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— BLURB —
A modern-day pirate.
An heiress lost at sea.
And the treasure of a lifetime.
He’s beautiful. Calculating. Cruel. And he’s taken me hostage.
When pirates board my boyfriend’s yacht, I jump overboard to save myself. Drifting asea. Until one man rescues me from the endless ocean.
Except he has plans of his own. I’m worth too much money for ransom. He’ll keep me on his ship and in his bed. The real danger lies in his dark-depth eyes. He wants more from me than money. Than passion. He wants everything.
He rescued me, but I’m far from safe.
There’s an entire sea of danger threatening to drag me under.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by USA Today bestselling author Amelia Wilde is a dangerously sexy contemporary romance that will blow you out of the water.
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• MY REVIEW •
My first book from Amelia Wilde, a new-to-me author. Whilst the blurb was short and sweet, it was enough to get me eager to reading this book.
Now that I’ve read it? 🤔 The prominent thought the comes to mind is that it wasn’t completely what I had expected. Not only with the storyline but with the characters themselves.
But before I get into detail with my thoughts on the book, I have to mention first (as I hadn’t realized this until after I had read it) that this book is actually part of a series, and it does end on a cliffhanger. Keep that in mind if you’re considering reading it.
Okay! 👏 Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty!
Honestly rating this book was more difficult than I thought it would be, and I feel like my rating doesn’t qualify how much I enjoyed reading it overall. But I feel like I have to justify why I couldn’t rate it a solid four stars (as much I wanted to). This story, whilst I truly found the premise intriguing, in my opinion it just fell a little flat on execution.
There’s so much mystery surrounding the protagonist and anti-hero, Poseidon. It took a little while to figure out what exactly he does for a living. The way he’s work is described is relatively vague, and that’s not even the half of it. You get introduced to his brothers (both named after Gods too), which makes you wonder if this story is more than just “a modern-day pirate” story. I found myself wondering if this is also a retelling of sorts of the Greek Mythologies — Which I would actually have loved because I’m a fan of mythologies, but unfortunately his brothers and his relationship with them didn’t go into enough detail for me to get any sort of connection to that part of the story. It’s evident there’s history amongst the brothers but it’s skimmed across and you’re left feeling like you walked into a meeting where everyone is already in mid-conversation and you’re trying to catch yourself up.
Now, I don’t know if Wilde has plans to write the brothers’ stories in the future but if not, I’m at least hoping we’ll get to learn more about them in the next book. I like the idea that these brothers could be a lot more than meets the eye.
This story also starts out with a relatively present day atmosphere with Ashley being introduced as a your typical rich, carefree young woman, holidaying on a yacht, and glued to her phone. But as the story progresses, the backdrop gradually changes into a dark, fantastical world of pirates where any sort of laws or rules are thrown out the window. It’s almost as if it’s in its own little bubble within reality, and Ashley has the unfortunate luck of being thrust into it.
It’s all very intriguing reading through this story as it slowly unravels. I found myself just as captivated by Poseidon as Ashley was. He rarely gives anything away, and you’re left feeling both frustration and anxiety for him to reveal anything about himself or his feelings. I want to say there’s some character development there but I can’t help but assume that this book is only an introduction to this mysterious modern day pirate that is Poseidon, and that we’ll see real growth in the next book. Nevertheless, it’s enough for you to realize that there’s a lot more to him. If you love grey characters as much as I do, who are just a little bit of a complicated puzzle, then I think you’ll like Poseidon. 😄
To be real with you, I didn’t agree with all his actions and his reasoning behind them, but I strongly believe that his character has the potential for growth and improvement.
And Ashley, bless her… She needs some street smarts in her, stat! She comes off as naïve and sheltered, and as much as I really wanted to snap some sense into her on more than a couple of occasions, there’s no denying that she no way deserved the things she goes through in this story. Good thing there’s a few goodhearted people on her side.
There’s nice beginnings of world-building present with a couple of memorable secondary characters in play. It’s not overly in depth or layered but as I mentioned earlier with the character development, I’m hoping we get the “hearty meat” of these elements in the next book.
A good amount of chemistry and zingy scenes between Ashley and Poseidon kept me engaged throughout. I never knew where the story was heading so that was another factor that had me needing to know what happened next and not wanting to put the book down.
It’s a relatively quick read. With an entertaining storyline coolly consisting of pirate wars, a treasure hunt, a damsel in distress, and a smidge of Greek mythology thrown into the mix. I haven’t come across a smexy-as-sin pirate since Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time. Add in Captain Jack Sparrow’s savviness and his quirky but good-natured crew, and you have yourself Poseidon and his men! 🏴☠️
If you enjoy dark contemporary romance books with a captor/captive trope, then I say add this one to your list! But be prepared for the cliffhanger! Hopefully the next book won’t be too far along! 🤞 Please be aware that there is some sensitive subject matter included that may trigger some readers.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐¾
Thank you Amelia Wilde and Candi Kane PR for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! 💙
🔔 Want to read it? Grab your copy here: Amazon | Apple Books | Nook
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Hope you enjoyed this review! Be sure to check out the book if you’re interested! Happy reading. Catch you in my next one! Xo
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