And so the saga of the Pirate Queen and her hunter finally comes to its well-deserved close. Whether you're here for the romantic suspense and have loved every steamy, smouldery, argumentative second of it, or like me come along for the ride of piratical adventures in a magical world, you can't fail to find moments here that'll tug on your heartstrings. While I was left a little saddened by how the more adventurous hunt-the-treasure side of things took a backseat, it was the ending the characters needed. By the Lords and Ladies, after book 3 and the cliffhanger of doom, we all needed that closure!

We finally discover the meaning of Drake's treasure, there are sea battles, sea monsters, friendships forged, revelations aplenty, and, of course, sexy tiemz (Vice and Knigh have been reading *ahem* interesting novels). I loved some of the moments we got between each of the crew of the good ship... Well, mostly Venatrix (there have been quite a few they've got through, eh?), but also little nods towards old frenemies like FitzRoy. I think Perry and her world-weary "I'm-not-your-mother" became my favourite to read about (though seriously, FitzRoy). While I'm not a big fan of romantic suspense, I was so glad that finally finally I could 100% ship Knice/Vigh without feeling like they'd be terrible for each other. Character growth, y'all. There were times I just wanted to blooming cheer them.

There were a few things I felt were a bit off. Maybe it's the way the character interactions could sometimes seem more styled after contemporary NA romance scenes (girly night in, reading "smutty" books - that sort of not-so-historial language stuff), or have about changes in their attitudes quite easily. Maybe it was how I'd hoped some side characters and their relationships could have been shown rather than told

Spoiler

(Vice literally puts her soul into the hands of four islanders we only see for a few scenes and are told she made friends with them, or how after hearing so much about the terrible Vane we never met him)

. Maybe it was how I expected some things to happen that just... Didn't

Spoiler

(Vice is so afraid of losing herself to the storm, yet there's no "come back to me" romantic moment required from Knigh; she just impatiently pops back into her body. And does anyone else wonder what became of the kraken and leviathan?)

I guess there were times I just wanted a little more from foreshadowed events and characters like Mercia or the important new characters who don't get that much development time on screen.

But but but. For one thing, I enjoyed this much more than book 3. Things happened. Characters grew. Even the writing felt more assured and focussed.

For the other thing: that end. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, expecting it to be all heavy on the romance tropes. It does use some them, but not in a way that made me feel like it was a same-old-same-old cliche

Spoiler

(the old marriage ceremony usually gets me, but this one was... Well, Vice has her own ideas on making it original!)

. The ends aren't all tied off exactly - there are some juicy hooks for undoubted future adventures in the Sabreverse-, but... Swoon. Just a little bit. And then some other events, both big and small, personal and public...

Spoiler

The return trip to Albion, saying good bye to Perry, being the Pirate Queen in truth(ish) and going back to her mama?

Oh. My. Stars. Not gonna lie, my heart ached with respair.

While the series wasn't exactly my cuppa all the way through (especially when the steam gets steamy!), it does do magical NA piratey romance with style and imagination, not to mention a memorable cast of colourful characters who will set out to surprise you (or steal your heart?! Yes Fitz, side-eye looking at you, you pirate you). A well-crafted HEA... But one that still asks to bring that horizon.

-I received a free ARC copy of this e-book from the author. This does not influence my review-

I've been waffling between 3-4 stars, because the ending was okay and I felt that the whole series was a mostly fun ride.

I love character driven stories, and I think that this series delivered- Vice is not the same person in book one that she is in the conclusion of this series (thank god!). She went from being one of the most annoying fmcs to someone worthy of the title of "pirate queen." Knigh is a worthy mmc and the kind of supporting, non-toxic lead male that is often a breath of fresh air from many of the alpha male characters I see in popular fiction. If there was anything to push this book into the four-star category, it's Knigh.

One of my main issues with this book was in the last 10 percentish of the story. This is spoiler-free: rather than give the characters closure and wrapping things up, as I'd expect for a final book in the series, it introduced new potential problems and additional characters. I get that for the author, she would want to push the next series she was writing... but as someone who wanted the full experience of being done with a series, I didn't want the pull of a new story when I wanted to enjoy the ending of this one. At this time, I don't see myself reading the next series- although now I have that irritable curiosity about what happens to the characters in this series.

I LOVED book 1 in the series. The series had its ups and downs, but I'm overall happy with it and would recommend it for anyone looking for a pirate+fae romance.

This series is so underrated!! I haven't read a series like this in awhile, with complex characters, realistic relationships and badass piracy that speaks to the radical act that piracy was in itself against the crown in some ways. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel connected to the characters in a way i never imagined. I AM a fan of dark romance, but Knigh's character, chivalry and the way he and V are balanced works so well! A lot of male love interests these days make me cringe. But Knigh was the perfect balance of dark and light. I can't believe more people aren't reading this!

My reviews are repetitive for this because I read them all back to back while traveling but this was a good end to the series (aside from one aspect I'd like settled regarding paternity). READ IT.

Fantastic!

I thoroughly enjoyed this entire series! I’m a sucker for pirate novels and this series is definitely being added to the bookshelf.

Enemies to lovers
Hidden identity
Betrayal
Pirates
Magical creatures
Treasure hunt

You should read it!!