I am pleased to announce the release of a high adventure-romance-historical novel by R.M. Byrd. I’ve known the author for more than twelve years and was privileged to read his new book, Watersong as an ARC. The author is a great storyteller, with a wonderful ability to encapsulate a character in an evolving description and to create colorful and authentic backgrounds.
The story: Captain Jason Achilles is the owner and operator of the Emmanuelle, a small trading ketch in the Caribbean islands. He is 32, tall, strong and independent to a fault. The jungle had long accepted Jason as it accepted everyone else, on its own terms, both fair and brutal. The year is 1939, and he has settled into a hard but steady life carrying small cargos to shallow water places where the large coasting schooners cannot or will not go. He had had a few scrapes, but when folks learned of his honesty, a rarity in the trade, he had more business than he could handle. Lucienne Beaumont, the daughter of a plantation owner, turns his world upside down. Strikingly beautiful, with angular features, strong curves, and an even stronger and more beautiful mind, she blindsides his world and captivates his heart. But there are dark forces at work with WW II on the horizon, and he finds he must fight to keep the love of his life.
This book keeps the heart pounding, not only from the romance but also from wild chases at sea and dangerous river journeys over rocks and waterfalls – not to mention the evil that seems to find Jason Achilles in the form of pirates, a Nazi spy, and a villainous plantation owner determined to eliminate him as a rival for Lucienne’s affection.
The author is a dedicated sailor, so the sailing sequences are authentic. The Caribbean setting and a delightful parrot named Hazel add a colorful backdrop to the story.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes the combination of historical adventure and romance with a Caribbean flare. You will not be disappointed.
About the author:
R.M. Byrd lives in North Carolina with his wife and two cats, as well as wild deer, hummingbirds and, appropriately, the odd nuthatch. He worked for more years than he’d like to remember in a shipyard building character (so they say) and spent 6 years in Europe unable to believe he actually lived there. He has been writing since before he can reliably recall. Though he has great trouble writing short, his short fiction has appeared in the literary journals The Iconoclast, Litsnack, Full of Crow, the literary collection of Main Street Rag and Offshoots, and the literary collection of the Geneva Writer’s Group of Geneva Switzerland.
The author’s first novel, The Fur, Fish, Flea and Beagle Club, is also an adventure, written with affection about two boys, Jamie Gareth and Ned Custis, spending a hot summer on a hardscrabble farm and working in a sawmill in North Carolina in the late 1930s. You can find my review of this book at https://saylingaway.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1784&action=edit
Check out R. M. Byrd’s blog at: https://byrdwords.wordpress.com/
Watersong is available now on Amazon:
Sounds good!
It is, high adventure on the ocean!
An excellent review of what sounds a jolly good read.
That’s perfect, Bruce – a jolly good read!
Ohhh, what a fascinating novel. I know a number of people who would love this kind of reading adventure. Thanks for the great review.
IT’s got nuns, pirates and Nazi spies – what’s not to like. Do recommend it to your fans!
Sounds like a great read, Noelle. I do enjoy sea adventures and lots of intrigue, as well as bold characters. Thanks for sharing your review, and congrats to R. M. on the new book. 😀
I think you’d like this, Diana. Bob has a real way with words and is a big romantic at heart. He also knows his sailing and is an expert on old guns and armory. There is one character in the book named Madge that just tickled my funny bone.
🙂 Thanks for the extra nudge.
This looks very good, Noelle. I love stories about boats, ships and sailing. That’s a great cover too! Thanks for sharing your review.
The author is a romantic at heart but is a great story teller!