LGBTQIA Historical Romances with Pirates, Sailors, Highwayman, Smugglers, and Thieves
Kidnapped by the Pirate
by
Keira Andrews
Will a virgin captive surrender to this pirate’s sinful touch?
Nathaniel
Bainbridge is used to hiding, whether it’s concealing his struggles
with reading or his forbidden desire for men. Under the thumb of his
controlling father, the governor of Primrose Isle, he’s sailing to the
fledging colony, where he’ll surrender to a respectable marriage for his
family’s financial gain. Then pirates strike and he’s kidnapped for
ransom by the Sea Hawk, a legendary villain of the New World.
Bitter
and jaded, Hawk harbors futile dreams of leaving the sea for a quiet
life, but men like him don’t deserve peace. He has a score to settle
with Nathaniel’s father—the very man whose treachery forced him into
piracy—and he’s sure Nathaniel is just as contemptible.
Yet as
days pass in close quarters, Nathaniel’s feisty spirit and alluring
innocence beguile and bewitch. Although Hawk knows he must keep his
distance, the desire to teach Nathaniel the pleasure men can share grows
uncontrollable. It’s not as though Hawk would ever feel anything for him besides lust…
Nathaniel
realizes the fearsome Sea Hawk’s reputation is largely invented, and he
sees the lonely man beneath the myth, willingly surrendering to his
captor body and soul. As a pirate’s prisoner, he is finally free to be
his true self. The crew has been promised the ransom Nathaniel will
bring, yet as danger mounts and the time nears to give him up, Hawk’s
biggest battle could be with his own heart.
This May-December gay
romance from Keira Andrews features classic tropes including: a tough
alpha pirate too afraid to love, a plucky virgin captive half his age,
enemies to lovers, first-time sexual discovery, and of course a happy
ending. 85,000 words.
Avast- The Mastered and Commanded series + 1 by Vivian Ash ((BDSM series, have not read it, but thought some of you might be interested in the contents.)
– Seeking fortune and glory, eighteen year old Sam volunteers to become the newest crew member aboard the privateer ship Invader. The only problem is, Sam has no actual sailing experience!
When the captain calls him to his quarters for a private meeting, Sam learns that there is one thing that his tight, young body can provide to the men of the Invader.
– Kidnapped by pirates while dressed as girl, young Sam must find a way to keep the crew of the Galley Wench from realizing his true identity, even if it requires using his newly acquired…oral talents.
Enjoying
his new found power over men’s desires, Sam goes for a one on one with
the captain, only to find out that he is hiding an even bigger, naughtier secret.
Part two of the Mastered and Commanded series! Satisfy your curiosity and Look Inside…or find yourself floating down to Davy Jones’ Locker…
– Being made into a pirate’s cross dressing man-wench has unlocked a sinful lust for power
deep in young Sam’s heart – the power a woman’s body has over a man.
On a hunt for a buried treasure, Sam is kidnapped by voodoo practicing
natives who may hold the key to unlocking his ultimate fantasy – to change from a man to a woman.
The Search for Aveline by Angie Bee and Stephanie Rabig
– Captain Harriet “Harry” Roberts and the daring crew of The Sappho are
not for the faint of heart. A ship of strays unlike any other, they’re
not afraid to face whatever the world throws at them—be it mermaids,
kidnappings, sirens, plague, clashes with their mortal enemy Captain
Wrath Drew of The Charon, a handsome merman, or good old-fashioned love.
Crimson Outlaw by Alex Beecroft (18th Century Transylvania–no vampires)
– When Vali Florescu runs from his father’s cruelty, leaving their
castle to seek his fortune in the untamed Carpathian forests, he expects
to have to fight ferocious bandits and woo fair maidens before he can
prove himself worthy to return and depose the tyrant. But when he is
ambushed by Mihai Roscat, the fearsome crimson outlaw, he discovers he
is more than happy to have it turn out the other way around. Mihai, once an honoured knight, has long been waiting for
revenge against Vali’s father – who killed his lord and left him to a
life of banditry. He’s sure that Vali would make an excellent hostage to
hold over Wadim’s head, if only the boy wasn’t quite so enthusiastic
over being captured and debauched.
Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft (Ancient Minoan)
– Kikeru, the child of a priestess at the sacred temple of Knossos
in ancient Crete, believes that the goddesses are laughing at him. They
expect him to choose whether he is a man or a woman, when he’s both.
They expect him to choose whether to be a husband to a wife, or a
celibate priestess in the temple, when all he wants to do is invent
things and be with the person he loves.
Unfortunately, that person is Rusa, the handsome ship owner who
is most decidedly a man and therefore off-limits no matter what he
chooses. And did he mention that the goddesses also expect him to avert
war with the Greeks?The Greeks have an army. Kikeru has his mother, Maja, who is
pressuring him to give her grandchildren; Jadikira, Rusa’s pregnant
daughter; and superstitious Rusa, who is terrified of what the goddesses
will think of him being in love with one of their chosen ones.It’s a tall order to save Crete from conquest, win his love, and
keep both halves of himself. Luckily, at least the daemons are on his
side.
Alex Beecroft also has six Age of Sail books. A few described below…
Contraband Hearts (Porthkennack Book 10-Standalone novel) by Alex Beecroft
– His future depends on bringing the smuggler to justice. His heart demands to join him.
Customs
officer Peregrine Dean is sent by his patron to investigate rumors of
corruption in the Porthkennack customs house. There he is tasked by the
local magistrate to bring down the villainous Tomas Quick, a smuggler
with fingers in every pie in town. Fired with zeal and ambition, and
struck to the core by his first glimpse of Tomas, Perry determines to
stop at nothing until he has succeeded.
Tomas Quick is an honest
thief — a criminal regarded by the town as their local Robin Hood. He’s
also an arrogant man who relishes the challenge posed by someone as
determined and intelligent as Perry. Both of them come to enjoy their
cat-and-mouse rivalry a little too much.
But the eighteenth
century is a perilous time for someone like Perry: a black man in
England. Two have already disappeared from the wrecks of ships. Tomas
and Perry must forsake their competition and learn to trust each other
if they are to rescue them, or Perry may become the third victim.
NOTE: All profits from the sale of this book are donated to Black Trans Advocacy (blacktrans.org).
Captain’s Surrender by Alex Beecroft
– Ambitious and handsome, Joshua Andrews had always valued his life too
much to take unnecessary risks. Then he laid eyes on the elegant picture
of perfection that is Peter Kenyon.
Soon to be promoted to
captain, Peter Kenyon is the darling of the Bermuda garrison. With a
string of successes behind him and a suitable bride lined up to share
his future, Peter seems completely out of reach to Joshua.
But
when the two men are thrown together to serve during a long voyage under
a sadistic commander with a mutinous crew, they discover unexpected
friendship. As the tension on board their vessel heats up, the closeness
they feel for one another intensifies and both officers find themselves
unable to reign in their passion.
Let yourself be transported
back to a time when love between two men in the British Navy was
punishable by death, and to a story about love, about honor, but most of
all, about a Captain’s Surrender.
False Colors by Alex Beecroft
– 1762, The Georgian Age of Sail: For his first command, John Cavendish is given a ship—the HMS Meteor—and
a crew, both in need of repair and discipline. He’s determined to make a
success of their first mission, and hopes the well-liked lieutenant
Alfred Donwell will stand by his side as he leads his new crew into
battle: stopping the slave trade off the coast of Algiers.Alfie knows
their mission is futile, and that their superiors back in England will
use the demise of this crew as impetus for war with the Ottoman Empire.
But the darker secret he keeps is his growing attraction for his
commanding officer—a secret punishable by death.With the arrival
of his former captain—and lover—on the scene of the disastrous mission,
Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise
of a future with the straight-laced John.Against a backdrop of
war, intrigue, and personal betrayal, the high seas will carry these men
through dangerous waters from England to Africa to the West Indies in
search of a safe harbor.
Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft
– For Captain Harry
Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his
opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his
criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet
Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.
Lust
quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly
combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys
his prospects … and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private
island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to
civilization—surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion—is the
ultimate test of their feelings for each other.
These two very
different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in
which the tale of their love—a love punishable by death in their own
time—can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you
to hear it all.
The Merman and the Barbarian Pirate by Kay Berrisford
– Raef, a lonely merman, spends his days watching the dashing Lord
Haverford from afar and dreaming of love. When Haverford is robbed by a
pirate, Raef vows to reclaim the stolen goods, hoping his victory will
buy him the happiness he yearns for with Haverford.
But Jon Kemp does not match what Raef knows about pirates, and the
simple quest Raef anticipated turns out to be an epic journey. For while
Jon might be a nobler man than Raef believed, he’s still a pirate. Love
and loyalty are not on Jon’s agenda, and he certainly has no plans to
love someone not entirely human …
Jackdaw by KJ Charles (Review pending. Great installment to the A Charm of Magpies series, and Jonah is a cinnamon roll.)
– If you stop running, you fall.
Jonah Pastern is a magician, a
liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the
love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. His betrayal left Ben
jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge.
Ben is determined
to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared,
and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah’s chaotic
existence all over again, and they’re running together—from the police,
the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against
them.
Threatened on all sides by betrayals, secrets, and the laws
of the land, the policeman and the thief must find a way to live and
love before the past catches up with them…
Prince & Pirate by Elliot Cooper (trans male author)
– Prince Gavin is
powerless to refuse when his father demands he secure an alliance with a
distant kingdom. At first, he sees the journey as a chance to prove his
worth and indulge in the grand adventures of his dreams. Yet nothing
seems right about his father’s paranoid insistence he travel by merchant
ship while disguised as a diplomat. Once out on the open sea, Gavin
learns he’s been tricked into boarding an infamous pirate ship: the Ebon Drake.
Captain
Marcas Drake is delighted to discover the courtier he’s kidnapped is
really a prince. Acquiring such a hefty ransom will prove once and for
all he’s a brilliant pirate in his own right, not riding the coattails
of his father’s fame. And using his charms to seduce his prisoner makes
for an entertaining pastime. But unfortunate events turn the Ebon
Drake’s crew against their captain before the ransom can be carried out.
Marooned,
Marcas and Gavin’s new equal footing turns the pirate’s sensual game
into something else entirely. However, being stranded on a tiny island
becomes the least of their worries when rescue arrives in the form of
the bloodthirsty Crimson Queen, a pirate who’s been chasing Marcas for
years. Working together to escape the queen is their only hope of
freedom and a chance their growing love might outlast their
misadventures.
Acceptable Lies by CM Corett
– William’s task is clear: catch
the blackmailer. William Richmond is an earl, a father, a country
gentleman… and a former spy. Catching the blackmailer should be simple,
but when William finds a beautiful, injured young man on the beach,
unfamiliar desires surge. He is determined to focus on the task and
resist temptation—resist Daniel, or his carefully constructed illusions
will crumble, exposing his lies to the world… and himself.Daniel’s question is simple: Should he trust William? Daniel has
secrets: his identity, his past, how and why he washed up on the shore…
and more. With revelations of espionage, blackmail, and the arrival of
William’s colleagues, the danger of exposure grows. Daniel’s instincts
tell him that William is a decent man, a man of honor, but his instincts
have been wrong before. As the attraction grows, so does Daniel’s
desire to confess, but if he’s wrong, he risks everything—his secrets,
his freedom, and his heart.
The Lady and the Thief (Deceived series Book 5) by Megan Derr (f/f)
– Adeline has been at the mercy of others her entire life: the aunt and
uncle who constantly remind her she should be grateful they took her in after
her parents died of a tragic illness. Her guardian in the city who constantly
reminds her that she should be grateful they’re giving her a coming of age in
the city. The suitors who make it clear she should be grateful they’re lowering
themselves to even consider her.
The only person who’s ever made her feel wanted
was Lisette, the maid she once fell in love with. The maid who fled in the
night with stolen goods, including the pearls that were all Adeline had left of
her mother.
Then, while at yet another ball where she feels
alone, out of place, and trapped between choosing happiness or doing what’s
expected of her, Adeline encounters the beautiful Lady Wisteria—whom Adeline
knows better as the maid Lisette…
Chasing the Rebel by Tyler Flynn
– France 1791
Marcus, Lord Rothbury, is on the run. Part of a foiled plot to help King
Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette escape to Switzerland, he’s searching
for the jewels the rebels stole from the queen—jewels that, when sold in
England, will buy the monarchs’ freedom and restore the aristocratic
order Marcus holds dear.
Pamphleteer James Lockhart publicly condemns the monarchy and has his
own plans for the jewels—selling them to help the Parisian poor. But
when the two are thrown together against a common adversary, Marcus
finds himself increasingly attracted to the impetuous American.
As they hunt for the jewels, Marcus begins to suspect his companion
isn’t all he seems. Secretive and changeable, James could be playing a
double game, and Marcus can’t be sure who James is fighting against—the
enemy, or the man who’s fallen in love with him.
Perilous by Cari Z
In 1803, England declares war on France, staking the fates of two mighty
empires against one another. Thousands of men serve in the British
navy, hungry for distinction in the battle against Bonaparte.
One of them, Lieutenant Thomas Williams, thinks he knows what he wants
out of life: prize money at sea, a career of decent note, and the means
to maintain his independence when he leaves the navy. What he finds is
service under Captain Christopher Knightly: a tactical genius,
inveterate charmer, and the youngest son of a wealthy noble house.
Their unexpected and perilous love affair is a gamble against the odds,
for in a time of war, nothing is sure to last. If the French don’t tear
them apart, one slip in front of the wrong eyes or ears might. When the
demands of Christopher’s family take him from Thomas’s side, he thinks
it might be the best thing for his captain. Little does Tom realize just
how far Christopher will go to return to him, and when life takes a
turn for the worse, how much further he will go to save him.
Hexmaker by Jordan L Hawk
– A straight-laced policeman. A lighthearted thief.
A murdered millionaire.
Fox
shifter Malachi steals for one of the biggest crime rings in New York
City. But when he witnesses the murder of a millionaire, the only person
who can keep him safe is Dr. Owen Yates, forensic hexman for the
Metropolitan Witch Police—and Malachi’s witch.
Owen is horrified
to discover his familiar is an uneducated thief. Even worse, Malachi
threatens to unleash Owen’s deepest desires…desires Owen can’t act upon,
as he’s destined for an arranged marriage to secure the Yates family
fortune
Their agreement: Malachi will be Owen’s lover as well as
his partner, until the day of the wedding. But as their hunt for the
murderer carries them from teeming slums to Fifth Avenue mansions, Owens
begins to realize Malachi commands his heart as well as his body.
With
dark forces drawing ever closer around them, Owen must decide whether
to bow to the demands of duty, or to risk everything for the man he
loves.
Hexmaker is the second book in Jordan L. Hawk’s Hexworld
series, following the adventures of witch policemen and the familiars
they bond with. Download today to enter a world of magic, romance, and
intrigue.
The Man and The Mask by Alex Ironrod
– “Stand and deliver!”
Love and lust, passion and submission, sadism and masochism. Men who take what they desire.
Captain
Jamey Todhunter, a disgraced army cavalry officer, has done well as a
highwayman in 1750s England. Then he meets Sir Michael Taplow, a young
aristocratic merchant.
Serving as Jamey’s submissive apprentice,
Michael is drawn slowly into a web of sexual submission and criminal
training. When their most daring robbery in London goes very wrong,
Michael has to weigh giving his body over to the sexual tortures of the
prison warden to save his master, or seeing Jamey hanged.
They
flee to the American colonies, setting up first as merchants in Boston,
then building a horse farm in western Massachusetts. Even in the
wilderness, their relationship is threatened by a new unthinkable
danger.
Pirates of the Narrow Seas series by M. Kei
– Lieutenant Peter Thorton is in love with fellow lieutenant Perry.
Both men are given commissions to serve aboard HMS Ajax, taking an
Islamic envoy to talks in France. Thorton makes an enemy of the Captain,
who is largely incompetent but does not like people who show they know
it. During a storm, the Ajax comes to the rescue of a sinking Spanish
galley. The Spanish abandon their vessel, leaving their slaves, chained
to the oars, to sink with the ship. Thorton and several of the other
British sailors attempt to free the slaves and stop the galley from
sinking. As they do so, the storm blows the two ships apart, leaving him
surrounded by freed slaves who have no desire to voluntarily sail back
to the Ajax to be reunited with their captors.Command of the galley is taken by Isam bin Hamet al-Tangueli (Captain
Tangle to his crew) a famous pirate of the Barbary coast, who had been
serving as a galley slave following capture by the Spanish. The story
then follows Thorton’s slow naturalization into the ways of the Sallee
Rovers, and his growing understanding that he’s better off in a culture
that allows him to love other men without censure. Rejected by Perry and
wooed by Tangle, Thorton has to decide where his loyalty really lies.
