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Demon of the Deep #0.5
Undefined Tides
Before they were pirates, they sought freedom.
Rowan yearns only to be the master of his own fate. A year out from indenture in the navy, Rowan finds himself in the midst of a trafficking scheme he can’t stomach.
Yves is transformed. No longer the victim he was. No longer fully human. The darkness within him pushes him toward violence and glory.
Logan, newly released from the Marran navy, attempts to find the family he hasn’t heard from since childhood.
Fox loves too hard. Trusts too easily. But he never thought it would be a mistake to entrust his heart to the one man who’s been by his side all along.
John has spent his whole life working toward a higher rank, but when his superior officer orders him to do something appalling, he finally snaps and gives in to the flames that have always fought to rise to the surface.
Henri’s mother is dead, and he cannot stand still anymore. Now he must embark on a journey to find the father that has been lost at sea since giving him a mysterious gift.
Gaël gave in to his desires for one night, but fear drove him away. Now he must fight to get back to the one man he’s ever loved, even if it’s just to say sorry.
Robin wanted a quiet life of bachelorhood, but his family has other plans. When they present him with his new fiancée, he runs, and finds himself face-to-face with pirates.
Two pirate crews destined to clash, hurtle toward one another on the tide of their captains’ obsessions. Undefined Tides is a collection of interwoven short stories that follows each member of the Siren Song and Kraken’s Fury as they run, stumble, or murder their way into the life of a pirate.
Rowan yearns only to be the master of his own fate. A year out from indenture in the navy, Rowan finds himself in the midst of a trafficking scheme he can’t stomach.
Yves is transformed. No longer the victim he was. No longer fully human. The darkness within him pushes him toward violence and glory.
Logan, newly released from the Marran navy, attempts to find the family he hasn’t heard from since childhood.
Fox loves too hard. Trusts too easily. But he never thought it would be a mistake to entrust his heart to the one man who’s been by his side all along.
John has spent his whole life working toward a higher rank, but when his superior officer orders him to do something appalling, he finally snaps and gives in to the flames that have always fought to rise to the surface.
Henri’s mother is dead, and he cannot stand still anymore. Now he must embark on a journey to find the father that has been lost at sea since giving him a mysterious gift.
Gaël gave in to his desires for one night, but fear drove him away. Now he must fight to get back to the one man he’s ever loved, even if it’s just to say sorry.
Robin wanted a quiet life of bachelorhood, but his family has other plans. When they present him with his new fiancée, he runs, and finds himself face-to-face with pirates.
Two pirate crews destined to clash, hurtle toward one another on the tide of their captains’ obsessions. Undefined Tides is a collection of interwoven short stories that follows each member of the Siren Song and Kraken’s Fury as they run, stumble, or murder their way into the life of a pirate.
- GenresFantasy
232 pages, ebook
Published August 12, 2025
44 people want to read
About the author
Briar Belmont
2 books18 followersBriar Belmont is a spicy romance and romantasy indie author debuting in 2024. She adored reading and writing from a young age and has a soft spot for fairytales and folklore. She can often be found in her garden or curled up with her pets and a good book.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 12, 2025
I absolutely loved Demon of the Deep, so I was very excited to read the early beginnings of these beautiful yet tragic characters.
Yves past was just as heartbreaking as I thought it would be, probably even more so. But I wasn’t expecting the pasts of everyone else to also break my heart. Getting this deep look into how they all became who they are in the present was such a treat. And it was easy to see how they fitted the crews they ended up on.
I would really love to explore more of this world and spend more time with these characters.
I got an advanced copy and this is my voluntary review.
Yves past was just as heartbreaking as I thought it would be, probably even more so. But I wasn’t expecting the pasts of everyone else to also break my heart. Getting this deep look into how they all became who they are in the present was such a treat. And it was easy to see how they fitted the crews they ended up on.
I would really love to explore more of this world and spend more time with these characters.
I got an advanced copy and this is my voluntary review.
October 9, 2025
Thanks to Booksirens and Briar Belmont for sending me and advanced review copy for free, I'm leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.
I loved loved loved this book! I actually haven't read Demon of the Deep (this one is a prequel) and think this book would be better enjoyed after reading that one. But I really loved and understood it nonetheless, so I think it can stand perfectly on its own.
This is a collection of episodes following the lives of various pirates as they start their pirating careers. But it's so much more than that.
It's a book full of love and desire and heartbreak and emotions. It's violent and it's gritty, touching really hard topics like abuse, trafficking and war (and the moral dilemma of following orders when they're immoral). But at the same time it's also incredibly emotional and tender, and it's hopeful in some strange way.
It's also really well written. I really liked the prose of the author and the descriptions. The spicy scenes were incredibly well managed. And the characters felt human. Even without knowing them from Demon of the Deep I felt like I knew them, I felt for them and I rooted for them.
This was over all an amazing read. I'll absolutely pick up more books by the author. (And maybe this is also the sign to read more pirate books)
I loved loved loved this book! I actually haven't read Demon of the Deep (this one is a prequel) and think this book would be better enjoyed after reading that one. But I really loved and understood it nonetheless, so I think it can stand perfectly on its own.
This is a collection of episodes following the lives of various pirates as they start their pirating careers. But it's so much more than that.
It's a book full of love and desire and heartbreak and emotions. It's violent and it's gritty, touching really hard topics like abuse, trafficking and war (and the moral dilemma of following orders when they're immoral). But at the same time it's also incredibly emotional and tender, and it's hopeful in some strange way.
It's also really well written. I really liked the prose of the author and the descriptions. The spicy scenes were incredibly well managed. And the characters felt human. Even without knowing them from Demon of the Deep I felt like I knew them, I felt for them and I rooted for them.
This was over all an amazing read. I'll absolutely pick up more books by the author. (And maybe this is also the sign to read more pirate books)
July 21, 2025
I got a free digital copy of this book from BookSiren and these are my honest opinions of the book.
In the disclaimer for this book, it states that it is .5 in the series, but you should really read the first in the series before you read this book. Because you will understand the characters better because this is the origin story! It does set the stage well for book one. I bet I would have understood the characters and their origin stories better if I had read the first in the series beforehand. As it was, I did become overwhelmed and confused at times.
Also, the book followed a fairly repetitive rhythm for the first 80% of the book. It went like this: we meet a character, there is some sort of violence, there is some form of gay intimate scenery, and then some form of betrayal and/or heartache. However, at 80% (ish), we can see the two sides forming now. We have Yves on one side, and Rowan on the other. I presume they are the main characters in the first book. We are brought right up to the point where they might meet and are left with a fairly awesome cliffhanger at the end.
In the disclaimer for this book, it states that it is .5 in the series, but you should really read the first in the series before you read this book. Because you will understand the characters better because this is the origin story! It does set the stage well for book one. I bet I would have understood the characters and their origin stories better if I had read the first in the series beforehand. As it was, I did become overwhelmed and confused at times.
Also, the book followed a fairly repetitive rhythm for the first 80% of the book. It went like this: we meet a character, there is some sort of violence, there is some form of gay intimate scenery, and then some form of betrayal and/or heartache. However, at 80% (ish), we can see the two sides forming now. We have Yves on one side, and Rowan on the other. I presume they are the main characters in the first book. We are brought right up to the point where they might meet and are left with a fairly awesome cliffhanger at the end.
August 18, 2025
At the start, it needs to be noted that “Undefined Tides” by Briar Belmont is meant to be read after “Demon of the Deep,” making it more of a companion novella than a prequel. It should also be noted that I didn’t know this at first, but luckily “Demon of the Deep” is available on Kindle Unlimited & so I went ahead & followed instructions, reading that one first.
