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Belles & Bullets #1
The Barefoot Barmaid
Countless wanted posters have been blessed with the roguishly handsome face of Captain Francis Doon. The notorious sky pirate has a reputation for wickedness, and he wouldn't trade it for the world. He's a sharpshooter, a schemer, and his skills with a sword are unparalleled. His people skills, however, leave something to be desired.
Doon's biggest pay day arrives when he finds the runaway Princess Lyneah in a dodgy Lundun pub. Her feet are bare and her hair's chopped off, but he knows he's found the princess. Eager to reap a reward for Lyneah's safe return, he whisks her away on his airship.
But there's one major problem. He's taken the wrong girl. Doon's princess is actually Kitt Lake, a barefoot barmaid from the Lundun slums. And she isn't happy about it.
The Barefoot Barmaid is a swashbuckling adventure with steampunk elements. It is the first book in the Belles & Bullets series.
Doon's biggest pay day arrives when he finds the runaway Princess Lyneah in a dodgy Lundun pub. Her feet are bare and her hair's chopped off, but he knows he's found the princess. Eager to reap a reward for Lyneah's safe return, he whisks her away on his airship.
But there's one major problem. He's taken the wrong girl. Doon's princess is actually Kitt Lake, a barefoot barmaid from the Lundun slums. And she isn't happy about it.
The Barefoot Barmaid is a swashbuckling adventure with steampunk elements. It is the first book in the Belles & Bullets series.
296 pages, ebook
First published May 25, 2017
170 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 14, 2019
Liking the idea of this premise - steampunk/historical romp where sky pirate mistakes barmaid for a princess and captures her for the reward - I snapped up this freebie. Who wouldn't? The blurb is well written and suckered me in... unfortunately I don't think the author actually wrote the blurb, because the book itself? Needs major re-work on the writing front.
I got to the 20% mark and had to give up, found my nose wrinkling in distaste and displeasure too frequently to continue. This story should have been light, whimsical and heavy on the swashbuckling. Instead, the pacing is bad. The opening chapters poorly set up both the characters and the story.
And the characters motivations? At one point the pirate captain actually thinks the barmaid may not be the princess but she's a close enough match to fool the queen.... say what now?
The supporting cast were so broadly stereotyped - the bad stepmother, the pirate with a speech impediment, the perverted pirate crew? There is no way this story is going to go in a direction I can either like or respect (all that talk about boy tits? Ick) And neither lead is cast in a very good light for that matter. Doon is a bit of a prat, and the barmaid is a virgin, destitute, dreaming of escaping her dreary life but there is little about her that comes across as smart, capable or sparked my need to read her story.
More than anything the writing style, and delivery needs major work. Capturing the reader, presenting characters that I want to cheer for and read about should be the author's number one goal. This effort feels rough. Fails right out of the gate to get the set up right. Then lolls about giving us nothing for a few chapters, then wham, he kidnaps her with almost no interaction and at this point the heroine is still very much one dimensional, so as a reader I could care less.
DNF and won't be trying again.
I got to the 20% mark and had to give up, found my nose wrinkling in distaste and displeasure too frequently to continue. This story should have been light, whimsical and heavy on the swashbuckling. Instead, the pacing is bad. The opening chapters poorly set up both the characters and the story.
And the characters motivations? At one point the pirate captain actually thinks the barmaid may not be the princess but she's a close enough match to fool the queen.... say what now?
The supporting cast were so broadly stereotyped - the bad stepmother, the pirate with a speech impediment, the perverted pirate crew? There is no way this story is going to go in a direction I can either like or respect (all that talk about boy tits? Ick) And neither lead is cast in a very good light for that matter. Doon is a bit of a prat, and the barmaid is a virgin, destitute, dreaming of escaping her dreary life but there is little about her that comes across as smart, capable or sparked my need to read her story.
More than anything the writing style, and delivery needs major work. Capturing the reader, presenting characters that I want to cheer for and read about should be the author's number one goal. This effort feels rough. Fails right out of the gate to get the set up right. Then lolls about giving us nothing for a few chapters, then wham, he kidnaps her with almost no interaction and at this point the heroine is still very much one dimensional, so as a reader I could care less.
DNF and won't be trying again.
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July 4, 2018💝FREE on Amazon today (7/4/2018)!💝
September 5, 2018
Bold, daring, but...
not your typical swashbuckling pirate read. Intrigue, adventure, and pirates . Since it is not typical it was quite refreshing. The characters do not follow the formula of a typical rogue, lead character, etc.
not your typical swashbuckling pirate read. Intrigue, adventure, and pirates . Since it is not typical it was quite refreshing. The characters do not follow the formula of a typical rogue, lead character, etc.
January 6, 2019
Such a fun Steampunk pirate adventure! Although, I can NOT believe it ends like that!!!!! Guess I better go get the next book.
September 13, 2021
DNF after 60 pages. Terrible dialogue, one-dimensional characters, no reason to keep reading.
July 25, 2017
The story isn't bad, but the writing is a work in progress
I randomly decided to download this book as part of the Kindle Unlimited library. I finished it and the story wasn't bad, it was kind of entertaining, but the writing itself seems to be but an early draft. I feel like this could have been a phenomenal story if the author had continued to work on it... show, not tell... use a variety of words... basics of good writing, stuff like that. I will probably read the next one.
I randomly decided to download this book as part of the Kindle Unlimited library. I finished it and the story wasn't bad, it was kind of entertaining, but the writing itself seems to be but an early draft. I feel like this could have been a phenomenal story if the author had continued to work on it... show, not tell... use a variety of words... basics of good writing, stuff like that. I will probably read the next one.
January 9, 2023
Excellent work!!!
I loved every single minute of this enchanting book!! I love reading this kind of book!!!! It makes the world go away!!!! I hope I run across another one that will keep me spellbound!!! Can't wait!!
I loved every single minute of this enchanting book!! I love reading this kind of book!!!! It makes the world go away!!!! I hope I run across another one that will keep me spellbound!!! Can't wait!!
May 10, 2020
What an interesting story. It’s not the best, but something just keeps me going.
The general tone is pretty lighthearted, so the banter between Kitt and Doon is quite fun (even when they’re insulting each other). The villains are also quite whimsical and over the top that even they make me laugh (while they’re being deplorable). Tobias, Miles, and Roderick are nice side characters and I’m curious how their roles will develop.
The ending is interesting. While I see how it’s meant to lead into the next books (I’ve just realized this is a trilogy), it doesn’t feel like a true cliffhanger. Actually, if someone were to stop at book one it could just be a cautionary tale of being careful with trust, and that there isn’t always a happy ending. (But I’m assuming there WILL be a happy ending in the last book).
I like that despite being the story of two girls switching places, this book focuses only on Kitt. I actually really like her because she’s so spunky but not bratty. I actually prefer one POV in stories, so was pleasantly surprised that we weren’t switching between the two here. I’m hoping book two will be similar except all Lyneah’s experiences during the same timeline, and book three will be where everything intersects.
We shall see what happens.
The general tone is pretty lighthearted, so the banter between Kitt and Doon is quite fun (even when they’re insulting each other). The villains are also quite whimsical and over the top that even they make me laugh (while they’re being deplorable). Tobias, Miles, and Roderick are nice side characters and I’m curious how their roles will develop.
The ending is interesting. While I see how it’s meant to lead into the next books (I’ve just realized this is a trilogy), it doesn’t feel like a true cliffhanger. Actually, if someone were to stop at book one it could just be a cautionary tale of being careful with trust, and that there isn’t always a happy ending. (But I’m assuming there WILL be a happy ending in the last book).
I like that despite being the story of two girls switching places, this book focuses only on Kitt. I actually really like her because she’s so spunky but not bratty. I actually prefer one POV in stories, so was pleasantly surprised that we weren’t switching between the two here. I’m hoping book two will be similar except all Lyneah’s experiences during the same timeline, and book three will be where everything intersects.
We shall see what happens.
August 17, 2023
I love steampunk and I love pirates especially daring ones like Captain Doon who kidnaps a young barmaid living in the slum areas in Lundin and takes her to court to claim his reward. She is the perfect doppelganger for the missing princess, and though Doon finds out immediately that Kitt is not princess Lyneah, he has no conscience at all and does not feel bad about putting her in such a precarious situation. Poor Kitt is out of her depth in a court setting where the queen her mother is jealous of her, she knows no one, finds out the princess had a lover who was heartbroken when she left him, and is expected to marry Prince Malik who has no wish at all to marry her and is really unpleasant and arrogant. Furthermore Kitt seems to be falling head over heels for Doon who hates people, and cannot handle physical touch at all. He comes from an abusive past which has made him the man he is today, gruff on the outside but kind at heart. I really enjoyed this first book in the series, would love to go on reading into Kitt's and Doon's adventures especially into what I hope will become a great romance up in the sky with the clouds.
March 14, 2020
I love steampunk books. I don't get to read them often enough. I loved this book. It was so entertaining I read it in one day. The story just kept me turning the pages. The characters were very well developed. Some of them were strange. The ending left you hanging. The dog will entertain you and you will want to hold him and cuddle him. Is there a love interest among the main characters? London very poor section of the city in its early days. Royalty at its worse. A method of transportation that you will either love and want to be on it or will thing it is too strange.
July 2, 2017
I wasn't too sure I would like this book since I'm not that familiar with steampunk, but it drew me in quickly.
It's sometimes funny and sometimes dark. I do think it gets more interesting after Kitt reaches the castle, which occurs about a third of the way in.
I definitely don't regret the time I spent with this book and I'll be reading the next one soon!
It's sometimes funny and sometimes dark. I do think it gets more interesting after Kitt reaches the castle, which occurs about a third of the way in.
I definitely don't regret the time I spent with this book and I'll be reading the next one soon!
February 17, 2018
Gripping adventure
Fun adventure story that hooks you in to reading well beyond bedtime. Kitty is a barmaid that is having a horrendous time, but wasn’t expecting this drastic change to be the queen’s stand in daughter and the queen doesn’t seem to realize she isn’t. The twists and turns are unexpected. The action scenes are absorbing. Enjoy a fun read.
Fun adventure story that hooks you in to reading well beyond bedtime. Kitty is a barmaid that is having a horrendous time, but wasn’t expecting this drastic change to be the queen’s stand in daughter and the queen doesn’t seem to realize she isn’t. The twists and turns are unexpected. The action scenes are absorbing. Enjoy a fun read.
June 15, 2023
Read it when I was away since it was free on apple books.
It looked like a fun book with pirates and royalty but idk, I just didn’t like it! I didn’t like the way a bunch was written and the story was just weird to me. It ends with a cliffhanger but I don’t feel the need to read the second book at all.
No offense to anyone who did like it or the writer, everyone has their own opinion!
It looked like a fun book with pirates and royalty but idk, I just didn’t like it! I didn’t like the way a bunch was written and the story was just weird to me. It ends with a cliffhanger but I don’t feel the need to read the second book at all.
No offense to anyone who did like it or the writer, everyone has their own opinion!
March 28, 2020
I stopped reading after a short while. I couldn't like the characters nor understand their motivations. They were too flat and not credible at all.
The blurb seemed really cool, the cover was lovely and it was free on Amazon Kindle so I decided to give it a try. Nope, not my cup of tea.
The blurb seemed really cool, the cover was lovely and it was free on Amazon Kindle so I decided to give it a try. Nope, not my cup of tea.
September 5, 2021
An enjoyable piece of easy light fantasy. The adventures of a poverty struck barmaid who is the doppelganger of a rebellious princess. Book one of a series, which ends at a suitable point but still leaves the reader curious as to what happens next.
June 11, 2017
Really enjoyed this book, it's a fun story with interesting characters. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 26, 2017
Felt like a first draft to me...
January 1, 2019
One of the first steampunk books I have read. It will not be my last. Very well done, good story, good characters. I have never liked cliffhangers, but this one leaves much to the imagination.
January 13, 2019
An interesting first in a series. The ending is not an end as it leaves open several issues with a deep cliff hanger. It is a romance of sorts with some suspense but a lot of foreshadowing.
January 16, 2019
Exciting
Not a love story but love is in the air. Exciting and riveting. From living in poverty to becoming a princess Kate has a lot to deal with.
Not a love story but love is in the air. Exciting and riveting. From living in poverty to becoming a princess Kate has a lot to deal with.
March 31, 2019
Not a normal pirate romance but just a interesting. Set in a more futuristic time with some twist and turns.
Cannot give it a 5 star since it leaves you in a cliffhanger-NOT a stand alone book
Cannot give it a 5 star since it leaves you in a cliffhanger-NOT a stand alone book
November 10, 2019
An episode, not a book.
Not a true Steampunk novel, just set in the Steampunk universe. No improbable machines just an improbable plot.
Given its faults it's an easy read.
Not a true Steampunk novel, just set in the Steampunk universe. No improbable machines just an improbable plot.
Given its faults it's an easy read.
December 11, 2019
Epic steampunk read!!!
Lots of interesting plot twists and unusual characters plus air ships and pirates!!! Who could ask for more? And it's only book 1!
Lots of interesting plot twists and unusual characters plus air ships and pirates!!! Who could ask for more? And it's only book 1!
September 12, 2020
A good steam punk romamce
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well thought out and the plot moves along nicely. The by play between the characters is fun.
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well thought out and the plot moves along nicely. The by play between the characters is fun.
October 3, 2023
Not a bad book but also nothing to write home about. Some modern phrases seemed very out of place, some characters were too one dimensional.
March 13, 2025
I don't normally go for steampunk, but this one really pulled me in. I appreciated the ridiculousness of the plot, and how it didn't take itself too seriously. Finished the whole series, happily.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews