Reading Write Now: Enslaved by the Ocean by Bella Jewel with Giveaway

Title: Enslaved By the Ocean (Criminals Of The Ocean #1)

Author: Bella Jewel

Expected Release Date: December 9, 2013

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Hosted by: Love Between the Sheets

Add to Goodreads

Buy the Book

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Synopsis

Indigo is running, she has no other choice. She's done something bad, and there only way to escape it, is to flee her home, and her country. She sets out on a luxury Yacht, to take her to another country with her best friend Eric. But she runs into a problem. The Yacht catches fire. She ends up stranded in the ocean, terrified, and scared of the uncertain. Until they show up. The pirates. Terrified, Indigo and Eric have to face the reality that this might be the end for them. These are pirates, they are the criminals of the ocean. What chance have they got of surviving this nightmare? Then she lays eyes on Hendrix. He's the Captain, he's gorgeous, rugged, and mean. He's planning on keeping her to repay his debt to another man, by selling her. Now Indigo has a crazy ex after her, as well as a pirate she can't seem to get out of her head. Come on this heart wrenching, dark, angsty and dangerous adventure as two people so opposite, find something so beautiful.

Excerpt

“Stand up, this will be easier if you do,” he orders. He stands, taking me with him, and I lose my balance when I accidentally try to lift the wrong foot. Hendrix reaches out, taking my shoulder and goes to take a step forward to steady me, only to realize he’s wrapped the rope around his ankle, and is now tangled too. As if in slow motion, we topple backwards. I scream, and land with a thump on the ground as the ropes surround me. Hendrix lands over me, but manages to put his hand down to stop me taking the force of his body. He’s pressing into me in places he really shouldn’t be. “Fuck,” he curses, tugging his hand to try and untangle it. “How the hell did you get tangled too?” I cry out, squirming. “Stop fuckin’ squirming like that,” he orders, and I stop as soon as I realize why he’s asked me to. He’s hard. My God, he’s hard. “You’re…you’re…” “I’m fuckin’ hard because you’re squirming against me. I’m a man. Get over it.”

Kota's Review

Bella Jewel has given us something we know and love, the old hot alpha biker, only this time it’s on the high seas – with our very own Pirate!! Set in the current day, the modern take on what is an old classic adds a new genre to the market, sort of!

Indigo is a loveable character, she has spunk and sass and an inner strength that is admirable. Her pirate jokes are a little on the bad dad joke side, but make you laugh out loud anyway! Her connection with Hendrix, their banter and testing of boundaries all make the dynamic work.

Hendrix is… Well… He is text book alpha, tough exterior, cut, well defined… you know the type, with a soft centre – all gooey and loveable.

Hendrix and Indigo both have pasts that determine who they are, make them a little bit broken, and bond them together in more ways than one!

The story is a hard and fast read with good steam factor – I mean who doesn’t want to imagine hot sex under a waterfall…. But…

It kills me to say this, because I really love Bella’s work. Her tone, writing style and her character development always appeal to me, but this time there was something missing. The characters are there – they are intriguing and the depth is waiting to be explored. The tone and style are true Bella Jewel… but

The best way I could describe this story was like it was an excerpt of something much bigger and better. The story evolved way to fast for the substance to stick, the instalust/love between Hendrix and Indigo, while it worked and was hot just didn’t add to the potential of this story. Eric as a character (Indigo’s friend) while having a reasonable secondary role, was a character that had minimal actual impact, even though the ideal of his character was integral to some plot changes. The twist towards the end with Indigo – I found hard to believe and the cliffhanger, while setting the scene perfectly for the next instalment was not really a surprise.

I have to say for substance, depth and the potential Bella has created with these characters I was disappointed – however, if you are looking for a quick, flirty and dirty read – grab this baby in a heartbeat!

I have to give this one 3 ½ hearts – its good… but I was left wanting.

Kota's reluctant but honest 3 and a half hearts for this pirate!

About the Author

Bella Jewel is an Aussie girl through and through. She spent her life in Western Australia, growing up in many different areas of the state. She now currently lives in Perth with her husband, children and mass amounts of pets. She's crazy, fun, outgoing and friendly. Writing is her passion, she started at the young age of 18 but finally got the courage up to publish, and her first novel Hell's Knights was released in August 2013.