Bloody Black Review

Bloody Black by Rhiannon Hargadon
Published by HRS BOOKS on September 29, 2025
Goodreads

He stole her throne, she's come back to reclaim it.
Bloody Black is grim dark fantasy retelling of BLACKBEARD is perfect for fans of BOOK OF AZRAEL, A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES, and GAME OF THRONES.---Anne was a reckless, arrogant royal who had never tasted defeat. After a brutal betrayal on her wedding night, Anne vanishes from the kingdom she was meant to rule. Years later, she’s returns from the grave—no longer a princess, but a terror of the seas. Known only as Blackbeard, she’s hunting down the men who destroyed her, one by one. Vengeance doesn’t come without a cost. Brutal bargains with a demon collar her, and bind her to a dark promise.
When she captures Lieutenant Robb Maynard—a too-handsome, too-calm officer loyal to her enemy—Anne intends to trade him for leverage. Instead, she finds herself locked in a dangerous game of secrets and seduction, where the greatest threat isn’t a blade—but the way he looks at her.
Like she’s still a woman worth loving.
And while she knows better than to believe in anything but pain... Anne must decide if life is worth the risk—or if trusting the wrong man will cost her everything she has built.
A full list of trigger warnings can be found on the author's website. Your mental health is important; read at your own risk.

 Julie’s Review:

 

Bloody Black: A Pirate Standalone Romantasy:

What happens when you take a Blackbeard the Pirate retelling, pour in all the feminine rage, and a revenge drive burning hotter than the sun – you get this book. It sucked me in immediately, starting with the lovely page of trigger warnings and a reminder to protect your mental health. Knowing what is about to happen makes the beginning of the story even more powerful, as you’re watching this princess fighting to make her own choices, and ultimately making the worst and most costly decision of her life. What unfurls next is a pirate adventure full of savagery and vengeance. But it’s also a romantasy, so as promised on the first page, there is a good ending.

I enjoyed all of the characters, their unique quirks and magic, their drives, and even their betrayals. I liked how the story didn’t hold back – mistakes were made, friends paid the price, and maybe in the end, we realize everyone is driven by their own traumas. The loyalties of found family friendships were beautiful, because how often are others willing to put their own life on the line for someone else’s revent? Princess Anne and Lieutenant Robb’s relationship was definitely a slow burn, but hot from the start. The tension was tensioning, and the spice delivered. But, I did expect more spice levels just based on the artwork shared by the author wink wink. The spice was… tamer than anticipated. The character growth experienced by Anne was significant – starting with hating and being untrusting of everyone, especially men, to finding whom to trust and leaning into her intuition. I’ll admit the flip of loyalties and truth bombs had me for a moment, like it had Anne, but we both recovered.

I enjoyed the ending, after all the fighting and fulfilling of promises and bargains, the way it worked out was much deserved. I also liked that this is a standalone and doesn’t require a multi-book commitment to enjoy a great story. Further, I appreciated the descriptive writing and flowy language. Though, I would have liked more bantery conversation and quotes I could highlight.

Overall, a great read and perfect for a September read – for Talk Like a Pirate Day!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chapter Break Book Blog (Julie & Lynn) (@chapterbreaknet)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chapter Break Book Blog (Julie & Lynn) (@chapterbreaknet)

Subscribe to Chapter Break posts.