Holy cliffhanger Batman! Wasn't expecting that ending but I had the best time getting there. Some seriously good spice, a literal boatload of feminism and a hero you can't help but love. Highly recommend for anyone who likes witches, pirates, or pirate witches and just wants to have a great time in a new world.

This was a very fun romantasy with pirates that would be perfect for Sea of Ruin fans. While some things weren’t to my taste and I wish there was a cliffhanger warning, I still enjoyed.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh is a steamy, feminist retelling of The Little Mermaid that totally surprised me in the best way. This isn’t the Disney version—it’s darker, bolder, and packed with sharp wit, magical intrigue, and sizzling chemistry.

Margot, the sea witch, is such a standout. She’s powerful, clever, and unapologetically herself—definitely not your typical villain. Prince Alaric is layered too, and their dynamic is full of tension and slow-burning heat. Leigh dives deep into themes like freedom, sacrifice, and identity, all while keeping the romance front and center.

Some of the pacing lagged a bit for me, especially when the story shifted gears from politics to passion, but overall I really enjoyed the ride. If you like fairy tale retellings with teeth (and spice!), I highly recommend this one.

I love Eva Leigh. I love romantasy and pirates and everything that this is. But this felt a little cluttered and was difficult to get into. I love a strong female lead, but Alys was hard to like at times. I appreciate the opportunity to try it out and support her!

Pirate Witches. Witch Pirates. Two of my favorite things smashed together in one book and it was so much fun.

The concept of a crew as a coven? Yes. A captain I don't know if I want to be or be with? Yes please. Seriously, Alys is so cool. Ben was nice too, but I would Do Things for Alys.

I do think there was something slightly awkward about the spicy scenes - too much talking maybe? Also I really wanted more development with the crew - a lot of times they were interchangeable (except Stasia, I want a whole book on Stasia!).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

tldr: Who said witches had to live in the woods waiting for the unwary when they could just take what they want? 4/5

This was definitely a interesting pirate romance for me! I was definitely drawn to this book because of the tropes that were listed, and it just sounded really fun! I was definitely immersed in the first half of the book because the banter was so good, and I liked the chemistry between our characters. There is little to no world-building, which was a bit confusing, but I feel like after a while, you kind of get the gist of what is going on. The enemies-to-lovers trope was definitely my favorite part of the book, and the forced proximity. I also really enjoyed the all-female crew.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Sea Witch is a historical fantasy set in 1720 with pirates, witches, monsters, and the reliable British Navy as villain. Alys Tanner escapes the colonies, where her sister was hanged for witchcraft, and takes a stolen ship to the Caribbean to live as a pirate captain of an all-female crew. In this alternate history, men are trained as mages but women are persecuted for using any magic, and the British Navy enslaves sea monsters as well as humans. When a naval officer pursues Alys and ends up imprisoned on her ship we get forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and a predictable romantic subplot that lacked any real emotional heft. Additionally, the story felt overloaded with creatures, spells, familiars, dream walking, sea monsters, flying, humans transforming into beasts, and more! Sadly this was a miss for me.

I really adored this book and what all it stands for! This is a pirate romantacy book that is full of passion, magic and female empowerment! This story takes us on an exciting adventure at sea! It is an enemies to lovers romance, has mythical creatures in it and includes battles with the British navy. It is bold, daring and full of action! This book was far from boring and kept me engaged throughout the entire time I was reading it. It is well written, thought provoking, fascinating and easy to read!

“The Sea Witch” revolves around the female main character named Alys, who is both a witch and a captain of an all female crew. Even though this is a world where females are not allowed to use their magic, they go against it! As the story unfolds, we see themes of resistance and oppression and the power of magic! This book left me feeling satisfied! I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in reading a pirate romantic fantasy book! I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Eva Leigh and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is expected to be published on August 26, 2025!

I am new to the pirate romantasy universe but this was a great start! The prose is so immersive and I loved all the era-appropriate banter and phrases. There's not a lot of world building in the beginning of the book but there's a lot of setting the scene with introducing characters, the plot and mission and what will be the central conflict. It makes for a slow start but worth it to keep going! There's a great enemies to lovers plot with forced proximity (she keeps him locked in her cabin lol) and love the all-female pirate crew. Be warned, there's a cliffhanger! It's not too bad though.

Read this if you're in the mood for...
- a bad *ss FMC
- pirates
- enemies to lovers
- hunting for treasure
- forced proximity
- banter
- dream-walking

Is a meet hate a thing? His crew is hunting her and all of a sudden she captures him and locks him in her cabin and it's the best thing and a great start to the book. The characters are easy to like and root for and I love the all-female pirate crew dynamic. It feels like a Pirate of the Caribbean vibe with also make them a girl group? It's great.

Here are a few of my favorite things...
- he's tied up in her cabin. period.
- the dream walking! I loved that as a way for them to be connected and learn about each other when things are too hard to say
- the crew! We only got glimpses of them but so many great personalities and banter

Overall I enjoyed and would recommend!

In a place where women are not allowed to have magic or powers, Alys Tanner must fight for survival. With the unexpected passing of her husband, and murder of her sister, she realizes she needs to leave her village or else be hunted as a witch. She escapes by stealing a ship, crewed entirely by women from her village with magic.

With a world filled with pirates, monsters, and the raging sea, I was fully drawn into this new fantasy world. A beautiful and sexy romance emerges from capture, and opens even more truths to the surface.

And that ending?!? Very strong start to a new series, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead for our favorite female pirate witches.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

An all-female witchy pirate crew on the Caribbean high seas? Yes, please! This book was an amazingly fun, hot, and suspenseful adventure. This will be a summer blockbuster!

Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!