A Star to Sail By: A pirate m/m romance by Joy Lynn Fielding

A Star to Sail By is a high seas adventure with a sailor that loves the pirate life and the captured former naval officer that struggles to accept any type of criminal life. Billy and Crispin do not see eye to eye, but when they learn from each other nothing but their feelings seem to matter. But how can they stay together when one man's freedom is piracy and the other cannot abide it?

From the blurb:

Kidnapped by pirates, a naval officer is torn between duty and desire.

All Crispin Merrick has ever wanted is to be a captain in the Royal Navy. But once the war ends, the navy places him on half-pay, and he’s reduced to serving on a merchant ship. When pirates board the vessel and force Crispin to join their crew, his dream has never seemed further away.

Billy loves the freedom he has as a pirate. As master gunner aboard the most beautiful ship to sail the seas, he couldn’t be happier. But then his captain tasks him with guarding the naval officer they’ve taken on board. Billy loathes the navy. He hates its officers even more.

Forced to spend time with Billy in his tiny cabin, Crispin is increasingly fascinated by the pirate. He's still fighting the attraction he feels when disaster strikes the ship. Beset by danger, Billy and Crispin have to work together to survive. But how can they trust one another when they detest everything the other stands for?

Note: this book contains material that may be upsetting to some readers. A full list is on the author's website, with a clickable link available in Look Inside.

SNik's Review:

Standalone. Historical. Enemies to lovers. Slow burn. 

Crispin is a former naval officer forced to join a pirate ship to save others; he has only contempt for pirates and their ways. The master gunner of the pirate ship is a young and beautiful man named Billy, who despises all navy officers, and he has his reasons. Forced to work and live together, Billy and Crispin slowly find themselves learning to understand and accept each other, while growing to appreciate the underlying loyalty, kindness and intelligence they discover within the other. 

A Star to Sail By was a compelling story, with interesting characters, and it was easy to understand and empathize with both Billy and Crispin’s attitudes about piracy and the navy. 

Entertaining with some action and danger, hurt/comfort, and some real emotional growth from Crispin. Both men are admirable, and once in love they are committed and honest about their feelings and communicate about how important they are to each other but also the problems they face if they want to stay together. 

An unexpectedly wonderful read.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

A Star to Sail By is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.