Captain Peter Thorton, Sallee rover, and his lover, Shakil bin Nakih
set out on a quest to rescue the mad duke, Henrique, Duke of Coimbra,
the man who wants to be king of Portugal. Shakil disguises himself to
slip into the Spanish stronghold of Sebta, and with a Spanish fleet hot
on their heels, Thorton, Shakil, and Henrique flee for their lives-only
to run smack into the arms of the British navy.
Arrested for desertion and sodomy, Thorton is obliged to surrender
his arms and give his parole and serve as a lieutenant aboard the Ajax
under the dour and proper Captain Ebenezer Horner. His former friend,
Lieutenant Roger Perry, becomes his worst enemy. He is harassed and
taunted, in spite of his victories at sea.
Thorton’s Sallee friends do not abandon him. Captain Tangle comes to
his rescue, but the redoubtable corsair meets his match in the steely
Captain Horner. Determined to do his duty and turn Thorton over for
trial before the notorious homophobe, Admiral Walters, Horner must keep
the impetuous Turk at bay even when being menaced by the Spanish who are
bent on revenge against them all.
Thief: Brook Street Collection Story One by Ava March (Review pending, but sweet story, and a made family ending.)
– London, 1822 … It was only supposed to be one night.
One night to determine once and for all if he truly preferred men. But
the last thing Lord Benjamin Parker expected to find in a questionable
gambling hell is a gorgeous young man who steals his heart.
It was only supposed to be a job.
Cavin Fox has done it many times — select a prime mark, distract him
with lust, and leave his pockets empty. Yet when Cavin slips away under
the cover of darkness, the only part of Benjamin he leaves untouched is
his pockets.
With a taste of his fantasies fulfilled, Benjamin
wants more than one night with Cavin. But convincing the elusive young
man to give them a chance proves difficult. Living with a band of
thieves in the worst area of London, Cavin knows there’s no place for
him in a gentleman’s life. Yet Benjamin isn’t about to let Cavin—and
love—continue to slip away from him.
The Blue Ribbon by Katherine Marlowe Review (Lovely men in love.)
– Theo Aylmer’s perfectly satisfactory life as a chemistry professor at
Cambridge is upended when he receives word of his father’s illness.
Forced to return to Cornwall, he is robbed for everything he’s worth by a
dashing young highwayman. When he finally reaches his father’s
stagecoach inn, he finds it dilapidated and the village around it
groaning beneath the thumb of the hateful Earl of Glynn.
All Theo wants to do is return to his life and work in Cambridge, but as
he tries to recoup the funds necessary to travel, he finds himself
plagued by brandy-smugglers and rumours of ghosts. And at the center of
all Theo’s problems is a certain handsome highwayman who has charmed his
way into Theo’s bed and heart. When the highwayman turns up shot, Theo
can’t turn him away, even though doing so risks bringing the wrath of
the customs men, the law, and the Earl of Glynn upon them both.
The Black Sheep and the Rotten Apple by KA Merikan (Review pending, but as someone that loves highwayman, I will say this one was done right. The complexity of the two characters is great, the world-building fantastic, and the overall writing made me glad when I would look to see how much remained to be read. Everytime the authors could have ended the novel with a cliche trope, they would turn it on its ear. Also, the chemistry between the men is profound.)
– “How does one start a relationship with another man when it is forbidden?”
“One needs to decide that the other man is worth dying for.”
Cornwall, 1785
Sir Evan Penhart. Baronet. Highwayman. Scoundrel.
Julian Reece. Writer. Wastrel. Penniless.
No one forces Julian Reece to marry. Not his father, not his brother. No one. When he is thrust into a carriage heading for London to meet his future bride, his way out comes in the form of an imposing highwayman, riding a horse as black as night. Julian makes a deal with the criminal, but what he doesn’t expect is that despite the title of baronet, the robber turns out to be no gentleman.
Sir Evan Penhart is pushed into crime out of desperation, but the pact with a pretty, young merchant’s son turns out to have disastrous consequences. Not only is Evan left broke, but worse yet, Julian opens up a Pandora’s box of passions that are dark, needy, and too wild to tame. With no way to lock them back in, rash decisions and greedy desire lead to a tide that wrecks everything in its way.
But Julian might actually like all the sinful, carnal passion unleashed on him. How can he admit this though, even to himself, when a taste of the forbidden fruit could have him end up with a noose around his neck?
And with highway robbery being a hanging offense and the local
constable on their back, Julian could lose Evan before he can decide
anything about the nature of his desires.
Open Waters by Valerie Mores (f/f)
– Captain Jane Avery of the Tantibus has been pirating for more
than ten years. With a crew at her command and a ship under her feet,
she is a terror to anyone that has the misfortune of crossing her path.
Her latest conquest is just one more on the list. When they find a
common whore aboard, Jane orders the woman be brought along, never
realizing the impact one decision can have, and that even an unstoppable
pirate has a weakness…
Siren’s Call by JC Owens (Historical-style setting in fictional world.)
– A looming war. A pirate’s revenge. A young noble caught in the middle…
Dradin
Sharlain is the youngest son of the most feared family in Malseenia.
Scorned by his father and tormented by Vax, his sadistic brother, Dradin
is seen as weak and vulnerable, despite his talents in diplomacy. When
his carriage breaks down in a remote area known to harbor pirates, he
soon falls prey to Captain Rastay, the merciless commander of the pirate
ship Siren. Captain Rastay kidnaps him, intending to ransom
Dradin for the crewmen Vax is holding captive. Trapped on the high seas,
Dradin learns the pirate captain is everything he is not—powerful,
fearless, and experienced in the ways of the world. But soon Dradin must
make a bargain that may cost him his freedom and his innocence. Only
he’s no longer certain Rastay is as evil as the rumors claim…
Captain
Rastay is desperate to rescue his men from the brutality of Vax
Sharlain. So when the chance arises to capture the youngest of the
family, he quickly takes the innocent young noble hostage. Rastay is
driven by a wildness that shadows him, a craving for action, for
revenge, and a growing desire for Dradin. After betrayals and
subterfuge, both men are launched on a course toward a perilous battle
on the high seas. Yet neither war nor treachery will stop Rastay from
getting what he wants. But does he still want revenge…or does he want
the hauntingly beautiful Dradin Sharlain in his arms?
The Gentleman and The Rogue by JK Pendragon
– In
the midst of the opulent Edwardian Era, the young, headstrong son of
the Police Commissioner longs for adventure and a chance to prove
himself. When an evening party is disrupted by a band of mysterious
masked men, he sees his chance and gives chase, pursuing a rogue thief
through the dark streets. But all is not as it seems and adventure
quickly turns into something sinister and terrifying,…
The Puritan Pirate by Jules Radcliffe
– Lieutenant Thomas Peregrine—Perry—was raised a Puritan and joined the
navy when he was a boy. Though he knows they are a necessary evil, he
has always detested privateers. In his view, they are immoral, greedy,
and unpatriotic. But when his ship is posted to Jamaica, he is ordered,
to his horror, to serve aboard the Audacious, one of the most feared buccaneer ships in the Caribbean.Gabriel Quinn, once a slave, is now sailing master of the Audacious.
He hates the English for what they did to his native Ireland. Upon
first meeting Perry, he detests the young naval lieutenant as much as
Perry detests him.Follow Perry and Quinn as sparks fly, swashes buckle, and romance abounds!
Branded Ann by Merry Shannon (f/f)
– No pirate on the high seas is more bloodthirsty than the notorious
Branded Ann, a woman with eyes like ice and a face marred by a
mysterious cross-shaped scar. When she raids a merchant vessel bound for
Jamaica, her only objective is to obtain the map that will lead her to a
legendary treasure. But she hadn’t bargained on taking Violet, the
merchant’s young widow, on board her ship as a prisoner. In spite of her
childlike appearance, Violet has a dark side of her own that Ann finds
both infuriating and endearing. As Branded Ann sails in search of
treasure, her task is made more difficult by a stowaway child, an
increasingly rebellious crew, and the treacherous seas of the Devil’s
Triangle; to make matters worse, she finds herself falling for her
not-so-innocent but altogether charming captive. But will Violet be able
to overcome the demons of her past and accept Ann’s love? And will they
survive the treasure hunt that has already claimed the lives of so many
before them?
The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (f/f magic)
– For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family
business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could
walk, raising the giant, genetically engineered beasts to defend ships
as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen
Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from
the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems
dead in the water. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched
Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of
her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to
raise the pup and teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her
blood will be the next to paint the sea.
Privateer’s Treasure by Angela Sparrow and Naomi Brooks
– Under a steamy Barbados sun, Nathaniel makes an impulse purchase that
will change the course of his entire life as a privateer. Pierced to the
core by the sad blue eyes of the young man on the auction block, he
buys Adlai, thinking to erase the slave’s sorrow and protect him from a
less-pleasant fate in the fields or brothels. At first, Adlai dares not
trust the pirate who now owns his body, but time and proximity, need and
care, change Adlai’s suspicions to respect—and Nathaniel’s respect to
love. Together, they brave all the sea can throw at them, including
Nathaniel’s former captain and rival, Thomas Harrison. Harrison will
stop at nothing to have Nathaniel and his ship back. And Adlai,
Nathaniel’s most prized treasure, becomes one more weapon in their
ongoing war. Publisher’s Note: The high seas are a place of danger and
intrigue, and some images may be disturbing. This story was previously
published elsewhere under the title Kestrel on the Horizon, and has been
revised for Ellora’s Cave.
Changing Tides by Alex Standish
– While most pirates sail in search of riches, Captain Devon Hall, the
infamous Phantom of the Caribbean, is driven by vengeance. Devon has
sworn to put an end to the corrupt governor of Jamaica and break the
ruthless man’s stranglehold in the Caribbean.When Devon is wounded and stranded on land, an unlikely rescuer comes
to his aid. Brett Campbell is nothing like his uncle, the governor, and
his goals are not so different from Devon’s. Brett longs for freedom,
but his obligations to protect those under his uncle’s control keep him
from fleeing. Throwing in with Devon might increase both their chances
of success—and survival.When the governor’s attempts to destroy Devon escalate and place
Brett in danger and in the hands of the ruthless and depraved pirate
Captain Blackburn, Devon must risk everything to save the man he loves
and repay his enemies.All Devon’s ever wanted is his ship, his freedom, friends who stand
by his side through thick and thin, and someone to love. But facing
dangers at sea and on land, Devon wonders if they will live to enjoy it
all.
Revenge of the Parsons’s Daughter or The Lass That Loved a Pirate by Jo Victor (f/f)
– What’s a poor pirate to do? Stevie has never met anyone quite like Kate,
her not-so-helpless captive. Too bad the bold buccaneer swore an oath
to preserve the virtue of the lovely parson’s daughter—an oath Kate has
no intention of letting Stevie keep. But Kate has a problem of her own:
the gorgeous Lady Isabella, a wealthy aristocrat who is happy to use
kidnapping and blackmail to get what she wants—and what she wants is
Kate.
The Pirate’s Gamble by Eden Winters (Novella, time-travel)
– Archaeologist Ian Lewis turns up the most remarkable antiquities, thanks
to moonlighting as a buccaneer. Flitting in time between modern day and
the eighteenth century, he rescues soon-to-be-lost artifacts from
watery graves.
Just as he must keep his sideline career as a
pirate captain under wraps, so too must he hide his relationship with
his closeted lover, fellow archaeologist David Kane. With David’s help,
his rescued treasures surface again after hundreds of years, and Ian
would like nothing more than to display his love and his pride as
publicly as his museum finds. Now they are on a quest for a legendary
golden statue—a statue with hidden meaning for them both.
For a prize more valuable than gold, Ian must win The Pirate’s Gamble.
Bat’s Children by Sylvia A. Winters
– Arwel and his family are bad stock, everyone knows it and they’re happy
to say it—but left with a towering debt and no means to pay it, survival
means living on the wrong side of the law. Arwel has little doubt his
life will end via the hangman’s noose, but the risk of execution is
better than the alternative.
Tomi makes a living buying and selling pretty things, including those
that Arwel passes along from his roadway victims. Tomi has few morals
when it comes to business, and if buying stolen goods brings him closer
to Arwel, so much the better.
Then one night a robbery goes wrong, and Arwel finds himself on the
brink of losing everything he holds dear, including his life, and Tomi
doesn’t know if he’ll ever see him again.
ealdor 