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Oceanswept #1
Oceanswept
The sway of playful palm trees and never-ending sunshine seem like a fantasy compared to the smog and filth of 18th century London. Thrilled for a new life in the exotic West Indies, privileged seventeen-year-old Tessa Monroe eagerly embraces her father’s reassignment to the fledgling Caribbean colony of St. Kitts where she can stake her claim as an up-and-coming socialite.
But that dream unravels when a hurricane downs their ship on the passage from England, leaving Tessa as the sole survivor. Rescued by a passing ship, Tessa’s grief soon turns to terror as she realizes she isn’t a passenger—she’s a captive.
With a future of slavery in the offing, Tessa joins forces with Nicholas Holladay, a charismatic sailor ready to break free from a life of piracy. Mutiny is in the air. Tessa and Nicholas will either win their freedom or earn a spot at the gallows.
But that dream unravels when a hurricane downs their ship on the passage from England, leaving Tessa as the sole survivor. Rescued by a passing ship, Tessa’s grief soon turns to terror as she realizes she isn’t a passenger—she’s a captive.
With a future of slavery in the offing, Tessa joins forces with Nicholas Holladay, a charismatic sailor ready to break free from a life of piracy. Mutiny is in the air. Tessa and Nicholas will either win their freedom or earn a spot at the gallows.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2012
114 people are currently reading
1307 people want to read
About the author
Lara Hays
7 books60 followersBorn and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Lara is the youngest of five children. She had to be pretty dramatic to get any attention whatsoever. She has since learned to channel her theatrics into writing.
At age seventeen, Lara’s poetry and a short story was published in an anthology of teen writers. For the past seven years, Lara has utilized her writing skills as a technical writer and creative copywriter.
Lara holds a degree in psychology from the University of Idaho. She lives in southeast Idaho with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, cat, and ghost cat. She is a blogger, adoption advocate, brownie lover, and Oreo hater.
She is the author of the young adult historical romance OCEANSWEPT and is currently working on its sequel.
At age seventeen, Lara’s poetry and a short story was published in an anthology of teen writers. For the past seven years, Lara has utilized her writing skills as a technical writer and creative copywriter.
Lara holds a degree in psychology from the University of Idaho. She lives in southeast Idaho with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, cat, and ghost cat. She is a blogger, adoption advocate, brownie lover, and Oreo hater.
She is the author of the young adult historical romance OCEANSWEPT and is currently working on its sequel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
June 26, 2017
2.5 stars
Clean, romantic, and utterly ridiculous. Rounding up because it was fun to read something so light hearted. The story reminded me of several favorites (including The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and The Witch of Blackbird Pond ) though not as good. The plot certainly kept me guessing! It was extremely random.
Clean, romantic, and utterly ridiculous. Rounding up because it was fun to read something so light hearted. The story reminded me of several favorites (including The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and The Witch of Blackbird Pond ) though not as good. The plot certainly kept me guessing! It was extremely random.
December 30, 2013
While I appreciated the adventure and "clean" romance in this book, I just couldn't shake the impression that the author was rehashing a combination of any number of teen romance novels combined with Pirates of the Caribbean. The writing improves as the book goes on, but is sorely lacking. The heroine actually says, "He was a pirate and I was his plunder." Yes, I laughed so hard that my family came to see what was going on. The heroine is frustrating. One minute she proclaims that she trusts the pirate implicitly, the next she is cursing him for his "betrayal". And this happens again and again. She is supposedly "clever" but can't figure out that he might have to play along with the other pirates in order to protect their secret alliance?? Maybe I'm being overly critical or expecting too much from a YA novel. . .
Ok, I have to amend my review a little. I was a little harsh. I would probably give this book 2.5 stars if I could. I am currently reading the 2nd book in the series "Undertow" and it has been all this book seemed to lack.The characters are fleshed out more, the interactions are authentic and real and the heroine develops into someone you can root for. Read this book to understand the background and then quickly move on to the second in the series!
