Carolyn Elizabeth is one of those authors whose books I automatically grab when I see them. I have loved her writing since I read her very first novel. Even knowing that, little did I realize how captivated I would be by her swashbuckling pirate adventure and romance novel, The Raven and the Banshee.
This is an awesome story! The beginning setting is a place I know well…Charleston, or Charlestown, South Carolina as it was known in the early 1700s. As someone who lived in this area, I can tell you the descriptions in the book are spot on. Even with the three hundred year time difference, the area described here, especially around The Battery and the plantation homes have really not changed that much in looks and atmosphere. The mercenary ship, The Banshee, and the early colony of Nassau are also well described.
Of course this is an adventure story filled with pirates and mercenaries. Not only are these people out for gold and other riches, many are set on exacting revenge for wrongs done to them. These folks don’t settle disputes by playing a rousing game of checkers. You must expect a lot of action, fighting, blood and gore.
Woven into this exciting adventure is a second chance romance between Branna Kelly, who becomes Captain Kelly (The Raven) of the mercenary ship, The Banshee, and Julia Farrow, a young Southern lady who inherits the Farrow shipping company. I fell for both women early and their love story itself would have kept me a captive of this tale. It is a fairly angsty romance, but that just makes it fit perfectly into the adventure. The chemistry is there at the beginning of the tale, and grows throughout the story.
The author tells us in the blurb about one mention of rape and a short scene of an attempted sexual assault in the novel. The scenes didn’t bother me, but I thought I would mention it anyway.
This book is now firmly in my favorites and has my highest recommendation. If you love adventure and romance, then set your sails and chart your course for the nearest bookstore, Matey. You don’t want to miss this treasure of a tale! I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 