Hoisted be thy Heart

Piracy for Lovers #2

by Rut S. Díaz

RED SAILS RISE ON THE HORIZON ONCE MORE

Pirates are being hunted more than ever,
truth is being buried beneath commandments, and to touch the sea is still to risk the gallows… but above all, the winds whisper of a new captain aboard The Rebecca—a song that taunts Donna Balboa’s heart.

As rebellion brews, kingdoms close in and fate tightens its grip. Past betrayals and ancient powers collide, forcing Donna Balboa and Calico Pierce to stand at the edge of a world that demands everything from them.

Prophecy. Crown. Flag. Freedom. And heart.

Because not every ballad is written by kings, but by the hands of the divine. Above it all, the gods watch—waiting to see who will be left standing when the tides finally claim their due.

AND WHICH FLAG WILL BE THE LAST TO BE HOISTED

Pirates of the Caribbean meets Once Upon a Broken Heart and One Piece in the second and last installment of the Piracy for Lovers duology, a spellbinding romantic fantasy of adventure, curses, betrayal, and forbidden love on the high seas.

Genres: Pirates, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 9, 2026

About the author

Rut S. Díaz is a spanish art historian and storyteller with a passion for weaving love (a lot of it), art, and adventure into every tale.
Drawing inspiration from the rich textures of history and the sweeping beauty of the sea, her stories brim with heartfelt and creative expression.
When she's not writing, you'll likely find her exploring the mysteries of art, dreaming up new characters, or enjoying the ocean's endless horizon.
Dive into her works and discover stories that celebrate the beauty of human connection and the timeless allure of art.

Reviews

[𐙚 moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

— ARC review

4.5 🌷

“I’ll always sail under that banner of yours, Pink Arrow. You know the saying: Hoisted be thy heart.” “The sea favours the brave.”

I had the chance to read this book as an ARC, and I’m writing this review solely based on how I felt while reading it. So there’s no glazing, no lies, just what I genuinely feel when I think about this book.

I’ve just finished reading, and all I’m left with is love and satisfaction.

I loved book one, and I love book two. They’re the kind of stories that make me happy to be one of those people who love to read. They’re the kind of books I read for.

And yes, they may not be perfect. The writing style or the story may not be for everyone. But for me? They’re everything.

I don’t need perfection when I can easily get lost in a new world and its characters’ journeys. And I don’t want perfection. I just need something that makes me feel. And this book surely did.

I thought I had seen every colour in existence and every shade crafted by man’s hand, but none of them compared to this. If I ever had the honour of painting her, I knew I would fail, because no pigment or mixture of reds and pinks could ever capture the way she always looked just like this.

Donna and Calico are the kind of love story I love, the kind that makes me fall in love with love.
They remind me of Evangeline and Jack in a way. Not because they were written to be copies of them, but because they made me feel the same things.

It was really good to dive in this this world, the mythologic aspect. I genuinely felt a love for the sea, and it almost made me want to be a pirate.

I loved this book, and the points I’m about to mention don’t change that. But I probably would have loved it even more if some of them had been explored a little further.

I would have loved to have more pages about Efren and Jonah, and more about Raaq and Ela. It would have been so much better if their relationship had been developed a little more.

Lilia deserved a bit more too. I felt like she was introduced as a plot twist and then disappeared almost immediately. We should have seen more of her, as well as more of the crew’s reaction to her, especially Jonah’s.

So yeah, these are the things that made me love this book a little less than the first one, even though I absolutely loved reading it.

Just a wish of mine but I needed more of Calico and Donna happy and together. I wanted to see more of them being happy with the crew.

It is said that from the spring of 1736 onwards, the Golden Age of Piracy began to bloom in shades of pink. It is said that on this day, if you go to the nearest shore, let the sea touch your feet, and pay attention to the misty horizon, you might just hear the sound of a dancing crew, a cat and a parrot, and two commanding captains. And it is also said, that if you look closely, you might even see a hoisted flag, shaped a little like a heart.

It was a pleasure to meet all these characters and to discover their journey.

I definitely loved my reading and I will always think about Calico and Donna.


Thank you so much Rut. S. Díaz for this adventure and for allowing me to read this book as an ARC reader 🏴‍☠️💕

I'll definitely follow your writing journey and read whatever you'll give us. Because I know I'll love it.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotional roller coaster I just went through… tears were shed, my heart was shattered and put back together, and somehow this book still managed to be one of the sweetest stories I’ve ever read. I absolutely adore everything about it.

Honestly, the setting of this book is one of my favorites. Give me romanticism, pink, seashells, pirates, and a found family, and I am SOLD. 🩷🐚🏴‍☠️


Calico and Donna… my heart. 💔❤️‍🩹 This book absolutely tore it apart and then lovingly put it back together. I love these two so much.

Donna has such a huge heart. She loves fiercely, and no matter what happens, she always chooses hope, light, and love. Just because you go through hard things doesn’t mean you have to become hard because of them. I think one of the strongest things you can do is come out of something painful still soft, loving, and hopeful and that is exactly what Donna does. 💕

She brings light to everyone around her and loves unconditionally, without strings attached. And when it comes to Calico especially, she sees him for exactly who he is.

Calico is fierce, strong, loyal, and has the biggest heart a pirate could ever have. When I tell you this man had my heart… 😭 The moment he saw Donna, I was ready to cry. The way he was so afraid that he had scared her, how gentle he was with her, and how much he cared about her absolutely broke me. And when he found out she had been hurt and he hadn’t been there to protect her? My HEART. 😭

At his core, Calico is soft, caring, and kind. He would do anything for his crew. He constantly puts others before himself and would lay down his life if it meant the people he loved would be safe. He would take any punishment, endure anything, if it meant protecting them. His capacity for love is one of the most beautiful things about him.

But Calico never truly knew what it felt like to receive love.

The people who were supposed to love him made him feel like a failure. His father constantly measured him against impossible expectations, making him believe he was never good enough. Failure and disappointment followed him like a shadow.

And then Donna came along.

She never looked at him like he was a disappointment. She looked at him like he was valued, treasured, and worthy simply because he was himself not because of what he could offer her or what he could accomplish.

And through her, he finally began to understand what love truly was. 🥹❤️

At the heart of this story are love, hope, found family, and all the beautiful things that make life worth holding onto. I’m so incredibly sad to see this duology come to an end, but at least I know I can revisit these stories as many times as I want.

And trust me… I WILL. 🩷🐚🏴‍☠️

Thank you Rut S. Diaz so much for this ARC copy!

[Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advance Reader Copy Review🫧

First of all, thank you so much to the author for gifting me an ARC e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Now, onto what I have to say (if I can make this book justice🫠) I genuinely don’t know how I’m supposed to put my feelings about this book into words, but I’m going to try.

DITNOL stole my heart, but book 2 completely shattered it and somehow put it back together in the most beautiful way. The emotions in this book are EVERYTHING. The longing, the heartbreak, the love, the betrayals, the tiny moments of hope🫠 it all felt so incredibly raw and real! I laughed, I screamed, I wanted to throw the book across the room, and I definitely cried more than once.

Donna and Calico have such a special place in my heart. Watching their story unfold in this book was painful and beautiful and devastating all at once. Their love feels so deeply earned, especially after everything they’ve been through, and there were moments where I genuinely had to put the book down just to breathe, because … O.M.G! The way these two year for each other is insane. Their quiet moments even when they are not talking to each other but still thinking of one another… the way they touch so softly and respectfully and just BEAUTIFUL. They take my breath away.

And the WORLD. The mythology, the gods, the sea, the secrets slowly coming to light… somehow everything feels bigger in this book while still keeping that same magic that made me fall in love with this story in the first place.

This book made me feel SO much. It broke my heart, gave me hope, broke it again, and then left me staring at the final page like 😭 I NEED MORE OF THEM BEING HAPPY. I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters. I’m not sure I ever will be. For what the author said in the acknowledgments we might have more books in this world? I don’t know but honestly YES PLEASE! I need a book about each member of the crew! Jonah and Efren are my favorites, but Ela and Raaq are just soooooo perfect 🫠 Also, the way Raaq is with fashion WOW. Ugh I love this book so much, everything was perfect. And I loooooved Duke and Ceol with Coco and Meow! Are you kidding? 😭 I love those moments so much!

I don’t know what else to say that this was wrapped up perfectly and I even think the author was brilliant for writing about the darkness and Sephora taking the throne because I feel like a couple of books could be written about that? 👀 Aye? Rut S. Díaz? Pretty please? 👀 I can’t say goodbye to this world yet!

If you loved DITNOL, prepare yourself. This book is going to hurt. And I mean that as the highest compliment possible 🩷🌊

Thank you so much, Rut S. Díaz, for this opportunity and for writing such BEAUTIFUL books. Everything in here is a lesson and I am proud to say that I’ve learned a lot and I am a changed person after this.
Love you forever Donna and Calico, love you forever Pink Arrow of the sea. 🌊🏹🩷

[Halima Ahad · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review: Hoisted Be Thy Heart by @writtenbyruts.diaz 📓

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars

Firstly, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to @writtenbyruts.diaz for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC copy before the book’s official release in early September 🥹 I’m so honoured to have promoted and read your book before the world gets to see it!! 🫂

I cannot express how much I’ve been itching to read Diaz’s sequel and to finish the Piracy for Lovers duology. The cliffhanger the first book left me on was jaw dropping to say the least but with the thrilling twists and turns in the second book, I didn’t know what I was in for (in the best way, of course). I’m so glad the duology came to a beautiful conclusion and Calico and Donna’s story came to a close in the best way possible.

I can’t put into words how beautifully emotional witnessing Donna’s character development was. No one, and I mean no one, writes soft characters like Rut S. Diaz. I loved how Donna’s character had a streak of passion and anger in the second book too, showing that her character is not all as it seems in the best way, and how she uses this fiery passion to ignite her love of The Rebecca and solidifying her identity as The Pink Arrow further. I especially loved how Diaz explored Calico’s vulnerabilities and darknesses in becoming a better Captain for the rest of the crew after the betrayal they all witnessed from him. It was so wonderful to see him returning to himself, with the help of Donna, throughout the story.

The chemistry and tension between Donna and Calico were absolutely *chefs kiss* throughout the story and I loved how both of them were beautifully vulnerable with each other once again and how it helped them grow stronger together despite the betrayals and traumas they witnessed in the previous book. The plot twists were as thrilling as ever but also the emotional development in this book, I really took something uniquely profound from each character of this book and I’ll treasure that so much.

One thing which really stood out to me was Ela’s line to Donna at the beginning of the story, when they spoke about leading for future generations of girls on the land and sea. I can’t explain how emotional that part made me because it made me feel so seen and it gives hope that women are the future, in writing and beyond.

I could yap forever about how much this book and duology means to me but I’ll wrap this up by saying a huge thank you to @writtenbyruts.diaz for writing such a stunning sequel and ending to the Piracy for Lovers duology. I can’t wait for what the world will think of the conclusion of your duology and I hope they’re just as crazy for it as I am 🤍

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for the arc!

Drowned in the name of love was one of my favourite books I’ve ever read and so I was so excited to read this! For me this was the perfect finale with everything and so much more than I could’ve ever wanted from it! It made me feel so much and this will forever be one of my favourite series!

As with book 1 I loved the characters so much and was so happy to be reunited with this crew!! I love that Donna is such a soft hearted, strong fmc and I loved seeing where she’s at now after the events of DITNOL. Calico will forever be one of my favourite mmc’s he’s the perfect balance of humour, gentleness and yearning and as with Donna, he’s written with so much depth and hearing more of his backstory and what they’ve both been through the past year was heartbreaking. The relationship between Donna and Calico is so beautiful and feels so real. They’ve both been through so much and seeing them find so much comfort in one another is so beautiful to see. I love how their romance is filled with so many soft, gentle moments and the two of them will always hold a special place in my heart.

The side characters are amazing too and have such distinct personalities, I loved seeing them all again and the dialogue between them all had me smiling throughout. Their personalities go so well together (including Coco and Meow who are the cutest!!) and I love the found family between them. It’s clear how strong the bonds are between them and how much they care for one another and it makes the book so comforting to read as it feels like being a part of their crew!

The plot was so intriguing and I was hooked from the start! I love that it had the perfect blend of romance, mystery and action and how everything came together. The world building was amazing and I loved seeing all the elements of mythology and learning more about the prophecy revealed throughout. The book has such a magical feel to it which, along with the characters, is one of my favourite elements of the book! As with book 1, I loved the writing style so much, it has such a dreamy feel to it and perfectly captures the feel of the book.

I can’t recommend this series enough or put into words how much I loved it! I’m so excited to reread the full duology and come back again and again to this crew! I’ll definitely be following along for any future releases!

“To see with all worries… to freedom with all heart” 🏴‍☠️💘🌊

[Jess Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved loved loved this book! i’ve been waiting for ages for this one to come out after falling in love with the first one, and so thankful I was able to get the ARC for free before release!

talk about yearning! you’re telling me the whole first book we watch them yearn and yearn for one another… only to realize what the prophecy means? DEVASTATING!!

This book was a great read and really enjoyed the plot and characters! Each character felt so intentional and I just love the found family.

The only reason I didn’t rate it five stars is because I felt a lot of the main plot points or twists were pretty skipped over. I understand the main characters were apart for a year, but didn’t feel that as a reader so much. All the plot happened very quickly and felt brushed over in compared to the romance. That huge plot twist of the ending was only a few pages?

Nevertheless, super satisfying read!

[Annie Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

I loved the first book and was so excited to have received an ARC for this one !

Overall I would rate this between 3-4⭐️. There were a few grammatical errors that I had noticed but wasn’t bothered by too much. The main reason for my rating is that I wish there had been a little more depth to the plot, especially in regards to the “darkness” that they were up against as well as the one random moment with Jonah’s sister.
That being said, the slow burn and yearning was absolutely 🤌🏼🤌🏼 and I am so happy that they got their happy ending. I can’t wait to see more from this author!

[Annabel (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)]

𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ໒꒰ྀི ᴗ͈ . ᴗ͈ ꒱ྀིა
Thank you Rut S. Diaz for the opportunity to review this gorgeous ARC early!

Have heard so many great things about book one (Drowned in the Name of Love) - psssst, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE YEARNING, and can't wait to dive back into the Pirate world again hehe

publication date: 9 Sept 2026

[Carla Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advance Reader Copy Review
thank you so much to the author for gifting me an ARC e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
oh how I missed a good yearning AND FROM BOTH THE MAIN CHARACTERS
not a full 5 stars because i felt it really rushed in the end and i felt like something was missing from the plot, but that’s just my personal feelings