Red Kate by Sarah Tighe-Ford is a story that covers an important time of transition in the life of the pirate Red Kate. Kate is the captain of a ship in the Caribbean. She often teams up with captain Morgan, another female pirate, and Kate’s occasional lover.
Morgan is the exact opposite of Kate in most ways. Where Kate is kind and tries to kill as few people as possible when they take ships, Morgan slaughters unrepentantly. Kate’s crew works as a team and feels like a family while Morgan’s crew will cut one another’s throats faster than you can sneeze. And yet Morgan holds a strange and dangerous sway over Kate.
When Kate captures a ship and leaves the captives on an island she ends up with an unexpected new shipmate, a dexterous former thief, named Will. It’s clear from early on that Will is attracted to Kate and when the women finally get together there is a sense of rightness. But Morgan doesn’t take kindly to the idea of losing her control over Kate and she will do anything to win.
There is a second storyline in the book. It’s the story of John, a sailor who is on a ship that is attacked by Kate and Morgan. The attack is vicious and John barely makes it out alive only to be accused of murder later on and have to flee to port.
I don’t want to have spoilers but I will say that this book absolutely qualifies as lesbian fiction with a cast of memorable lesbian characters who go on unexpected, interesting life journeys.
The Characters
There were a number of times when I wanted to call Kate out for being an idiot, especially around her decisions about Morgan. But that also kept me emotionally invested in the book. I wanted her to break away. I wanted her to escape and never give into Morgan power again.
Morgan is a great antagonist. She is narcissistic, power hungry and beautiful. It’s enough to drive one crazy.
The Writing Style
Tighe-Ford did a ton of research, you can see it in the descriptions of the ships and the sprinklings of information throughout the book. I loved the feeling of authenticity that it brought to the story.
This is a dense read, the language is more complex than typical romances, the character relationships are messy and the emotions are well formed and brought to life vividly.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
I loved Kate’s crew and her relationship with them.
I enjoyed the duel storyline in the book and was intrigued by how unique the two stories were and how satisfying both endings were, despite how differently they concluded
I like the cover.
It’s obvious that the author loved writing the book, did a lot of research and penned a love letter to pirates and ships.
Cons And Heads Up
There are pictures in the book that make the actual book file really large and I didn’t feel like they really added to the story that much.
I wish Tighe-Ford took a little more time to explore the romance between Kate and Will. I was not looking for a romance being the main plot, just enough to add tension with Morgan. It would have made the ending more satisfying.
The Conclusion
I enjoy pirate stories and I love the idea of the open sea and the freedom that comes from having your own ship. It’s a great place to set a story. And when you involve a character who creates high stakes drama, like Morgan, and a character who we cannot help but like such as Kate then you are bound for a fun read.
Fair warning, this book is a slice of pirate life. It’s not an adventure or action novel, nor is it a romance. It’s the story of a woman who finds herself and comes to her own in the middle of the Caribbean.
Excerpt from Red Kate by Sarah Tighe-Ford
Chapter One
1716
Sharp smoke filled Red Kate’s nose and eyes, its familiar sting exhilarating. She felt her ship, the Challenge, shudder as shots ripped through its wooden hull. As her attack was returned Kate, as Captain, strove vainly not to think of her men, caught in the carnage below decks. She could taste fear in the air.
Beneath her feet gun-crews were racing to clear the barrels, douse smouldering cloth, load gunpowder, shot and wadding, and haul the mammoth weapons into place, before each tiny spark ignited their monstrous explosions. And all the while they were wondering whether the opposite gun-crew were faster, had aimed more accurately, had already lit the fuse to blast them all to oblivion.
Seeking reassurance, Kate surveyed the smoke-misted decks. Her pirates were ready. Glaring at their prey they were keen-eyed and determined. Looking at their Captain, drawn to her crimson jacket and appraising gaze, they were sure of her command. Kate drew strength from them, even as more gunfire made the Challenge quake. She knew she was in the eye of a hurricane and that one step would take her in: to be destroyed, or become part of it – and destroy.
Around them the Caribbean seas lifted and fell for miles in every direction, an indifferent backdrop. Swept by currents and winds the water rolled in relentless, endless pathways. Sometimes it drifted, warming under the sun, clear to its depths. Other times it quenched all light, holding its secrets, thick and blank. It could be flat, barely disturbed by thousands of ripples, or snap and squirm to unleash itself from the earth’s grip. It brushed past one coastline gentle as a kiss, and smashed another to scour away a beach. Ships took their chances on these seas, trusting to a palm that might sweep them to their destination, fling them miles off course, or simply crush them in a careless fist. Now it circled the two ships warily, its ceaseless whisper inaudible amidst the roars of their guns.
Another volley of explosions – but not from Kate’s ship, nor against it. She smiled triumphantly. Morgan, at last! Her ship, the Adventurer, approached fast. Their cascade of gunfire was purely for show – they were still out of range – but Kate loved it. The sheer bravado was typical of Blackheart Rainger and she imagined the Challenge surged forward in response.
“Could have waited to do some real damage,” Daniel Thorn muttered. She ignored him: her quartermaster preferred action to theatrics and would never appreciate Morgan as she did. She smoothed a palm over her neatly clubbed dark hair, the habitual gesture doing nothing to soothe her nerves.
Thunder rolled beneath her as the guns found their place, then cracked as they spat their contents. Snub barrels peering from the ports opposite vanished and Kate imagined the devastation. A loose gun, weighing over a tonne, would crush anything or anyone in its path. Cannon-shot could decapitate a man or cut him in half. Explosions would splinter wood like daggers. The slightest spark might ignite the powder peppering the decks.
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Bits and Bobs
- ASIN: B08524WK9Y
- Publisher: Indie author
- Sarah Tighe-Ford Online
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