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Legends & Legacies #2
No Port in a Storm: Legends & Legacies #2
‘The Bayou wants its Butcher back’
Ghosts of Mildred Berry’s past stalk her dreams, dredging up memories she’d rather forget. Struggling with the return to city life and a surprise marriage, Millie finds her strongest ally is distracted, preparing for the Colfield Massacre trial.
When the trial’s key witness goes missing, a bloody message makes it clear to Millie that the city of Marigot is done waiting for its vengeance against the man who betrayed it… and the elf who burnt it down.
Enemies new and old lurk in the bayou, while all of Millie’s old allies are long dead. If she goes after the witness, she’ll be walking into a city of vipers. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her closest friend.
The Bayou wants its Butcher back, come hell or high water.
Ghosts of Mildred Berry’s past stalk her dreams, dredging up memories she’d rather forget. Struggling with the return to city life and a surprise marriage, Millie finds her strongest ally is distracted, preparing for the Colfield Massacre trial.
When the trial’s key witness goes missing, a bloody message makes it clear to Millie that the city of Marigot is done waiting for its vengeance against the man who betrayed it… and the elf who burnt it down.
Enemies new and old lurk in the bayou, while all of Millie’s old allies are long dead. If she goes after the witness, she’ll be walking into a city of vipers. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her closest friend.
The Bayou wants its Butcher back, come hell or high water.
493 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2023
1 person is currently reading
123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 3, 2023
Seriously the best book of 2023 so far 5stars is not enough for this amazing action packed sequel to No land for heroes.
Im speechless
Cal Black has crafted a masterpiece in Legends and legacies be careful going in because you will probably fall in love with it.
Im speechless
Cal Black has crafted a masterpiece in Legends and legacies be careful going in because you will probably fall in love with it.
April 17, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/no-port-...
No Port In A Storm is the second book in the Legends & Legacies series, and the sequel to No Land For Heroes, by Cal Black. As No Land ended up being one of my favourite books of 2022, I was really excited to see what Black has under the sleeve ready for us, and I can say that it has surpassed my expectations.
Millie has returned to the city, and she's struggling to adapt to this new life. It doesn't help that Rhy is mostly focused on preparing for the Colfied Massacre trial, being distant and different from the one Millie knew on Scorched Bluffs. Rhiannon's cousin, Natalie, has arrived in the city, still blaming Millie for the assassination of her father during the Amelior War, making the relationship complicated at its best.
Fred Rosseau, the key witness for the trial, has been kidnapped from the jail, and his captors have left some worrying traces left: a painting calling for the Bayou's Butcher, and a triad made with Fred's hand. It's time for Millie to travel to Marigot, and recover Fred from his kidnappers.
Returning to Marigot is not an easy task for Millie. Trying to help Rhiannon, she will be forced to face her past, as Marigot was the place where the Bayou's Butcher title was earned. The Ghost of Marigot against the city where everything started.
But Millie won't be alone in this returnal; Gilbert, her husband, will accompany her, as they suspect Fred's finances might be behind the kidnapping. Due to the insistence of Rhy, Natalie will also be with them, adding to the pot that she's a native of Marigot; and Pierre Rosseau will also join, Fred's little brother.
The sand and the dessert of Scorched Bluffs get replaced by the swamps and the mysticism of Marigot. A city with a long story, which protagonized one of the most important episodes in Amelior's Civil War; slavery was the norm there, and the spilled blood is still echoing.
Marigot has changed since Millie's left, but the ghosts of her past are still haunting the place.
The setting is definitely one of the main strenghts of this novel. You can feel the amount of research that Black has done in order to adapt the traditions of New Orleans to this novel, creating a unique place. A city of swamps, making it specially humid in combination with South's heat; a city where its mystical traditions have been preserved, in the form of magic queens.
And in this setting, we can see Millie having to face her past. A past with many traumatic moments, plaguing her mind with survivor's guilt, as most of her old mates died; but we can see how she's able to grow and with a great effort overcome them. In a certain way, the lows that Millie hit help to humanize her character, making it easier to connect with it.
Natalie has been added as a new POV to this novel, and it's an interesting and a complex character. While at first sight, I was sceptical about her, especially because Black made an excellent work building a rather unfriendly appearance, Natalie breaks it when the plot advances, showing that there was more inside her than what we could spot at first sight.
Gilbert also feels like an step up from the banker we knew in No Land For Heroes, as he shows the good person inside him; he cares about Millie's wellness, and will do as much as he can to protect her, even if he's the weak of the pair.
Talking more about the secondary characters, I would say most of them add an extra layer of complexity to the story, while at the same time being a good tool to develop the world. Characters as Ghat and Pierre might be secondary, but all of them have a big weight in the narration, being exceptional tools to develop the world.
If there's another aspect I would like to praise before ending this review, that is the ability of Black to create a perfect avalanche for the final part of the stories. We could see that in No Land for Heroes, but I personally think the final arc of No Port In A Storm is even better; all the elements that were introduced finally clash to make a memorable final quarter of the book, that hooks you in a exceptional way.
No Port In A Storm is without any doubt a contender for my favourite book of 2023. An exceptional sequel to No Land for Heroes, it keeps the aspects that made me love it, but it goes a step further. Don't sleep in this series, do yourself a favour and pick Legends & Legacies, because you don't want to miss it.
No Port In A Storm is the second book in the Legends & Legacies series, and the sequel to No Land For Heroes, by Cal Black. As No Land ended up being one of my favourite books of 2022, I was really excited to see what Black has under the sleeve ready for us, and I can say that it has surpassed my expectations.
Millie has returned to the city, and she's struggling to adapt to this new life. It doesn't help that Rhy is mostly focused on preparing for the Colfied Massacre trial, being distant and different from the one Millie knew on Scorched Bluffs. Rhiannon's cousin, Natalie, has arrived in the city, still blaming Millie for the assassination of her father during the Amelior War, making the relationship complicated at its best.
Fred Rosseau, the key witness for the trial, has been kidnapped from the jail, and his captors have left some worrying traces left: a painting calling for the Bayou's Butcher, and a triad made with Fred's hand. It's time for Millie to travel to Marigot, and recover Fred from his kidnappers.
Returning to Marigot is not an easy task for Millie. Trying to help Rhiannon, she will be forced to face her past, as Marigot was the place where the Bayou's Butcher title was earned. The Ghost of Marigot against the city where everything started.
But Millie won't be alone in this returnal; Gilbert, her husband, will accompany her, as they suspect Fred's finances might be behind the kidnapping. Due to the insistence of Rhy, Natalie will also be with them, adding to the pot that she's a native of Marigot; and Pierre Rosseau will also join, Fred's little brother.
The sand and the dessert of Scorched Bluffs get replaced by the swamps and the mysticism of Marigot. A city with a long story, which protagonized one of the most important episodes in Amelior's Civil War; slavery was the norm there, and the spilled blood is still echoing.
Marigot has changed since Millie's left, but the ghosts of her past are still haunting the place.
The setting is definitely one of the main strenghts of this novel. You can feel the amount of research that Black has done in order to adapt the traditions of New Orleans to this novel, creating a unique place. A city of swamps, making it specially humid in combination with South's heat; a city where its mystical traditions have been preserved, in the form of magic queens.
And in this setting, we can see Millie having to face her past. A past with many traumatic moments, plaguing her mind with survivor's guilt, as most of her old mates died; but we can see how she's able to grow and with a great effort overcome them. In a certain way, the lows that Millie hit help to humanize her character, making it easier to connect with it.
Natalie has been added as a new POV to this novel, and it's an interesting and a complex character. While at first sight, I was sceptical about her, especially because Black made an excellent work building a rather unfriendly appearance, Natalie breaks it when the plot advances, showing that there was more inside her than what we could spot at first sight.
Gilbert also feels like an step up from the banker we knew in No Land For Heroes, as he shows the good person inside him; he cares about Millie's wellness, and will do as much as he can to protect her, even if he's the weak of the pair.
Talking more about the secondary characters, I would say most of them add an extra layer of complexity to the story, while at the same time being a good tool to develop the world. Characters as Ghat and Pierre might be secondary, but all of them have a big weight in the narration, being exceptional tools to develop the world.
If there's another aspect I would like to praise before ending this review, that is the ability of Black to create a perfect avalanche for the final part of the stories. We could see that in No Land for Heroes, but I personally think the final arc of No Port In A Storm is even better; all the elements that were introduced finally clash to make a memorable final quarter of the book, that hooks you in a exceptional way.
No Port In A Storm is without any doubt a contender for my favourite book of 2023. An exceptional sequel to No Land for Heroes, it keeps the aspects that made me love it, but it goes a step further. Don't sleep in this series, do yourself a favour and pick Legends & Legacies, because you don't want to miss it.
January 26, 2025
This book kept me company during a really hard month and it was the perfect book for the job. Millie is headstrong and brave in this novel, but she also spends a lot of her time battling her past. The mood is somber but hopeful. It deals with a lot of heavy topics like PTSD, war, slavery, discrimation, and murder, but also does so on a backdrop of forgiveness, learning, and support. The characters are complex and make a lot of mistakes, and perhaps most daringly, they learn how to apologize.
I felt like I had been putting off reading this for a long time, considering I had preordered it before release day, but it turns out I was saving it for when I needed it most. It looked into the darkness and promised hope and support, and what more could I have asked for right now?
Keep writing books, Cal. I'll be here to read them.
I felt like I had been putting off reading this for a long time, considering I had preordered it before release day, but it turns out I was saving it for when I needed it most. It looked into the darkness and promised hope and support, and what more could I have asked for right now?
Keep writing books, Cal. I'll be here to read them.
April 8, 2023
I had the chance to beta read this and read the ARC. The story of Millie continues far away from the little dusty town and follows the aftermath of capturing her rival. There's a new enemy introduced, and the old ghosts of Millie's past still hanging around. I enjoyed seeing the new dynamics between familiar characters and new ones. I had a lot of theories as to who the Red Hand was, and was wrong on all accounts. We get to see new settings and the impact of past wars. I thought the reveal about Millie's magic and who was really behind everything was done well. I missed seeing more of the fantasy creatures like the dragon from book 1. I wanted a bit more from the character relationships, but overall this is a solid sequel to a fantastic series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2023
Where book 1 in this series was a fantasy western, in No Port in a Storm the action mainly takes place in the humid south, a land of swamps, plantations, the undead, magic, cults, and a history of slavery which our feisty elfin hero, Mildred Berry, now Goldman, was instrumental in putting an end to. In this sequel, Millie must screw up her courage and face her worst fears and memories in order to track down Frederic Rousseau, the man who haunts her nightmares and whose testimony will help her dear friend Rhiannon retain the family railroad business. All the while she is being followed by a mysterious adversary, the Red Hand, and the stakes become higher as they close in their net.
I loved the way Millie and Gilbert’s relationship develops throughout this book, along with the insights we learn into her past and the hardships she endured which helped to make her the fearsome and fiercely loyal heroine she is now.
One of the newly introduced characters has a snake companion and I really enjoyed that touch. The scenes in the river in which he played a large part were fantastic. The dogs in this story are also stars - yay for animal companions!
Another new character, Rhiannon’s cousin, Nathie, is introduced and becomes one of the main characters in this book. She has a strong, self-confident, somewhat spiky personality, but is basically good-hearted and trying to protect her cousin. Her scenes and the antagonism between her and Millie were fabulous.
There is a wonderful scene with a sinking boat which had me on the edge of my seat and the resolution was totally perfect! (No spoilers here). There were also some really creepy, paranormal touches to this world - Black’s world-building draws you in masterfully and depicts richly painted locations which become the backdrop to some very exciting adventures.
There is a strong anti-slavery message running throughout this story along with themes of friendship, found family and loyalty. Millie the elf is fast becoming one of my favourite fantasy heroines and this series is a new favourite too!
I was lucky enough to be able to work on this book as a proofreader - but my review is honest and my opinions are my own!
I loved the way Millie and Gilbert’s relationship develops throughout this book, along with the insights we learn into her past and the hardships she endured which helped to make her the fearsome and fiercely loyal heroine she is now.
One of the newly introduced characters has a snake companion and I really enjoyed that touch. The scenes in the river in which he played a large part were fantastic. The dogs in this story are also stars - yay for animal companions!
Another new character, Rhiannon’s cousin, Nathie, is introduced and becomes one of the main characters in this book. She has a strong, self-confident, somewhat spiky personality, but is basically good-hearted and trying to protect her cousin. Her scenes and the antagonism between her and Millie were fabulous.
There is a wonderful scene with a sinking boat which had me on the edge of my seat and the resolution was totally perfect! (No spoilers here). There were also some really creepy, paranormal touches to this world - Black’s world-building draws you in masterfully and depicts richly painted locations which become the backdrop to some very exciting adventures.
There is a strong anti-slavery message running throughout this story along with themes of friendship, found family and loyalty. Millie the elf is fast becoming one of my favourite fantasy heroines and this series is a new favourite too!
I was lucky enough to be able to work on this book as a proofreader - but my review is honest and my opinions are my own!
May 16, 2023
Solid sequel in a series that is far better than the attention it is receiving. It is, admittedly, a bit heavy handed in the civil war and slavery parallels but they work well enough that the authors skill in writing decent characters comes through.
This book was better structured than the previous one, although less fun.
This book was better structured than the previous one, although less fun.
September 11, 2025
I really enjoyed the setting and plot of this sequel. The depiction of this society in the era of abolition but continued prejudice and inequality was compelling without being preachy. The character arcs were satisfying. I enjoyed the new fantasy elements as well.
August 12, 2025
Hilarious and poignant! I love these characters so much they feel like family! Could not recommend this series enough!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews