The Savage Sabre (The Ravishing Rees Book #2, A Pirates of Britannia World Novel)

Esperanza "Essa" Fernandez has longed to be a captain of her brother's pirate ships. She dresses as a man and stows away on board, but her plans go awry when the ship is defeated by Welsh pirates led by Saban "the Sabre" Rees after a raid. Essa is captured and in that moment, the world as she knows it ends. Saban is surprised to discover that the lad he captured is a female. She is feisty, alluring, and the enemy. The attraction between the two is instantaneous. Saban is used to taking what he wants, but he is reluctant to take from Essa what is not freely given. While Essa wants to hate her captor, the more she is in his company, the more she sees that the stories her brother told her about the Welsh pirates were lies. Essa will have to choose between loyalty to her brother and love for Saban that culminates in an electrifying final duel.

"The Savage Sabre" is swashbuckling romance on the high seas. It is a fascinating world of Welsh and Spanish pirates set in 1443. The fact that Essa and Saban are highly attracted to one another when she is a prisoner in chains may make some readers uncomfortable or keep them from identifying with Essa's choices. Nonetheless, Essa is a spirited heroine who does not flinch from the truth in the end. Essa and Saban are two strong characters who are willing to fight for their love, creating an exciting and entertaining story that readers will not want to put down.

Tricia Hill