On These Black Sands: A Slow Burn Romantic Fantasy (Aisling Sea Book 1)

More than once, I was caught reading this at work. Not because the book was seen or anything, but because I was laughing out loud to myself in my office like a lunatic and had to explain to my coworkers that pregnancy has NOT made me totally insane–yet. The snark in On These Black Sands is 100% my language and, if it’s even possible, brought out my snarky side even more than usual (my poor husband…pirates and snark in one book). This book is really just wonderful, and if you’ve seen the hype on Bookstagram, it DEFINITELY lives up to it!I am not new to Vanessa Rasanen’s work. In fact, Soldier On, her book that I read and reviewed back in early 2019, is still one of my all-time favorite Contemporary Romances and one that I still readily recommend to my friends. I’ve been patiently waiting for her next release, and though I would’ve loved for the sequel to Soldier On to have been her next book, this pirate fantasy is far from a disappointment. On These Black Sands is vastly different from her other book (obviously) but just like in Soldier On, I found myself drinking in every word penned, holding my breath around every chapter, and yes, falling in love with and rooting for all of her characters. Her romance writing skills are truly unmatched.The storyline of Aoife (ee-fuh) and Declan and their quest for the enchanted dagger is both exciting and dangerous. From the very first chapter, the promise of action is fulfilled and rarely slows down during all 436 pages. We encounter swashbuckling fun, intense action, romance, and of course, a bit of mystery and intrigue. Though I was forced to put the book down a few times because of life (bleh), Aoife and Declan were rarely far from my thoughts and I couldn’t wait to settle back in and return to the pages. Now that it’s over with a cliffhanger ending (GAH!) and without this book even officially released yet, my natural binge addiction is throwing a tantrum at the thought of how long I might go without book two. Just…so many feels. I honestly can’t wait for book two!With On These Black Sands being labeled as “New Adult Fantasy”, I’m sure some readers may be concerned about the content that would classify it as NA instead of YA, so this part of my review is for you! I do believe that On These Black Sands lives up to this classification of NA Fantasy because the characters are older than typical YA characters, and though this book is void of any actual scenes that would have my more intense judgment, there are plenty of inuendoes and action/gore that seemed more graphic than a typical YA fantasy, but nowhere near what I’ve come across in some Adult Fantasy. Romance-wise: there are several heavy flirting scenes that play on passionate attraction, a couple of passionate kissing scenes, and plenty of body admiration and verbal flirting. But, it never goes further than that in this book. There might be some potential for that in the sequential books to come, but this one was without. Language-wise: Some very minor cursing and infrequent at that, never the f-word or anything else like that. Action/Gore-wise: It’s pirates, so I mean, you should expect some blood on your shoes. There are a few detailed fight scenes that give you a pretty good mental image of death, but I never thought any of it was overkill. Overall, the content in this book would not go above a PG-13 rating in my opinion.In complete review, On These Black Sands is absolutely everything I’d hoped it to be coming from an author that I already held in high esteem! I can’t wait to continue Aoife & Declan’s story…even if that means that I must wait a while longer to continue Meg & Charlie’s from Soldier On! It has a glowing, and sparkling, 5 stars from me!I received this book for free from the author but this review is voluntary.

Massive thank you to Vanessa Rasanen and Book of Matches Media for sending me this e-arc! All opinions are my own.So I had been hearing rumblings about On These Black Sands for a while and I was definitely intrigued. And then the fates aligned and I was able to sign up for the ARC tour with Book of Matches Media. I was so excited to be chosen and to get my hands on an early copy of this incredible book.On These Black Sands is a fantasy pirate adventure full of snarky characters, swoon-worthy pirates, and an absolutely fascinating world that I am dying to learn more about. There’s swashbuckling adventures, political intrigue, romance, betrayal, and some truly crazy twists!On These Black Sands is primarily told through two perspectives: Aoife and Declan. Aoife is a naive young woman and former heir whose entire world has just been shattered. Declan is a young pirate captain desperate to prove himself and keep his painful memories at bay. These two characters have a magnetic pull to each other. Their connection was evident from the first time they meet and it only grew with each interaction. On These Black Sands is an excellent slow burn romance. It takes a while and we really only get a taste, but I can’t wait for more of Aoife and Declan. One of my favorite things about their relationship is that there’s an instant attraction and connection, but they don’t act on it. No instant love here! Aoife and Declan spend countless hours just talking and getting to know one another. This builds on their initial connection and creates such a beautiful bond. Some of my favorite scenes were just Aoife and Declan together in the captain’s quarters. I adore their sassy banter!! Plus there’s an “only one bed” trope which is one of my favorites! Not to mention . . . Declan is totally swoon-worthy!There are also a few side characters who I am dying to get to know more. AKA TOMMY! I can’t wait to get more of him (and the rest of the crew) in the next book. There’s also Declan’s sister, Cait, who has a few of her own POV chapters that were super intriguing. I really want to know more about Cait and her rebel group, the rogues. My one complaint about On These Black Sands is that I wanted more. Cait’s chapters and story arc were all very vague. I feel like I still don’t really know what her purpose with the rogues is and who they really are. I’m guessing that this is all coming in the upcoming books.On These Black Sands is definitely a “set-up” book. What I mean by this is that there is a whole lot that is introduced and that I am dying to know more about. There is action, adventure, and more, but there is a lot of world-building and set up for the rest of the series. I was totally captivated by this story and I cannot wait to continue on this adventure with Declan, Aoife, and the crew of the Siren’s Song. There is so much more coming in the rest of the series. I am especially looking forward to more of the fantasy elements (the fae, magic dagger, etc.) coming into play.The ending of On These Black Sands is epic. The twists and cliffhanger are crazy and have me so dang excited for the next book in this series. That cliffhanger is perfect. I don’t know how I am going to wait to find out what happens next. Curse of being an early reader, I guess?Some random things that I loved about On These Black Sands:The colorful and vibrant towns. Vanessa’s writing is so descriptive and vivid. I loved the imagery!The Irish influence!! My last name is McCarthy so I love the Irish inspiration! I will say that I am so grateful that Vanessa included a pronunciation guide.Anxiety and panic attack representation. I love seeing mental health rep in fantasy books. As someone who also struggles with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks, I truly appreciated the way Vanessa depicted Aoife’s anxiety.On These Black Sands is a fantastic book! I was hooked from the very beginning and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! If you love pirates, a good slow burn romance, well written characters, and fascinating world building then you should definitely check out On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen!

I am a real sucker for any pirate book, so obviously I loved reading this. One of my top favorite pirate books is Fable. Fable and this book are basically the same book with a few differences. They both have…- Female MC running away from someone- MC trying to find passage on a pirate ship- MC finding a hot pirate captain and persuades him to let her on the ship- MC has complicated parental relationships- Hot pirate captain has a secret- Captain also has his own mission to accomplishSee? Basically the same book. I still loved it though! Told ya I was a sucker for pirate books. 🤷🏼‍♀️❤️

I absolutely loved this book! It was so good and I cannot wait for the next one!Declan and Tommy are my favorites (#teamdeclan all the way though) and I love the friendship between these two.As for Aoife, I related with her on a lot of levels and felt for her throughout the book. I loved her character growth and can't wait to see how that continues throughout the series.This story is definitely not what I expected (in a good way) and it's refreshing and fun! I'm obsessed with pirates so I knew this book was going to be a favorite.Vanessa, I know this isn't your first book, but it's my first time reading one of yours so I just wanted to say you're a great writer. This is fantastic. I love the characters, the plot, the setting, all of it and I can't wait to read more! (Also, I loved your acknowledgements at the end)

It's been so long since I read a pirate book, and this one ticked so many boxes! While it wasn't quite what I expected, it did provide excellent prose and fantastic characters. It told a complex story with two leads who could not be more opposite and opens up a world that will be filled with extra drama and adventure.Aoife and Declan are fantastic. Aoife is easy to relate to because she is so out of her depth. She is vulnerable and uncertain of herself and doesn't have much to offer by way of sea-ship skills. But this book is about her discovering the truth about her life and who she is as a person. She is layered and fleshed out and I am excited to see where she goes next.Declan is amazing. As morally grey as they come, but with a good heart at his core. He is intelligent and focused, so seeing Aoife upend his life is a true joy. I loved the detail put into him and watching him understand that he can dream for more in his life.The world building is immersive and purposefully vague. The characters act naturally and hints are given to the reader. I still have a lot of questions, but I'm certain the author will clear them up in the next book.ON THESE BLACK SANDS is a bit slower than I expected. If you're looking for epic sea battles and sword fights, they're not really here. However, that doesn't take away from the rest of the book's merits. In fact, if you're looking for a realistic journey as two characters explore their sudden connection and discover themselves, this is the book for you. I loved it and can't wait to see where the next story takes us!

Holy wow I loved this book. Shamelessly I got swept away in the wonderfully complex romance and may or may not also be in love with the Captain. I thoroughly enjoyed learning of the world of the Aisling sea.I feel like the author has taken such a simple idea (pirates) and turned it into a whole new world with suspense, twists and deep, interesting characters. Evdn the Sirens Song boat I loved. I am very keen for book 2.