by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

The Courtesan’s Pirate is book two in Nina Wachsman’s Venice Beauties Mystery Series and is set in the year 1614. Belladonna, a former Venetian courtesan, has finally been reunited with her true love, Isaak, a pirate captain, on the island of Jamaica.

Isaak, though, must leave Belladonna for a trip that unfortunately ends in his capture and execution sentencing. Belladonna learns that Isaak, in his captured state, is bound for Spain. Belladonna decides she must go back to Venice and plans to leverage her allies to save him. Unfortunately, she learns that her political power has lessened and now she is in a fight to save all that she loves.

Nina once again provides readers with a daring historical mystery that travels from Jamaica to Curacao to Venice over the open seas. The storytelling alternates between different points of view and is split into two parts.

This is a thrilling, page-turning story full of rich details of setting, clothes, and characters. Much research must have gone into this story to so accurately capture the periods and customs of the times and places. Nina has a vivid writing style that keeps the details fascinating, instead of it reading like a history textbook. While I know very little about this time period or these places, I was still pulled into the story and especially into all the political intrigue.

Because the details are so rich, I encourage readers to give themselves time to settle into the story. The first time I picked up this story, I only had a few minutes and that’s not the start this detailed story deserves. Later, I started over and began reading when I had a longer stretch of time and felt truly pulled into the time, place, and action of the story.

While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone historical mystery as Nina provides clear pictures of each character and their past. Readers will enjoy the thrilling adventure.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win an ebook copy of The Courtesan’s Pirate, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “pirate” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 7, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.