot one typo in the whole book and that’s something rare in indie.

As to what parts that didn’t work for me? There are two main factors here and obviously, these are just my opinion and other readers may find it differently.

First, there isn’t anything new to offer for the grimdark genre here. This doesn’t mean every series have to provide something new but the characters, even when they’re compelling and fun to read, felt the same as pretty much the majority of grimdark books. Maybe I’m getting way used to grimdark already by now but I just didn’t get the reaction that I think the book tried to offer during some section of the book. A spoiler-free example of this one is the rape scene that occurs very early in the book. My issue with this is not the scene itself because I can read anything without being triggered, but it’s the fact that it occurred too soon to left any memorable impact on me. For example, one of the main characters was raped immediately on her first POV appearance. I feel like I should empathize or be shocked by this but I simply wasn’t; it actually didn’t faze me at all. Not that I ever enjoy reading rape scenes, but Robin Hobb’s rape scene left me with tons of emotional impact. She spent some time developing her character first before having her character be raped, I’ve started to know and care for the character and when that scene happened, it left me an emotional impact that lasts up to this day; her books don’t even belong in the grimdark genre! I want this kind of brutal scene to traumatize me, left me feeling sad for his/her fate, instead of left me feeling “ah okay” and sadly, that’s the reaction I received not only from this scene but a few more scenes.

The second one, this is completely not the author’s fault, it’s mine. I always have an incredibly hard time reading a standalone or a new series that took place in the same world as the author’s main series. Authors will always say “you can read this without reading the main series first” and although that’s technically true, I can’t help but always felt like: “I think I should know more about this”, during tons of section in the book and I don’t like that kind of feeling. A few examples in the book would be the mention of Black Thorn, he was mentioned here and I’m pretty sure he’s one of the main characters from Hayes main trilogy. Without having read the main trilogy first, the mention of his name will not hold the same impact compared to having read it. Another example is Beck, the Arbiter. I don’t know if she appeared in the main trilogy or not but she was treated as highly dangerous because of her status as an Arbiter. However, she didn’t actually do anything memorable to warrant the “dangerous” fame and it left me wondering why the heck everyone’s scared of her. I’m sure the main trilogy dived more into this. Like I said, this kind of case doesn’t only apply to this series, it’s seriously not the author’s fault but just my preferences to get all the nuances from any kind of books I read. Some people told me it’s definitely okay to read Abercrombie’s standalone series without having read his First Law trilogy; I extremely disagree with this notion. The nuances are something super important to me as a reader and I’d rather spend more time reading the main trilogy first in order to get maximum experience of the world in the specific series. This also means that I STRONGLY believe that no matter how small the main trilogy played a part to this duology, I’m sure I would enjoy this book even more if I’ve actually read Hayes’s Ties That Bind trilogy first.

Although I took a long time explaining the parts that didn’t work for me than the one that did work and I may sound critical here, don’t let it let you into thinking that this book isn’t good because it is; my rating speaks for itself. I was never bored reading the book and I enjoyed it, these are more of an “I would enjoy it so much more if only” situation rather than them being real cons.

Overall, Where Loyalties Lie is a good start for the Best Laid Plans duology. The book sounds more like a preparation for the big showdown in the sequel and I hope the book will deliver me more nautical battle sequences because Hayes’s pirate actions sequences were great and I really want more of them.

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

[Nimrod Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in The Best Laid Plans duology. Chronologically, the events in this duology occur after the events of The Tides That Binds trilogy, but you definitely can just dive into WLL and you’ll feel comfortable, exactly like I did.

In short – WLL is all about pirates! A lot of pirates, quite a few ships and a lot of fun. Actually the chapters are named after ships, kind of a Point of Ship chapters, following its captain. It works really great, as the switch between chapters feels very natural and very easy to follow.
Even though it’s a fantasy book there are not too many fantasy elements here. There are a few, but the focus is not on fantasy. The inquisition did their best to eliminate anything that can use magic – magic users and magical beasts alike, so that’s probably the reason. I guess The first trilogy tells that story(?). Anyway, in this book the Empire is fully determined to eradicate all piracy. Not only the pirates themselves, but also the pirate isles as well.

The characters are where the book really shines. All the characters are really well-drawn and very believable. Even though they’re pirates, some of them are likable and very compelling.

We have Drake Morass, the captain of The Fortune, who’s probably the true main character here. He’s really awesome! Drake Morass cares only about one person who happens to be Drake Morass, and trusts only two people – Drake Morass and Princess (his second). Actually he’s a lot more than meets the eye, he’s cunning, ambitious, very logical, funny, and has tons of charisma.

Keelin Stillwater, the captain of The Phoenix, who’s the best swordsman within the pirate isles is another key player. He plays a very important role in this book as Drake's plan relies on having Keelin on his side. I really liked Keelin as well, as he’s a very complex character. Although he’s a pirate and a great swordsman, he doesn’t like to fight, and he prefers to pirate ships without any violence involved. He has some doubts, and he’s not always sure what’s the best next move. Basically, he’s a good guy and definitely not the stereotypical pirate you'd think of. He also has a secret past that he would avoid to reveal at any cost.

Beck, who’s not a pirate, but an arbiter from the inquisition who was sent by Drake’s seer brother to protect him. She follows Drake everywhere he goes. She has some magical powers, but she barely uses them, as she prefers her pistols.

There are other interesting characters such as Captain Elaina Black. She has known Keelin for many years and a captain of her own ship, Starry Dawn. She's the daughter of the most ferocious captain you'd come across – Captain Black, a super cruel guy. The formidable Captain T’ruck Khan who is also a giant of a man.

Besides the great characterization, the pacing feels just right from the get go and interesting things always seems to happen. It's a really well-written book with great dialogues and banter, it’s evident that it’s not Rob’s first book. The plot is quite good, but don’t expect anything spectacular, but a really fun ride.

All in all, it’s a well-written and very enjoyable book about pirates. I look forward to read the next book in the Best Laid Plans duology. If you’re into it then you definitely should give it a shot.

4.25/5

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 2 out of 5]

💀 DNF at 76%.

I was painfully listening to this delightful tale on my phone last month when that piece worthless of puny human technology decided to die on me (Dr Prawn—the family physician—says it probably developed some sort of deadly allergy to this book). I never bothered to download the audio again, for some very strange and mysterious reason. And here we are and stuff.

So. This is the third time I give a Rob J. Hayes book a try. See my rating? Yeah, well, goes to show that whoever said “third time’s a charm” is full of fish, if you ask me. This book was just as ridiculously clichéd and horribly characterized and delightfully sprinkled with suicide-inducing stuff as the two previous ones I barely survived read, so yay and stuff.

① The Clichéd Everything Fest (CEF™).
The writing is gloriously hackneyed. The dialogues are scrumptiously trite. And the characters! Oh, the characters! What magnificently stereotyped specimens we have here! It’s quite wondrously wondrous, really. Especially since this story is centered around a bunch of pirates. Being pirates, they are of course raunchy as shrimp. And vulgar. And greedy. And bloodthirsty. And a cursing, drinking, ever-whoring clique. But it’s not ALL bad, you know. I mean, it’s not like ALL they do is utter profanities, make obscene gestures, worry about “pussy money,” “viciously” roll their eyes or skewer anyone who looks at them the wrong way. Oh, no. Sometimes they take a much needed break from their super stressful pirate life and just “drink, fight and fuck” for a while. Ah, to enjoy the simple things in life!



② The Despicably Unpleasant Cast (DUC™).
How this author manages to create such distastefully unpalatable, one-dimensional characters is and forever shall be one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. I mean, I love grimdark and Despicable Characters with Completely-Fished-Up Moral Compasses (DCwCFUMC™) but the cast here is just…I don’t know…I have no words, really. There isn’t a single somewhat-moderately-passably likable character in the book. Not. A. One. Okay, that’s not fair. It is true that a bunch of pretty complex evil ants show up at some point in the story and I have to admit they’re quite friendly and endearing and stuff. Oh, and the wannabe kraken is pretty chummy, too. But the puny humans?



③ The Stuff that Slightly Awakens the Homicidal Maniac in Me (StSAtHMiM™).
I don’t want to go to deep into Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Land (because I’m lazy as fish and have wasted enough time on this book as it is kind and caring like that), so I’ll keep it short: one of the supposedly badass 🙄🙄 female characters gets raped about halfway through the story (because, you know, raping and pillaging is what pirates do and stuff 🙄🙄). The problem is that this is a completely gratuitous plot device that serves no bloody shrimping purpose whatsoever. Worse, the way the scene is written and the woman’s behavior after the rape made me feel a teensy little bit like this:



Funny how books that perpetuate rape culture always get me in a Slightly Very Bad Mood (SVBM™), isn’t it? Yeah, I know, I’m weird like that.

➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): I’d say that this book feels like it is aimed at somewhat immature, hormonal male teenagers but some of my neither-so-immature-nor-teenage male friends (not sure about the hormonal part) seem to have enjoyed it quite too much, so I won’t.

P.S. Now 💕this💕 is my kind of pirate. You’re welcome and stuff.

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*'s.

It's not a bad book. It's just that it didn't offer me anything new in the pirate genre and what it did offer has been done before and better. The pacing was also slow and I never really warmed to any of the characters. I'd also, and please don't crucify me there's no real way to phase this right, avoid this if rape is on your to be avoided at all cost list.

If you're in the market for an easy read that's totally straightforward and has most of the standard pirate grimdark markings you'll probably enjoy the book.

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an interview recorded that will be available in April on the podcast. The Nerd Book Review


A flintlock pirate fantasy with a little magic thrown in.

I’m giving this book a 4.5 stars and not a true 5 for 1 reason and 1 reason only. The reason is that the pirate ships had no cannons! I loved the story and thought the politics and scheming were done extremely well but I missed the damned ship to ship battles that could have been. If there hadn’t been small guns I wouldn’t have thought twice about it but since cannons came well before small arms as a result of how much easier it is to produce cannons on a technical scale than small arms.

Now that I’ve relayed my only disappointment with the book, other than the small thing that The Eternal Rest, which I won’t spoil, was a little too convenient. It’s not something that actually bothered me personally though but I will mention it.
Now onto the things that need to be said about a very adult novel. There is a fair amount of bad language and a fair amount of sex and violence, including 1 rape scene that is pretty uncomfortable. The rape scene is over relatively quickly though and serves to show just how ruthless and evil one of the pirate captains is so I don’t think it’s gratuitous. I didn’t find the bad language to be overdone or distracting. The POV characters don’t do a lot of cussing on their own so it’s mostly secondary characters doing the cussing. I figure pirates would have pretty foul language on the whole and I hear more “f bombs” from my employees and the other people I work around on a daily basis to think it’s not authentic. If you happen to be well educated and have a white collar job it is easy to think that people don’t really cuss and talk like people in movies do but if you work in a blue collar profession then you really do encounter people who use the word “fuck” in every sentence.
I thought the story was engaging and entertaining with a lot of action and contained an array of people who have very different and complicated motives. There is a good amount of world building included while maintaining a good pace. If you like pirates with a little magic thrown in you should thoroughly enjoy the book.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a current semi finalist and holy shit was it amazing. I haven’t read a good pirate story in a long time and this one blew me away. Awesome characters, awesome plot, awesome dialogue, fucking gritty (180 fucks given in this book, not for those who don’t like cursing).
I have a lot of good things to say about this one.

Bingo: Self Published, Sea Faring, 2017, audiobook Possibly over 50, pending author response


Plot:

The main characters in this story are all pirates from different ships with different captains. Most of the time there’s a tension between these different factions of pirates and at best they are at uneasy peace with each other, at worst they’re slaughtering each other over pirate drama.
But, it looks like something may have to unite them soon because there are ships going from pirate town to pirate town killing everyone, men women and children all slaughtered and then the towns burned.

There are countries in this world known as Sarth and the Five Kingdoms, usually these two countries are at war with each other, but it looks like they are teaming up together to try and purge out the pirates. This kind of thing hasn’t been done in generations, and if the pirates don’t band together under a King they could be wiped out.

There are subplots going on for each of the characters, and it’s really interesting watching their journeys and how they sometimes mix and mingle.


Characters:

* Drake – One of the captains, I really liked this character and overall for a pirate he has pretty decent morals, although this is speaking comparatively he’s capable of doing some nasty stuff. He has no problems commanding loyalty, and his goal is to be the new Pirate King that everyone unites under. He tries to build a new safe haven after many towns are burned and spends much of the book trying to gain support for his plans.

* Keelin Stillwater – Probably my favorite character, he’s also a decent and ‘fair’ pirate, preferring to spill as little blood as possible when taking over ships. He has a connection with another pirate,
Elaina, the daughter of the biggest assholes to grace a page, Captain Tanner Black. It complicates things for him. He also has a lot of trouble with his own crew, with the threat of mutiny always on the horizon.

* Elaina Black – a rather ruthless pirate, she doesn’t have any qualms killing people for loot and makes a lot of rash decisions, and typically ends of paying in the end. Being the daughter of Captain Black does things to you, and she didn’t fall that far from the tree. She’s a really fascinating character and she endures some intense bullshit thanks to her father.

* Tanner Black – the antagonist of the story, nobody is safe around this guy, he’s brutal and believes that you can only learn through pain. He’s sadistic, creepy, power hungry, and fucking awful. I hated anytime he was on page because something fucked up usually happened and some of it was difficult to read through.

* Beck – An Arbiter sent to protect Drake by his Seer of a brother. She has some magical abilities, the one most used is to get people to confess to things and share info they wouldn’t usually doing a little mind magic.

All of the characters were rather grey, but they were also easy to relate to in a weird sense, they felt like people, spoke like people and had a lot of depth to them. I loved the way that although I'd dislike these people in real life, I loved them to death as characters.


Worldbuilding:

There was a lot of world building in this book and getting it from a nautical point of view was something I don’t get to see often.

I think my favorite setting was the mysterious Island of Many Deaths where there’s all sorts of weird fucking ways to do. Sometimes the island tries to lull you to sleep and have animals eat you, other times it’s monsters, there’s so much going on here it was a lot of fun to explore with the characters. Not to mention watching a town get built is interesting by itself, I’ve always liked pioneering stories where it’s settlers vs the land, “The Merry Fuck” is probably my favorite brothel name I’ve encountered in a while.

The numerous pirate cities are well realized and I got a real sense for how they looked and felt and the people that inhabited them.

There’s a lot of interesting lore going on with different gods and myths and legends. So much old school mysterious stuff that’s so much fun. Giant creatures, unruly Sea Gods as likely to smite their followers as help them. There’s also a faction of fanatics from the Vol religion who have Arbiters, a type of magically endowed person who hunts down witches and people they believe to be against their god, burning at stakes is a thing.

There’s a fleet of ships tied together to form a floating city with the worlds largest pleasure house called Fortunes Rest.

There’s another race that’s mostly found underground called the Drurr, and they specialize in bizarre torture, they’re pissed off at humans for driving them underground, they used to rule the world. There’s a mystery going on between Drake and these creatures and it was fun trying to put it together.

There’s too much world building for me to squeeze it into a condensed enough version for this kind of a review.


Pacing/Prose:

This was one of the cleaner written books I’ve read through spfbo, most books have a handful of spelling, grammar, or other editing errors. This book was so clean it read like it was polished by an editor.

The pacing was super quick, there was always something interesting happening, whether it was exploring an island of monsters and magic, or fights, or escapes, or personal shit hitting the fan – whatever it was that was on page was interesting and it was difficult to put down.


