Waves of Desire: Regency Historical Romance

by Lauren Everly

Two enemies bound by danger—and undone by desire.

Savannah socialite Samantha Warstein has finally been given the chance to earn her place within her family’s secret pirating legacy. Her first obstacle as a captain? An ambitious—and annoyingly handsome—navy lieutenant tasked with destroying the pirate trade. And she’s not sure which challenge appeals proving her worth or putting him in his place.

Having lost his parents to pirates, Lieutenant Christian Thompson takes his assignment seriously, determined to spend his life married only to the sea. But when a mysterious, red-headed beauty bests him in battle, the mission becomes personal. He’ll see her brought to justice, no matter how her laughter haunts him... or how her courage stirs something he thought long buried.

When a notorious pirate kidnaps Samantha, her uncle hires Christian to track her down. Little does he know, the woman he’s chasing and the woman he’s rescuing are one and the same. Bound together by danger and deception, they must work together to take down the most ruthless man on the seas. But as treacherous waters and buried secrets close in, their greatest peril may be the desire neither can resist.

When the truth comes to light, Christian will have to choose between duty and desire—and Samantha must decide if her dreams are worth risking the hangman’s noose.

Tropes you'll Enemies to loversGender-bent pirate romanceStrong female heroinePassion vs dutyIndependent womanForbidden loveSecret identityOpposites attractHigh seas adventureKidnappingCat and mouseRescue RomanceReluctant lover

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Secrets of the Seas
Book 1 - Waves of Desire
Book 2 - Seas of Seduction
Book 3 - Tides of Passion

Genres: Historical Romance, Ebooks, Romance, Pirates

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2026

About the author

Lauren Everly first discovered her love for historical romance at the age of twelve, when she stumbled upon a hidden box of Johanna Lindsey novels in her mom’s closet—an accidental find that sparked a lifelong passion for dashing heroes and bold heroines. Now living in the heart of Middle Tennessee with her husband and three children, she’s a flight attendant by day and a writer of sinfully delicious stories by night. When she’s not jet setting around the country or putting steamy words to pages, you’ll find her tending an expansive garden, baking something wonderfully sweet, or out exploring the beautiful scenery of TN. Her love for travel, both in real life and through the pages of history, continuously fuels her imagination. For Lauren, the best romances—like the best adventures—are the ones that leave you breathless and longing for more.

Reviews

[jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

My experience with historical fiction and historical romance prior to this read was quite limited, so I went into this book with weird hopes and completely blind. I actually had a negative bias towards it to some extent. This is the book that altered my brain chemistry.

Update: this book quite literally started a new love for the genre for me, but I hadn’t realized how many other historical fiction books I’d already read that I have absolutely adored and loved (I realize that my prior statement was saying that I did not have a lot of experience with the genre and I realized that’s not completely accurate ) so this was a book that really helped me become a more full rounded reader with an understanding of the historical fiction genre as a whole and historical fiction versus mythology and folklore, etc. etc.

(I can usually tell on the first five pages of a book if I'm gonna love it or not and by around 20% and I'm either hate reading or completely swept away and that's for most of my DNF occur .
By 15% and I had:
-subscribed to this imprint's newsletter
-stalked their net galley page and website to see how many books I could possibly get from the imprint that are on Kindle Limited
-immediately downloaded like 5 new series
-I have become obssessed with imprint because they an anti-AI policy in each of their books.)

I genuinely thought that the romcom genre was "dead" to some extent because when I went to look up romcoms, I couldn't find anything 🪦and this book I laughed at least 20 times during, so this is fundamentally changed my idea of what a rom com "is" and how to categorize it and whatnot.

I am now a historical fiction romance addict, and I will need to start a collection. This is altered my brain chemistry.

I know that I've read other good historical fiction and good historical fiction romance books in the past, but this is one of those books that has really stuck with me.

The tropes in this book are the real deal:
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Female rage and rebellion
✨Steamy
✨Legacy
✨Secrets
✨Trauma

The reason I am focusing this review so much on my prior experience is because I think a lot of other people avoid the genre potentially for the same reasons (I know I can't be the only one that is in this mentality so I'm hoping that other people will be convinced to give this genre try) But I also am really heavily trying to avoid giving spoilers away while also trying to share why I love this book so much.