These books focus on two rival pirate crews who come together in more ways than one. While the focus of the story is on the two rival Pirate Captains - Rowan & Yves - the story actually follows eight different crew members, including bouncing between their POVs. These stories are full of gay pirates getting up to all sorts of shenanigans, spicy & otherwise. And what sets “Undefined Tides” apart is that it focuses on the past of these eight characters, showing the reader what lead them each to their lives of piracy & their roles in “Demon of the Deep.” Thank you to Briar Belmont & Book Sirens for the advanced review copy - I am leaving this review voluntarily & all opinions expressed are my own. The world of these pirate kings & their crews is very queer & very spicy & I enjoyed their high-seas hijinks.
While we get little pieces of each characters past in the main book, “Undefined Tides” dedicates chapters to each character’s backstory. I do believe that it would be best enjoyed after “Demon of the Deep,” but I also wonder if I would have felt more attached to the various characters in the main book had I read “Undefined Tides” first! Either way, these are complimentary & should be read & enjoyed together to give some extra layers to Belmont’s main story.
These books focus on two rival pirate crews who come together in more ways than one. While the focus of the story is on the two rival Pirate Captains - Rowan & Yves - the story actually follows eight different crew members, including bouncing between their POVs. These stories are full of gay pirates getting up to all sorts of shenanigans, spicy & otherwise. And what sets “Undefined Tides” apart is that it focuses on the past of these eight characters, showing the reader what lead them each to their lives of piracy & their roles in “Demon of the Deep.” Thank you to Briar Belmont & Book Sirens for the advanced review copy - I am leaving this review voluntarily & all opinions expressed are my own. The world of these pirate kings & their crews is very queer & very spicy & I enjoyed their high-seas hijinks.
While we get little pieces of each characters past in the main book, “Undefined Tides” dedicates chapters to each character’s backstory. I do believe that it would be best enjoyed after “Demon of the Deep,” but I also wonder if I would have felt more attached to the various characters in the main book had I read “Undefined Tides” first! Either way, these are complimentary & should be read & enjoyed together to give some extra layers to Belmont’s main story.
July 15, 2025
If you’ve read Demon of the Deep and wished you could dive deeper into the lives of each crew member, this is it!
This prequel gives us the detailed backstories of all our favorite chaotic shipmates and captains before their fateful encounters in DotD. Once again, I love how every character shines; none of them feel like secondary characters at all.
Most of these pirates carry heartbreakingly tragic stories; I just wanted to hug them all and tell them it’s going to be okay. The book had me in my feels the entire time, though there are plenty of wholesome, sexy, and funny moments sprinkled in.
There’s not as much spice as in Book 1, but if you’re here for the lore, you’ll be blown away by the depth and detail.
If you like Black Sails with a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean, I highly recommend this series.
Thank you for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
This prequel gives us the detailed backstories of all our favorite chaotic shipmates and captains before their fateful encounters in DotD. Once again, I love how every character shines; none of them feel like secondary characters at all.
Most of these pirates carry heartbreakingly tragic stories; I just wanted to hug them all and tell them it’s going to be okay. The book had me in my feels the entire time, though there are plenty of wholesome, sexy, and funny moments sprinkled in.
There’s not as much spice as in Book 1, but if you’re here for the lore, you’ll be blown away by the depth and detail.
If you like Black Sails with a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean, I highly recommend this series.
Thank you for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
July 20, 2025
After finishing DEMON OF THE DEEP, I was left wanting to know more about the characters introduced in this world. UNDEFINED TIDES fulfilled that desire, and fleshed out the story and characters. I absolutely loved it! It’s hard to review or criticize this book, as I feel they both compliment eachother so well. It’s essential to read both to get the full story. I wonder if the author had intended it to be one story, but then split it into two? If so, that would make sense. This series is a good match for people who enjoy the show BLACK SAILS, the movies PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and MM romance novels. This was the perfect summer read and I’ll be recommending it to my book besties for sure! 🏴☠️💖🐙⚔️🏴☠️⚓️🌊🏝️🏴☠️
August 12, 2025
Undefined Tides by Briar Belmont
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Releasedate: August 12th 2025
Found family
Revenge
Pirate shenanigans
Morally grey cast
This is the prequel of the series Demon of the Deep, and It is recommended to read the first book in the series before reading this one.
It sometimes made It a bit hard to understand because we didn’t know the characters at the beginning of the book.
But at the end of the book we are left with a pretty amazing cliffhanger which made me buy the first book to continue on with this series.
Most of these pirates carry heartbreaking stories, there were plenty of funny, heartbreaking and wholesome moments sprinkled in there.
Thank you for letting me read the ARC!
I am looking forward to the next book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Releasedate: August 12th 2025
Found family
Revenge
Pirate shenanigans
Morally grey cast
This is the prequel of the series Demon of the Deep, and It is recommended to read the first book in the series before reading this one.
It sometimes made It a bit hard to understand because we didn’t know the characters at the beginning of the book.
But at the end of the book we are left with a pretty amazing cliffhanger which made me buy the first book to continue on with this series.
Most of these pirates carry heartbreaking stories, there were plenty of funny, heartbreaking and wholesome moments sprinkled in there.
Thank you for letting me read the ARC!
I am looking forward to the next book.
July 16, 2025
I really enjoyed this as a preview of the main adventure in the Demon of the Deep series, it had that feel that I wanted in a pirate romance. I was engaged with the peak into this world and characters, the characters were so well done and was invested in what was happening to them in this. The romance element was so well done and can't wait for more in this world. Briar Belmont has a strong writing style and loved the characters and am excited for more.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 24, 2025
I really enjoyed Demon of the deep. So I was thrilled to see this one pop up and getting a chance to read the arc.
This is the prequel. It shows you how each member became who they are in the Demon of the deep.
I have mix emotions because some of the characters like Yves, their backstory was one I was very interested in. Where's some others like Henry I was not.
Still it was a fun read and I definitely need more from this world.
I was given a copy of this from book sirens for an honest review
This is the prequel. It shows you how each member became who they are in the Demon of the deep.
I have mix emotions because some of the characters like Yves, their backstory was one I was very interested in. Where's some others like Henry I was not.
Still it was a fun read and I definitely need more from this world.
I was given a copy of this from book sirens for an honest review
July 17, 2025
I needed this book like yesterday. And now I need the sequel to book 1 like right neow. This was more like a collection of short stories with lore from all of our favorite pirate bois and gave insight to how they ended up on their respective ships. I felt this way about book 1 and I'll say it again ROBIN AND HENRY DESERVE EVERYTHING GOOD IN LIFE. ONLY GOOD. FOREVER. 😭😭😭 And Gael pmo all over again, what a dingus lol.
I did receive this as an ARC and these opinions are all my own.
I did receive this as an ARC and these opinions are all my own.
August 10, 2025
I LOVED Demon of the Deep - it took a little to get into due to the large amount of characters, but once you got going, it was phenomenal. Each character is well-developed and necessary. Now that I know and love the characters, getting their origin stories in this prequel was amazing. I loved getting to know more about each of the characters and what brought them to the place where we meet them in Demon. A definite must-read if you enjoyed Demon!
August 12, 2025
Great
I've read Demon of the Deep and absolutely enjoyed it.
I desperately wanted to know more about the characters' back stories, and boy did this prequel deliver.
Most of the characters landed in piracy as the result of some tragic impetus, and I really felt my heart breaking for what they suffered through.
While that is their reality, there's also moments of camaraderie, levity , and some steamy moments as well.
I've read Demon of the Deep and absolutely enjoyed it.
I desperately wanted to know more about the characters' back stories, and boy did this prequel deliver.
Most of the characters landed in piracy as the result of some tragic impetus, and I really felt my heart breaking for what they suffered through.
While that is their reality, there's also moments of camaraderie, levity , and some steamy moments as well.
July 13, 2025
This book was not for me. I did not enjoy it. I give it 2,5 ⭐️
I received an ARC and is leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an ARC and is leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews