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The Ship of Curses #1
The Ship of Blood and Curses
Hannah Knight is not just a woman, she is a vessel of ancient power.When her father's ship is savagely taken down by god-controlled vampire pirates, Hannah and her father are the sole survivors.
Kane O'Brien is more than just a captain—he's a man trapped in an immortal nightmare. Once human, Kane is now cursed to transform into a vampire under the spectral glow of the full moon.
As Hannah battles for her freedom and Kane for his salvation, an irresistible bond grows between them, uniting their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.
Experience a captivating journey that seamlessly blends paranormal romance and fantasy, where reality is beautifully entwined with nightmare, where redemption is found in the least likely places, and where the most formidable foes are the demons we nurture within. Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean will love the world of Ship of Blood and Curses.
Kane O'Brien is more than just a captain—he's a man trapped in an immortal nightmare. Once human, Kane is now cursed to transform into a vampire under the spectral glow of the full moon.
As Hannah battles for her freedom and Kane for his salvation, an irresistible bond grows between them, uniting their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.
Experience a captivating journey that seamlessly blends paranormal romance and fantasy, where reality is beautifully entwined with nightmare, where redemption is found in the least likely places, and where the most formidable foes are the demons we nurture within. Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean will love the world of Ship of Blood and Curses.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2023
121 people are currently reading
831 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 30, 2024
Stars -> 3,25
Spice ->🌶🌶🌶
Like aaah deeply in love with kane! But fmc just a little naive?? Also there was like love triangle at first... but it disappeared at one point and everyone acted like it never happend?! Like you can finish what you started or not doing it at all please decide Mary.
Overall exciting and I very liked it. I pretty agreed with the most of opinions and the thought.
It gave vibe of pirates of carribean (wich I am not really fan of, just the last part). The core of the book was very similar.
If something bothered me flat belly and not eating properly just like the "perfect" body and still have energy to fight and do all the things. Not eating right. The classic bookish thing which drive me insane everytime.
Spice ->🌶🌶🌶
Like aaah deeply in love with kane! But fmc just a little naive?? Also there was like love triangle at first... but it disappeared at one point and everyone acted like it never happend?! Like you can finish what you started or not doing it at all please decide Mary.
Overall exciting and I very liked it. I pretty agreed with the most of opinions and the thought.
It gave vibe of pirates of carribean (wich I am not really fan of, just the last part). The core of the book was very similar.
If something bothered me flat belly and not eating properly just like the "perfect" body and still have energy to fight and do all the things. Not eating right. The classic bookish thing which drive me insane everytime.
November 14, 2023
I thought this book was going to be okay at the beginning. But it quickly moves into romance novel cliche when the love interests meet. You know, when the males pants bulge at every sight of the girl, the girl doesn’t know why she’s attracted to the guy, and the good old classic guy has to climb into bed with the girl and cuddle her to keep her warm after her injury haha. Also Hannah licks him when he’s in bed with her? Like? And then they of course kiss because why not I guess. This is all on their first meeting. It’s just too cliche for me. And not very believable. It was too rushed. And it makes the guy seem just horny and desperate to get a piece of ass. Which he says himself is the case so I don’t really like that to be the start of a meaningful romance. Of course he’d like her, she’s the only girl that’s been in sight so it just doesn’t seem special or real.
The writing is a bit disjointed as well. I had a little trouble visualizing where people were during situations that were happening or had happened. The flow was off a bit. For instance, Hannah has just been pulled onto a ship during a harrowing battle and in the next chapter the natural progression would be for her to maybe fall unconscious or have her waking up the next morning or at least start the chapter off by describing what happened exactly when she got onto this ship. But the next chapter just sorta starts off right where the last chapter ended but she’s just standing there? Just looking around the ship? Like she’s totally fine. The transition just felt off. Like they either didn’t need to end the chapter or it needed to have a more distinct break to warrant the chapter change. There’s just a lot of subtle things like that. It wasn’t horrible or anything but something I noticed.
I just didn’t finish after how the romance started off.
The writing is a bit disjointed as well. I had a little trouble visualizing where people were during situations that were happening or had happened. The flow was off a bit. For instance, Hannah has just been pulled onto a ship during a harrowing battle and in the next chapter the natural progression would be for her to maybe fall unconscious or have her waking up the next morning or at least start the chapter off by describing what happened exactly when she got onto this ship. But the next chapter just sorta starts off right where the last chapter ended but she’s just standing there? Just looking around the ship? Like she’s totally fine. The transition just felt off. Like they either didn’t need to end the chapter or it needed to have a more distinct break to warrant the chapter change. There’s just a lot of subtle things like that. It wasn’t horrible or anything but something I noticed.
I just didn’t finish after how the romance started off.
dnf
March 24, 2024⭐️⭐️/5
Vampires and pirates… now we have vampire pirates. Who turn into bats when it’s a full moon. #whatttt
The captain sees Hannah for the first time and immediately thinks “omg she has a vagina. I have something I want to put in that.” Like wow. Ok then.
This book reads like it’s written by someone who has zero sexual or romance experience, but has read a bunch of bad romance novels and went with that. Hannah is a virgin with zero sexual experience and suddenly wants to fuck. Mmmmkay.
It’s so extra. Hannah is freaking TF out so Kane’s only idea to calm her down is to kiss her. Couldn’t think of anything else, buddy? Uh huh. Then he’s ready to fight his brother after basically just looking at Hannah. Fucking chill.
Why does everyone keep kissing Hannah without her permission? And then she does something to draw blood. And then they ask for permission to kiss her. (SHE JUST DREW BLOOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.) And then she… gives permission. TO MULTIPLE MEN DESPITE BEING A VIRGIN WHO HAS BASICALLY NEVER HELD A CONVERSATION WITH A MAN.
DNF at 35%. I can’t.
Vampires and pirates… now we have vampire pirates. Who turn into bats when it’s a full moon. #whatttt
The captain sees Hannah for the first time and immediately thinks “omg she has a vagina. I have something I want to put in that.” Like wow. Ok then.
This book reads like it’s written by someone who has zero sexual or romance experience, but has read a bunch of bad romance novels and went with that. Hannah is a virgin with zero sexual experience and suddenly wants to fuck. Mmmmkay.
It’s so extra. Hannah is freaking TF out so Kane’s only idea to calm her down is to kiss her. Couldn’t think of anything else, buddy? Uh huh. Then he’s ready to fight his brother after basically just looking at Hannah. Fucking chill.
Why does everyone keep kissing Hannah without her permission? And then she does something to draw blood. And then they ask for permission to kiss her. (SHE JUST DREW BLOOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.) And then she… gives permission. TO MULTIPLE MEN DESPITE BEING A VIRGIN WHO HAS BASICALLY NEVER HELD A CONVERSATION WITH A MAN.
DNF at 35%. I can’t.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2023
I was really excited about this one – pirates mixed in with vampires, need I say more? But then, it just wasn't for me personally.
Cursed pirates roaming the sea, a girl and her father attacked by the pirates, an angry god – does it sound familiar? It's kind of like a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic with language borrowed from Outlander. But I would still read this book because the story was very promising, despite the similarities.
What threw me off was the writing; it felt underdeveloped, with sentences cut short and no world building. There were a few inconsistencies like, the ship was in the Black Sea, but then it suddenly appeared in the ocean. So which one is it, the Black Sea or the ocean?
I really don't enjoy leaving negative reviews for authors who are just starting out, but I had to dnf this book because I believe a lot more needed to be done in terms of writing.
Cursed pirates roaming the sea, a girl and her father attacked by the pirates, an angry god – does it sound familiar? It's kind of like a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic with language borrowed from Outlander. But I would still read this book because the story was very promising, despite the similarities.
What threw me off was the writing; it felt underdeveloped, with sentences cut short and no world building. There were a few inconsistencies like, the ship was in the Black Sea, but then it suddenly appeared in the ocean. So which one is it, the Black Sea or the ocean?
I really don't enjoy leaving negative reviews for authors who are just starting out, but I had to dnf this book because I believe a lot more needed to be done in terms of writing.
February 20, 2024
DNF AT 32%. Lost interest.
Pros:
- 3rd person POV
- Dope ass concept — vampire pirates!
Cons:
- I don’t get the attraction between Hannah and Kane, it seemed to move too fast. What was it about either of them that drew them to each other aside from forced proximity?
- It’s really hard to visualize who a lot of these characters are. What did they look like? How did they smell? What were they wearing? How did they drink from the cursed lake?
- At first I was engaged, but as the story went on I found myself skimming pages.
- I found Doc’s dialogue off putting. It seemed like she wrote him how she thought a black person would sound. “You don’ hurt yourself, Cap’n!”
- Also, where was Hannah gonna go with her father if he were to wake up?
- At this point, that man has to be dead.