It is really difficult to say anything about this book without spoiling it because there's so much happens and because the events compound on top of each other.

Just know that it's an amazing pirate book and it is told from dual POV and there's comedy and adventure and action and sadness and humor all wrapped into this art piece.

Thank you for this ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

——————————-

Continued review with spoilers

In this book, we have Samantha, a pirate with red hair who works for a shipping company under her uncle (that that's really just a front for being pirates).


Because pirates are people that steal things the government doesn't love that and we have a lieutenant that sees Samantha's ship while she’s sailing one day and asks them for an inspection (like a customs inspection just like a regular inspection), but Samantha doesn't want to do an inspection and she's a little hotheaded because she's young and she's got this thirst for battle and she has this anger within her in this spite. she decides that she doesn't want to comply with the law and she goes and attacks his ship so much so that they end up winning the battle - however, there is a trickle down effect because you can't just go after the government and expect them to not come back in full force. The thing is tge lieutenant and Samantha have the hots for each other.

The lieutenant comes back in full force, and the next pirate he finds is ordered for the noose, which makes Samantha feel really guilty because she didn't mean to escalate the fight between the government and Pirates (like she didn't think about that ripple effect and now she's realizing that maybe she should've just complied and let an inspection occur but what's in the past is in the past and she can't really do anything about that now).

The issue is that her uncle who owns the ship and hired her is not super happy with the fact that she didn't comply with the inspection and that now he has to deal with even tighter regulations on his front, and so he grounds her, just like a child and she ends up painting a tornado in the garden because she's pissed.

Here's the issue - we have an actual villain pirate that's mean and angry and he's doing bad things like really bad things for sport.

Because Samantha was wearing a mask to hide her identity when she took over the lieutenant ship and denied customs and pissed her uncle off when she takes off her mask, Everyone knows that she is Samantha who is associated with her uncle (however with a pirate mask on she's a pirate with red hair.) The lieutenants only aware of her and only knows her with this mask identity as a pirate. He is not aware that Henry's daughter is Samantha. Because Henry does own a legitimate business and it happens to be a front, there are social gatherings that Henry needs to upkeep and go and attend to keep his image and Samantha is expected to attend to these balls too because if they aren't socially putting themselves out there Samantha's never gonna find a husband and that's so important. Samantha doesn't like any of the men and she just kinda wants to be at sea.
Which is why she's so pissed that her uncle told her that she can't command a ship right now because she is too antsy and wants to fight really bad so she just paints tornadoes and doesn't feel very good and she decides after talking to Lieutenant (because he came over to uncle Henry's house), they neighbors by the way, yeah. They all run in the same social circle.

Let me explain

So literally, Samantha is the niece of Henry. He owns the shipping container business, but he's actually a pirate so it's a front. To society he is a successful business owner with a large fleet. In public, he is known as a rich man who owns the shipping container business shipping business so of course he knows this lieutenant and of course I live in the same neighborhood because it's a wealthy area so it makes sense in this world for them to be neighbors they even attend the same social events so it's happenstance that he comes to uncle Henry. Unfortunately, at the event, he was also kind of trying to do something to uncle Henry, but he ran into Samantha and this is the first time that he's realizing that there might be a connection, but he completely doubt himself and they like see each other for the first time at this point, so they kind of have an understanding of who they are and They avoid each other heavily they don't like each other other

Lieutenants kind of at a loss and is wondering what to do because for just ruthlessly killing people for sport and so Henry's like if you need my flea and that would help like I'm down to help you and so yeah because Lieutenant just doesn't really have his stuff his ducks in line he doesn't have the budget. He knows that Henry has bigger resources than he does so he goes to Henry for help and Henry is like yeah we could help you.

Samantha is obviously aware of everything because she was wearing the mask but lieutenant Thompson does not know that Samantha is the pirate that overtook his ship last week and it caused this whole ripple effect of him hanging someone and then everything just like going to hell in a handbasket.

So Samantha is just huffing puffing not having a good time. She's up in her room because she's grounded. She's said hi to Thompson and like doesn't really wanna talk to him. She wants to paint her tornado in the garden OK so anyways she's relaxing in her bed and then she's like you know what I don't wanna be here so she Climbs out the window and hops like down the tree because she has good balance and she starts to walk around the garden, and then someone knocks her out and kidnaps her. We find out that this is thorn who has kidnapped her and is basically trying to get something from her.

