Title: On Stolen Tides
Author: Kay Lalock
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 267 Pages
Category: Historical Romance, F/F Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
At a Glance: On Stolen Tides is a sweet romance set within a fictional history but which mirrors the past with candor. While it’s not without its flaws (dingy/dinghy and goal/gaol being repeated errors that made my jaw clench in sympathy), it’s a power-to-the-people story, and the good folks win in the end.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: From escaping an arranged marriage to working with pirates – how much wilder can Lydia’s life possibly get?
Great Rexone won’t stop until they’ve conquered the Known Isles. Lydia’s father – arguably the nation’s most respected admiral – is determined to be on top when that happens, even if it includes marrying off his daughter against her will.
The next thing Lydia knows, she’s sneaking onto a ship to return home, striking a deal with the feared pirates known as The Night Spirits to pay her way back. Luckily their second in command, Laufitu, seems to endorse her bargain. And it doesn’t take long before she and Lydia start exchanging more than knowledge of the Known Isles.
Falling in love with a pirate was never on Lydia’s agenda. Neither was aiding them in stealing from her father’s friends and enemies. By the time they make sense of their growing connection, tragedy strikes, forcing Lydia to make a tough decision.
But nothing could’ve prepared her for the true reason behind their piracy and what that means for Lydia’s way of life.
Review: Kay Lalock takes on history and censorship in On Stolen Tides, and adds a bit of piracy and romance as an added layer of conflict to spice things up. Perhaps the most shameful of truths about this story is the accuracy with which it shows the white-washed, white-savior arc the past adopted to cover up and excuse the genocide of peoples and cultures that existed long before Europeans colonized stolen lands and enslaved the indigenous.
There is no question the pirates are the heroes of this story. They do not pillage; they merely recover what was rightfully theirs to begin with. They have no use for coin;, they only want the artifacts that exemplify their heritage and customs which have been lost to the private collections of the naval officers who conquered and settled on their lands on behalf of the Crown. This is framed in the story of two women: Lydia Bainbridge, the daughter of a ruthless Admiral; and Laufitu, the second in command of a band of pirates known as the Night Spirits. When Lydia mistakenly stows away on a ship the pirates have commandeered, to escape an arranged marriage, she begins an adventure filled with perils and pitfalls even as she learns that everything she’s been taught is a lie.
As this is a romance novel, it’s not surprising that as Lydia and Laufitu spend more time together, they grow closer; however, Laufitu has reservations and is unsure she can trust Lydia while Lydia proves her worth and honor several times over. There is, of course, the Big Secret that delivers the third act drama all while the action and suspense play out over the mayhem and havoc pirates do best. The key is the bond that develops between the two women, and wanting them to achieve their happy ending, which they do in a grand fashion.
On Stolen Tides is a sweet romance set within a fictional history but which mirrors the past with candor. While it’s not without its flaws (dingy/dinghy and goal/gaol being repeated errors that made my jaw clench in sympathy), it’s a power-to-the-people story, and the good folks win in the end.
You can buy On Stolen Tides here: