Name: The Devil's Tide
ISBN: 9780615916484

Matt Tomerlin

Hostage-turned-pirate Kate Lindsay returns in this action-packed followup to The Devil's Fire, and the last thing she wants is to go back to her mundane life in London. A young pirate narrowly avoids the gallows when the governor of the Bahamas enlists his aid in bringing Lindsay to justice. A pirate hunter returns to his old ways, with the demons of his past swiftly following his trail. A beautiful strumpet falls in league with Blackbeard, witnessing his despicable crimes firsthand, before she becomes a pawn in his schemes. As all sides spiral toward a fiery climax, nothing is what it seems, and the odds are in favor of death.

Devil's Fire, Book 2

The Devil's Tide

The Devil's Tide is the second instalment of a self-published trilogy by Matt Tomerlin. We continue to follow Katherine Lindsay as she embraces a life of piracy once again. As mentioned in my previous review of The Devil's Fire, Katherine proved to be a force to be reckoned with, a true pirate at heart, even if she doesn't believe it herself.

Alongside Katherine, we got to see more of the side characters first introduced in The Devil's Fire. Once again, I should have avoided getting too attached to characters who would meet their untimely end. We get to see a plethora of 'real' pirates introduced to us, most notably Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The interconnection between fiction and reality is a perfect blend. Tomerlin's attention to historical detail is clear throughout. I was truly immersed in the experience of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Furthermore, the violence and brutality outmatch that of the first book; it's gritty and raw in the best ways. One main theme of The Devil's Tide is betrayal, which is heartbreaking and exhilarating. The plot twists are what make this book so great. The Devil's Tide is a masterpiece. I devoured it so quickly! It's my first five-star read of 2024. I'd give it six if GoodReads allowed. Matt Tomerlin knocked it out of the park with this one. My expectations are high for The Devil's Horizon!

Holly Holmes

The Devil's Tide is the second instalment of a self-published trilogy by Matt Tomerlin. We continue to follow Katherine Lindsay as she embraces a life of piracy once again. As mentioned in my previous review of The Devil's Fire, Katherine proved to be a force to be reckoned with, a true pirate at heart, even if she doesn't believe it herself.

Alongside Katherine, we got to see more of the side characters first introduced in The Devil's Fire. Once again, I should have avoided getting too attached to characters who would meet their untimely end. We get to see a plethora of 'real' pirates introduced to us, most notably Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The interconnection between fiction and reality is a perfect blend. Tomerlin's attention to historical detail is clear throughout. I was truly immersed in the experience of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Furthermore, the violence and brutality outmatch that of the first book; it's gritty and raw in the best ways. One main theme of The Devil's Tide is betrayal, which is heartbreaking and exhilarating. The plot twists are what make this book so great. The Devil's Tide is a masterpiece. I devoured it so quickly! It's my first five-star read of 2024. I'd give it six if GoodReads allowed. Matt Tomerlin knocked it out of the park with this one. My expectations are high for The Devil's Horizon!

When the notorious Captain Griffith murders a merchant sailor and claims his young wife, he inadvertently sparks a bloody chain of events that will alter the course of piracy in the Caribbean forever. Dragged aboard a fearsome brigantine named Harbinger, the fire-haired Katherine Lindsay must survive Griffith's sadistic quartermaster, who firmly believes that women bring bad luck upon a ship. With no means of escape on the horizon, she quickly befriends a dashing young deckhand and a cowardly surgeon. As Katherine grows accustomed to life among pirates, she finds it increasingly difficult to resist her attraction to their dangerous lifestyle and the thrill of high-seas adventure. But the memory of her dead husband weighs heavily on her conscience, and her rising guilt may prove to be the ultimate undoing of her captors. Pirate lovers will find no shortage of treachery, cutlass duels, ship-to-ship battles, buried treasure and much, much more.

A Pirate Adventure Novel

The Devil's Fire

The Devil's Fire is the first instalment of a self-published series by Matt Tomerlin. It follows the life of Katherine Lindsay, wife of a merchant who was torn from her husband and made to live amongst pirates. A lot of reviewers don't like Katherine or the way Tomerlin wrote her, I however, adore the character. She makes some questionable decisions at times and can come across very stereotypical however, I feel her character was written in a way that's sympathetic to the time period. Katherine I believe, will be a force to be reckoned with, a true pirate.

If you're wanting to read a book like Disneys The Pirates of the Caribbean then I would have to point you in another direction. The Devil's Fire is not comparable in the best and worst ways. It's gritty, raw and sometimes extremely hard to read. I'd warn anyone to try and not get too attached to any of the characters as I admittedly did with Captain Griffith. They're violent, brutal pirates and any one of them could meet their end at any given time.

The Devil's Fire is a wonderful book, littered with some historical characters albeit not entirely accurate but it's not far from reality either. If you're looking to rid yourself of the romance and fantasy that comes with a lot of pirates novels and series, I highly recommend this one. It's not for the faint hearted and I said before, there's some incredibly difficult scenes to get through, especially when reading as a woman. My biggest dislike and reason why this wasn't a 5 star read, was the constant racist slurs used. I'm aware that the book is set in the golden age of piracy and of course racism was a common and accepted occurance however, in a novel written in recent years, it's not necessary. I don't know the ethnicity of Tomerlin therefore I don't wish to comment further. Overall, I really enjoyed my time spent with this novel and I can't wait to follow Katherine's journey. I expect more brutality, piracy and betrayal.

The Devil's Fire is the first instalment of a self-published series by Matt Tomerlin. It follows the life of Katherine Lindsay, wife of a merchant who was torn from her husband and made to live amongst pirates. A lot of reviewers don't like Katherine or the way Tomerlin wrote her, I however, adore the character. She makes some questionable decisions at times and can come across very stereotypical however, I feel her character was written in a way that's sympathetic to the time period. Katherine I believe, will be a force to be reckoned with, a true pirate.

If you're wanting to read a book like Disneys The Pirates of the Caribbean then I would have to point you in another direction. The Devil's Fire is not comparable in the best and worst ways. It's gritty, raw and sometimes extremely hard to read. I'd warn anyone to try and not get too attached to any of the characters as I admittedly did with Captain Griffith. They're violent, brutal pirates and any one of them could meet their end at any given time.

The Devil's Fire is a wonderful book, littered with some historical characters albeit not entirely accurate but it's not far from reality either. If you're looking to rid yourself of the romance and fantasy that comes with a lot of pirates novels and series, I highly recommend this one. It's not for the faint hearted and I said before, there's some incredibly difficult scenes to get through, especially when reading as a woman. My biggest dislike and reason why this wasn't a 5 star read, was the constant racist slurs used. I'm aware that the book is set in the golden age of piracy and of course racism was a common and accepted occurance however, in a novel written in recent years, it's not necessary. I don't know the ethnicity of Tomerlin therefore I don't wish to comment further. Overall, I really enjoyed my time spent with this novel and I can't wait to follow Katherine's journey. I expect more brutality, piracy and betrayal.

The Devil's Tide Devil's Fire, Book 2

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