Review: Bring it close - Helen Hollick

Series: Sea Witch Chronicles 3
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 386
Published: June 2011 (2009)

Jesamiah Acorne, Captain of the Sea Witch, has accepted a government granted amnesty, but old enemies do not forget the past. In particular Edward Teach - better known as Blackbeard - has a bone to pick with Acorne. Following an indiscretion with an old flame, Jesamiah finds his fiancée Tiola Oldstagh has gone to North Carolina to help with an imminent and difficult birth; the problem, that is where Blackbeard now resides. He must not discover that Tiola is Jesamiah s woman, she will have to hide her identity and her gift of Craft from the black-hearted pirate who has sold his soul to the devil. With Sea Witch damaged and himself wounded by Blackbeard, Jesamiah has to take stock of his situation at his old home in Virginia - but trouble follows him like a ship s wake and he is arrested for acts of piracy on the High Seas. Too much trouble has come too close! How is Jesamiah Acorne to clear his name and overturn a sentence of hanging, keep Tiola safe, put an end to Blackbeard and deal with being haunted by the ghost of his father? 

My thoughts:

Oh Jesamiah you really should learn to keep it in your pants. Though I still do not hate him, despise him a bit yes, but not hate since Hollick is just too good making her point.

Lots happened on the last book. Jesamiah came back alive from his spying trip, he learnt new truths about his family, his brother was not his brother at all. And now he is happy but bored since he is not a pirate any more. Of course then things goes to hell when Alicia, his brother's wife and former whore shows up and Jesamiah, oh you know. Tiola leaves and he goes after her. This book also deals with pirates again and the darker sides as the attention moves to Virginia and North Carolina where Blackbeard can be found. Jesamiah is going to deal with him once and for all.

Here we finally meet real pirates. Bloodthirsty men who rape, kill and torture without a second thought. They are real pirates and they should be feared. I am not saying Jesamiah is a choir boy, no he has done bad things but there is still good in him. Blackbeard on the other hand is a crazy psychopath and Hollick has made Jesamiah a part of his story.

This book is also a bit darker as many will suffer direct and indirect at the hands of pirates.

But there is still adventure to be had and we learn more about Tiola's craft, as she is a witch sent to guard against the dark. Poor Tethys is not around much, but instead we have the ghost of Jesamiah's father telling his story.

And do not worry about him being unfaithful, it is written in a way that it makes sense, and I am sure Tiola will kick some sense in him ;)

Conclusion:

The book will promise you adventure, evil pirates, tragic love stories and witchcraft. So be prepared for a  wild pirate adventure.

This is not the end though. Book 4 will finally be published for the first time later this year and book 5 is on its way too. 

And that is the end of the first part of the blogtour on this blog. But stay tuned! Tomorrow I have Helen over and I will also be giving away book 1 and since it is an e-copy it will be open to all :D

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Come say hi as I am over at another blog today with a guest review of Finding Destiny by Jean Johnson


The slave...Chanson, a privileged Arbran dyara, discovers an unexpected connection with the excitingly different Eduor, a bracingly sexy war-slave who desires his freedom.

The knight...The Arbran diplomat Sir Zeilas must turn the Guildaran people from former enemies into allies. But in the case of their intriguingly beautiful leader, perhaps something more intimate is in order.

The mage...Gabria never expected to become a Guildaran envoy to Aurul. But the most stunning surprise was what waited for her in His Majesty's winter palace-and why.

The pirate...Captain Ellett would do anything for his king-even hunt down the pirates plaguing the Jenodan Isles. But he never counted on the seductive powers of the pirate's captain-beautiful, tempestuous, and impossible to resist.

Review: Pirate Code - Helen Hollick

Series: Sea Witch Chronicles 2
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 302
Published: June 2011

Ex pirate, Captain Jesamiah Acorne, is in trouble. Big Trouble. All he wants is to marry his girl, Tiola Oldstagh, and live contented aboard his ship, Sea Witch. But her husband refuses to grant a divorce unless Jesamiah agrees to retrieve some barrels of indigo and smuggle them out of the Spanish-held Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The Governor of Nassau wants Jesamiah to go there too, to help incite a rebellion, and Captain Henry Jennings wants him to find a lost spy. To cap it all, Commodore Vernon of the Royal Navy wants to expand his fleet and craves the Sea Witch for himself. As Jesamiah’s hopes for a quiet life tumble about him, the onset of war with Spain scuppers everyone’s plans. Hispaniola is governed by a tyrant who has promised to hang, draw and quarter Jesamiah if ever he sets foot there again.

 

My thoughts:

In a way this one could almost work as a stand alone novel, but yes I do encourage you to read book 1 first. Jesamiah, I think I have to make some points clear about him. Yes I did say he was a nice pirate, but not that nice. He still steals, and kills like he always have. He is just one of the nicer pirates when it all comes down to it.

Things did not turn out so good in book 1. Tiola is married to someone else and even though she and Jesamiah are back together they still have that fact looming over their heads. Adultery will get you flogged. But there are people who might be able to help, but to do that Jesamiah have to risk his life sailing to Spanish waters.

Jesamiah also made me loose respect for him in this book. He just leaves poor Tiola again but mostly the lack of respect comes from that he thinks it's ok to visit whores. Because it's not love or passion so why would it be wrong? Too bad Hollick is so damn good that she doesn't make me hate him for it. He is just a man of his age and he still loves his woman.

If you are expecting this to be some sort of happy book then you are wrong. Their love is not an easy one. Jesamiah will also suffer for other reasons in this book just like he did in book 1. Life is hard and a pirate could only wish for a quick hanging. Still, it is not a dark book. It's just gritty and real. And our pirate hero will do his best to stay alive as many want him dead and while he is contemplating the harsh life of a pirate.

There is adventure in abundance. This book has spies and secrets instead of pirating. And what else is got is magic. No not that much, Tiola has her craft but there is also something else. Tethys, mother of the ocean. The sea itself is alive and wants Jesamiah. Here and there through out the book she speaks with Tiola who tries to keep her man alive. And we also hear the wind and the land.

Conclusion:

I am starting to think they can't be happy. He loves the sea and his ship. She does not want him to be a pirate. But it does make me look forward to book 3 and see what kind of mess they will create there.

I am taking part in the Sea Witch Blog Tour


Helen Hollick's webpage


Here on her blog you can read more about the books

And here you can see the rest of the blogtour. Do check it out as many have giveaways of the books

Review. Sea Witch - Helen Hollick

Series: Sea Witch Chronicles 1
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 316
Published: June 2011 SilverWood Books (2006)

The time: the golden age of piracy - 1716
The Place: the Pirate Round - from South Africa to the Islands of the Caribbean.

From the age of fifteen Jesamiah Acorne has been a pirate, with only two loves - his ship and his freedom. But his life is to change when he and his crew unsuccessfully attack a merchant ship off the coast of South Africa. He is to meet Tiola Oldstagh, an insignificant girl or so he thinks. Then he discovers what she really is; a healer and a midwife - and a white witch. Jesamiah and Tiola become lovers, despite her guardian's disapproval, but Stefan van Overstratten a Cape Town Dutchman, also wants Tiola as his wife, and Jesamiah's half brother Phillipe Mereno, is determined to seek revenge for a stolen ship and the insult of being cuckolded. When the call of the sea and an opportunity to commandeer a beautiful ship - Sea Witch - is put in Jesamiah's path, he must make a choice between his life as a pirate or his love for Tiola; he wants both - but Mereno and Von Overstratten want him dead.

My thoughts:

Pirates, oh yes, pirates. This book introduces us to Jesamiah who became a pirate when he was young, because he half-brother was a total ass (trust me, an ass, but then we also learn why during the book. In the end I even understood his madness).

Jesamiah does have standards, no rapes so that makes me like this pirate. Since pirates in the end were not very nice people. But he is a good man and when he falls in love he becomes an ever better man. Even if he loves the sea way too much.

The heroine of this book is Tiola, a white witch who escaped England so no one would find out what she is. A pirate is bad, but a witch is worse. She is really sweet and wants to help everyone from puppies to a certain wounded pirate. I am sure her witch powers will come back and bite her in the behind one day but for now I admire her strength. As for the love story, she knows they are meant to be from the moment she sees him.

This book is all about Jesamiah being out to sea, loosing ships, getting new ships and taking over other ships. He loves what he does. But after these two fall in love the book becomes more. Someone else wants her and he has power to see it happen. Then there is Jesamiah's evil brother too, oh and do not forget everyone else who do not like pirates (that is a lot of people.)

This book has a lot of adventure and romance and truth be told I have not read that many pirate novels. Ok sure harlequin ones but they are always so pretty while this one is real. Life is hard, especially for a pirate. 

Conclusion:

A good historical fiction book with lot to offer. Hollick knows her history and there is also a list of words at the end for those of us who has no idea what anything on a ship is called.

And more will come tomorrow, and the day after. I sure hope for a happy ending.