Aboard the Pirate Ship Wolfshead and the Port of Eldraga

Kestrel (“Kes”) has known fear her whole life. Her world gives some infants magical powers, and Kes is one with the power. The Magic is controlled by a secretive brotherhood, the Danisoba Mages. If they discover a child has power, or promise, the child is removed from its parents and is raised under the Danisoba Mages' harsh control. Kes’s parents are murdered when they refuse to surrender her to the Danisoba. With her mother’s warning to run and hide, Kes escapes and lives in back alleys for years before her escape to the sea; water is the one place that magic does not work. Or so she believes.

After years at sea and hard work, Kes is the quartermaster aboard the pirate ship Wolfshead. She is living her dream. Captain Artemus Binns is the only person who knows of her ability. By whistling, Kes can control the wind. But nobody must find out, because the mighty Danisoba have bounty hunters that bring back those who escape. Life changes abruptly one day, when a black ship appears on the horizon. Kes panics because she knows magic is involved. How can that be? She spots a handsome figure standing on the deck, and panic consumes her; the handsome rogue is smiling and waving back at her -- could he be a bounty hunter? Binns makes the decision to dock at the port of Eldraga and is led into a trap. But was the trap for Kestrel, or for Binns?

McAvery spots the ship he is looking for, and when he sees a beautiful woman on deck, his heart misses a beat, but he completes his mission. He knows she can see him, so he smiles and waves, and then he and the ship disappear. Binns has seen him, and the mission for the king must come first, but he and the beauty will meet again. With that thought in mind, McAvery gives the order for the ship to head to the nearest port.

MAD KESTREL is a fantasy thriller with dashing escapades that will keep the reader speculating what will happen next. At every turn, Kes must fight for her life when she is betrayed. She discovers she has her own brand of magic. Binns, whose very existence is threatened, knows Kes will rescue him. Why is this? Is the handsome McAvery a Danisoba, a sleighter, or a bounty hunter? He cannot help but be attracted to Kes, and she to him, but why is he helping her? Can a romance happen between these two misfits? Secondary players are rich in character adding to the fast paced action. Kes’s blustery crew are ruthless, yet have their own charm. The sea, powerful as it is, is Kes’s safe haven. After all, who can control the sea?

MAD KESTREL is Misty Massey‘s first novel. She has created a fast paced and captivating yarn that will keep the reader spellbound as the mystery and adventures unravel bit by bit. Kes makes a spectacular pirate; she is fierce, slightly stubborn and imprudent. But, she is intriguing, and I look forward to reading more of Kes’s adventures; remember, all she has to do is put her lips together and whistle. Enjoy.

Deborah C Jackson