Ok, I have to amend my review a little. I was a little harsh. I would probably give this book 2.5 stars if I could. I am currently reading the 2nd book in the series "Undertow" and it has been all this book seemed to lack.The characters are fleshed out more, the interactions are authentic and real and the heroine develops into someone you can root for. Read this book to understand the background and then quickly move on to the second in the series!
April 9, 2014
Probably one of my all time favorite books. It keeps me longing to know what is going to happen at every turn. Lara Hays is a fantastic writer who really knows how to keep a girl on her toes. I can hardly wait for book 3 to come out! I'd dying to know how everything is going to turn out.
December 29, 2014
I loved this book. The adventure was fulfilling, the love story was adorable. I'm starting book 2 tomorrow!
If you like "The Pirates of the Caribbean" you will like this book.
If you like "The Pirates of the Caribbean" you will like this book.
March 20, 2018
This book was surprisingly really good! The pirates in this were dark and fun to read about.
March 21, 2015
Was this book good? No. Did I enjoy it so much I devoured it in a matter of hours? Yes. What does this say about me as a person? I'd rather not delve into that. This is basically a romance novel without the sex and it borrows quite a bit from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, not to mention The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle which I read as a tweenager and LOVED. Oceanswept is some fun brain candy that helped occupy my mind during my work commute. Am I glad I found out about this free e-book through BookBub? Yes. Glad enough to spend $5.95 on the sequel? Nope.
October 28, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. I had no idea the adventure I was getting myself into, but was hooked by the second chapter. It was unlike most books I have read that is set back in time. I loved the surprise of pirates into my love story. I didn't want it to end & eagerly reached for book 2.
May 11, 2019
Very well written
December 1, 2018
If the cover art wasn’t enough to get me hooked, meeting the dashing pirate with a devastating smile sold me on this story.
I want to read the next book, but this is supposed to be a trilogy and book two ends with a cliff hanger. It doesn’t seem like the author is going to finish this trilogy, which is a real shame, and I refuse to start book two until I know there will be a book three. I don’t relish being left hanging off a cliff for possibly forever.
I want to read the next book, but this is supposed to be a trilogy and book two ends with a cliff hanger. It doesn’t seem like the author is going to finish this trilogy, which is a real shame, and I refuse to start book two until I know there will be a book three. I don’t relish being left hanging off a cliff for possibly forever.
May 24, 2016
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
Let me tell you, if I ever publish a novel, I want to talk to Lara Hays' cover artist, because that cover is gorgeous. It perfectly encapsulates the type of book I was hoping Oceanswept was: a historical romance with a hefty helping of adventure. In reality, Oceanswept tried to be the historical romance with a hefty helping of adventure, but I'm not completely certain that it succeeded.
The plot follows Tessa, a young woman who is moving to St. Kitt's from London, where her admiral father has been transferred. Their ship is caught in a hurricane, and Tessa is forced overboard and slips beneath the water. When she comes to, she's in a cabin on a pirate ship--though she doesn't immediately realize it's a pirate ship--and in the care of one Nicholas, an officer on said ship. The rest of her own ship appears to have been lost, including her father. The captain of the ship is a man named Black with evil red eyes, and Tessa quickly becomes a point of contention on the ship.
The book jacket (is it still a book jacket if the book is digital?) description is misleading. It mentions that a mutiny is brewing, and one is--but that's only the first part of the book, and here enters the book's main flaw. It doesn't have good pacing. I saw a chart a few weeks ago that perfectly captured how a book should be paced, balancing plot and sub-plot. Basically, the plot should have a series of peaks and valleys, and during the valleys the sub-plots should have peaks. All of them should rise at the same rate and come together during the climax. Hays doesn't do that at all. There's really no sub-plot to speak of; some might say that its the relationship between Nicholas and Tessa, but to that I say HA! because it's not really a sub-plot because it's clear they're going to be together from the beginning and there's not really any tension in between them. As soon as they decide they like each other, they decide that they'll be together, and that's it for that. So, there's the mutiny plot on the boat, which rises, climaxes, ends...and then there's a long period of what's really nothingness. Tessa's by herself, doing some work, but there's nothing really developing. And then Nicholas shows up again, and there's so much more nothing of them all being happy-go-lucky but nothing happening, and then there's another burst of plot at the end. This structure means that chunks of the book just dragged as I played the waiting game, not knowing when something else would develop.
