I gave this pirate fantasy romance a 4.8/5 stars. The sequel is out but the third in this trilogy comes out in august 2023. There are three points of view all in third person narrative. I loved the slow burn and even though this stays clean the author says there will be more steam later. I adore enemies to lovers trope and am somewhat curious is there will be a love triangle in the sequel. Here are my live thoughts while reading: I’m so glad this came with a pronunciation guide in the beginning. Brilliant idea and this is the first book I’ve seen to do this. Let’s make this a trend.
I love that Port Morshan is the last place Declan wants to go but the only option to save members of his crew.
Who wrote the letter? Why did it make Declan change his mind? What or who is he searching for? Does the letter-writer truly have a hint for him? Why doesn’t he want to make port here?
I’m not sure if the sisters, Aoife and Lani are talking about any of the crew/men brought up in the precious chapters or if they’re separate and will later weave together.
So it seems like Declan is only 20 and after meeting with his elder sister at a pub, it’s obvious something tragic happened when he was ten, maybe to his parents?
It’s not clear yet how the council controls them but both Declan and his older sister, Cait are looking for the same artifact that might give them freedom. It looks like they’ll need the help from some sirens. There’s a lot of mystery involved in the world and I’m glad only a little bit is being unraveled at a time.
So the council hero’s aren’t allowed to fall in love. Lani did and has been exiled. Though I have a feeling she was actually executed. But why resort to those measures?
Ah the meet cute does seem to imply enemies to lovers trope!!
Darienn was very hard to read and a bit hot and cold, unpredictable.
In chapter 12 Aoife becomes a bit more likeable but so far I’m not her biggest fan.
I love that the stakes are raised naturally in the plot with smooth transitions
Oh woah now. Cait has her first point of view at chapter 17? Feels a bit late to be thrown into the mix.
Hhm the three fae sisters don’t seem to be fully sane. I’m excited to see why they’re imprisoned and how to release them and what their powers might be.
Halfway- ah I love Tommy. He better not die later.
Sometimes the internal dialogue to show feelings and rationale of motivation feels a bit forced.
Lucy’s character is great but her “error” doesn’t seem believable. I hope she’s in future pages.
Cait and Lucan’s sideplot in chapter 30 helps with the urgency factor so I felt more on edge like they need to rush. It also adds a lot of politics to the story and explanation for the why’s but I’m hoping this part doesn’t dive into too much detail regarding loyalty and control and power and revolutions because I don’t really care.
The potential of the shield is exciting!
After chapter 37 the depth of their connection is drastically improving. I’m glad we had some slower chapters for them to connect. Plus they share a common obstacle that’ll bond them further. I still like Declan much better than Aoife but they may be my favorite book couple I’ve read in a while.
I’m glad Declan takes warnings seriously and isn’t too arrogant to dismiss them.
“Now she understood why losses held so much power- the power to break spells and conquer curses.”
What!? I need to know what the letter said to the sisters!
The sequel came in the mail today and I’m so glad I’ll be able to binge it right after finishing this one soon. I spoke to the author today and book three in this series will be out around August 2023. Do we all need to sign a petition to get it here faster! I need to finish the whole series asap!
So one thing I’ve had a hard time with that I was hoping to be clarified in chapter 47 still doesn’t feel clear to me. WHY are the antagonists doing what they’re doing. I don’t have a solid grasp on their reasoning.
Cliffhanger ending. I kind of wish their goals were more completed with resolution in this novel and then a new set come up in the sequel. But it seems like the original goals will be spread throughout the entire trilogy.
Check out my own fantasy romance trilogy coming out in March rapid release.
Cassie Swindon 