Blog Tour: Swept Up by the Sea by Tracy & Laura Hickman

Title: Swept Up By the Sea

Author: Tracy & Laura Hickman

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: July 2013

ISBN: 1609076613

FTC FYI: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book | Barnes & Noble

 
Book Description:

Determined to seek his fortune, Percival Taylor leaves behind his sleepy hometown and sets out to become a legendary pirate—only no one at the roguish seaport of Blackshore will allow him any- where near a ship!

Percival must find other means to win the heart of the beautiful Tuppence Magrathia-Paddock, who has mistaken him for a pirate rogue out of one of her romantic tales. She is entirely willing to swoon into his arms if he can prove his buccaneer soul—and she is willing to arrange her own kidnapping to prove it.

Percival eventually finds himself captain of a broken-down ship, complete with a crew of pirates who make their living selling fake treasure maps, a jilted fiancee, a reclusive Master Shipwright, and an old professor with a secret that could kill them all. It’s Pirates of Penzance meets Princess Bride as this motley group of characters sets sail for treasure and romance.

Review:

I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but when I read the description for Swept Up by the Sea, I thought it sounded interesting. And, the comparison to The Princess Bride also helped me decide to give it a try.

It took me awhile to read Swept Up by the Sea, at least partially due to the story jumping around quite a bit as new characters were introduced. Once everything came together about half way through the story I found myself much more interested in it.

Overall the story is silly-I couldn't help but think of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movies while I read it, although this isn't violent. I typically prefer stories that are a bit more serious, but I was intrigued by the shipwright's story and Vestia's situation.

About the Authors:

Tracy Hickman is a New York Times best-selling fantasy author who has published more than 40 novels, many of them co-authored with Margaret Weis. He published the first of his solo novels in 1995. Laura and her husband, Tracy have been collaborating on fantastic works of fiction since their marriage in 1977. Together, Laura and Tracy have written role-playing games, screenplays, and works of fiction, including their first co-authored novel in 2004.

Website | Tracy Goodreads | Laura Goodreads