So she literally gets kidnapped is in this cell and then all of a sudden she hears the ship coming and she's like oh no they're gonna die because first of all I'm stuck in like this really scary pirates cell and like there's no way like the ship that's coming just gonna die so she's like crying because her entire body is vibrating from these cannons. She's like I don't feel like this is a good time for me.

It turns out that it was Lieutenants ship that they were sinking and he's totally fine so they just like plop them in the same cell together, which is super steamy because they actually like like each other.
Basically it gets real steamy because they like don't want to like each other but they have to work together and they're just like undeniably very attracted to each other so oops and (also he already took her V card so like might as well right OK ) and he really want someone who loves to see and like most women just don't and so they're literally a match made in heaven, but because she's a pirate and he's basically a cop they're literally enemies to lovers like that that's not gonna work.

And this is also around the time when Griff, which is the original captain of the ship that Samantha like runs, but Samantha is like earning her rank. She's getting old enough to like Captain ship herself without Henry there and so Griff is like her Bestie, but Griff also supposed to be a babysitter to some time because he's supposed to watch things and make sure she doesn't like dying and stuff so he comes to rescue whoever because of course he does he just like always has this like six sense of like what's going on and he just looks like Griff will be there and like you just always know that it's gonna be OK cause Griff exist and he's gonna be fine. He just knows what's happening.

Griff goes and rescues Samantha and Samantha doesn't have her mask on obviously but this meeting of Griff calling Samantha Captain makes Lieutenant Thompson realize oh my God I literally took the virginity of the pirate who sunk my ship last week and it happens to be the daughter of the shipping container CEO like absolutely not his head is spinning. He's having a moment he's not doing well and he's having this moment. Griff is like we're leaving his ass behind because we don't have enough space and timeframe and also like he attacked us he's a cop we're not taking him and Samantha, but he's hot and he's kind of on our side. We should try to take him and he's innocent and like we're not taking him.

So she has to listen to Griff and they don't take Lieutenant Thompson. She's like super convinced that captain Thorne has definitely killed Thompson. He was just like no way that he's been allowed to survive.


Samantha goes back to save him.


So anyways, Thompson walked back up in the seller and Samantha is like OK so we're just gonna like go and go back to the spot and Griff's like I saved your ass. We're not gonna go back for Lieutenant Thompson because he think shit remember that like we're not doing that he's a cop and Samantha's like again we're gonna go back and it's not just for him. I'm like 100% sure .


The reason that there's all this drama is because there's a half of a map that people want for a treasuee but you can't find the treasure without the other half so one of them used to get the map and they all both hate each other and the thing is she's pretty sure her parents literally died by the hands of this crazy captain trying to get this treasure. she's like I need to get this treasure and Griff is like we're not doing that that's stupid. I just rescued you and she's like we're getting the map….

She's fully convinced that her sexy man is going to be dead and she's like I don't know but we're gonna try to do this and I'm not giving up. I'm not taking the safe route like we could literally have our shift just like sunk on the way back there like I'm taking risks and I'm tired of being told what to do so grip is like fine like you're an idiot but whatever I love you we're gonna do this. I'm on your side

That’s about 60% into the book and includes as few spoilers as possible. Obsessed!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read

I really enjoyed this. I love historical fiction, throw in pirates and I’m all in.
This was fast paced, and fun to read.

Kidnapping
Lady Pirate
Found family
Sword fights
Treasure hunt

A wicked good time.

[Brooklyn L. Wolves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and its characters, I thought the story was beautifully written and the character development was amazing in the book. I loved every part of this book from start to finish.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating - 3.75 ★
length - 346 pages
genre - Pirate Romantasy

There were a lot of things I loved about this book and some things I didn't vibe with. Let's talk about the things I loved first.

- The scenery: Whether it was on land or on the sea, the way the author took me into the scene with just her writing was amazing. I felt like I was on the ship with Christian and Samantha and I could clearly see what the author was writing about.
- The action: There was a lot more action and fighting then I originally thought and I, for one, loved it! There was always the suspense of what was going to happen next or who was going to pop out and chase down the ship. PLUS the treasure hunt was such a fun way to tie in everything at the end.
- The plot: I felt that the whole basis of why both Christian and Samantha wanted to be on the sea and the backstory to how they both got to where they are today made sense and was well done. I did guess what was going to happen at the end but I didn't care about that because I was having so much fun.

Something I didn't love:

- The romance: I felt like there was no real angst or tension between Samantha and Christian. For me, most of their relationship felt rushed and didn't have the emotional connection I wanted them to have. It felt like most of their attraction was purely physical. I also felt like some of their intimate scenes came at awkward times in the book, especially the "duel" scene.

[Anna Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a fun read! It felt like I was thrown into movies of my teenage years like Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride and Prejudice! I don't often read historical romance, and this opened my eyes to what I'm missing!

I loved the main characters and the fact that they were flawed. I loved how they pushed each other. Their first few interactions were so great and their journey was a great one to read.

If you like pirates and romance, you should check this book out! Thank you to netgalley and the author for letting me read this ARC!

[Stella Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the pirates setting!! So much action with some romance. It’s just the perfect flow. Never got bored of this book and finished it in 2 days!

[Petula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an action packed historical romance. We have a fiery heroine with a secret life and a hero who is determined to catch all the pirates in the area. They both have some huge surprises coming.
It's a story that grabbed me from the first page to the last. I particularly loved the heroine she's so brave.
It does get a bit steamy and there are some great fight scenes.
I loved it.

[Kleio · Rating 2 out of 5]

There aren't enough books about pirates with xx chromosomes so I was very excited to read this.

The author clearly knows her way around a ship and is skilled enough to bring us there. Even though I know less than nothing about various parts of a rig, the world she created felt real and vibrant.

Samantha is a young woman whose parents were killed by pirates. She's under the care of her uncle, who runs a not totally above board shipping company. While being given a 'trial run' at captaining a ship, they run across an emissary from the US Navy, known for capturing pirates and showing no mercy (his parents were also supposedly killed by pirates, which seems to be a common cause of death in the 19th century).

He's ready to haul them all back to shore to meet the hangman's noose. But Samantha, partially disguised by a leather eye mask, proposes that they duel. If she wins, he lets them go with immunity. If he wins, well, things get very interesting from there.

I loved the premise of this book, I think the author is talented and could benefit from a more cruel editor. There are two issues I have with the book:

1. The MMC suffers from the same problem as Lois Lane and it kind of ruined my suspension of disbelief. How can you not recognize someone with a distinctive hair color and voice that you've already kissed?

2. The book takes place during the time of America's original sin of slavery and the way it interacts with the plot feels...inadequate for 2025. Samantha goes to a ball at a plantation and remarks that it's horrible the hosts enslave people, but at least her uncle doesn't. Then she continues on to enjoy the ball made possible by the labor of enslaved people. Maybe this is the way a white person in this society might have felt at the time- mildly disapproving but not going to change their social behavior. And I know many older HRs are unreadable bc of their casual racism and objectification of groups of people. But if you're a writer in the 21st century and choose to set your book in the antebellum south, there's a level of responsibility to engage with the issue of chattel slavery in a deliberate and meaningful way.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC!

[Chelse Rambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just… wow.

I finally jumped back into historical romance, and it did not disappoint. I went pretty hard in the genre after the Bridgerton show, devouring Regency romances, and after a dozen or two, my senses felt dulled as many plots began to blur together. I then moved on to sports romance, which was fun and often spicy, but the storylines felt mundane and never quite enough. My tastes shifted to fantasy, but that fascination fizzled out earlier this year. I’ve been searching for book paradise ever since.

Picking up this pirate-themed romance was exactly what I needed to reignite that spark and chase the high I’ve been craving in my reading journey. Lauren Everly’s writing was mesmerizing from the first page to the final chapter. If you crave adventure, captivating settings, and novels that aren’t padded just for the sake of word count, this is the book.

I was completely absorbed by the beautifully executed characters. FMC Samantha was the perfect blend of fierce passion and cheeky attitude. Strong yet soft where it matters. She finds herself in over her head as she attempts to prove her worth on the water. MMC Lieutenant Christian Thompson is perfectly duty-bound yet tempted by the FMC at every turn of the ship’s wheel. And if looks could kill... I am practically deceased. Everly created a masterpiece.

The plot was fast-paced yet easy to follow. I loved the idea of Thompson hunting down a lady pirate, unaware that he had already made her acquaintance. The antagonist, Captain Thorne, had me up past my bedtime. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I can promise this book will delight all your senses and indulge fantasies you didn’t even know you had.

I highly recommend this for any reader looking for a fresh, immersive experience full of high seas, fiery passion, and a plot that keeps you in the deep end.

[Noni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid debut novel from the author. Really fun adventure story. The plot was very easy to follow and also quite funny. I really like the secondary characters and their relationship with Samantha, especially her and her first mate. You could tell these men cared about her but also still were held back by their desire to keep her safe, and it was good to see how that relationship grew with the story. Have to say I'm not a big fan of Christian, I found his development really didn't kick in until the last 20 pages. Before that, he was always very rude to Samantha before even knowing who she was, so he had no reason to do so. Although he was attracted to her because she was this very exciting and dangerous woman, it felt like he was more interested in 'saving her' and making her into a kept woman rather than who she was. He eventually comes around and realises she needs sailing, but it happens so close to the end that it wasn't enough for me to come around on him.

I did like Samantha. She was a typical girl who doesn't like dresses and wants to do more but she actually goes out and makes it happen for herself rather than moaning about it; and I'm someone who doesn't think a woman should be burned at the stake for the crime of not liking dresses. It was great to see the entire plot was almost all led by her and her choices she wasn't just following someone else's lead or being told what to do. The few times she is She always actively tries to go against them and make her own way.

Overall, I think this was a good debut novel, and I am interested in seeing what the author does next. Because I really liked the Pirate setting and the adventure the characters went on. The writing and humour were solid, so if you want a nice quick romantic adventure, I'd recommend this.

[Livy Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is my privilege to be an early reader of WAVES OF DESIRE. And when I say privilege I MEAN IT. This book captivated me from the first paragraph. No heroine has ever resonated or intrigued me as quickly as Samantha. I want to be her. I want to be her friend. She’s smart and scrappy and sexy. I adored seeing the world Everly created through Samantha’s clever eyes. I didn’t know I needed a lady pirate and now I need a million more stories of Samantha and Christian please and thanks.

And speaking of Christian: I immediately assumed no hero could ever be good enough or match Samantha’s energy and gravitas. But Christian is just a smoldering hunk who radiates charisma (and yeah I’ll say it-BDE!!!) I think about the 🌊 scene every day. Twice a day. Multiple times, even.

The plotting? Tight. Compelling. Everly is singularly gifted and at never ever letting off the gas. She reminded me of why historicals are the most epic genre. Twist after twist and top tier drama and suspense.

And talk about a mastery of setting and evoking a sense of place. I was consumed by saltwater air, the rock of a boat, the noise on deck, the bustle of the city. If you actually want to be immersed, you’ve come to the right place. I forgot I owned a phone for the duration of reading. Nothing was pulling me away from the high seas!!

Have I gushed enough? I could go longer (Christian and Samantha sure did 😉) GET THIS BOOK. Preorder!! Regular order!! You will be so glad you did.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waves of Desire was a fun and swoony read with plenty of adventure on the high seas. I really enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Samantha and Lieutenant Christian. Samantha is a likeable, sassy heroine, and her bold personality really adds spark to the story. Their tension and chemistry kept the romance lively, and the mix of danger, deception, and adventure made it hard to put down. The pirate setting is vivid and thrilling, which I loved.

The characters are strong in their own ways, and I appreciated seeing Samantha carve out her place in her family’s pirate legacy. That said, a few plot twists felt a bit predictable, and some secondary characters could have been more developed. A bit more detail on the pirate world would have made the setting feel even richer.

Overall, this was an entertaining and romantic adventure. I'll definitely check out more stories from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the review copy. My opinions are my own!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seafaring, pirates and the first book of a new series. I don't get to read many seafaring books in this genre so when one comes along I grab it! Very well done! Fully immersed into the plot and the characters! Well paced and richly written. Can't wait for the next one. Hopefully with a bit more relationship angst.

[Wendy Rambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not disappoint!

This was a new genre for me but a friend recommended and I couldn’t put it down! Fun, action packed and a bit spicy too. I loved how much the story came to life on the pages and it felt like I was there; whether on the ship, in the sword fight or searching for treasure. Happy to see this is a trilogy. Can’t wait to read book 2.