Audience:

* For people who like gritty books
* For people who like grey characters
* For people who like more complex plot
* For people who like monsters and “old magic”/mysterious magic
* For people who like multi POV
* For people who like a book that kicks you in the feels and goes to rather dark places
* For people who like addiction topics addressed in fantasy, side character addicted to Lucy
* Not for people who don’t like cursing
* Not for people who want to avoid rape and sexual violence. There was a fairly detailed on screen rape of a main POV.


Fantasy Book Review's Review: http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Ro...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

http://weatherwaxreport.blog

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pirate adventure as it should be written. Plenty of action, laughs, and more than a few cringe-worthy scenes that will keep you entertained until the very end.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in Rob Hayes’ Best Laid Plans duology, and the second series in his First Earth Saga universe. The story follows three pirate captains; Drake Morrass – Captain of The Fortune, Keelin Stillwater – Captain of The Phoenix, and Elaina Black – Captain of Starry Dawn. The empires of Sarth and the Five Kingdoms have declared war on the pirate isles. Traveling to every known settlement and town in the islands to burn and kill as many as possible. But, Drake has a plan to unite all of the pirates and fight back. All while naming himself as their king in the process. Now, all Drake has to do is convince the most cutthroat a roguish people in the known world to follow his lead.

“He was Drake Morrass. He'd faced down dragons and demons. He'd made a pact with a goddess and escaped the Drurr slave pits. He sat at the table with some of the most powerful folk in the known world, and they considered him a peer. He fucked empresses, murdered kings, and drank toasts with death himself. He’d set plans in motion that changed the course of history. Ambition has always ruled his actions, not fear.”

First of all, I want to talk about how much fun I had while reading this book. All the characters are fleshed out very well and each had their own personalities that attributed to the pleasure I had in reading it. I will have to admit that I haven’t read that many books based on pirates, but this will be the book I compare all future pirate adventures to for sure. The banter between the characters, the awkward and inappropriate situations, along with some of the most well-crafted swearing I can ever remember reading, made this one of the most hilarious books I have read in a long time. Don’t worry! There are plenty of intense and action filled scenes that balance out the narrative. Just be prepared to go from bursting out laughing to dead serious in a matter of sentences.

The pace of the story stayed fairly steady throughout the book. Nothing seemed hurried or unexplained. In fact, Rob did a great job of giving the reader enough back story for each of the main characters to add some real depth to not only them, but the plot as well. While it is fairly obvious that Drake Morrass in the main character, Captain Keelin Stillwater gets almost an equal amount of page time. While most of Elaina’s chapters come in after the halfway point of the book. I like how these characters are already familiar with each other from the beginning. Their history and familiarity with each other really helped the story take-off from the start and not let up. It’s not that I don’t like a slow start and characters having to get familiar with each other. It just wouldn’t seem right in this setting.

So, if you’re looking for a swashbuckling good time on the high seas; with plenty of humor, great characters, and a pretty awesome pirate adventure to boot. Then look no further than Where Loyalties Lie. I would suggest reading Rob’s The Ties that Bind trilogy first to get the best experience from this duology. Some characters cross over between the series and certain events won’t have the same affect if these aren’t read chronologically.

“It's not always wise to gain the attention of a creature powerful enough to name itself a god."

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars ****

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology from Rob J. Hayes; a sequel of sorts to his The Ties That Bind trilogy, but one where no knowledge of the former is required to enjoy the later. And for those unfamiliar with what they will be getting when picking up this new, pirate epic from Hayes, please understand this author is a no holds barred grimdark master, whose characters are violent, profane, and without very many redeeming qualities. In other words, the “pirates” you’ll encounter here aren’t the Jolly Roger-type portrayed in Disney films, but the bloodthirsty, thieving, and murdering realities who terrorize the seas of the First Earth fantasy world.

Pirates are under attack! Their more civilized neighbors tired of the constant thievery; navies sent out in force to exterminate pirates from the sea. These forces more than willing to kill anyone attached to pirates, including women and children. And so Where Loyalties Lie begins with Captain Drake Morass and crew watching a pirate township and all within burnt to ashes by this grand crusade.

Watching the scene of fiery death causes the calculating, charming, and absolutely brutally Captain Drake to have an epiphany; a realization that he has to do something to increase his chances of surviving this onslaught and protect his current status. His plan – unite all the pirates in a sacred cause to drive back their foes, carve out their own independent pirate kingdom, and make Captain Drake their king!

Only one problem: everyone hates, fears and distrusts Captain Drake. And for good reason. He is a black-hearted villain who would use, betray, and discard anyone at anytime. Not to mention he is as violent as they come, willing to do the most terrible things to even those close to him upon a whim. His reputation as a damn monster fairly earned and not far from the truth.

But all that is a mere problem for old Captain Drake to overcome. A minor hurdle, if you will. Thus, he decides he needs a more trustworthy and naive captain as his right hand man. Someone whom the other pirates respect and trust; someone they will believe; someone who can convince them Captain Drake has changed, that he really believes in this grand crusade to unite them all, save them and create their own kingdom. Enter Captain Keelin Stillwater.

Keelin is a wanna-be do gooder. A pirate captain who tries not to murder and brutalize his victims, if at all possible. I mean, he is still a pirate, so all his lofty ambitions of not doing harm aren’t terribly convincing, but he does, at least, have them. And Keelin quickly falls in with old Captain Drake, giving the legendary Morass the poster boy for his grand crusade to give pirates change they can believe in.

Joining these two main characters in the ongoing tale are several others, most notably Elaina Black (daughter of feared pirate Tanner Black), Arbiter Beck (a familiar face from The Ties That Bind), and Captain Truck Khan (another pirate). Each of these characters getting their time in the spotlight, adding even more wrinkles to this complex tale of pirate brutality and betrayal.

All of which brings up the one thing prospective readers must keep in mind about Where Loyalties Lie: it is pure, unfiltered, one thousand proof, kick-you-in-the-teeth grimdark at its most potent. Rob Hayes’ cynical view of his characters and their self proclaimed altruistic motives easy to see. The people populating this story taking turns doing bad things, really bad things, including George R. R. Martin-like manipulation and coercing, graphic violence (even brutal rape), profane language, and a good bit of consensual sex. All of it is within the confines of the ongoing story, not out of place, and used to progress the plot along. But if you do not enjoy reading this type of grimness, please don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For grimdark lovers, Rob Hayes should be one of your go to writers. This guy can write a story with characters who are both charismatic, charming, calculating, yet are complete and total shites. I mean, there are so many WTF moments in Where Loyalties Lie that I’ve tried to block some of them out. Honestly, by the end of this narrative, I wanted to both drinking a beer with and ritually murder Captain Drake Morass, and don’t even get me started on Elaina’s dad who needs to be worked over by a torturer for a few years before he is quietly put down. That is how strong the emotions are that Rob Hayes’ writing can elicit.

If your okay with that, then this novel is a fine piece of nautical grimdark. It is pirates in a fantasy setting, who act like the thieves and scoundrels they are. Only here they are also caught up in a merry dance of killing and creating an empire. There is pirate politics, pirate battles, and pirate hypocrisy. Enough to keep even the most diehard fan of pirates and nautical warfare sit up and take notice. And mixed into the maniacal mayhem is an organically growing story of the people caught up in it all from mad Captain Drake to wanna-be-good-guy Keelin to the strong-yet-unsupported Elaina. Each of these people demanding that you keep reading to discover their ultimate fate.

Are their any major problems with the book? Not really. I mean, you have to be okay with all the graphic violence, rape, profanity, et cetera I mentioned earlier, and you have to really like pirates. Why I mention that last point is because I personally know people who hate pirates (and nautical stories in general), refuse to read books or watch movies about them. And Where Loyalties Lie is almost exclusively a nautical adventure, which takes place on ships and at sea. The battles are sea battles with deck combat. All the main characters are obviously pirates. So if you don’t enjoy those type of stories, this isn’t a book you should read.

To sum up, this is a grimdark tale of devious, destructive, yet intriguing pirates and those swirling around their ongoing circumstances. For lovers of grimdark, nautical fantasy, or villains as the focus, Where Loyalties Lies is a fantasy story not to be missed and will perfectly build within you a desperate need to get your hands on the next installment of the series.

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank him for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/07/30/...

Grimdark on the high seas! Sweeter words have never been spoken. I’ve always had a taste for maritime fantasy, so when the chance arose to review Where Loyalties Lie, how could I say no? And the fact that it has pirates in it was simply the icing on the cake.

But while I’d never before had the pleasure of reading Rob J. Hayes, I’m familiar enough with his style to know that his pirates would be the real deal—not the watered down, unobjectionably mild sort you usually see catered to general audiences. His protagonist Captain Drake Morass is exemplary of this, being one of the most brutal and bloodthirsty bastards sailing in these fair isles. Needless to say, he’s also not a man who takes too kindly to being hunted. As Drake and his crew stand witness to a pirate town being slaughtered and burned to the ground by naval forces, he realizes that his way of life may be fast coming to an end…unless someone decides to rise up and fight back. Quickly, an idea begins to hatch in his mind. First, he will unite all the pirates. Next, they will form their own little pirate kingdom, where they will be able to govern and defend themselves. And naturally, Drake will be their glorious leader.

However, Drake’s plans are not without their obstacles. For one thing, his reputation as a dastardly pirate precedes him, and getting any of the other captains to sign on to his campaign will be difficult—unless, of course, he can find someone trustworthy to vouch for him. This is where Captain Keelin Stillwater enters the picture. A practical man, Stillwater is not your typical pirate, preferring more civilized resolutions to conflicts over bloody mayhem if at all possible. He is also one hell of a swordsman and holds a certain level of respect among his fellow pirates, so his word would go a long way to legitimizing Drake’s grand scheme. Together, the two of them will also have to come together to face another threat—Tanner Black. As leader of the most feared pirate fleet on the open seas, Black is setting his sights to dethrone Drake Morass even before he can establish his pirate utopia. To complicate matters is also Tanner’s daughter Elaina Black, who has a past with Stillwater. Torn between her feelings for Keelin and her loyalties to her father, she is something of a wild card who will play a significant role in determining the outcome of this epic ocean-faring saga.

Passion, pride, and fierce ambitions come together in this enthralling adventure full of violence and grit. After a slow-burning start, the surprises come at us fast and thick as the plot takes off in the second half, all set against a backdrop of tensions and hostilities. It’s interesting to note that the pirates of this world have their own politics, so with that also comes the mercurial alliances and betrayals, not to mention their own set of rules and piratical codes of conduct. Anything can happen at all, which makes one wonder if Drake Morass might be in way over his head trying to unite this rough bunch of thieves and miscreants, most of whom are only out for themselves.
After all, it’s not easy being a pirate, especially in the world of Hayes’ First Earth. As I mentioned before, Where Loyalties Lie was my first introduction to the author’s distinctive brand of dark fantasy—which I found to be as brutal and visceral as it was reputed to be. If you’ve come for the raging sea battles and bloody ship takeovers, then you’ll be in for a treat. However, be forewarned as well that depictions of murder, torture and rape are frequent, tossed out almost nonchalantly and often described in graphic detail—not in a way that’s intended to be flippant, mind you, but simply because this is the way of this novel’s world. It’s best, therefore, to avoid this one if you don’t think you can stomach these kinds of horrors, for the threat of violence is an everyday reality for the characters, and the story never lets you forget it. This book is grimdark in its purest form, and it is not ashamed to flaunt the fact.

For the genre, the characters are also as you would expect—most of them are capable of doing great evil, with a few who have some admirable qualities. Admittedly, as with a lot of grimdark novels I wish there had been more variety in the personalities, though there were still enough surprises to keep me guessing at their motives and actions. I also didn’t get a good feel for Drake Morass until later in the novel, largely because the slow build-up in the first half, though I’ve also heard that he is a character—albeit a minor one—from Hayes’ The Ties That Bind trilogy and I can’t help but wonder if not having read the previous series might have played into my initial disconnect with him. That said, the good news is that this is merely a minor issue; by the time the story got going, there is no doubt that I became fully engaged with every single one of these characters, especially once all their potential and intentions were revealed.

Bottom line, for fans of grimdark and pirates, Where Loyalties Lie will be like your dream come true, capable of satisfying the most ferocious appetites for gritty, brutal, and violent nautical fantasy. It is a solid first volume, doing a superb job of establishing the series’ colorful characters and themes, and I am looking forward to the next installment.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review now posted!
You can find this review and more at Booknest.

In my review for Red Seas Under Red Skies I mentioned that I was of the belief that there weren’t enough pirates in fantasy fiction. Well, guess what? I found more pirates! Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in Rob J. Hayes’ new duology, Best Laid Plans. And it is all pirates, all the time. It was so much fun!

There are multiple perspective characters here, with each perspective listed by ship instead of by any individual characters’ names, which I thought was creative. But the main character in this story, the hinge around which the entire plot swings, is Captain Drake Morrass of the Fortune. The Pirates Isles are under attack from Sarth and the Five Kingdoms, as these kingdoms have decided that the “pirate problem” has gotten completely out of hand and needs to be addressed. Unfortunately for the people of the Pirate Isles, these kingdoms have no problem with collateral damage. Every citizen of the Isles, be they pirate or innocent, is slated to be obliterated. But Drake has a plan, a plan that will unite the many pirates of the Isles and save them all. And if it requires him becoming king of the Isles to accomplish this task, so much the better.

The other characters were just as interesting as Drake. There’s Captain Keelin Stillwater of the Phoenix, a man who will do just about anything to protect the secrets of his past; Captain Elaina Black, daughter of the most terrifying pirate captain in the Isles; Arbiter Beck, a member of the Inquisition with hair of gold and access to magic that terrifies every pirate she comes across except for Drake; and Captain T’ruck Khan, a giant of a man who believes that bigger is always better. All of these characters, with the exception of Beck, are pirates through and through; they’re out for themselves and, though they may be likable, they are certainly not good people. They are selfish and conniving, everyone of them, and their interests are the only interests that interest them. Beck might not be a pirate, but she’s no saint. There are no heroes in this story, but that totally works for a pirate tale. No pirate is a hero, or they wouldn’t be a pirate!

The setting Hayes has created is unique. The Isles seem to have life of their own, and would rather kill their inhabitants than nurture them, but they’re home for thousands who wouldn’t abandon them for anything. Here there be monsters, and trees that seem almost sentient, and other wonders and terrors laying in wait in the depths of the forests that plague each of the islands. There’s also Fortune’s Rest, a mobile “island” created by strapping hundreds of ships together, that is a pleasure playground for those with, shall we say uncommon tastes. Beyond these ports there are the pirate ships themselves, and the crews that call them home. And everywhere, there is magic laying in wait just below the surface of the land or the sea, waiting. Hayes did a phenomenal job conveying every aspect of his setting without bogging readers down in the details. The world he created felt exactly like a world populated by pirates should feel; fun and vulgar and more than a little dangerous.

Hayes has a previous trilogy, The Ties that Bind, which also features Drake, but exposure to that trilogy isn’t necessary to enjoy this book. I’ve never read anything by Hayes, and I enjoyed this book immensely and didn’t feel at all like I was missing out by not having read The Ties that Bind first. I will admit that I wanted more resolution at the end of the book, but I’m excited that this is going to be a duology. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes out for book two, and will most likely be tracking down The Ties that Bind trilogy to get my Drake Morrass fix in the meantime.

