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beanieberta's review against another edition
1.0
this book made me LIVID. valoree wants independence, but everyone around her - first and foremost her own crew, her love interest, her female companions - take her choice from her, force her into decisions and holy matrimony. seeing how she loses everything she worked or fought for because of her husband assuming his right as the captain and her ruler... it made me mad. so fucking mad. and then again and again she accepts it with a simple apology and is happy with beekeeping. then, on the other hand, she literally rapes her husband on their first time. i expected piracy, a badass woman, and an explosive love story. what i got was a clusterfuck of a whining "pirate" who never does anything but talk, an inconsiderate asshole, and high society drama.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
cheye13's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
For a dime romance published in 2001? excellent.
As a story that I read myself? ridiculous. The aughts-era feminism was a nice touch to a historical, but it did push more modern gender issues into the light. There was a weird mystery plot that made no sense and added literally nothing to the story – except maybe 20 or so pages. The leads had no chemistry whatsoever and the writing style was overly simple, too blunt, and lacked nuance.
The book's shining gem is the cast of misfit pirates and the (intentional) humor sprinkled throughout. Despite not enjoying the plot, I did have fun with the tone, and found the moments of laughter genuinely amusing. There was also a sort of Taming of the Shrew vibe in the middle that would've made me mad, but I appreciated the subversion of the trope.
I felt like this could have been a stellar book, and just didn't push far enough. For instance, rather than the odd mystery plotline, there could have been more emotional depth in the leads and better-paced relationship development. There was an odd adherence to the letter of the law wrt piracy v privateering, that may have been more nuanced with some research. Reading it nowadays, all I see is what could've been. It's not a bad read, just a disappointing one.
As a story that I read myself? ridiculous. The aughts-era feminism was a nice touch to a historical, but it did push more modern gender issues into the light. There was a weird mystery plot that made no sense and added literally nothing to the story – except maybe 20 or so pages. The leads had no chemistry whatsoever and the writing style was overly simple, too blunt, and lacked nuance.
The book's shining gem is the cast of misfit pirates and the (intentional) humor sprinkled throughout. Despite not enjoying the plot, I did have fun with the tone, and found the moments of laughter genuinely amusing. There was also a sort of Taming of the Shrew vibe in the middle that would've made me mad, but I appreciated the subversion of the trope.
I felt like this could have been a stellar book, and just didn't push far enough. For instance, rather than the odd mystery plotline, there could have been more emotional depth in the leads and better-paced relationship development. There was an odd adherence to the letter of the law wrt piracy v privateering, that may have been more nuanced with some research. Reading it nowadays, all I see is what could've been. It's not a bad read, just a disappointing one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Death, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
the primary sex scene has dubious consent vibes, typical of the genre at the time
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