Celebrate the release of THE SEA DEVIL, the newest installment in USA Today Bestselling Author Eliza Knight’s swashbuckling series, Pirates of Britannia: Lords of the Sea.
“This series never disappoints, it just gets better, like a good bottle of wine, the more you have, the more you want.”—Goodreads Reviewer
Add THE SEA DEVIL to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get an EXCLUSIVE sneak peek and enter the giveaway for a pair of Let Your Heart Be Your Compass earrings or an eBook from Eliza!
Series: Pirates of Britannia: Lords of the Sea #3
Audience: +18
Genre: Histoical Romance
Publisher: Knight Media, LLC
Release Date: January 16, 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Barclay Publicity
Blurb (from Goodreads):
A daring brotherhood, where honor among thieves reigns supreme, and crushing their enemies is a thrilling pastime. These are the Pirates of Britannia.*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
Thornley “Thor” MacLeod, captain of The Sea Devil and prominent member of the Devils of the Deep is out for one thing and one thing only—revenge against Santiago Fernandez, leader of Los Demonios de Mar. Tormented by the demons of his past, he knows the only relief to his pain will be spilling the blood of his enemy. When he learns that Santiago seeks to find a child he abandoned nearly two decades before, Thor is determined to find the precious treasure first. Which means, Thor may have to sacrifice his honor in order to exact the perfect vengeance.
Orphaned at a young age, Alesia Baird has grown up along the harsh coasts of Scotland, bearing witness to many a nightmare. With the hangman’s noose dangling ever closer to her neck, she has to find a way to escape the only life she’s ever known. When she overhears a pirate mention he seeks the child of Santiago Fernandez, Alesia takes the leap, knowing this could be her only way out.
Alesia must keep up the ruse long enough to escape with her life, and perhaps a sack full of jewels. But when it comes time to jump ship, she finds her destiny may have led her in a different path. Will the hardened Highlander allow a lass into his heart—or is she destined to be alone forever?
**Disclaimer: Just letting you guys know that this book contains mature content and as such my review will reflect that.
I've been obsessed with pirates since forever, so any chance I get to read a book about pirates, I will take advantage of that chance. This was my first Eliza Knight book, and I loved it. I also haven't read the previous two books in the series (a mistake I'm going to correct this year) but I was still able to enjoy this book.
The story focuses on Thor, Captain of the The Sea Devil, and Alesia, an orphan young woman just trying to get away from her life and make something of herself. I liked Thor's story. He is a man who's seen some harsh times, a man driven by the need for revenge, but a man with morals. He has a code, and although his desire for revenge tempts him to break that code, he ultimately does the right thing. Throughout the book he was a bit of a mystery to me, because I didn't know much about him. As I said, I haven't read the previous books in the series, so I don't know if any detail from Thor's background is revealed in them. I felt kind of like Alesia, trying to figure out who Thor is, what his story is. I liked the fact that he didn't treat Alesia with kid gloves. He didn't order her to do the "sensible, ladylike" things that was appropriate for that era, but he let her fight her own fights. He treated her as his equal, and I loved him for it.
Alesia is a strong heroine, despite her harsh life. She's living on the streets, she's been beaten, abused, used, all because of who her mother was and because she was easy prey, but she has a will to live that is inspiring. She doesn't give up, when it would be so easy to just let go, she chooses to fight. I liked that she doesn't give up, when it would be the obvious choice for a lot of people. One might think that her decision to trick Thor shows she's got no integrity, but I read that as her jumping on the last train available towards a better life. I liked Alesia, I liked reading about her struggles and I liked seeing her go from being a really defensive, always ready to attack, young woman, to someone who finds inner strength and courage to let someone else protect her. I enjoyed that.
I truly liked the research that went into this book. I felt like I was taken on a journey in the 15th century, and I really loved that. I struggled a bit with the language, as most characters were Scottish and some of the words used by the author reflect that, especially in the dialogue. I rarely get the chance to read books by authors that use language to reflect a character's nationality or their speech pattern, so it was a bit unusual for me.
The pace is great and the plot was pretty classic, but still a lot of fun. I liked how things ended, I liked the little victory that Thor had by having the last word in his relationship with Santiago, and I'm curious to see what will happen next in the series. I will definitely keep reading this series, and I'm planning on reading the other two books in this series.
Enter to win a pair of Let Your Heart Be Your Compass earrings or an eBook from Eliza!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29465/?
An excerpt from THE SEA DEVIL Copyright © Eliza Knight 2018
“I’m a pirate, lass. What am I supposed to think when I come into my room and a lass has made herself at home, going so far as to take off her boots?”
She pushed against him more, and he did let go slightly, enough that she thought she might be able to draw a better breath, but it didn’t appear that his hold was what kept her from breathing. Struggling to speak without choking, she said, “I came here because I heard ye were looking for the bastard of Santiago Fernandez.”
“And ye claim to be that unfortunate offspring?”
She nodded solemnly. “I do.”
“Prove it,” he growled.
“How?” She wriggled against him. “Put me down first.”
“Say something to me in Spanish.”
He settled her in front of him, but not far enough away that she couldn’t still feel the heat of his body sinking into hers. Thinking quickly on her feet, Alesia frowned up at him. “My mother was Scots, and my father, the legendary Spanish pirate, abandoned me the moment he planted his seed, ye buffoon. Where would I have learned his language?”
“Point taken.” He studied her face, eyes narrowed. “Ye do have the look of him. In a feminine sort of way. Save for that hair. Tempestuous hair.”
Her mouth fell open at the insult. She moved to stomp on his foot but quickly found herself lifted off her feet, arms pinned to her sides by the steely strength of his own.
Fine, he wanted to play dirty. She’d already showed him once she knew how to take down a man. Alesia moved to kick him where she’d had the pleasure of socking him before, but Captain Thor clamped her legs between his thighs of steel.
“Uh-uh, princess,” he mocked.
Though she hated to head-butt anyone for the headache it always gave her, that was her next move. Alesia was fairly certain at this point she wasn’t going to be walking away with the silver, which meant she could at least walk away with her life—and figure out another way to escape the wharf.
Before she had the chance to make good on her decision to crack her head against his, she found herself flattened to the wood-planked floor, and his massive body on top of hers. Every hard plane pressed to the soft curves of her own. She sucked in a ragged breath, prepared to shout at him to leave off, but she found her throat too tight to speak.
“I’d have expected more from Santiago’s daughter, wee sprite.” His finger trailed over her cheek and along her jawline.
Alesia bared her teeth, trying to wriggle free but only managing to feel his body pressed harder to hers. “And I would have expected more from a pirate Captain.”
“Touché.” His grin was inviting. Unnerving. Disarming.
“Get off me,” she growled, trying keep her mind in the right place—the angry place. That was survival. To succumb to his disarmament was to lose.
His gaze shifted to her lips. “Not without a kiss.”
Alesia snorted and shoved at his unmoving shoulders. “I’d not kiss ye if ye were the last man on earth.”
“What if I were the second to last?” he teased.
She let out an exasperated groan. “Not then, either, ye ogre.”
He clucked his tongue. “Shame.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because, lass, if sparring with ye is this fun, kissing would be even better.”
About Eliza Knight
Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty sizzling historical, time-travel and contemporary romance novels. Under the name E. Knight, she pens rip-your- heart-out historical fiction. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses and two very naughty puppies.
Connect with Eliza at:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
I think it's a testament to how great it is when you can enjoy a book which you haven't read the previous books in the series for! I hope you enjoy the others when you go back to reading books 1 and 2. I don't really read too many pirate books - maybe it's something I need to do! I also really like the sound of this one being so well researched as well.
ReplyDelete