The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (al-Sirafi #1)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is a wonderful pirate adventure set in the twelfth century in the Indian Ocean. 

Amina al-Sarafi is a nakhudha, a pirate and a smuggler. She is a legend who brings fear to sailors and merchants. 

She retired ten years ago. She found a dilapidated house in the jungle and fixed it up for her daughter. Her mother often lives with them and her brother visits when he can. She has a quiet, peaceful life though she does miss the sea. 

When a wealthy woman offers her a huge amount of money to find her kidnapped granddaughter – the daughter of one of al-Sirafi’s crew – she cannot pass up the chance for a quick sail. Afterall, her ship is ready to go. She promises to look for four months for an upfront fee… 

Chakraborty is a great storyteller weaving in right lore to create a reading experience that is fun and adventurous. 

Chakraborty, Shannon. (2023). The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. New York: Harper Voyager.

Branded Ann

Branded Ann by Merry Shannon is a pirate romance novel.

Branded Ann is the most feared pirate on the Spanish Main. Her ship, the Ice Queen, is painted completely white and sailors shiver when they see it coming for them. Part of Ann’s ferociousness stems from a cross shaped scar across her otherwise beautiful face.

Violet Watts is traveling to Jamaica with her new husband to start a new life. She had a rough life that she is happy to leave behind with the only man she has ever loved. But a couple of days short of the island, a white ship is spotted on the horizon.

Shannon has written a swashbuckling pirate romance about lesbians on the high seas. This novel is a great beach read.

Shannon, Merry. (2008). Branded Ann. NY: Bold Strokes Books.

A Pirate's Heart

A Pirate’s Heart by Catherine Friend is a lesbian romance for fans of both pirates and librarians!

Librarian Emma Boyd works at a rare book library. She is overworked and has little time for a social life but she know just about everything there is to know about the pirate captain Tomasina Farris who disappeared in 1715.  So when a thief steals a map from her collection she wants to help catch the person who did it – someone who may be searching for Tommy Farris’s lost treasure.

Investigator Randi Marx does not want help from any stuffy librarian. She is a map expert in her own right and works for one of the best private investigation firms in the country. When it is suggested that she and Emma go to the other libraries where there have been map thefts, she is less than thrilled.

Friend has combined two stories – one of Tommy Farris in the height of piracy in the Caribbean – and a chase across the US and a search for a lost treasure. This is great romance story.

Friend, Catherine. (2008). A Pirate’s Heart. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentlemen Bastards #2)

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch is the second book in his Gentlemen Bastards series about uniquely trained thieves.

Locke Lamora is plotting a new scheme. After fleeing the land of Camorr he has settled, for a time, on the island of Tal Verrar. He has spent the last two years working his way from level to level in the most exclusive casino on the planet - where you must be invited by the owner to move to the next floor.

But now that Locke is getting close to being in position to make his move, he and his friend are kidnapped and taken to the fortress of the Archon. The Archon, who derives his power from the threat of war and is not as popular as he was when the Priori of the city developed his temporary position to fight off pirates, has a job for Locke - and an interesting way to make sure it is carried out.

But can a man who has never been on a ship other than one seasick voyage convince a group of pirates that he is one of them or has Locke met his match in this challenge?

Lynch has created a series that combines fantasy, pirates, thieves, political intrigue, espionage, and more. It is a swashbuckling tale that will have readers tying to guess an outcome that has too many twists to accurately predict. A great read.

Lynch, Scott. (2007). Red Seas Under Red Skies. New York: Bantam.