Tessa was also annoying as a main character. She's pretty much useless--a kicking-and-clawing variety of heroine. Not every heroine has to go around toting a crossbow and slaying vampires, but if they don't, it's nice to see them possess a brain and not be completely subject to the whims of the hero. Tessa...doesn't really possess a brain. Hays tries to establish her a strong individual with the "girl time on the island" segment, but it doesn't really work, and she goes right back to being a complete follower who doesn't really possess the will or brainpower to do anything on her own. Combined with the problems with pacing, Tessa's character made this book hard to read at times.
It took me days to slog through this, and I feel like Hays could have--and maybe should have--cut large portions of the book without it suffering. I doubt I'll be picking up the sequel; the future plot seems pretty obvious, and without any real conflict brewing between the two main characters, I don't see anything there to bring me back.
2 stars out of 5.
Let me tell you, if I ever publish a novel, I want to talk to Lara Hays' cover artist, because that cover is gorgeous. It perfectly encapsulates the type of book I was hoping Oceanswept was: a historical romance with a hefty helping of adventure. In reality, Oceanswept tried to be the historical romance with a hefty helping of adventure, but I'm not completely certain that it succeeded.
The plot follows Tessa, a young woman who is moving to St. Kitt's from London, where her admiral father has been transferred. Their ship is caught in a hurricane, and Tessa is forced overboard and slips beneath the water. When she comes to, she's in a cabin on a pirate ship--though she doesn't immediately realize it's a pirate ship--and in the care of one Nicholas, an officer on said ship. The rest of her own ship appears to have been lost, including her father. The captain of the ship is a man named Black with evil red eyes, and Tessa quickly becomes a point of contention on the ship.
The book jacket (is it still a book jacket if the book is digital?) description is misleading. It mentions that a mutiny is brewing, and one is--but that's only the first part of the book, and here enters the book's main flaw. It doesn't have good pacing. I saw a chart a few weeks ago that perfectly captured how a book should be paced, balancing plot and sub-plot. Basically, the plot should have a series of peaks and valleys, and during the valleys the sub-plots should have peaks. All of them should rise at the same rate and come together during the climax. Hays doesn't do that at all. There's really no sub-plot to speak of; some might say that its the relationship between Nicholas and Tessa, but to that I say HA! because it's not really a sub-plot because it's clear they're going to be together from the beginning and there's not really any tension in between them. As soon as they decide they like each other, they decide that they'll be together, and that's it for that. So, there's the mutiny plot on the boat, which rises, climaxes, ends...and then there's a long period of what's really nothingness. Tessa's by herself, doing some work, but there's nothing really developing. And then Nicholas shows up again, and there's so much more nothing of them all being happy-go-lucky but nothing happening, and then there's another burst of plot at the end. This structure means that chunks of the book just dragged as I played the waiting game, not knowing when something else would develop.
Tessa was also annoying as a main character. She's pretty much useless--a kicking-and-clawing variety of heroine. Not every heroine has to go around toting a crossbow and slaying vampires, but if they don't, it's nice to see them possess a brain and not be completely subject to the whims of the hero. Tessa...doesn't really possess a brain. Hays tries to establish her a strong individual with the "girl time on the island" segment, but it doesn't really work, and she goes right back to being a complete follower who doesn't really possess the will or brainpower to do anything on her own. Combined with the problems with pacing, Tessa's character made this book hard to read at times.
It took me days to slog through this, and I feel like Hays could have--and maybe should have--cut large portions of the book without it suffering. I doubt I'll be picking up the sequel; the future plot seems pretty obvious, and without any real conflict brewing between the two main characters, I don't see anything there to bring me back.
2 stars out of 5.
January 27, 2014
Get swept along on the high seas
I got caught up and swept along in this period pirate romance. I enjoyed the author’s intricate and beautiful description and very much felt as if I was there on the high seas myself. The author’s meticulous research has shaped this story into a fascinating look at life on the ocean, and I enjoyed the language she used to take us into the period.
Tessa Monroe is lost at sea and rescued by pirates. On the ship, she finds herself in all kinds of trouble with only one protector, the dashing and mysterious Nicholas. She finds herself falling for this dark and enigmatic man in a way that she tries to fight, but as he consistently defends her honour he earns her respect and admiration. Tessa is a feisty lead and is a good match for Nicholas, but can they find happiness aboard a pirate ship?
Though this book deals with frightening and realistic situations for the protagonist, it never sensationalises and it would be suitable for young teens and older readers alike.
I am looking forward to reading the sequel ‘Undertow’.
I got caught up and swept along in this period pirate romance. I enjoyed the author’s intricate and beautiful description and very much felt as if I was there on the high seas myself. The author’s meticulous research has shaped this story into a fascinating look at life on the ocean, and I enjoyed the language she used to take us into the period.
Tessa Monroe is lost at sea and rescued by pirates. On the ship, she finds herself in all kinds of trouble with only one protector, the dashing and mysterious Nicholas. She finds herself falling for this dark and enigmatic man in a way that she tries to fight, but as he consistently defends her honour he earns her respect and admiration. Tessa is a feisty lead and is a good match for Nicholas, but can they find happiness aboard a pirate ship?
Though this book deals with frightening and realistic situations for the protagonist, it never sensationalises and it would be suitable for young teens and older readers alike.
I am looking forward to reading the sequel ‘Undertow’.
December 25, 2014
Bleh. I downloaded this book because the description reminded me vaguely of The Witch of Blackbird Pond (a vastly superior book). Unfortunately, I found the writing clunky, the plot only mildly interesting, and the characters entirely one-dimensional. The main female character was disgustingly focused on the romance, at the expense of actually developing in the midst of trying circumstances. It was hard to stomach over 200 pages of her mooning over the guy.
Of course, this "perfect" guy is primarily in love with a fantasy version of her as well, and wants to maintain this version of her despite the fact that at one point they're sailing a ship by themselves. I believe this excerpt basically sums up what I disliked about the book:
"I made peace with my idleness. I knew I was capable of helping more. And Nicholas knew it too. It wasn't that he had to take care of me. He wanted to. And I let him."
Ick all around.
Of course, this "perfect" guy is primarily in love with a fantasy version of her as well, and wants to maintain this version of her despite the fact that at one point they're sailing a ship by themselves. I believe this excerpt basically sums up what I disliked about the book:
"I made peace with my idleness. I knew I was capable of helping more. And Nicholas knew it too. It wasn't that he had to take care of me. He wanted to. And I let him."
Ick all around.
August 4, 2013
This is a fast-paced exciting adventure story filled with pirates, kidnap and threat of death.
The heroine, Tessa, finds herself captured by pirates and whilst trying to retain her dignity finds herself falling in love with one of her captors.
Threatened with death, Tessa is cast out to sea and then marooned on an island. Taken in by a bordello she at last believes she can find happiness when Nicholas arrives to take her away with him.
But of course, the path of their love does not run smoothly and you need to read the book to discover whether they get their happy ever after!
The heroine, Tessa, finds herself captured by pirates and whilst trying to retain her dignity finds herself falling in love with one of her captors.
Threatened with death, Tessa is cast out to sea and then marooned on an island. Taken in by a bordello she at last believes she can find happiness when Nicholas arrives to take her away with him.
But of course, the path of their love does not run smoothly and you need to read the book to discover whether they get their happy ever after!
December 3, 2015
Totally hooked on this series! A fun, clean romance with a Pirates of the Caribbean twist.
June 26, 2019
I read this book in a week, maybe ten days. Typically, it takes me a month, sometimes more. I have so much going on in my own head that I am easily distracted and it's no small task keeping me spellbound for as long as an hour. But spellbound, I was!
The vivid imagery painted a clear picture of the scene without going on and on with details. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, there would be some twist and I'd be leaning forward in shock and curiosity. I loved every minute of it!
The only thing I can say was a flaw in this book was the way really obvious things were hidden.
