Between a Rogue and the Deep Blue Sea (Book 2)

I loved that the characters are non-traditional. With the female being the ship captain and the Earl the student. Tas is an unconventional, independent ship captain tasked with teaching Earl Fraser to sail. This frustrates Tas as she has no time for scandalous, spoiled Lords. As they work together, feelings begin to develop. However, Fraser will have to overcome his scandalous past in order to win the fair maiden. Thank you Tabitha Waite and Wolf Publishing for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I received an ARC of this book from Wolf Publishing. This is the second in the Seaside Society of Spinsters series. I really enjoyed the first, and I'm happy to say, I enjoyed this one, as well.

Although the writing is not as poetic as I like, the story is told well. I'd like to see the use of more metaphors, personification, and alliteration, but that's just a personal preference. As is, it's engaging and tense, and things become seriously dangerous, for several people.

Tassandra Devenport is Captain of the Miss Mercury, a sloop used to take tourists out in the afternoons to observe sea life. She’s saving her money to buy a larger shop to sail around the world. Fraser Castwell, the Earl of Stanton first notices her when he observes her playing Hazard in a local pub. He is immediately intrigued by this woman who dresses like a man and sets his sights on bedding her. He pretends not to be a gentleman and asks her to teach him to sail, hoping he'll be able to overcome his crippling fear of drowning. And bed her, of course. That’s really what all of his internal musings always to—how to get her into his bed. Naturally, as he gets to know her better, this is no longer his primary objective.

Tassy is not buying what he's selling and initially rebuffs his proposition. But he offers to pay her handsomely, so she reluctantly agrees. Even so, she is impatient to save enough money for her new ship, so she contemplates playing Hazard in an “underground" gambling ring. Both her first mate and close friend Liam, and Fraser warn her against it. This is where the danger comes in.

Aside from the people who may be trying to kill Tassy and her friends, there's also the fact that she and Fraser are falling in love —and neither wants that. Their lives are too different. He fears the water; she wants to sail around the world. He attends society events; she prefers to wear pants and eschews interacting with the ton. Plus, both are still trying to deny how they feel. Obviously, that will need to be resolved. But first, catching the bad guys—and the big scene in the book is a surprise. Determining how they might be together, despite their differences, is less of a shock because, of course, they were gonna work things out. How else could we have a happy ending? I recommend it.

Between a Rogue and the Deep Blue Sea'

Take a fiery female sea captain and a rakish earl on a ship in the open seas and you get a scintillating story you won’t want to put down.
Tassandra loves her freedom and independence, Fraser loves his freedom and won’t be pinned down!
They clash as Tassandra teaches the Earl to sail but they can’t fight attraction.
It’s a novel story of passion and wit I loved it and so will you.

With a female sea captain (Tassandra) and a roguish Earl (Fraser) this proves to be a delightful read. Tas inherited her ship from her father and is working by providing tours to see marine life, so she can buy a larger ship. She plans to travel the world with her loyal crew. Fraser is bored and always looking for adventure but it usually involves seducing women. If you think you know how the story will unfold then get ready for all the twists that makes this a really good read.

This was such a cute little story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a blast as they found their happy ending. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.