Robert Southworth Reviews: The Pirate Captain by Kerry Lynne

Please see details of giveaway at the bottom of the page! The draw will be held 

on Tuesday the 25th August 2015

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The Pirate Captain set in the mid 18th century when pirates and their exploits sent shivers down the back of many a Governor. Blackbeard, Kidd, and Morgan earned their blood soaked place in history, and inspired many a historical novelist to put pen to paper. The rebellious spirit shown by these men and women stood the test of time as books gave way to other media, generations have whooped with joy as Fairbanks, and Flynn swung between sail and rigging. So it is easy to see why an audience would crave further stories, the challenge to the author is however, to bring something new to the reader. The blurb sets the scene,

  During the year of our lord 1753, I was sailing the West Indies, minding the oars in me own boat, pursuing me sole purpose in life: to disrupt the unholy alliance of two corrupt men, to destroy their lives as they destroyed mine. I mistakenly kidnap Catherine Mackenzie—wrong person, easy mistake, you understand—and me life went arsey-turvey. Having lost hearth and heart to the Jacobite War, and wanted for war crimes, Cate has the grit and savvy to have survived years destitute and alone in the cesspool known as London. When arrest seems imminent, Cate, through whose eyes this story is told, buys passage on the first ship away. Now, Cate desires but one thing: a place to belong.

  The novel centres on two main characters, Captain Nathaniel Blackthorne, the skilled and feared pirate Captain of the Sarah Morgan plying his trade in the Caribbean Seas, and Cate, a woman more than able to match his guile and grit.  I could not help wonder whether the author took her inspiration for Cate’s character from a female pirate such as, Anne Bonny, because they share an inner strength enabling them to survive in a traditionally male, and an extremely violent environment. It is the interaction between these two characters, which holds the reader’s attention for much of the novel.  Although the first meeting is a case of mistaken identity, and hardly filled with unbridled passion.

“What do you plan to do with me?” she ventured to ask again, a bit more steadily this time. In lieu of her own plan, knowing this might help.
He closed one eye as he strolled around her, shrewdly evaluating her as one would when purchasing a horse. “Scrawny and a bit old aside, a thing such as you could bring a good price at several markets."

  The novel could so easily have fallen into the mills and boon trap. However, it rides the swell of the Caribbean Seas into a far more interesting tale. The characters throughout are generally well developed with a lot of time obviously spent on getting the two main protagonists just about perfect. Life aboard the ship is described wonderfully, often from the viewpoint of Cate, which adds a new dimension to the book. Action scenes are delivered with skill and realism. I reviewed the digital copy of over 600 pages, and so I imagine that the physical copy would be of a substantial size, and offer the reader many hours enjoyment.

  To Summarise, the writing is not too technical as to blind the audience with nautical terms. The type of language used makes for an interesting debate. The initial few pages are, for want of a better phrase,‘pirate lingo’, and to some readers this could prove a distraction. However, as the book goes on it softens and I believe the book benefits from that change. The Pirate Captain is an interesting read, which blends a number of genres together. There is enough within its covers to keep Adventure, Romance and Historical enthusiasts more than happy.

The author Kerry Lynne is kindly offering two ebooks to giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment here on the blog or on our Facebook Page

About the Author

Kerry Lynne was a history major in college and went into teaching for a few years. Then she wound up in the decorative painting world, where she traveled, taught and published for some 30 years. And then her hand wouldn't work. So she went back to what she knew: writing, history and sailing. Lynne's fictional writing achievements include The Pirate Captain: Chronicles of a Legend (Nor Silver) 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Finalist Award for Historical Fiction (first novel) and a short story publication in LocoThology #3-The Price of Victory (deleted scene from The Pirate Captain, Nor Silver). In 2014 the second book in The Pirate Captain series "Nor Gold" has been released continuing the legend of Captain Blackthorne.
You can find out more about Kerry Lynne on her
Website
by copies of Kerry Lynne's books on
Amazon.UK
Amazon.com

Robert Southworth is an author of his Spartacus novels. This is the second novel that Robert has reviewed for us and is now a valued member of The Review readers team. Robert can be found on 

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