by
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 399
Pages: 399
Pages: 399
A winter storm blows through Salem, Massachusetts, setting young witch Alexander MacBeth on a perilous path to adulthood as his dying mother gifts him an heirloom and pleads for him to use it to survive.
To do so, he will need to perfect his inherited witchcraft to protect himself from those who want him dead. In his journey to adulthood, he falls in love with dashing nobleman Crispin Nottingham. Abandoned by Crispin and pursued by the Puritans, he finds he must harness the wind to assist his escape and flee his homeland aboard a pirate ship led by the handsome captain, Henri the Twisted.
Struggling against distrustful pirates, an evil witch, and his continued longing for Crispin, Alexander sharpens his magical skills and falls into a romance with Henri. Chaos and danger confront him at every turn, even as he searches for love and belonging. A new sail on the horizon may signal hope or more danger than ever before—if Alexander can survive to meet his future.
Publisher: Ninestar Press
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer
Protagonist 1 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 2 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 3 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Class Differences, Coming of Age, First Time
Word Count: 87400
Setting: The High Seas
Languages Available: English
The man squinted his eyes and sneered as he continued to move closer. Then he lunged forward and placed the sword at Alexander’s neck as he hovered above.
Alexander flinched but remained calm. “You don’t look like a Puritan.” Alexander held the captain’s gaze, the cold steel pressing against his neck. “Most of them don’t carry swords or lurk about in the forest. Or hold a weapon to my throat.”
The captain smiled, stared right at Alexander, but pressed his sword ever so slightly into Alexander’s skin. Despite his predicament, Alexander swooned. The man tilted his hat back with one hand but kept the sword in its position. His eyes glowed even more beautifully in person. His commanding presence might even outdo Crispin. His biceps bulged because of the tense pose, his strong legs flexed at the ready in front of Alexander’s face. Then, he smirked.
READ MORE“Truth be told,” the captain said, “you don’t strike me as much of a Puritan either. Not with those clothes. Not hiding here alone in the woods. Not with your drawers undone.”
Alexander grinned despite the sword at his throat. “You caught me. An exile, hunted and wanted by those very Puritans.”
“Wanted? For what?”
Alexander threw caution to the wind. This was his only chance to convince the captain.
“Murder. And sodomy.”
Alexander smiled again when the captain raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“I’m telling the truth. They tried to execute me for sodomy, and then I accidentally killed one of them to get away.”
This time, the captain roared with laughter. He released the sword from Alexander’s neck and stood tall, clutching the weapon as he stepped back but continued to chuckle.
“Aren’t you worried about my being a killer?” Alexander stayed motionless. The captain may have stepped away but his body language remained tense.
“I have quite a few acquaintances who’ve had to murder here and there. Why, I myself have done so. Out of necessity, mind you, much like yourself.” He pointed with his free hand at Alexander. The captain had lost a bit of his initial edge as he stood staring down at him. “You don’t strike me, on first glance, as someone who belongs to those ranks.”
“You don’t believe me?” Alexander asked.
“How’d you do it?”
Alexander paused. How much should he reveal, and how fast? “My murdering is a long story, which happened while I ran away from the authorities.”
The captain walked over and knelt in front of Alexander, the sword held tight in his hand, but at his side. “I’ve experienced stranger things in my life than a young beauty sitting in the woods by himself, on the run from religious folk. But this is certainly unique.”
“I’ve had an odd life. I’m searching for a new direction. Maybe take to the sea.”
The captain scratched his head. He sat down. “Explain yourself.”
“Well, I can’t stay around here, waiting for them to hang me. I’ve always fancied the sea. I figure maybe I could find a ship and make a new life. I’ve thought about becoming a pirate.”
Alexander studied the captain’s face during the long moment of silence. He knitted his brow but again his posture relaxed. He placed his sword on the ground but his hand moved to the handle of a knife in his waistband.
“What might draw you to something as nasty pirates?”
Alexander had gotten excited at their proximity, so he moved a bit to show himself. “For one thing, I hear pirates have different rules. A lot more freedom to act as they may.”
“You talking about sodomy again?”
“Maybe. What do you know of such things?”
“Sodomy or pirates?” The captain laughed heartily, reached out, and placed a hand on Alexander’s calf.
Excitement welled through Alexander. He closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, opening them to see the captain adjust himself below.
“I’m Alexander.” Alexander moved a foot toward the captain and touched his leg. He stopped when he gripped the knife more tightly.
“Henri,” he barely whispered and squinted at Alexander. “What’s your game?”
Alexander blushed. “I don’t know what you mean. Are you speaking pirate talk?”
“Why would you think I’m a pirate?”
This time Alexander laughed. He sat up, his face a few feet from Henri’s. “I’ve been watching you. I know.”
Henri clutched tighter at the knife and started to pull it out. Alexander reached over and touched his hand to stop him. He shook his head and smiled, then leaned forward and planted a kiss directly on the captain’s lips.
COLLAPSEJ.P. Jackson on goodreads wrote:In 1692, a young Alexander MacBeth lived on a farm in Salem with his Mother and Father. He took to hiding in the loft with a small doll his Mother made for him long ago, and hid the doll from his Father.
Alexander had watched as the sheriff, ministers and Puritans killed his parents. His mother was betrayed as a witch by her brother Bartholomew. Alexander was removed from the farm and made to live with Bartholomew at the run-down mill. There he was abused and treated as a slave and his family’s old farm deteriorated with time.
Lord Crispin Nottingham, under orders from the Governor, came to look out for the ward of the state, Alexander. His Uncle refused legal custody, being afraid of witchcraft. Lord Crispin offered to invest in the mill, and promised to come by regularly to check in on Alexander. As Crispin came to see Alex often, his feelings became apparent.
He still has memories of his Mother, and the lessons she taught him, including to just “survive” and never let anyone know of his powers. She told him that he had powers in his blood from his grandparents, powers to be used for good.
Whenever Alexander can get away into the forest, he practices his powers, hoping to become a full-fledged witch. And there were times when Alexander would take the horse and a bit of money and go to Boston to see Crispin. He loved the freedom from the abuse and the mill. But he needed to be careful and not get caught, as it was considered stealing, even though the horse was from his farm. Alexander heard stories of pirates that controlled the Caribbean, stole from merchant ships, and were unafraid of the His Majesty’s Navy, and he grew curious.
Then one day Lord Crispin came and told Alex the truth about his visits, the investment, the failing mill and his witchcraft. What hurt the most was Crispin’s denial of their relationship. When Alexander went to Boston again to see him, he came face to face with the evil Portia Nottingham, Crispin’s mother.
Even though the Royal Governor had set the rule that there were to be no more witch trials or accusations, Alexander found himself being plotted against. His Uncle and the same Puritans that killed his parents and Portia Nottingham were determined to see him dead.
In his early twenties, Alexander finds a way to escape those who conspired against him. He’s accepted by Captain Henri and the pirate crew of the All Hallows Eve. He sails the seas from Massachusetts to Florida, the Caribbean, Windward Passage, Bahamas and the Tortuga Isles. His home is now the sea and his family is the pirates, but not all are friendly.
He is able to use his powers and his mother’s crystal, and it’s kept secret by Capt. Henri and first mate Spittal. Then one day, while trading in port, a story reaches him about someone seeking out a particular ship, and certain persons. Will it finally force Alexander to make a decision about love, and heartbreak?
Serbu takes readers on a high seas adventure with Witch in the Wind, filled with action, witch craft, black magic, danger, hatred, times of celebration and two views of romance. Alexander experienced love for two men who were very different.
I highly recommend this book – I was immersed in it from the very start. I didn’t read the original story, The Pirate Witch, published in 2014, but Witch in the Wind is a more extensive version of it. I have read Serbu’s series “The Realm of the Vampire Council” which I enjpyed, and thought Witch in the Wind was a very good change. I hope Serbu has more exciting novels to come!
Serbu has long been on my list of authors to read, and I finally had a chance.
Witch in the Wind is a historical fantasy tale following the Salem-born Alexander, the development of his witch abilities, and the unlikely and tumultuous relationship he forms with Crispin. There are barriers and hurdles to overcome, family drama, professional difficulties, and prejudices against his supernatural powers.
All these obstacles pull Alexander to a life as a pirate witch, in the Caribbean sea, becoming the bunkmate of the pirate captain Henri.
Pirate life is difficult, violent, and dangerous, but Alex's travels lead back to his first love.Serbu creates a wonderful world that will slip you back into the past of puritanical America. The love story is heart-warming, but the pirate life and high adventure on the seas are as tawdry and delicious as you'd expect.
Get your hands on a Serbu novel. I'll be sure to pick up his vampire books next!