The only things that kept this book from being a five star read for me was the lack of resolution (but that’s a personal preference) and certain choices Hayes made with the writing. Every once in a while, specific phrases or even thoughts would just feel a bit repetitive. Also, there was one particular rape scene that just threw me out of the story for a minute as I tried to process it.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves pirates. Or antiheroes. Or a story that’s just plain (but definitely vulgar) fun.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I was kindly sent by the author and which I needed to read in order to judge the SPFBO awards being run by Mark Lawrence. I really think it's a book I would have picked up anyway, because of the great cover and the fact that it's about Pirates (which I really enjoy), but as it is I'm glad SPFBO made me pick it up sooner as it's so worth the read-through!

What I most liked about this, is certainly the pirate setting. We're constantly on the high seas, raiding, pillaging, and spending time in taverns and brothels. Personally, I really like pirate stories, and even though they can be quite bawdy at times and violent (I mean, they are pirates after all) I find them really entertaining.

The cast of the story is predominantly male, but there are some female characters on the fringes too. Our most notable characters include Keelin Stillwater, Drake Morass, and Tanner Black. We also have Elaina Black who is Tanner's daughter. Each of the characters brings their own personality, ship-life, and backstory.
I really liked learning more about each of the characters as time went on, and I think of all of them Drake was probably my favourite. I really enjoyed Keelin at times too, and Elaina at times, but overall I think Drake stood out as the lead as he's the one the others look to.
Tanner is a nasty piece of work and I definitely found him to be one of the least appealing (but great as a bad-guy) characters in the book as he does some horrible things to his crew and even worse things to his enemies.

The plot of the book really kicks off with the burning of a pirate settlement by the soldiers/navy people of this world. One of our pirates, Drake, is at the forefront of the action and brings the news back to the rest of the pirates that they are under attack. This sparks a chain reaction of gathering followers, fleeing soldiers and starting new settlements, and it's all very quick, dramatic and lively.

There is magic in this world in the form of Arbiters and Oracles. I really liked seeing the Arbiter use her magic and I think of the female characters in the book she may have been my favourite by the end. The Oracle mostly acts behind the scenes, but his had was clearly in everything that went on too.

Overall, a very solid story and one where I will definitely pick up the second book to find out what happens next. There's a lot more still to come, and I think it's a story well worth reading if you like the pirate-y side of life :) 4*s from me

{For SPFBO rating purposes I would give it an 8.5*s out of 10}

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was privileged enough to get a Advanced Reader's Copy of WHERE LOYALTIES LIE by Rob J. Hayes and feel like it'd be a good time to mention what I think of it well ahead of everyone else. Bwhahahaha! Yes, my book review will determine the fate of its success. You know, if anyone remembers what I said when it's released in may.

This book is a sequel, of sorts, set in the same world as Rob J. Hayes THE TIES THAT BIND series. Despite this, while reading the last book will enrich your experience, it is not necessary to appreciate what is inside. This works entirely on its own as a standalone story of roguish pirate Drake Morass and his decision to try to build a nation out of the various pirate fleets which exist inside the seas of the Known World.

This impressive ambition is fueled by the fact he's managed to get to the top of his game as a pirate and con man but has recently lost his most lucrative con (being the lover to the Empress of China's equivalent in the setting) as well as winning the enimity of the world's most dangerous inquisitor. Drake has the seed money and contacts to become a king, sort of, but he has the problem that everyone knows him as a scheming treacherous bastard. To that end, he has to recruit a number of individuals who might actually be able to persuade, with sincerity, pirates to believe in a dream of a nation of their own. The fact Morass doesn't remotely care about the prospect save as a means of entitling himself is one of the books ironies and underscores the author's cynical views about causes.

Comparisons to Pirates of the Carribean are inevitable with the fact this is a supernatural pirate story with the calculating lead and his more straight-laced associate Keelin Stillwater. In fact, the similarities highlight the differences as Drake only has a heart of gold if he ripped it out from someone else's chest. He's charming, yes, but in the same way a snake is and the book makes no bones about his sociopathy. Keelin, by contrast, is desperate to be a good man but the fact he's a pirate makes all his attempts at righteousness ring hollow. The fact he wants a measure of redemption through leaving his current long-time pirate lover for a more "innocent" girl also shows the fundamental hypocrisy at the heart of his desires.

Tanner Black, the book's primary antagonist, is an interesting take on the mythological Blackbeard. While Edward Thatch may have had his downer points, he wasn't the embodiment of cruelty and causal horror which Rob J. Hayes has created in his "villain." The irony of the character is he's right about everything, particularly that Drake Morass is going to get them all killed for his own ambition. His mind is an interesting place to be as well since his treatment of his daughter and son approaches Tywin Lannister levels of abuse (then passes everything but Tyrion's "moment") yet believes he loves them. By the end of the book, it was definitely my desire to see him destroyed as I can say about few fantasy villains--even though I hated Drake in a "love to hate" sort of way.

My favorite character in the book is probably Elaina Black, though, who has much of the appeal of the literary Asha Greyjoy and would very much work as the star of her own novel. Elaina desperately wants to please her father and be with her lover Keelin in a life of blood, sweat, and rum but this just isn't in the cards. Neither man is worth her devotion and it's clear she probably would be the best Pirate Monarch-but there's the issue of both her gender as well as her father's untrusworthinss standing in her way. Also, sadly, the fact she'd rather help those she loves than rule herself.

Make no mistake, despite the Caribbean-like environment, this book is grimdark. There's a horrifying scene in the book where a major character is "punished" which strips away any pretense the antagonists are decent people while the protagonists have the benefit of merely being slightly less monstrous. If you don't have a stomach for George R.R. Martin levels of violence and angst then this might not be the book for you. Fans of the Ties That Bind, for example, may remember that Drake was a VILLAIN in the previous book and did something most would consider irredeemable.

Even so, there's a kind of jolly (roger) energy to the book which propels its story forward. Even though we, the audience, know this is all a con, it's very easy to get swept up in the idea of a nation for the underdogs. The historical pirates of Nassau had the belief they could create an equal society for all before their dream collapsed due to, well, piracy being a poor method of creating a nation. It's really more of a supplementary income sort of thing unless you're Francis Drake at least. There's a good sense of humor to the book, too, which contrasts nicely against the somewhat grim protagonists of his previous book.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend this book and consider the duology (yes, I read the sequel too) to be Hayes' best work and up there with Mark Lawrence as well as Joe Abercrombie.

10/10

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one!

It should be said that there is plenty of violence, some descriptive sex (though thankfully only short scenes and not too many) and also some rape included - so it isn't for the faint of heart.

Aside from that, it was fast paced, had great characters, a lot of action, an interesting world, smooth prose - and was just a lot of fun all around! The next one will be added right to the top of my TBR, after I get through the few books I promised to review.

Definitely a 100% recommendation from me!

[Martin Owton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidly constructed and fully seaworthy, crewed by well-realised characters and pushed along with a strong following wind! Would have liked to read the ships' log to know a bit more backstory but otherwise a great voyage.
It should be noted that this is very clearly book 1 of a series and none of the plot arcs resolve

[C.H. Baum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can sum this book up in just a few words. Arg. Arrrrrgh. Argh? ARRRRRRGGGHHHH! After finishing this book (and it was a good one), for some reason, I feel like drinking and burning something to the ground.

[Rebekah Teller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirate captains with deep grudges and seething competition must figure a way to unite to survive the royal navy's growing pursuits to eradicate them.

This was my first Rob Hayes book. I haven't read his previous works, but that in no way hindered my reading experience. The further I got into this book, the harder it was to put down, a necessary quality for a 5-star rating from me.

There are a lot of point of view characters, and some introduced late in the book, but it served the experience of the story rather than distracting from it. When pirates are preparing for war, one wouldn't expect the efforts to be single-minded or well-organized. In fact, Hayes so wonderfully captures a tone of calculated recklessness, flamboyance, and intrigue. Each captain has a different style, with a different flavor to each ship's atmosphere.

These pirates invaded my heart. My favorite is Keelin Stillwater, who abandoned his noble upbringing to pursue a life of simple pleasures and the freedom of the sea. Okay, well I'm romanticizing that quite a bit, which is certainly not what this book does. But it's not difficult to find some connection with each character (except for Tanner Black—he can burn in Hell). Despite their lawless violence and extreme life choices, Hayes brings to life the humanity in each of them, giving us something to root for and something to dread. Even as allies are coming together, others are falling apart, and the whole plan could very easily topple completely at the whim of the sea goddess.

[Sadir S. Samir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book from Rob J. Hayes that I've read, and I'm not the least bit surprised this book won the esteemed SPFBO award last year. In my opinion, the line between self-published books and traditionally published books is decreasing rapidly, but that's another subject for another time.

Where Loyalties Lie is an excellent take on pirates in a fantasy setting. The POV characters were all intriguing and fleshed out, and I found myself increasingly interested in the world beyond the isles where the story takes place. I loved it from start to finish. One thing to mention (that I don't mind at all) is that this novel does not stand on its own - and that's not the intention since this is a duology. I'm gonna jump straight into the second book.

I really don't enjoy writing reviews but I know how important they are to support authors. Hence my very short reviews.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Rob J. Hayes is an author who appeared on to my radar when I read his debut The Heresy Within a little over 4 years ago. Since then after reading & thoroughly savoring the rest of his debut trilogy, I was simply convinced of his ample talent and the mysteries that were abundantly present in the First Earth world. This new duology has been delayed for over a year and the author has talked about the reasons over here on his blog. He even has provided a timeline of events and thankfully the author was able to get back the rights to these books and here we are with the first book. Before I start my review, for full disclosure I was an alpha/beta reader for this book and its sequel.

The book begins with a pirate town burning and Drake Morass’s pirate crew watching it along with their captain. Pretty soon the news spread and the pirates are wary of being hunted, among one such pirate captain is Keelin Stillwater. A person with a secret past who is hunting for a specific thing, Keelin is one of the rare pirates that chooses to avoid bloodshed whenever possible. He’s the exception among the seas where brutality & betrayal seems the norm. Both these pirate captains are gunning for something and they will have to strive to overcome their mutual distrust for their survival. We also meet Elaina Black, daughter of feared pirate Tanner Black and a dangerous person on her own. Elaina is running for her own deal however has to be careful of fraternal jealousy. Following up on the POV list we have a few other characters such as Arbiter Beck, Captain T’ruck Khan, Princess (who’s a guy) and a few others. They don’t get the same amount of page time but they are very, very interesting none the less.

The main focus of the story is one of ambition, betrayals and plotting. All of this occurs via the characters and namely Drake Morass is situated in front and center of this story, Drake was a minor but important character in the previous trilogy and his background actions fueled a lot of the plot twists. This duology though stands separate from the events of the previous trilogy and while it shares a few characters from the previous work (who made minor cameos in the books). New readers can easily pick up these books and will be snared up in the events. Drake again is in the thick of things and we begin the book with him and we end with him as well.

The characters are what make this story come alive in a very visceral way, beginning with our two main POV pirate captains Drake Morass and Keelin Seawater. Who couldn’t be more different than each other, Drake is calculating at all times but can be bloodthirsty, enigmatic and certainly the most feared person on sea. Keelin on the other hand is driven by his past and will do almost anything except irrationally murder folks. These two characters are what fuel the narrative as we find out what reasons might force them to work together. Let’s be clear Drake is the biggest enigma of this series and possibly one of the biggest in this world wherein most things are unknown or hidden. Drake’s exploits while being legendary are also grim. They make him out to be a monster but a good-looking and charming one at that. In this book we get to see all of his personas. The cruelty, the tall tales (that sound implausible but hold more than a ring of truth), the vicarious nature of his plots which almost always pan out as he planned and his daredevilry at accomplishing his lofty goals (some of which are laid bare within this duology). He’s the main engine for the plot of this book and manages to be a scene-stealer all the way. On one level while the readers will be horrified by his actions, on a pure character note, he is impossible to ignore.

Keelin Stillwater has a lot to live up to and the readers will get to read all about his past as well as the internal struggle he fights. Keelin has previously appeared in a small bit in The Price Of Faith but unless one is eagle-eyed you will most likely not picked up on it. Keelin is a good mirror to Drake and it’s fun to compare them both. The biggest surprise is Elaina Black who along with Arbiter Beck and T’ruck Khan are the dark horses of this story. They start out as small characters but by their actions at the end of the book become core characters. The author has even written a short story focusing on Beck and Elaina Black which acts as a prequel (to this duology) and a nice introduction to the pirates. Every character introduced is someone that’s fully fleshed and you want to read more about them. I think that’s the hallmark of a good writer and Rob J. Hayes is certainly fulfilling that mark.

Another thing about this story is because it focuses on pirates, it also shines a light on characters that don’t always show the best aspects of humanity. This story is filled with violence, betrayals and visceral surprises. About the first aspect, truly no one is safe in this story and the violence is quite interspersed within the story and we get various scenes that will horrify readers but make sense within the confines of the story. However I must warn readers that there’s one scene involving Tanner Black and Elaina Black which will shock you beyond anything. It’s a very disturbing scene and one that’s present to showcase the terror and disgust. Tanner Black makes Tywin Lannister seem like a doting parent & that’s saying something. The action sequences are almost always over water or feature some terrific scenes of ship boarding. In the previous trilogy, the action was more on a personal level however with this book, Rob J. Hayes certainly exalts things to a grand level. The best action scenes are ones featuring T’ruck Khan and I believe he’s a character that will be imprinted a lot on readers’ minds.

The pace of the story and the plot twists will keep the readers hooked and engaged throughout. One of the things that surprised me about this book was the love story within it. To be fair there’s two love stories going on (neither of them in the classical way) but if you really want to get down to brass tacks, they can be called as such. Let me be clear, the romance isn’t the focus of the story in the least. As a reader I just happened to notice it and found it funny to compare both those threads. The book ends on a solid note and because this is a duology, we can expect the next book (The Fifth Empire Of Man) to end things in a brutal manner as all the plots come to a head.

Lastly what I also loved about this book, was the action and the epic battles. This book is possibly one of the best nautical fantasy ones that I’ve ever read. The only other titles that I can think which come close are Paul Kearney’s Sea Beggars series and his Monarchies Of God series (which featured quite a lot of sea action as well). There’s also the Red Skies Over Red Seas by Scott Lynch but this book obliterates them all by being almost entirely set on water (or surrounded by it) for about 95% of the time. Sure there are events which take on land but these are mostly tiny islands which are out in the open seas. The next best thing about the book is the world that’s featured in the books. I loved the First Earth world introduced in The Ties That Bind trilogy but with this duology, the author showcases a very, very different aspect with the Pirates and the seas. He even manages to give us a look in to the magical side of things with the sea goddess Rin & the Drurr. The First Earth world is a complex one and it’s very much evident from this book that how much time the author has invested in crafting it. Eagle-eyed readers will even catch references to events happening around in the wilds and to the author’s short story “Pre-Emptive Revenge” featured in the GrimDark Magazine.

Drawbacks to me were next to none as this is the first volume and I felt that this book can serve as an excellent starting point to Rob J. Hayes’ violent & exciting First Earth saga. I must point out that this book is quite grim (but not bleak) and very, very violent. There’s one really graphic sexual violent scene that’s sure to raise hackles for some but it’s not there to titillate and makes sense from a story & character point of view. Overall I feel that this book is one that explores pirates quite unlike any other fantasy books I’ve read so far in the genre.

