Tristan

Rose (Highland Spy) kicks off her Pirate Lords series with this swashbuckling combination of romance and the hunt for buried treasure. In 14th-century Scotland, Gavina Drummond’s father wagers her in a tavern card game to try to win a treasure map—and ends up dead at the hands of his competitors. Though the righteous Gavina refuses to be treated as property, Birk, the man who won her, knows that pirates are en route to the tavern and forcibly cuts Gavina’s hair and disguises her as a boy so that she won’t be harmed. To prevent the pirates from getting his treasure map, he draws a copy on Gavina’s back and burns the original. But Tristan Fisher, the dashing captain of the pirate ship Falcon, believes Gavina’s disguise a bit too well and abducts Gavina to be the Falcon’s cabin boy. It doesn’t take long for Tristan to realize the truth. Once he does, he marries Gavina to protect her from the attentions of his crew—and soon discovers the treasure map on her back. The rich cast are capable of both violence and caring, and Tristan’s fearsome shipboard grandmother, Nairnie, adds wit and charm to the high stakes love story that ensues. Fans of historical fiction with badass heroes and strong female leads will be delighted. (Self-published)