Random Reads

These novels are swashbuckling tales dealing with adventures at sea.   Be prepared to walk the plank!  You may even encounter a pirate or two.

General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn

     I absolutely love books where the heroine travels to a different land and encounters new adventures.  Averie Winston is travelling to Chiarrin to be reunited with her father, General Winston, and her fiance Morgan, both who are in the military.  During the voyage, she encounters Lieutenant Ket Du'kai whom she is attracted to.  Averie loves the Chiarizzi people and immerses herself in learning their culture and adopting their ways.  She learns that her own country has invaded and overtaken Chiarrin and this leads to many discussions.  I loved this book on so many levels.  It's a great love story, has rich descriptions of the land, and would generate many discussions regarding war.   An ultimate act of betrayal will suprise readers beyond measure.  Highly recommend!  I hope there will be a sequel.

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

   Seventeen year old Clio's summer has been ruined.  Rather than working a new job at an art store with potential boyfriend Ollie, she is stuck spending it with her father.  Her father has a yacht and a crew and they'll be searching for an ancient artifact that could hold many clues to the past.  Some people would consider this a luxury trip but without phones, Internet access, and boys, Clio thinks her father is chasing another dream.  The rest of the crew consists of her father's older best friend, his father's archaelogical girlfriend and her daughter, and a cute grad assistant.  The novel is very well written and readers will be taken on a journey of a lifetime.  Fans of pirates or seafaring adventures will love this modern day novel of high sea adventure. 

Star-Crossed by Linda Collison

     This remarkably well written debut novel will leave readers begging for a sequel.  Patricia Kelley is seventeen years old and attends and English boarding school while being supported by her father.  Although her father is a gentlemen, he never married her mother since she was an Irish servant.  Her father dies and Patricia is determined to claim her father's estate in Barbados.  She seeks passage as a stowaway on a merchant ship but is quickly discovered.  In order to remain aboard, she accepts work as the surgeon's assistant.  By working alongside the doctor, she learns the practice as a skilled nurse.  Upon landing in Barbados, she discovers that her father's property has been sold.  Without any further prospects, she accepts the doctor's marriage proposal.  Together they find work aboard a sick ship in which they combat yellow fever.  The last part of the story finds Patricia shipwrecked and widowed.  She soon finds work as another surgeon's assistant and reunited with a past love.  This novel is clearly written with an insider's knowledge of ships and sailing.  Readers will be swept away on this high sea adventure and will desperately want to revisit this heroine's saga.  A remarkable debut novel by a writer who clearly has staying power as an author. 

Pirates!  by Celia Rees

  Nancy is the daughter of a rich family living in England during the 1700's.  When her father dies, she is sent to the family's plantation in Jamaica where she is to wed in a prearranged marriage- and she's only sixteen years old!  Once on the island, she is exposed to the horrors of slavery as her family partakes in the horrible treatment of slaves.  She eventually befriends Minerva, a slave girl who works on the family's plantation.  Unusual circumstances and a murder cause the two girls to flee the island and take refuge aboard a pirate ship.  They eventually adopt the pirateering lifestyle as they encounter many adventures.  This seafaring tale and thrilling plot line will captivate readers attention by offering up a truly swashbuckling read.

The Princetta by Anne-Laure Bondoux

A truly spectacular reading experience!  Highly adventuresome, a swashbuckling tale that will leave readers yearning for more.  On the day before her arranged marriage, fifteen year old Malva, the Princetta of Galnicia, runs away from her homeland to escape her life.  She yearns for freedom and adventure and this is exactly what she finds.  Orpheus McBott joins a ship that is sent to rescue the Princetta and return her home safely.  The ship's mates are lost at sea and only a few lucky survive.  The reformed crew finds Malva and together they journey to the Unknown World in which nobody has ever returned.  This swashbuckling fantasy adventure will appeal to readers of every age!