Having reluctantly been taught to become a Siren on the ancient island of Refrainia, virginal, naive Amaranda gets her sexual awakening in the arms of handsome sailor, Eban Gal, whom she saves from drowning.The lovers' attempt to flee the island is thwarted by the Chief Elder, Hermandine, who imprisons Eban and forces Amaranda to seduce the sailors with the other Sirens on Destiny Rock. While Amaranda is attacked, Eban is bewitched and seduced by beautiful Siren, Kalliope. When Eban and the sailors discover the horrors prevalent on the island, they challenge the Elders to change their laws and lifestyle. A treacherous voyage in search of Poseidon is the only solution, so the couple, along with two sailors, set off.A violent encounter with the Teras, a hideous sea-creature, threatens to end Amaranda's life and destroy their ship, and, with no sign of the Sea-God, all their efforts appear to be in vain...

Eban Gal takes his fiancee, Amaranda, to live in his homeland on Westland. Adjusting to a new way of life proves more difficult than she ever imagined. When beautiful Mitzi, an ex-girlfriend of Eban, overhears them speaking about her past, the jealous girl uses the revelation to blackmail Amaranda into leaving her beloved Eban forever. Alone in a strange world, Amaranda gets captured by drug dealer, Taneli Oris, who has been terrifying her with his salacious comments and advances. Taneli has already exposed her secret to the press, and soon the ancient island of Refrainia is in chaos. Mutilated bodies are found and questions are asked. When Mitzi is rushed into the hospital, following a drug overdose, Eban realizes how much danger Amaranda is in and rushes to find her before it's too late. As Taneli forces drugs into her, Amaranda inadvertently sets fire to the boat they are hiding in. Unconscious, with her leg trapped, she has no hope of escape... 

Kalliope misses her life as a Siren and begins to resent all the changes to her beloved homeland, the ancient Island of Refrainia. Disgruntled and bored, she finds herself attracted to the charms of wealthy businessman, Zigor Durango. When her handsome boyfriend, Rechavia, catches them in a compromising position, he humiliates Durango, banishing him from the island. The interloper plots his revenge and arranges to take over Refrainia, ousting the islanders from their home. With his wealth, position, and some surprising contacts Durango appears unstoppable. When Kalliope takes matters into her own hands she ends up stranded on Eastland with two of her friends. With nowhere else to spend the night, their only option lies in Durango's bedroom. As they battle to save the island, Kalliope and Rechavia also battle to save their relationship. But can the beautiful Siren ever be trusted to stay faithful? And will Rechavia's natural dominance bring Kalliope to her knees or scare her away forever? 

Ademia loves Farris and Dr. Jay as much as they love her, though none will admit it. When Farris breaks his promise and both men seemingly abandon her on the mainland with no way to get home, she feels she was wrong about them. Ill and alone, she reluctantly finds herself in the arms of Palben, a man she considered a friend. When it transpires that Palben believes she is a prostitute and aims to make money from her, she realizes her life is in serious danger. Jay is arrested and locked up after his alleged sexual assault on a nurse who is intent on discrediting him and ruining his career and his life. Farris resolves to find Ademia and free the doctor in order to cement his "family" together. But can Farris keep them all together when Ademia is later taken critically ill on Refrainia while he and Dr. Jay are miles away on Eastland, fighting for Jay's future? 

Beautiful Ligia is so in love with handsome sailor, Aitan, that she will do anything for him. Unfortunately this includes hiding many of her feelings and desires from him. While most of the men are on Eastland arranging to have electricity wired to Refrainia, pirates attack the island. The women have to use all their wiles and prowess to save themselves.Although the women manage to capture the pirates, their plans are thwarted when their men are delayed on the mainland and the pirates eventually manage to overpower them. The sailors finally realize that the women shouldn't be coerced into changing and modernising the island, but is it too late? And when Aitan discovers all the secrets Ligia has been keeping from him he is forced to convey a "secret" of his own--his dominance! Can their love survive all their secrets or is their future doomed?

Just when Melantho is beginning to really enjoy life on the island with her beloved sailor, Blandon, she is visited by the evil elder Hermandine. The old lady manages to blackmail Melantho into leaving Refrainia to live a life of drudgery as her servant on the mainland. When Hermandine and Solon mistreat and abuse the poor girl to the extent that she becomes severely ill, Blandon and Dr. Jay discover the secret she has been hiding for the past three years. As Melantho battles with her health and her miserable past, Blandon showers her with love and strength. Eventually it seems that she can face her future by resolving the past, but when Hermandine reveals an ancient law of Refrainia Melantho has to decide whether to sacrifice her past once again, or forgo her future on the island with Blandon.

#BDSM, #Erotica, #Fantasy, #M_M, #Ménage, #Romance

The common man, whether he be a sailor, a slave, or a pirate is the focus of Marcus Rediker’s “Outlaws of the Atlantic”.  Rediker shows how the lowest individual influenced not only the culture of their day, but shaped the world into what it is today.

Through seven essays Rediker looks at how the daily lives of individuals who worked the Atlantic’s waters, both willingly and unwillingly, and how their experiences affected their own time and ours.  The first was the common sailor who informed “men of learning” who only went to the docks about the all the new places opening up to the European mind.  The next was following the career of a individual sailor who left a memoir of his experiences, showing the ups and downs of an average sailor’s life.  The sailor’s response to his life took many forms, some of which was social revolution in various forms.  Other individuals who lived below decks were those who did not want to be there, either convicts or enslaved individuals, who responded to their predicament by trying to escape by either running away or willingly ending their life.

Throughout the book, the term “motley crew” is used by middle- and upper-class individuals throughout the time period of Rediker’s history.  As the author explains, this was term used for a multiethnic crew of individuals.  These motley crews were involved in many “rebellions” or violent protests against what they saw as unjust practices or laws, many of these were connected to the various protests of the late 1760s and early 1770s leading up to the American Revolution.  As Rediker explains, the more well-known Sons of Liberty organizations were formed to present a better image than the low class and mixed crews.

The most informative sections of the book featured the life and public views of pirates.  Rediker details how and why piracy occurred as well as the counterculture it fostered away from the expected one that English foreign and economic policy demanded.  The most surprising element was how the Amistad Rebellion’s public reaction was influenced by the newly “romantic” image of the pirate in popular culture.

Upon finishing “Outlaws of the Atlantic” the reader has a better understanding of how the common man experienced the age of sail, either willingly or unwillingly, and how it still influences our world today.  Rediker’s essays make the reader want to know more about certain events he covered because of his thorough research and writing style, and luckily for Rediker he has written some of the books those readers could be exploring to learn more about sailors, or pirates, or rebel slaves.  I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about how life was for the majority of individuals who call the sea home during the “Age of Sail”.

I think I would have loved this so much more if it was a TV documentary. Sometimes it was just hard to tune into the story at some points because it was kind of boring. The descriptions of the sinking and the aftermath were much more interesting than the descriptions of the passengers and the building of the ship. The title really does suit this story well. Sometimes it felt like the story jumped from person to person to person very quickly and abruptly and I was left wondering who I was reading about.

The exhaustively researched story of one of the most dramatic naval battles of World War II -- the 2.5 hour fight for survival by a handful of small American warships facing some of Japan's most-powerful warships.

The story of the tiny destroyers and destroyer escorts of Taffy 3 isn't as well known as some of WWII's bigger naval battles, and that's a shame. While the American Navy ultimately triumphed, it was only through the sacrifice of some of the Navy's smallest warships. Meanwhile, the admirals involved -- Halsey and Kincaid in particular -- end up looking more than a little self-involved and uncaring.

While Hornfischer manages to include a lot information, he never dwells on the arcana needlessly -- this is first and foremost a story of bravery, loss and survival. There was plenty of all three to go around. A welcome read for anyone interested in WWII military lit.

Wow. Talk about a diaper load. This book is SO absolutely full of C***.