Review: Bring it Close

Bring it Close (Sea Witch Voyages - Book 3) by Helen Hollick

Publication Date: June 2011

Publisher: Silverwood Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: Paperback, 386pp

ISBN-13: 9781906236625

ISBN: 1906236623

(Received for an honest review from the author)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Helen Hollick on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter

Excerpt from Bring it Close

Book Trailer:

Synopsis:

Jesamiah Acorne, Captain of the Sea Witch, has accepted a government-granted amnesty against his misdeeds of piracy, but old enemies do not forget the past. In particular Edward Teach - better known as Blackbeard - has a bone to pick with Acorne. Following an indiscretion with an old flame, Jesamiah finds his fiancée, the midwife and white witch Tiola Oldstagh, has gone to North Carolina to help with an imminent and difficult birth. The problem; that is where Blackbeard now resides.

He must not discover that Tiola is Jesamiah's woman, she will have to hide her identity and her gift of Craft from the black-hearted pirate who has sold his soul to the devil. With Sea Witch damaged and himself wounded by Blackbeard, Jesamiah has to take stock of his situation at his old home in Virginia - but trouble follows him like a ship's wake and he is arrested for acts of piracy on the High Seas.

Too much trouble has come too close! How is Jesamiah Acorne to clear his name, overturn a sentence of hanging, keep Tiola safe, put an end to Blackbeard and deal with being haunted by the ghost of his father? Bring It Close moves from the Bahamas to North Carolina and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia at a swashbuckling pace. There is intrigue, misunderstandings, romance and adventure all wrapped up in a delightful blend of mystical fantasy.

Thoughts:

Once again Helen Hollick brings readers a book set during the Golden Age of Piracy. Book three of the Sea Witch Trilogy, Bring it Close follows the continuing story of Captain Jesamiah Acorne and the white witch, Tiola. Hollick fans have eagerly awaited another swashbuckling tale with their favorite pirate and this one doesn't disappoint. Full of action and adventure on the seas and the land, Bring it Close also features a pirate of legend, Blackbeard. Readers will be on the edge of their seats until the final bottle of rum has been tipped and Jesamiah and Tiola are once again safe from old enemies and crimes on the high seas.

Captain Jesamiah Acorne and Tiola are finally safe it would seem after Jesamiah accepts a pardon from the English government, but that same pardon does not hold true in America. When Tiola crosses the sea to help with a difficult birth, Jesamiah knows that old enemies are lurking in the shadows. Edward Teach known to many as the pirate Blackbeard has an old grudge against Jesamiah causing Tiola to be in imminent danger. If Blackbeard were to find out her true identity as Jesamiah's lover, he would use her against him. He has his own deal with the devil and Jesamiah is in the path of the storm. Spanning from England to the Carolina's and into Colonial Virginia the battle between these two pirates will take all of the strength that Jesamiah, Tiola and the crew of the Sea Witch can muster. Can Jesamiah outwit American authorities that want to hang him or will Blackbeard catch him first?

What a great adventure! This book has it all. Our favorite pirate captain, Jesamiah. A little bit of mysticism in the form of the white witch, Tiola. Old enemies like Blackbeard and all the swashbuckling action a reader could ask for. Helen Hollick continues her story of Captain Jesamiah Acorne and the crew of the Sea Witch in her third book in the Sea Witch Trilogy, Bring it Close. Fans of the series have waited with bated breath to see what would happen next. I have to admit Hollick really surprised me by introducing the famous pirate, Blackbeard into the story. He is a pirate that has always fascinated me and adding him to the Sea Witch novels was an ingenious idea. I think readers will agree that this addition added a more sinister villain and really brought to the forefront the danger that Jesamiah and Tiola were in. It also gave an authentic feel to the story that readers will pick up on.

As usual Helen Hollick's research is impeccable. It gives credibility to the novel and shows the reader that Hollick cares about her subject and her characters. Her descriptions of the Carolina's and Colonial Williamsburg during this time period were just a joy to read. Readers are given so much sensory information in this book, that they can almost feel the sea spray on their faces and hear the sounds of foot traffic on the streets. Hollick allows the reader to be transported back in time with the crew of the Sea Witch. I found getting so lost in the story that I had to take a minute to look up and make sure I was still in my house LOL... now that's saying something! A true hallmark of an exceptional writer comes in allowing the reader to become so invested in the story that they are willing to read when they don't have time or when they need to be doing something else, and this book provided that for me, a total escape.

Fans of Jesamiah will be more than sated in this book. Once again we get to see a different side of him, that readers may not have picked up on in the other books. Jesamiah has a very colorful past, as a pirate and as a man. Somewhere in the distant past he managed to get on Blackbeard's bad side and as readers might expect it was over a woman. Jesamiah seems to exude sexuality from his every pore. Women just swoon as his feet. Being a pirate is one of those jobs that has "bad boy" written all over it. Kind of like being a rock star or a part of a motorcycle gang or something. He comes across as having a very naughty nature, but still being a true and loyal man underneath and I think he comes into his own in this book as a master of his own fate. There were so many decisions he made that could have completely changed the direction of the book, but he still did what he believed he should in spite of what he had to go through to accomplish it. I wonder if many of us don't spend a lot of time in our lives living down our pasts or trying to make a better future, much like Jesamiah. Hollick has created a wonderful character with Jesamiah and I look forward to more adventures with him, Tiola and the crew of the Sea Witch.

Bring it Close is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

Check my interview with Helen Hollick later today for your chance to win a copy of Bring it Close.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Helen Hollick lives in London with her husband Ron and her daughter Kathy. In between researching the background information for her pirate series about Jesamiah Acorne she manages three Myspace profiles, is researching for her next historical novel, looks after the family cats, dogs, ducks and horses and is on the production team as co-script writer for a possible future movie - 1066. She has a university diploma in early medieval history - and a passion for pirates.