by
On the dangerous high seas, there is nothing more precious than trust…
Billy loves the freedom he has as a pirate, where no man is his master. But when his captain tasks him with guarding an abducted naval officer, he starts questioning everything he thought he ever needed…
Crispin Merrick wants nothing more than to command a ship in the Royal Navy. Even though the war has ended and he’s been stripped of his duties, he still dreams of naval glory. But being kidnapped and held captive by a pirate with the face of an angel and the soul of a scoundrel makes him wonder if it’s finally time for some new dreams.
Can these polar opposites overcome their differences in time to survive what their enemies (and the treacherous seas) have in store for them?
Only if they can trust in each other—and in love—when the time comes…
A Star to Sail By is an emotional, standalone, enemies to lovers, forced proximity M/M historical romance. Download today and get ready to set sail for adventure and romance on the high seas.
The book contains material some readers may find upsetting. Full details are given on the contents warning page of the author's website, linked to at the beginning of the book (visible on Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature).
Publisher: Independently Published
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 18-25
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, First Time, Forced Proximity, Slow Burning Love
Word Count: 89,000
Setting: The Caribbean
Languages Available: English
A pirate who had been examining one of the deck guns looked up at the captain’s shout, long dark hair falling around his face. He was even more disgraceful than the other pirates, something Crispin had not thought possible. The man was half-naked, his chest and arms filthy with grime and soot. He wore blue knee breeches, tighter than the petticoat breeches most of the pirates favoured, and even they bore dirty stains. At least the crimson sash around his waist looked clean, though Crispin noted uneasily the two pistols thrust into it. The pirate moved towards his captain, his stride long and easy. He was leanly muscled and taller than many of the other pirates. Almost as tall as Crispin himself, he thought.
“Take this and check it against the contents in the hold,” the captain said, thrusting the manifest at him.
READ MOREDisreputable as this pirate was, he could evidently read. That fact was unexpected enough for Crispin to look more closely at him as he turned away from his captain, and the world seemed to shift around Crispin. His face… He had seen that face before, worn by a marble carving of the Archangel Gabriel. It had been so perfect he had known it to be the sculptor’s attempt to express the ineffable, finding his answer in a beauty this earth could not contain. But it did. That statue’s face was here and alive, if rather dirty. The high cheekbones, clean jawline, straight nose and lips full enough to cause impure thoughts formed a face that transcended the dirt and grime. Crispin almost forgot it belonged to a pirate until the man, perhaps feeling Crispin’s scrutiny, looked at him. His grey eyes were cold and hostile, like the Atlantic before a storm.
Crispin glanced away, no longer caring if doing so was a sign of weakness. The sculptor had mistaken the angel he was carving, for the man standing on the deck of the Eurydice was Lucifer. There could be no other explanation for such beauty to be subverted in the service of evil and vice.
He fixed his gaze on Spencer and waited to see what the pirates would do with them.
COLLAPSELinda on Queer Romance Ink wrote:Crispin is a former naval officer forced to join a pirate ship to save others; he has only contempt for pirates and their ways. The master gunner of the pirate ship is a young and beautiful man named Billy, who despises all navy officers, and he has his reasons. Forced to work and live together, Billy and Crispin slowly find themselves learning to understand and accept each other, while growing to appreciate the underlying loyalty, kindness and intelligence they discover within the other.
A Star to Sail By was a compelling story, with interesting characters, and it was easy to understand and empathize with both Billy and Crispin’s attitudes about piracy and the navy.
Entertaining with some action and danger, hurt/comfort, and some real emotional growth from Crispin. Both men are admirable, and once in love they are committed and honest about their feelings and communicate about how important they are to each other but also the problems they face if they want to stay together.
An unexpectedly wonderful read.
Wow – a trip at sea on a pirate ship, and I learned more about sailing the open seas and being a pirate than I ever had before. Crispin Merrick was once a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and is now a second mate on a merchant ship the Eurydice. His ship was decommissioned right along with him, but his dream is to once again find himself back with the Royal Navy. That dream will face many trials and tribulations.
By itself, the merchant ship is unable to protect itself in the event of a pirate attack, so she has an escort for protection, but that escort disappears after a violent storm. Now the Eurydice and its crew are undefended when the pirates appear, and the captain surrenders. He hopes they will take what they want and leave everyone alive. Crispin thinks they should at least try to fight, but it isn’t his call to make.
The captain of the pirate ship Hermione doesn’t believe in violence unless it’s absolutely necessary, so he gives the crew of the Eurydice a choice to stay or join the pirates and become one of them. A few are happy to join. But Crispin is taken against his will, since he has navigational skills.
While the other crew members who joined willingly will share in any profits, Crispin refuses, because signing would indicate that he is willing to join in attacking ships for their trade goods, which he would never get over, and which would end any hope of rejoining the Royal Navy.
Billy the Master Gunner resents Crispin. His hatred of the Royal Navy is something he can’t hide, and when he is given the responsibility to watch over the ex Navy man, he’s not happy. But the captain’s orders gospel and there’s no fighting the order. Now Crispin and Billy find themselves sharing a cabin, something neither is happy about. Crispin thinks Billy has no morals, and Billy sees in Crispin everything he hates, and everything he ran away from in his past.
Over time, the two are able to set their hatred aside and see each other with fresh eyes. It’s hard to be around someone 24-7 and continue to hate each other. The crew has also begrudgingly accepted Crispin’s presence, but he is always in danger. While planning how he would escape – not easy when you’re in the middle of the ocean – something far worse happens. The captain is challenged and looses his position, replaced a pirate known to be cruel, one who is anxious to throw Crispin overboard.
The only thing that saves him is the fact that they need someone to fill in when the navigator is having one of his headaches or is too drunk to see straight. The situation is not any better for Billy, but the two stick together and try to hold on till they reach Nassau. As the Royal Navy ex-lieutenant and the pirate finally give in to their feelings, Crispin makes it his mission to escape and take Billy with him.
I won’t go into too much detail on what happens next – you’ll have to read for yourself to truly enjoy it.
The story is full of surprise, betrayals, cruelty, sex, secrets and ordeals, which has given me a new appreciation for what life on the sea was like – hard, dangerous and sometimes deadly.
Crispin and Billy are amazing characters. I loved them and kept waiting to see if there would be a well-deserved HEA for them, but that’s another thing I won’t reveal. If you enjoy historical books where the lead characters are gay, this one it has it all.
5 Stars.
