Review of Brandy, Dame of the Caribbean

[Kathy-Smith]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Brandy, Dame of the Caribbean" by Dan E. Hendrickson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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A year ago, I read the first book in this saga, Brandy, Ballad of a Pirate Princess, and loved it, so I was excited to read Dan E. Hendrickson’s sequel, Brandy, Dame of the Caribbean. Set a decade after the events of the first book, Brandy still commands a strong presence in the Caribbean. Brandy, her husband, Captain John Edwards, and their comrades still fight against the slave trade industry. Their successes lead them to be well-known amongst their enemies and the anti-slavery movement, but more importantly, they are folk heroes to people who have been ensnared as slaves.

In this book, two forces are working against them. In London, John’s father has temporarily taken ownership of the most prominent shipyard while waiting to hear from the deceased owner’s successor, his brother and John’s mentor in the Caribbean. Greedy nobility plot to wrest control of the shipyard by eliminating the competition in the Caribbean while also supporting the slave trade in America. Part of their plan includes hiring an infamous Chinese pirate, the Jaded Empress, and her partner, Captain Thomas Williams. What they do not realize is that the Jaded Empress is the niece and former student of Brandy’s mentor, Zhang Yong, and she has a hatred in her heart for her uncle. When she learns that Zhang Yong awarded his prized master’s swords to Brandy, her rage burns brighter and she becomes determined to kill Brandy and take the swords for herself. To further entwine the relationships between friend and foe, Captain Thomas Williams is John’s former superior and friend who turned traitor.

I loved the characters in the first book because they felt real, and that authenticity continues into this one. The interactions between the characters are genuine and their actions and motivations are believable. I adore the addition of Brandy and John’s children and that the book opens with them engaging in a training fight with Brandy. It mirrors the first book that opens with Brandy doing the same with her mother. Another aspect I admired from the first book was the action and how the good guys did not hold back, but killed if needed. Again in this book, if the heroes needed to kill, they absolutely did.

The areas of opportunity I saw in the first book are absent from this one, so I am very excited to give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating.

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Brandy, Dame of the Caribbean
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