Pros:
- 3rd person POV
- Dope ass concept — vampire pirates!
Cons:
- I don’t get the attraction between Hannah and Kane, it seemed to move too fast. What was it about either of them that drew them to each other aside from forced proximity?
- It’s really hard to visualize who a lot of these characters are. What did they look like? How did they smell? What were they wearing? How did they drink from the cursed lake?
- At first I was engaged, but as the story went on I found myself skimming pages.
- I found Doc’s dialogue off putting. It seemed like she wrote him how she thought a black person would sound. “You don’ hurt yourself, Cap’n!”
- Also, where was Hannah gonna go with her father if he were to wake up?
- At this point, that man has to be dead.
January 2, 2024
The Ship of Blood and Curses is a fun read and an easy read. The story is exciting, and a great choice for readers just looking for some entertainment, but the plot is nothing too complex. Some of the characters are very engaging. The writing and world-building needed some improvement. It was overall a fun read, and I’d recommend it to Pirates of the Caribbean fans first and foremost.
My full review can be found here
My full review can be found here
July 5, 2025
I am a huge fan of Pirates of the Caribbean so I thought I’d give this book a try. I thought this book was good. I liked it at some parts but it was confusing at others. The fact the at the mmc was a vampire pirate was great! I felt the FMC was very naive and always needed a man to save her and she had some character growth through the book. The transition between chapter was alright but not my favorite. There was a love triangle but it tampered off a bit so It was confusing. The ending of the book was great though.
July 26, 2023
This is one of my top reads this year!
I love dark fantasy and add in pirates and curses and demons AND other stuff??
Sign me up. I read this in about a day, I couldn't stop. The character growth and relationships along the way were written perfectly.
If you like Pirates of The Caribbean, add in some darker elements, curses, gifts, and so so much more then this is the story for you! I would want to be rescued by this group of vampire pirates any day.
Plot: 5/5
Spice: 2.5/5
I love dark fantasy and add in pirates and curses and demons AND other stuff??
Sign me up. I read this in about a day, I couldn't stop. The character growth and relationships along the way were written perfectly.
If you like Pirates of The Caribbean, add in some darker elements, curses, gifts, and so so much more then this is the story for you! I would want to be rescued by this group of vampire pirates any day.
Plot: 5/5
Spice: 2.5/5
October 19, 2023
Vampires, Pirates, magic… what more could I ask for?!
I enjoyed the idea behind how the vampires were cursed, and how one set of pirates became more cursed than the other.
I’m intrigued to see how Hannah’s powers grow and manifest with the help of the witches. And how they intend to save Lark, and defeat Palmer and Zuto…
Definitely only 🌶️ of 5 in my spice rating… you’re a vampire and a pirate sir, I was expecting more everything - aggression, possessiveness, biting…just more
I enjoyed the idea behind how the vampires were cursed, and how one set of pirates became more cursed than the other.
I’m intrigued to see how Hannah’s powers grow and manifest with the help of the witches. And how they intend to save Lark, and defeat Palmer and Zuto…
Definitely only 🌶️ of 5 in my spice rating… you’re a vampire and a pirate sir, I was expecting more everything - aggression, possessiveness, biting…just more
January 23, 2024
DNF!!! I could not finish this book! I had to force myself to read it at times 🫠 I so badly wanted to like it too. Vampire pirates 🏴☠️ uh yes! But the romance in this book came out of nowhere and it didn’t really make sense to me. This book bore me till about halfway and it got good and then it bore me again. So I just had to stop reading it.
February 22, 2024
Eh
The story has a lot of potential, I really liked the idea of it, and really it was pretty good! But ultimately, it wasn't written in a way that I enjoy reading.
The story has a lot of potential, I really liked the idea of it, and really it was pretty good! But ultimately, it wasn't written in a way that I enjoy reading.
April 10, 2024
Basically if Pirates of the Caribbean had vampires 🤷🏻♀️
May 30, 2024
It needed a serious editor. It was very amateur, like fanfic.
November 8, 2024
Almost a good book
Good idea but Feels rushed and unfinished. Hanna is developing but we get no closer or redemption. Will not continue to series.
Good idea but Feels rushed and unfinished. Hanna is developing but we get no closer or redemption. Will not continue to series.
January 7, 2024
I desperately wanted to love this but I couldn’t finish it. It gets 2 stars for having a good concept.
April 24, 2024
It was a cute romance. I enjoyed it, definitely not a super intense fantasy book but it kept my attention and made me laugh.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews