Bloody Black Review

by Rhiannon Hargadon

Rating: 4.5/5

He stole her throne, she's come back to reclaim it.

Anne was a reckless, arrogant royal who had never tasted defeat. After a brutal betrayal on her wedding night, Anne vanishes from the kingdom she was meant to rule. Years later, she’s returns from the grave—no longer a princess, but a terror of the seas. Known only as Blackbeard, she’s hunting down the men who destroyed her, one by one. Vengeance doesn’t come without a cost. Brutal bargains with a demon collar her, and bind her to a dark promise.

When she captures Lieutenant Robb Maynard—a too-handsome, too-calm officer loyal to her enemy—Anne intends to trade him for leverage. Instead, she finds herself locked in a dangerous game of secrets and seduction, where the greatest threat isn’t a blade—but the way he looks at her.

Like she’s still a woman worth loving.

And while she knows better than to believe in anything but pain... Anne must decide if life is worth the risk—or if trusting the wrong man will cost her everything she has built.

A full list of trigger warnings can be found on the author's website. Your mental health is important; read at your own risk. 

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CW: sexual assault, rape

This was such a fun genderbent retelling of Blackbeard that really gives off Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. And while I didn’t love every moment - as there were some choices made by our characters that just irked me, I truly had fun reading this all the way through. 

The premise of this is extremely dark, and the entire beginning leads us to some horrific moments that were hard to watch. But the aftermath takes us on some great adventures as we get to watch the Blackbeard legacy rise. The idea behind a female Blackbeard was truly unique, especially in how she is marked with this particular name. I also just loved following her as our main character. 

And while this story is already on the longer side, I very much wanted more. I felt like we missed out on some details in those early days of the Blackbeard legacy as we skip ahead in the timeline shortly after she gets this name. I honestly would have loved to see more of this world-building and pirate adventures. This time jump was one of my biggest frustrations.

Going into this, I also expected it to be spicier than it was. But I felt like it had just the right amount of spice. I was more interested in the pirate adventures anyway. Though the spice was very nice and definitely more of a slow burn, which I truly enjoyed.

If you’re looking for a high fantasy pirate adventure with a strong female captain MC, I highly recommend this one! It has easily become a favorite of mine! And I want more pirate fantasies to read now!