Tag: the winter sea

Book Review: Red Tempest Brother (The Winter Sea #3) by H.M. Long

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 409 pages
Author: H.M. Long
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: July 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The epic naval fantasy trilogy concludes, as Sam, Mary and Benedict play a deadly game of war and espionage on the high-seas. Perfect for fans of pirate-infested waters, magical bestiaries and battling empires, by authors such as Adrienne Young, L. J. Andrews and Naomi Novik.

In the wake of the events of Black Tide Son, Hart flees into pirate-infested waters to shelter on the island where former rogue James Demery and the Fleetbreaker, Anne Firth, now rule.

Reeling from their discoveries about the truths of the Mereish-Aeadine war, Mary and Sam hover on the precipice of a terrible, world-altering choice – they can stay silent and maintain their good names, or they can speak out, and risk igniting total war across the Winter Sea.

Meanwhile, Benedict captains The Red Tempest, a lawless ship of deserters and corrupted mages in search of an Usti spy with incendiary stolen documents. Benedict is determined to make the truth known, consequences be damned.

As rumours spread of a new Ghistwold sprouting in the Mereish South Isles, May and Sam sail once more into intrigue, espionage and an ocean on the brink of exploding into conflict. They must chart a course toward lasting, final peace, at the heart of the age-old battle for power upon the Winter Seas.

I DON’T KNOW Y’ALL.

I remember liking the first two books in this series but not with an overwhelming sense of having to pick up book three ASAP. I’ve still been looking forward to RTB though and feel like I’ve been disappointed. I can’t decide if that’s because of my mood or this just wasn’t that great of a conclusion.

The plot was fairly rinse and repeat. Run over here, try to capture someone, get in a bind, get out, and do it again. All waiting for the final showdown.

And this also reminds me that I don’t recommend the audiobook for this one. With only one narrator for three POV’s, let me tell y’all, I got so lost trying to figure out which male POV (of twin brothers mind you) I was in and that threw me off multiple times.

Not the ending I was hoping for, maybe I’ll read more from this author?

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Black Tide Son (The Winter Sea #2) by H.M. Long

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 437 pages
Author: H.M. Long
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: July 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Swashbuckling adventure on the high-seas, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, in the second book of the Winter Sea series, for readers of Adrienne Young and Naomi Novik.

A captured pirate reveals shocking news to Mary and Samuel that sends them in urgent pursuit of Samuel’s twin brother, Benedict, but their search uncovers much more than they bargained for. While evading a cunning new foe, Mary and Samuel must navigate the complexities of their own growing bond as they launch a rescue mission within one of the most secure fortresses on the Mereish Coast.

GREAT SEQUEL.

We all know that second book can be hit or miss and I found this one to be a hit! I enjoyed reading this via audiobook again and love love love that it’s dual POV.

I think this journey continued well and I loved being back on the open seas with this crew. There’s a lot of good action and drama and one of those very slow burn romances that has you begging them to get together ASAP. I thought the tangent aspects of the plot fit back into the larger arc and it has me excited to pick up book three!

I can’t directly pinpoint what was missing, but it just wasn’t a full five star for me. Definitely a good read, one I’d recommend and filled with awesome characters and magic too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: low, scattered throughout
  • Romance: heated make-outs
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: kidnapping, loss of life, attempted murder

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ALC Book Review: Dark Water Daughter (The Winter Sea #1) by H.M. Long

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: H.M. Long
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.

Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik.

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.

Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.

Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.

Come sail the Winter Sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterisation and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.

Thank you to RB Media and Titan Books for the ALC.

SAVED BY THE SECOND HALF.

Audiobook review: LOVED. I loved the narrators. They kept this book going for me. I loved that this was dual POV. Great audio read!

For the first half of this book I wasn’t quite sure where things were going. There was a lot of chasing Mary around as she was captured back and forth between pirates. Not a lot going on at the moment. Fortunately the second half picked up the pacing in a multitude of ways and now I’m curious where book two will lead.

I liked our two main characters, Mary and Samuel. They are both on different sides of the current conflict and slowly find out that they might actually be allies (and that there might be a romance in the future??).

What really kept me going was the vibes. If you’re looking for a high seas, pirate filled book, this will give you that. I thought the magic system was interesting and there were just enough twists in the second half that had me going, well what happens next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: light
  • Romance: kiss
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, kidnapping, brief sexual assault (unwanted kissing and touching over clothes), near death experiences

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