Call of the Sea

A Swashbuckling Fest Call of the Sea is a swashbuckling fest of

A Swashbuckling Fest

Call of the Sea is a swashbuckling fest of adventure and romance.

Ms Hart’s writing is breath-taking at times, sumptuous in description, and layered with enough authentic detail to fully immerse the reader in the seventeenth century. There’s a poetic style to the writing, a quality that makes the prose unique and exciting.

The female lead, Elysandra (Ellie), is one feisty female. We meet her as a stubborn, self-possessed child and watch her grow into an equally spirited adult who’s not afraid to make tough decisions to pursue her dreams. Daniel, the male lead, is kind-hearted and vulnerable, yet tough and courageous. Let’s face it, the lad needs to be strong to handle Ellie. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a good-looking chap, too.

Call of the Sea educated me about Silkie mythology – cursed creatures that live as humans on land and seals in the sea. The description of that transformation is where Ms Hart really excels. I felt every crack of poor Daniel’s body, his screaming agony, and most importantly the physical differences between man and beast.

I’d put this novel in the new adult category because there is a descriptive sex scene, but I’m sure it will also appeal to adult readers, too.

The theme of revenge made for an explosive read. A mighty fine début novel by Ms Hart.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Review: "Call of the Sea" by Rebecca Hart was a very

Review:

"Call of the Sea" by Rebecca Hart was a very enjoyable fantasy, romance read. This author did a wonderful job with the mythological of the selkie...with pirates, sailors, romance and murder. This novel was of two different people who are brought together from childhood to adulthood by their love of the sea. The novel starts may start out a little slow however, it picks up and wow...what good read the "Call of the Sea" turns out.

This author wrote a very intriguing story that will draw you in and keep you hanging for then shoe to drop. With the heroine..Elysandra "Ellie" Winters who was some character...independent..stubborn ..strong-headed...sometimes even selfish however, by the end of the novel some maturity was seen. The hero.. Daniel was so sweet, kind, loving, hard worker and simply loved Ellie. Now, just how these two were able to come together .... you will have to pick up "Call of the Sea" to find out how this story will end. All of the characters were off the chart good that really kept the story moving along.

With the author taking her setting for the "Call of the Sea from the Newquay, England area really helped with the descriptions that showed up in this read. You were really made to feel like you could hear the bustle of the wharf as the captains prepared to go to sea.

If you are in for a good fantasy read with some romance and mythology, the "Call of the Sea" would be recommended to you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing!!

This was a wonderful story that kept my attention the whole time. It had both a romantic twist as well as the suspence. This is one book that I truly recommend everyone reads.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One young lady who longs for the sea. A selkie who loves her. A

One young lady who longs for the sea. A selkie who loves her. A swashbuckling good time!

Rating: 4.5

At the age of ten, Daniel's father kicks him out after the death of his mother. After three years on his own, he spies Captain Winters' returning home from a stint at sea to celebrate his daughter Ellie's tenth birthday. That only saddens Daniel, wishing that he's had a loving father like Ellie's. So Daniel decides to shed his sealskin and ask Captain Winters for a job on his ship.

Ellie has always wanted to be a privateer like her father. And although Michael Winters knows how his daughter yearn to be at sea, she is just too young. When Daniel saves Ellie, Michael realizes that he's a selkie, and instead of taking him with him on his next trip, he gives Daniel the tasks of looking out for Ellie while he's gone. But after five years, Ellie's had enough and takes matters into her own hands.

This books has some awesome characters in it. I loved the interaction between Ellie and Daniel, Daniel and Captain Winters, Ellie and her mother Amelia, and Ellie and Nelson, a sailor on Captain Harris' ship whom she meets when she runs away. Nelson realizes that Ellie (going by the name of Ellis) is not a boy like she pretends to be, and he befriends her, keeps her secret, and protects her.

From the moment that Daniel saw Ellie that first day, he loved her, but he never told her. Not until ten years later after Captain Winters is killed. But he's afraid of telling Ellie his secret for fear she won't accept him if she knew. Not only is Daniel hiding things from Ellie, so was her father. And Daniel doesn't want to taint Ellie's memory of her father by having her find out.

One thing that I really would have liked to read more about was Daniel's selkie side, and there were a few errors, but nothing that was too distracting. Plus, I really, really would have liked to read more about Daniel and Ellie, so I'm hoping that there is a sequel in the works.

Call of the Sea is swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. There is action, mystery, betrayal, adventure and romance. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. There were nail biting moments, funny moments, and sad moments that had me in tears. I definitely recommend it!

** I received an eARC copy of the book from InkSpell Publishing for review.**

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This not my usual type but that cover is gorgeous and I just HAD

This not my usual type but that cover is gorgeous and I just HAD to read it. When there was a posting for ARC reviews I jumped at the chance and was lucky enough that Rebecca sent me a copy.

This book was everything I don't usually like, it was written in third person and it was set back in the 1600's.However I LOVED IT!! I fell in love with Elysandra, I can't imagine what it would be like to be a young woman who wanted to follow her dreams only to have your sex dictate what you can do. She was determined, strong willed and brave. I would like to think if I was in those situations I would be half as brave as she was to follow her heart & dreams.
Daniel was a true hero. He grew up fast after his mother passed and his father kicked him out of their house. He had no family and was lonely. Luck would have it he would have a chance encounter that would change his life forever and Elysandra's.
The story spans 10 years and it moves fluidly. There isn't a dull moment and the supporting characters are well crafted.Even if you feel like this isn't your cup of tea, I say give it a try, you will probably love it just like me.
I can not thank Rebecca enough for putting up with my emails and being so kind in return. She is a wonderful lady and I wish all the success in the world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One word for this book; WOW! This was so amazing. It was a very

One word for this book; WOW!

This was so amazing. It was a very different paranormal romance from all the trends I have been reading. This book gave me some peace and comfort during a dark time during the week. It was truly a remarkable book, I'm glad this book is being published it's a wonderful romance story. The main characters Ellie and Daniel reminded me of Elizabeth Swan and Will turner of Pirates of the Caribbean.

This book is an absolute must read if you are interested in something different from the mermaid trend rising or from other paranormal romances taking up space in the bookshelves. This is something every teenage girl or boy should read, it is truly remarkable and has it all; romance, action and adventure and best of all a happy ending. Well done Rebecca Hart

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Magical Romance

I requested and received an ARC copy of “Call of the Sea” through Goodreads. This romance is a rollicking good time for the reader, and a quick, easy-to-read novel. You have your spunky heroine and chiseled hero. You have the initial antagonism between the two, which, of course, transforms during the course of the novel. Those are givens. The meat and originality comes in the details. Spunky Ellie (her full name is Elysandra) is a child at the beginning, which I like. I like seeing how and why a person develops as she/he grows up. It deepens the characters for me. This girl’s most ardent desire in life is to be a ship’s captain, like her father. Of course, in the 1600s, what chance does a girl have of doing that? None. Nevertheless, she is determined, as any child would be before society places its restrictions upon her. I sympathized with her desire and rooted for her, even though I felt it was an unrealistic ambition. Ellie becomes close to a selkie. She doesn’t know the seal is a man-seal, and Daniel, the selkie, keeps it that way. After being disowned cruelly by his human father and watching his selkie mother decline and die (murdered, actually, by Daniel’s father), he has a very hard time trusting anyone, and believes if anyone knows the truth, not only will he be instantly hated, his life will be in danger, for if a person gets their hands on his sealskin and keeps it from him, he’ll die. So, naturally, Daniel is careful. Ellie just believes she has come across a very friendly seal, and treats Daniel rather like a beloved dog. In his turn, Daniel loves this precocious child, and feels very protective of her. This dynamic works wonderfully well at making their later love affair believable, almost inevitable. We jump forward in time and Ellie, now 15, is more determined than ever to live her life upon the sea. Spunky, single-minded, and crafty! She manages to get herself a position as cabin boy on a ship. She runs away from home, disguises her sex by smashing her breasts and cutting her hair, and abandons her family, even though she is loved and cherished by both parents. (This bothered me a little, especially after so many years passed and she never even wrote to them.) The author does an admirable job of describing ships, shipyards, all things “ship-like”, and living on the sea. I was drawn so well into the descriptions that I almost felt salty waves hitting me in the face! I loved this added depth. It was fascinating and realistic. The story takes off with the danger and threat of pirates, of being forced into the life of a “pirate” when her assumption was that she was going to be a “privateer,” a much different job description. Daniel and Ellie get together when Ellie is 20 and Daniel is 23. I don’t want to ruin the surprise of this for anyone, so no spoilers. I will only say that it made me laugh out loud, and I felt like saying, “Good for you!” It’s inventive, not what I expected at all, not typical of other romance novels, and it really worked. Spunky Ellie comes through again in her usual independent, anachronistic way! Both Ellie and Daniel are loveable characters. The supporting cast are also well written, fully fleshed out, likeable or not, as their personalities demand. A very enjoyable summer (or winter or fall or spring) read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Breath of fresh "SEA" air!

Equal parts romance and adventure, CALL OF THE SEA is 100% kick-ass! As a reader who appreciates strong female characters, I instantly fell in love with Ellie's determination and tomboy stubbornness, as well as her vulnerabilities--especially her weak spot for her family.

CALL is well-plotted, perfectly paced and the voices are spot-on. All the historical details ring true, yet the story is completely accessible to a modern audience. And although the story centers on the pirating life, there's no "campy" aspect to it.

I'd never heard of a selkie before picking up CALL, so that part took a little "suspension of disbelief," but Hart handles this deftly and I soon found myself in love with the "cursed" hero, Daniel. If ever there was a stand-up guy (in either form), it's him.

The ending felt slightly rushed, but that's probably because I just wanted more. I sincerely hope Hart is contemplating a sequel (hint, hint). I can absolutely see this as a series.

This was a genuine pleasure to read and I see lots of success in Rebecca Hart's future.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Will be looking for more from this author.

Will be looking for more from this author.

No text was provided for this review.