CONCLUSION: Rob J. Hayes recently mentioned how long it took for him to release this book for no fault of his. As a friend, I can very well vouch for his frustration at that. However as an unbiased reader, I have to say this is the first time when anybody has so successfully merged two different sub-genres of fantasy to give us a story that’s very, very good. Where Loyalties Lie is the perfect fusion of Grimdark and epic nautical fantasy that you never thought possible. Check this book out as I've a feeling that it will be one that readers will be talking about a lot more in the months to come.

[Paul Lavender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crackin’

Who knew that fantasy pirates would be a big thing? Rob Hayes that’s who! This book has just won the SPFBO#3 and with good reason.

[Ojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Loyalties Lie is swashbuckling fantasy in the style of Sebastien De Castell featuring scum-hero pirates, uncouth women and men and plenty of whores, rum and bad ale.

The writing style is the most striking thing about the book. It is written in a smooth, flowing, even carefree manner that allows for a lot of irregularities and freestyling. While it a fun style of writing, the best part is the concision. There are no dull moments of lengthy descriptions of places and dressing; those are replaced with witty, sarcastic, humorous and altogether more exciting bits.

The story is one of mixed loyalties. When a lone, influential pirate embark on the nigh impossible mission of uniting all of the other bloodthirsty pirates in the Seven Isles against a bigger threat, the matter becomes less a question of survival and more a question of loyalty. When you put up naturally disloyal humans up against a threat they cannot ignore, the result will be to unite against all odds or die. But whether this unity is true unity remains yet to be seen, as mistrust, bad blood and former sins rise up from the ashes of the past to threaten the burgeoning alliance...

The plot is not complex. Instead, the volatile nature of the characters makes it very hard to predict. It makes for a suspense filled read.

A fine new read from a brave author.

[ReadBecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irreverent, improper, brutal, violent, and rollicking.

This is strangely somehow a lighthearted novel end to end despite the piracy, drug addiction, abuse, rape, a violent inquisition, and zombies. There is only a loose thread of main plot following the clashes between several band of pirates until near the end where things escalate, but mostly the book forms episodes of fights, storms and debauchery as we get to know the different factions.

[Coby Heitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I'd been looking for. The pirate talk was very entertaining. The characters were intriguing. The plot was easy to follow but not overly simple. The combat was exciting, especially the fights at sea. I really enjoyed this read.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the Book: Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in The Best Laid Plans duology and is also set in the same world as the author's prior trilogy, The Ties That Bind. There are crossover characters, but you do not need to read the prior trilogy to read this book.

This book is also a finalist in the 2017 SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) and it's currently one of the front runners. After finishing the book, I can see why!

Fair warning up front here, this book is full of graphic language and has some explicit sex scenes and some rape scenes. If these items are problematic for you, you should not pick up this book as they will be hard to overlook. The book revolves around non-romanticized pirates being murderous, filthy, thieving pirates - there are definite moments of levity and the characters come off a little bigger than life, but they are certainly noone's heroes in white.

Setting: The book is set in the Pirate Isles (complete with a nice map), which is basically a collection of small, mostly uninhabited islands with a few pirate settlements of various sizes scattered here or there. Most of the action takes place on the islands or aboard ships belonging to the various pirate captains we meet. There are also at least four other major civilizations/kingdoms mentioned, but we don't spend time there except in a few small memories/flashbacks. The main players are Sarth and the Five Kingdoms, both of which have navies and so we see their ships and politics at play.

Characters: This book shines with its characters. Captain Drake Morass, the swashbuckling pirate captain of The Fortune, whose ego is only eclipsed by his ambition comes to mind first. He never misses a chance to add to his own legend, but with the help of his Oracle brother, he has pulled off some pretty amazing feats and some of his legends seem to be at least based on truth.

Captain Keelin Stillwater is the other player we spend the most time with. If Morass' character color is charcoal, then Stillwater's is perhaps rainy day gray. A little lighter, but still not an angel. Stillwater stole his ship from his childhood girlfriend, Elaina Black (daughter of the extremely nasty and rightfully feared pirate lord Tanner Black). Stillwater prefers to avoid killing when taking ships when he can, but this has led to unrest among his crew and the threat of mutiny. Despite preferring not to kill, we do see him not hesitate to do so to protect himself and his reputation. Sometimes Stillwater seems to be battling his own desire to be a better person in order to be a better pirate.

We also spend a good bit of time with Elaina Black, the only female pirate captain we meet, her father, Tanner Black, Arbiter Beck (female member of the Inquisition assigned as a bodyguard to Morass), and Captain T'ruck Khan, who believes that bigger is *always* better.

Plot: At the heart of this story is the question of if the pirates of the Pirate Isles can survive. They are growing too numerous and unwary merchants are growing too scarce. They've taken too many ships and too much loot for the neighboring kingdoms to continue to ignore them. We see what seems to be the beginning of a purge - the kingdoms coming in and destroying the pirate towns they know about and killing anyone they find in the towns. Of course this requires the pirates to flee/found new towns the kingdoms don't know about but it also requires them to band together if they want to survive. Something that doesn't exactly come naturally to pirates.

Writing Style: The style feels a bit gonzo in the best of ways. It fits the larger-than-life characters of the pirates and their lifestyles. There's a lot of rough language and rough scenes, but they fit the story perfectly. There are a few minor typos in the version I have (possibly they have been corrected now, I always forget to look for updated versions), but nothing that will impact your enjoyment.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my first meeting with Rob J Hayes. I picked the book as part of my r/fantasy Bingo challenge and I'm glad I did. The book is part one of duology called Best Laid Plans.

Main character - Drake Morrass - is a classic sociopath who finds immense pleasure in bending other people to his will through manipulation, coercing, threaths and violence. I can't help it, I like the guy. Drake Morrass has an ambition - he wants to unite the pirates of the South Seas and build a nation. Also claim a crown for himself. The thing is he's not most popular and neighbour-friendly pirate around. Everybody knows Captain Drake Morass is only out for himself. That's why he needs allies who'll help him gather other captains in his fleet. He reaches to Captain Kellin Stillwater.

Nothing is entirely black and white - while Drake Morrass motivations aren't fully clear and selfless, the situation on the seas makes pirating risky job. The Pirates Isles are under attack from Sarth and the Five Kingdoms who have no problem with collateral damage - the book begins with them burning thepirate city and all its inhabitants.

The story follows mainly paths of Kellin and Drake although other characters receive some attention as well. The characters are described well and it's easy to root for them. I'm particluarly interested in Aimi (there's more to her than it appears hopefully) and T'rack Khan. Blacks family is scary and papa Black can concur with Tywin Lannister when it comes to being cruel to his children. He may surpass him.

I enjoyed the prode, world building and pacing. The book engaged me really fast, practically from the first page and I didn't loose interest throughout it. Sure, the plot was a bit predictable in places but in the same time it was entertaining.

Only the ending was a bit of a true letdown. I can't help but notice that almost all (anti)heroes acted out of character. There's no satisfying conclusion but I guess there shouldn't be - it's a duology after all. We're supposed to await sequel impatiently to connect all loose ties. The sequel - The Fifth Empire of the Men - will be published this year. Despite some minor criticism, I can't wait to put my hands on it.

Warning: for those of you who seek for redeeming qualities and are sensible to language, it's worth noting that the book contains graphic scenes of violence (including rape), sex and a lot of swearing.

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5

Full review also available: starlitbook.com/2018/06/26/where-loya...

After the first 14 pages I knew I’m going to love this book, and I wasn’t far off. I did enjoy this book until the end, except a scene or two, but I’ll get back to this. This is a grimdark book, therefore it’s not for the faint hearted, so I was aware what I’m getting myself into. While I think Where Loyalties Lie deserved to be named as champion in the 3rd SPFBO, it still surprises me this one got the title. This book is not for everyone, and definitely not one which might appeal to a wider audience. Especially to women. Okay, I don’t make much sense, so let me go from the start.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book of the Best Laid Plans duology, and part of the First Earth Saga. Those who read it carefully, might have spotted the names of Black Thorn and Rose who are happen to be the main character’s of Hayes’ upcoming book City of Kings, and Black Thorn is also the main character in The Tie That Binds trilogy, in which Drake also appears. Despite all these crossovers, you don’t need to have previous knowledge to understand what’s going on. For me this was the first book I’ve read from Rob Hayes and had no problem whatsoever. Maybe would have helped if I knew a bit more about Drake’s background, to add to his character rather than to the story.

We follow the story through a few point of views, although there is two, maybe three main ones:

Drake Morrass, captain of the Fortune, has plans. Which involves him to become king of pirates, after uniting them under his command to save them from the coming invasion. But of course he not only does this to save the folks of the isles, he also wants fame, money, and control over everything. As he puts it:

“It’s all about greed, Stillwater. Whether the gain is money, power, fame, or even the freedom that being a pirate offers. Fact is, we’re all in this game because we want something for ourselves. So yeah, what I’m proposing does in fact benefit Drake fucking Morrass.”

Aside from being a wee bit egoistic, he has some interesting secrets regarding his past, which he doesn’t seem to want to share, not even with Arbiter Beck, who was sent by Drake’s brother to watch his back. Drake is no fool to contradict his brother and sucks it up. Personally I liked Beck’s no-nonsense attitude and the way she wrapped everyone around her finger. She has a strong personality.

Keelin Stillwater, captain of The Phoenix, having some secrets himself, one of them explains his hate for Arbiter Beck. Which leads some pretty interesting and heated conversations between the two of them.

“Right then,” Drake said with a smile. “Now let’s all have us a hug.” Both Beck and Keelin shot Drake an incredulous look. “Of course I’m bloody joking, you damned idiots. Onto the boat with both of you.”

Although reluctantly, but he agrees to join forces with Drake to help him, while hoping to get his hands on some charts Drake happens to own. He also sports some kind of ideals about pirating and how the world would work. Even though he got some hard lessons while serving under Tanner Black. Who likes nothing more than teaching hard lessons – well, maybe money, women and power are higher on the list. But then, we are talking about pirates, so there is no surprise. And since we are talking about lessons…

…let’s mention Elaina Black as another, if not main POV character but an important one. She is the daughter of Tanner Black, childhood friend and lover of Keelin. She is hard to figure out. She is strong-headed, stubborn, temperamental, and hard – at least on the surface. I can’t say I liked her much, however, one of the most disturbing scene was hers. Not exactly because of the treatment she’s got – although that’s disturbing enough in itself – but because it showed how brainwashed she is by her father. Remember what I said about hard learned lessons? Here is a passage about that:

“Suffering makes you stronger,” Elaina said, repeating the words her father had drilled into all his children over and over again. “A lesson learned without pain isn’t learned at all. The pain makes you remember. Stops you from repeating.”

There aren’t many female characters in Where Loyalties Lie, but they are mostly whores, or they are treated like objects who aren’t much good for anything except sex. Now, I’m not a feminist, but the treatment these women get sometimes borders disturbing – and sometimes it crosses that line. Which is kind of paradox if we think about the law regarding those who take a woman against her will. Still, my favorite character was Aimi, a quiet, hardworking, clever, with a strong personality and witty attitude. But unless the other prominent female characters, she also has a kindness in her toward those she genuinely cares about. She reminded me of myself in one of the scenes where she tried to lighten up Keelin’s mood with useless chatter about whatever just to get his mind off of things. I find myself doing this a lot lately.

I find it hard to criticise anything in this book. The pace is good, the action is well-balanced with slower chapters where not much happens, but information is given in smart ways. The writing is excellent, and although there is plenty of bloodshed and scenes which are not easy to stomach, and quite some graphic content too, it’s also witty and there are some moments which makes you laugh out loud. The characters were all well fleshed out, maybe too well, because there wasn’t much place for developement. The plot has a nice arc, and I pretty much enjoyed reading it, there weren’t much twists that would have surprised me. Well, okay, there was a few things I didn’t see coming toward the end. My point is, the plot was a bit too predictable for my taste. This doesn’t mean I’m not interested what’s going to happen next. I also would have liked to learn a bit more about the magic system, the Inquisition and the mythology of this world.

If you love grimdark, you look for a book with self-absorbed pirates, plenty of action, blood and adventure, then Where Loyalties Lie is for you. It’s witty, it’s brutal, it’s bloody, it’s dark and it’s impossible to put down. There is plenty of rum, fights, plotting against each other, secrets well-kept, magic and interesting enough characters. I honestly don’t know what you all waiting for, go get your hands on of the copies of this book!

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/67...

4.5/5

WHERE LOYALTIES LIE by Rob Hayes is technically part of the larger First Earth universe and a sequel to the Ties That Bind trilogy. It is, however, an individual work which functions on its own and the first novel in the Best Laid Plans duology. Got all that? Me neither. However, for the sake of this review, this is a great grimdark pirate novel with bloodshed and booty!

The premise is Drake Morass, professional conman and pirate, has decided he's getting along in his years so it's time to think about retirement. Retirement plans for a man who was lovers with the Dragon Empress and who has literally sold his own mother into slavery are a bit more grandiose than for most, though. Drake Morass wishes to be a king and not just a king but one who rules over a nation of pirates in the setting's Caribbean equivalent. There's just one problem: everyone who knows Drake Morass knows he's a scheming piece of garbage. A man's word may not mean much among scurvy seadogs but his means less than anyone's.

To this end, Drake Morass recruits gentleman pirate Keelin. Keelin is something of a stereotype even in-universe as he's a former nobleman who went on the high seas to get revenge on his enemies. He's a man of his word and a man who tries to maintain civil standards above being a murderous bandit. In other words, he's the perfect patsy to make it look like Drake is out for anyone other than himself. Keelin is also, notably, lovers with Elaina Black--the world's most famous she-pirate and daughter of Tanner Black. Tanner is the man who actually IS close to being the pirate's king and knows better than to try something as stupid as Drake is planning.

Where Loyalties Lie is clearly inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but it also draws a great deal from the historical attempt at creating a pirate nation in Nassau. For those unfamiliar with it (or Assassins Creed: Black Flag), that was where the pirates of the age took over the island and attempted to create their own Republic. Unlike the Disney movies, this is a book clearly written for adults with language, sex, and visceral violence. There's also a short rape scene in the book which, while plot relevant, made my stomach turn and is the only reason this book isn't a 5 out of 5.

While I don't think fantasy is overclocked with Medieval European settings, I do like when the genre branches out and pirates are an underdone setting for stories about magic as well as monsters. They should go together like peanut butter and jelly with this novel making excellent use of his fantasy world as well as it's politics to create a dynamic interesting plot. The fact Drake's plan to create his own kingdom is entirely selfish and the book makes no attempt to soften its sociopathic antihero also means I didn't know who would win out. I was as much rooting for the people opposed to Drake Morass as the people he'd duped into following him.

The characters are dynamic, the situations interesting, and the writing crisp. There's never a dull moment in the novel and there's numerous twists I didn'texpect. Also, much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the book's love triangle between Keelin, Elaina, and Aimi. Keelin desperately wants to become a respectable gentleman again and that leads him to question his relationship with Captain Black. Unfortunately, Aimi wants to break away from the very respectability he craves. In a story about king-making, piracy, politics, and murder--this is a surprisingly engrossing story.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend readers who like their fantasy a bit more on the gritty side to check this work out. It's not for the faint of heart but that's part of why it's so enjoyable and why I intend to pick up the next volume. I strongly recommend the audiobook edition of this title as narrated by Matthew Jackson as it is extremely well done with a consistent dramatic read.

[Rob Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

All this December I'm giving people a chance to win one of my books, and all you have to do to enter is draw me something piratical.

http://www.robjhayes.co.uk/december-g...