Those were small hiccups in an otherwise lovely tale. Not too thrilled with the way it abruptly ended though. I'm not a fan of doing that. It's like not properly concluding a movie and then promoting the sequel. My local library doesn't have either of the books so I did what any sane person would do, I bought it and now I'm reading it. If I wait I won't remember what happened and I'll spend the whole sequel trying to remember.
Lara Hays is one of my new favorite authors and I hope she writes many more books! I also hope one day my own series will be as exciting as this one.
The vivid imagery painted a clear picture of the scene without going on and on with details. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, there would be some twist and I'd be leaning forward in shock and curiosity. I loved every minute of it!
The only thing I can say was a flaw in this book was the way really obvious things were hidden.
Those were small hiccups in an otherwise lovely tale. Not too thrilled with the way it abruptly ended though. I'm not a fan of doing that. It's like not properly concluding a movie and then promoting the sequel. My local library doesn't have either of the books so I did what any sane person would do, I bought it and now I'm reading it. If I wait I won't remember what happened and I'll spend the whole sequel trying to remember.
Lara Hays is one of my new favorite authors and I hope she writes many more books! I also hope one day my own series will be as exciting as this one.
October 20, 2018
"Piracy is what I do, not who I am," he defended.If you are looking for a light-hearted historical fiction adventure with a side of romance, I definitely recommend Oceanswept to you.
Privileged Tessa Monroe is 17 years old and on her way to the St. Kitts in the West Indies following her father's reassignment in the British Navy, but unfortunately a hurricane hits while they are at sea. She wakes up days later in an unfamiliar boat and learns that she is the only one to survive. Nicholas "Marks" Holladay protects her when she first wakes up, but Tessa becomes weary with his evasive responses to her questions and his insistence on her not being seen by anyone else. Turns out she is on a pirate ship, and she is anything but safe...
It seems that Nicholas and Tessa are written in the stars, they feel an instant connection that each struggle with. From different worlds and stations in life, they each struggle to see eye to eye and figure out if they will fit in one another's world. As insta-love as this sounds, it isn't really... there's a slow build-up of camaraderie and a "will they? won't they?" cloud hangs above them. But if you are looking for steamy romance, Nicholas is nothing but a gentleman - he is set apart from the other pirates, and I am a sucker for a good guy that became "bad" because of circumstances. In many ways Tessa becomes his salvation as well as his freedom.
This is a fast paced story with a touching and endearing romance. There isn't a lot of depth, but sometimes what you need is a light and heart-warming read. I did struggle a bit with the piratey/sailing references (like the bells), but it really did immerse me in the time period!
cw: assault, attempted rape, death, loss of a parent, victim blaming
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July 5, 2017
Pass
Found this story to be a bit dull and had a difficult time keeping interested enough to finish. The plot is not realistic given the era of piracy in the Caribbean nor the characters. With all of the action sequences, I found myself basically losing attention...too bland. The modern day vernacular used in the different characters' dialogue was off-putting as were the actions of these same characters. The protagonist female, Tessa, was a whining, spoiled, naive young woman that I flat out disliked, and her love interest pirate was totally out of character. With all the hardships these two endured I never felt much interest or empathy for them at all. I cannot see these two in a lovestruck relationship.
I felt like each situation was only written about on the very surface...nothing in-depth here.
I lost interest several times as I read this book and actually just made it a goal to finish it....sometimes I just scanned ahead.
I can't see myself to recommending this one, especially in the historical fiction genre.
Found this story to be a bit dull and had a difficult time keeping interested enough to finish. The plot is not realistic given the era of piracy in the Caribbean nor the characters. With all of the action sequences, I found myself basically losing attention...too bland. The modern day vernacular used in the different characters' dialogue was off-putting as were the actions of these same characters. The protagonist female, Tessa, was a whining, spoiled, naive young woman that I flat out disliked, and her love interest pirate was totally out of character. With all the hardships these two endured I never felt much interest or empathy for them at all. I cannot see these two in a lovestruck relationship.
I felt like each situation was only written about on the very surface...nothing in-depth here.
I lost interest several times as I read this book and actually just made it a goal to finish it....sometimes I just scanned ahead.
I can't see myself to recommending this one, especially in the historical fiction genre.
June 14, 2022
Ocean Swept is a story about a girl who survives a storm at sea and is then rescued by pirates which leads to both good and bad relationships and adventures. The girl who is the main character starts out as rather unlikeable (read, spoiled brat). Although she does change, she’s still not a character I felt invested in, partially because the change wasn’t consistent nor always logical but also because she’s a bit annoying, always interpreting responses the wrong way and getting upset by them. Some situational changes also moved too quickly, like shifting from hate to love with nothing in between. More build up was needed to make the change realistic. While the overall idea is an interesting one and there are some enjoyable scenes/chapters, the story was too irrationally romantic for me, a bit like a teenage drama set on a pirate ship or an island.
June 20, 2022
An absolutely romantic pirate adventure to the Caribbean! The writing blended so well and I absolutely loved the love interest Nicholas😘I did find the MC Tessa to be a little helpless, but since it was a historical fiction I wasn't overly bothered. I loved the emotions and small moments Tessa and Nicholas have. I liked the small amount of action and the lush descriptions. The ending leaves fairly happy but there is a sequel, but no third book, and from reviews I know that this is an unfinished series.
I would love for there to be a third book, I'm hesitant to read the sequel because of this🥺
I would love for there to be a third book, I'm hesitant to read the sequel because of this🥺
did-not-finish
August 31, 2022I think I’ve just tired of the ‘privileged English girl learns about the world’ trope. The beginning of the book she is very spoiled and it’s a bit hard to swallow. Someone asks her to hang a lantern and she mentally retorts with “Am I your maid?!” Because Tessa provides the voice of the narrator, the book is colored by her judgements. Her perspective on prostitution and binary of good and evil is what bothered me the most, I think.
She certainly was experiencing character growth but I didn’t stick with it long enough to see how it pans out. I think I just need to explore new and fresh voices in literature- perhaps this book will be just what someone else is looking for, though!
She certainly was experiencing character growth but I didn’t stick with it long enough to see how it pans out. I think I just need to explore new and fresh voices in literature- perhaps this book will be just what someone else is looking for, though!
October 10, 2020
Who doesn't love a good pirate read? Cute romance, very clean, and fun action sequences. I gobbled this up within a day. Reminded me a bit of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
The love story felt a little rushed and the dialogue was... well, let's just say that I've never met a 21 year old who could unabashedly articulate his blossoming love within days of knowing someone.
Maybe I need to get out more...
Overall, 3 stars, but my teenage self gives it 4 :)
The love story felt a little rushed and the dialogue was... well, let's just say that I've never met a 21 year old who could unabashedly articulate his blossoming love within days of knowing someone.
Maybe I need to get out more...
Overall, 3 stars, but my teenage self gives it 4 :)
September 23, 2020
This book was AMAZING! I enjoyed every second of it and will read it over and my over again! It reminded me of Trica Levenseller's duology "Daughter of the Pirate King" (Another favorite!) If you like those or even Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (All time favorite) This is define the book for you!!
December 31, 2017
For a book with such a pretty cover, the inside is pretty much trash. Tessa is horrid, the writing style is flat (and a ton of errors- is it self published or something?) and I only got 30 pages in before I couldn't take it any more.
January 9, 2019
Not only is the cover art absolutely beautiful, but the story is wonderful as well. It gives you all the pirate romance you love from Pirates of the Carribean and Voyager while adding its own wonderful spin to it as well. I loved this book!
May 12, 2017
This was a fun read. I read it on a beach vacation and remembered that I enjoyed it at the time, especially since it was free for the kindle.
September 22, 2017
Really enjoyed this book.
January 1, 2018
I enjoyed the basic pirate scenes and the light romance but it took me a while to get into the story. Overall I did enjoy it.
May 10, 2019
Romance and predictable, but the writing was decent and easy to read.
February 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this. It was a fun escape. It got a little slow for a minute but then picked back up and was full of adventure.
February 24, 2022
A fun adventurous read. Very well done for a first writer. Will read the next for sure!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews