Water Witch: The Deceiver's Grave [Paperback]

Bess O'Bedlam, known as the Water Witch, has been hunting for years to discover the legendary treasure left behind by Fancy Tom Carew, who killed his whole crew so that he wouldn't have to share his hoard of gold, silver and jewels. As she has led her fleet of five pirate ships on raids around the Caribbean, her goal has been to follow the clues leading to the last resting place of Carew's loot laden ship, the Deceiver. On the island of Antigua she discovers the most intriguing clue of all, a tattoo on the shoulder of the fiery and beautiful Marguerite De Vries. Margo is an accomplished thief who has no interest in going to sea, but Bess is a pirate who has no problem with kidnapping and keeping her a prisoner. Despite tumultuous fights, the two find themselves drawn to the vibrancy that radiates from each woman. What follows is a string of adventures including battles at sea, incantations and spirit visitations, and a wild Spanish woman with a nasty temper and quick dagger. All of this serves to bring the women closer together and the treasure hunt eventually turns into a race against time when Bess and Margo realize there is more at stake than just finding the riches. The charmed tattoo draws them to an island where all of their dreams should be fulfilled, but instead a nightmare begins to unfurl, culminating in a race across the water and a battle that is nothing short of epic and mystical. Whether or not Bess and Margo can have a future together literally becomes a fight between life and death.

Nene Adams has crafted a story that reeks of authenticity. She uses so many terms and sayings from the period that she includes a glossary at the back of the book to explain them. When Bess is standing on her quarterdeck preparing her ship for battle, you can almost smell the salt water and envision what the crew looks like as they go about their duties. The supporting cast is as riveting as the leading ladies. Towering above them all, quite literally, is Captain Letty Speedwell. If Bess O'Bedlam wasn't such a dynamic character, her best friend Letty could easily dominate the book, but Adams strikes a perfect balance between the two. There is a scene in the final battle where Speedwell will make the reader want to sit up and shout at her performance. There are many other characters and scenes which enhance the story and will stick in the reader's mind.

Adams obviously did extensive research for this book and the details give this book the texture that all historical novels should have. It puts to shame those books that twist history so that it can't be recognized in reality. This is a book that deserves to be read and enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written, fast-paced, and had a believable (if fantastical) story. There are so few lesbian fantasies, much less historical fantasy, and this one is a real treat. The characters were well-drawn and flat out fun to spend time with. My only niggle is that the time period isn't always set when it's "supposed" to be, but overall, that's a pretty minor nitpick. After all, it *is* an alternate time line. Magic! Pirates! Ghosts! Curses! Buried Treasure! It's all wonderful. This one goes on my keeper shelf.

This is a well told romantic, adventure tale--with most of it taking place on the highseas aboard the ship Mad Maudlin.

The Captain of the Mad Maudlin is Bess O'Bedlam, as brave and dashing a pirate as you could ever wish for!

The adventure begins with Bess trying to locate the ocean grave of a ship named Deceiver, whose Captain was the pirate Tom Carew. It was thought to have sunk with a vast treasure in it's cargo hole.

This leads Bess to a lovely young thief named Marguerite. Feeling that Marguerite may know something about the treasure she seeks, Bess kidnaps her, brings her aboard her ship and sets sail.

There are fireworks aplenty between the spirited Marguerite and the determined pirate Captain, as they are immediately attracted to one another--something that at first, each woman cannot quite decide whether to give into or merely use to her own advantage.

There are also elements of magic with ghosts and demons-- which add to the story.

The reason this did not get five stars from me was because I found some descriptions involving the environment and the violence too graphic; and anyone who has a squeamish stomach might also find some of the medical procedures and wounds described in this book a bit raw for their taste.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars