This is a superb book, a deep swaggering dive into the world of Lesbian piracy and living outside the law in the 18thCentury Caribbean. Our protagonist Red Kate is Captain of The Challenge, her sometimes lover, and rival Captain Morgan ploughs the same seas, but where Kate commands respect and loyalty in her crew, Morgan is brutal & the worse type of thief, taking anything and anyone she wants.
Author Tighe-Ford brings the seafaring dangerous world of buccaneering privateers and their outlaw vessels vividly to life, you can feel the sting of the waves and tang of the salt in this prose and with a strong focus on our protagonist as her heart and authority is challenged by her conflicted feelings for Morgan. The original narrative thumps along, with revenge, sea battles, piracy and fights galore viewed from a personal perspective and the impacts they deliver to people. Its rich story telling of life aboard an outlawed ship, wrapping up interactions of crew and their hopes and asking why people run to such places, and what they find when they stay.
Red Kate is a love story, a love of freedom, a love of adventure, from women lovers, exploring a wild world where defining yourself, and being who you want, and need to be, can be yours for the taking, if you’re brave enough or lucky enough to fall in with a protective crew. Tighe-Ford has introduced us to the utterly charming and rapier sharp-witted Captain Kate, swashbuckling her way across the Caribbean, parring the blows of outrageous fortune, seeking a true direction, suffering setback and tragedy but ultimately learning to keep her crew safe, and fighting to become captain of her own heart.
This is a heart-warming adventure book that takes in the lives of the strong independent women, in the coarse 18thcentury wild West Indies, who find love, compassion and adventure amongst themselves, on their own hard-won terms. Glorious!
Out now, for more info or to buy the book check out the Red Kate website here:
