The Belle of Eden by Sofia Ashford

Book Blurb:

Death is an inevitability, that the pirate, Belle Rouge struggles to grasp as she gasps at the end of a rough, hempen noose. While an unpleasant end, she finds it all rather necessary, for she must escape the ghosts of her own creation. In the last moment, she’s cut loose and picked out of the dirt by Commodore Craven, and his precocious, son Benjamin. They ask for Belle’s assistance in their search for The Garden of Eden and the salvation it promises. A return trip for Belle, it sits heavy on her shoulders as they sail closer to the center for the events that changed her life forever, and ultimately found her at the gallows.
“Yet, I’ve done my fair share of wrong: I’ve killed, maimed, burned, manipulated, and seduced my way through life and into what must surely be my deserved end. However… None of my previous transgressions haunted me like the nagging thoughts of what I hadn’t managed to accomplish.”

I received this book from the author via BookSirens for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Review:

A pirate who believes she’s so far lost that she cannot be redeemed, a man who loves his son so much that he’s willing to give up his good morals, and a boy so sick that he just wants to enjoy life no matter the cost, all collide in an unforgettable story aboard the St. Jude.

Seafaring, pirate adventures are quite possibly some of my most favorite stories–whether it’s historical fiction, fantasy, middle grade, or even kids’ books–I love a good pirate story! With The Belle of Eden, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect; a pirate searching for The Garden of Eden? That can’t end well.

From the very beginning of the book, we encounter nonstop action! From sword fights to full-on sea battles, The Belle of Eden is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and the ending will no doubt make you hungry for more! *ahem* I hope there’s a sequel in the makes.

I absolutely loved Belle as a character and the Commodore? Um, definitely swoon-worthy! I mean, what’s more attractive than a powerful Navy Commodore slowly turning into a buccaneer because he’s willing to do anything to save his son? And his son, Benjamin, is so loveable that it’s easy to understand why his father makes the decisions he does. The three of them have some pretty amazing adventures together and they make quite the trio!

I would like to disclose that I did get an ARC copy, so typos are to be expected, but there were more than a few typos while I was reading. I hope the editor was able to catch these before the book was released because they were present enough to interrupt the flow of reading on more than one occasion.

Additional content includes mild cursing and the occasional spooky, creepy scenes as the main characters encounter other (creepy?) people on their journey. There was some mild sexual content in the form of mentions of indecent clothes, scanning each others’ bodies suggestively, direct sexual thoughts, brothels, and some sexual tension in swordplay scenes (it’s a pirate book okay, nothing sexier than sword fighting!), HOWEVER, there are no scenes and only one kiss present in the entire book.

Overall, The Belle of Eden was a fun book to read and I look forward to future books by this author! I give it 4 out of 5 stars!