Bloody Black: A Pirate Dark Fantasy Romance

Taylor Trebotte

Couldn't put this one down!

"Bloody Black was an emotional and captivating story of betrayal, love and found family with a heavy dose of female rage! Rhiannon Hargadon flips the script on the classic tale of Blackbeard. Readers are given Anne, a female anti-hero FMC who begins her life as a princess before turning into one of the most feared pirates on the sea after she's betrayed and left for dead. She then makes it her life mission to hunt down and seek vengeance on every man that betrayed her. Along the way, she captures an enemy officer who stirs up feelings she thought long since buried and makes her want to trust someone again. What follows is nothing short of chaos and revelations, with an ending that will leave you questioning what you just read. I love that we have a main female character that is different from many of the other FMC's out there right now. Her growth throughout the book, specifically the way that she worked through her trauma, was done tastefully and respectfully in my opinion. The author didn't shy away from some of the more difficult aspects of dealing with trauma, which I appreciated as it made Anne a more relatable character. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters. It was obvious that the crew cared for each other and would protect each other with their life if needed. The found family aspect also really gave this book some heartwarming moments in between the moments of pain and chaos. This is one story that you need to read the trigger warning before diving into it though, as this is a dark romance and deals with some pretty heavy and sensitive topics. If you are okay with these, then I would highly recommend this book! I absolutely loved this story, and it was definitely one that stayed in my mind long after I read the final page. ["

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January 29, 2026 Verified Purchase

C.Peter Albertson

Pirate dark fantasy with vengeance, politics, and a romance!

"Bloody Black was a brutal, addictive pirate dark fantasy with vengeance, politics, and a romance that surprised me in the best way. This is not a lighthearted pirate adventure, it’s bloody, emotional, and full of rage-fueled ambition. Anne was such a compelling FMC. She begins as a reckless princess who thinks the world belongs to her, only to be shattered by betrayal on her wedding night. What follows is a fierce transformation into Blackbeard, a feared pirate captain determined to reclaim everything stolen from her. Watching Anne balance her thirst for revenge with the remnants of who she used to be made her feel layered and real. Robb Maynard was an excellent counterpart to her chaos. He’s calm, intelligent, and never intimidated by Anne’s violence or fury. Their dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the book, captor/captive tension, sharp banter, mistrust, and slow-burning attraction. I especially loved that Robb saw Anne as more than the monster she’d become, even when she refused to believe she could be anything else. The world felt gritty and dangerous, with court politics, betrayals, naval warfare, and dark bargains woven throughout. Anne hunting down the men who wronged her one by one was incredibly satisfying, though some scenes were hard to read because the violence is intense. Overall, this was a strong, immersive read that delivered exactly what I wanted: a ruthless heroine, enemies-to-lovers tension, and revenge on the high seas. Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault (on-page and references), violence, torture, gore, trauma, abuse, and murder. ["

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April 25, 2026 Verified Purchase

Twinmomx2

A Rough Start, But Worth Finishing!

"⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars) Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ I really had high hopes for Bloody Black, especially with all the hype floating around Instagram. Honestly, I almost DNF’d it early on — it includes a very graphic/horrific sexual assault scene, and it was tough to read. Definitely make sure to check the trigger warnings before starting, because that part was rough and gave me major ick (and normally that stuff I can get through without issue, but this was BAD). The FMC also wasn’t very likable in the beginning (maybe intentionally so?), which made it harder to connect at first. But I’m really glad I stuck with it, because the second half completely picked up — the banter was sharp, the interactions were genuinely funny, and sad when appropriate, and I loved all the little Pirates of the Caribbean Easter eggs as well as nods to the lore of Edward Teach and Blackbeard woven in. Such a fun touch! Overall, it ended up being better than I expected after that rocky start. A solid 3.5 stars from me — creative, dark, and surprisingly entertaining once it found its rhythm. #BloodyBlack #RhiannonHargadon ["

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November 13, 2025 Verified Purchase

Mishay

Great story overall

"I want to give this book five stars because the story is such a unique and powerful one. The characters are great, all the side characters add so much to this story and it has some really amazing found family. The reason why I can’t give this five stars is because of the writing, it needed a lot of editing and at times it was just a bit over done with the romance between the MCs though I did still love them. So 5 stars for the plot, 3 stars for the execution = 4 star rating. This book is dark and gritty. The author walks us through the tragic journey of Annie as she is tricked by those she trusted around her only for her to make a deal and come back for vengeance and demand justice as a fearsome pirate under the alias Blackbeard. “𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.” This does have a happy ever after, which was something I found myself questioning at some point, but thankfully it does. Check your content warnings because the dark parts are a little more explicit than most books with this storyline. ["

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April 2, 2026 Verified Purchase

Meagan

What's the cost?

"Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) Spicy: 🌶️🌶️(2/5) ​The Price of Vengeance ​Bloody Black is a gripping adventure that asks a haunting question: can you ever truly "win" against your past? We follow a main character who literally rises from the ashes of trauma, clawing her way toward a victory defined by revenge. But Hargadon doesn't give us a simple, "happily ever after" ending. Instead, she forces us to look at the cost of that victory. Is the protagonist actually victorious, or is she simply still broken and bleeding from the original wounds? ​A Story for All of Us ​Beyond the high-seas action, the emotional core of this book felt incredibly universal. It serves as a stark, beautiful reminder that: ​Healing is our own responsibility: No one can do the internal work for us. ​Gentleness is key: We have to be kind to ourselves in the process. ​You don’t have to go it alone: While the responsibility lies with us, we are allowed—and encouraged—to lean on the people we love. ​History Reimagined ​As a longtime fan of Blackbeard lore, I was thoroughly impressed by how the author handled the historical landscape. She weaves in nods to real facts and historical figures with a deft hand, making the world feel grounded and authentic while still firmly making the story her own. ​Final Verdict ​Though the journey was sometimes painful to witness, it was a "great adventure" in every sense of the word. It’s a raw, gritty, and ultimately thought-provoking take on the pirate genre. If you want a story that offers both historical flair and a deep dive into the human psyche, Bloody Black is a must-read. ["

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February 18, 2026 Verified Purchase