This filled the Pirates of The Caribbean sized hole in my life that I didn't even know I had.

This is for you if you like:
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to Lovers
- The FMC taking the MMC captive this time.
- Interesting Magical System

I love Eva Leigh’s books, so I was eager to delve into her next book, though it is historical romantasy rather than historical fiction. It has witches, pirates, lots of magic, a strong female character, and lots of girl power, plus a romance. I prefer the author’s previous historical romances over this one, but romantasy is where the market is, and this book may appeal to a wider demo. It is less bound by history and offers a more empowered lead.

I think it will be obvious to the readers of the Sea Witch that Eva Leigh comes from the romance world and she is SO GOOD in that world. I thought every time the hero / heroine were on the page together here the book just glowed. And then they try to go on adventures and get into trouble and it's just so much less fun. The concept is so great though... witches on a pirate ship? Yes, please. I just kept getting distracted by the romance and wanting her to spend more time on that.

A really wonderful pirate fantasy! I loved the whole origin story of the Sea Witch. The magic throughout the story was unique and really added to the story well. I also loved all of the historical references! Alys and Ben's love story was absolutely perfect. I really enjoyed this read, one of the more unique fantasy books I've read in a while!

I was incredibly fortunate to receive an eARC of The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh. I CONSUMED this book in roughly 24 hours. The writing was incredibly well done and fully emerged the reader in the setting and overall plot.

The book follows Ms. Alys Tanner, a young woman who escapes her small town in Massachusetts and saves other young woman while she is at it so they are not hung for being woman with magic, witchesThe crew of woman quickly become pirates in the Caribbean in order to live freely. However the British Navy have other plans, male mages using their magic to control mythical sea creatures to destroy all pirate ships and whoever stands in their way. Alys must find the fail safe to free these creatures and she just so happens to have an British sailing navigator captive on her ship after he chased after her in the night.

This book is a must read if you are all for girl power, witches, banter, solving riddles, pirates, historical fiction, and a lover of the forced proximity and enemies to lovers trope. I am eagerly awaiting for book two.

Watching the FMC develop from a downtrodden girl to an utter badass woman and pirate who embraces who she is and uplifts the witches around her is incredible. Her energy is contagious. Sexy navy man Ben Priesltly is on the opposite side of the law, has a vendetta against pirates, and is in relentless pursuit of Captain Alys Tanner. The tables turn and the forced proximity comes into play. The tension and connection between Ben and Alys is undeniable. Ben has his own awakening and the crew has some tough decisions to make to reach their end goal. Ends on a jaw dropping plot twist.
Feminine rage and redemption, forced proximity, opposite ends of the law, enemies to lovers, slow burn romance, witty banter, this book’s got it all! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! 4.5/5 stars can’t wait for book 2 and book 1 isn’t even officially released until August 26, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book. It started off a little slow but the second Ben chased Alys back to the Sea Witch, it picked right up. (Him telling her she rowed them both back to the ship was probably my favorite part btw). It's a solid enemies to lovers troupe, though they were both attracted to each other from the start, they weren't able to trust each other until much later and when they finally did get together, it was so satisfying. It ends on one hell of a cliffhanger and I will absolutely be buying Sea Witch for myself and every book that follows it. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

A group of Witch pirates off to save the day! Sign me up! I initially struggled getting into this with the character changes in chapters going between Alys and Ben, but once I got past that I got so into the story. I really enjoyed the story of Alys and her crew. Alys is this fierce woman who has a role reversal with Ben. Her being more experienced than him in lots of ways was refreshing! I really enjoyed Ben being this naive character in many ways Alys was not. I cannot wait to see where this story goes. I hope to see more back stories for the crew on the Sea Witch and more explanation on how the magic works. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read and review the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a unique twist on pirate romantasy. Welcome to the Caribbean! Yes I totally thought of Jack Sparrow just then. I thought of him frequently throughout this book.

An all female group of witch pirates led by a woman named Alys flee Puritanical New England to escape a death sentence. The British navy won’t give up so easy. They will destroy anything they can’t control. Including witches. After a year at sea, the witches end up capturing Ben, a navigational officer after he finds his way onto their ship. This of course leads to a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance. It was a nice change up seeing Alys as the sexually experienced one teaching Ben instead of the other way around. And he was definitely a fast learner. This was written so well and it does end on a cliffhanger but I’m excited to see how this series will progress.

ARC copy of The Sea Witch.
Expected release is August 26, 2025.

What an adventure this book was! It started of with Hocus Pocus / Salem Trial vibes and then headed into Pirates of the Caribbean and a hint of HP Lovecraft.

I haven’t really read many pirate romance books, but this one has me hooked. Pirate witches…let that sink in. PIRATE WITCHES. Alys is our FMC and it starts off with her and her friends on the run from the people who want to do away with them because they are being accused of being witches. Fun fact: they are. Lol

As the story goes Alys becomes a fearsome ruler of the sea and you can just feel the strong presence of feminism throughout this book. There’s even a Kraken! The banter between Alys and Ben was great and the romance was just the right amount.

All in all if you love pirates, witches, krakens, battles, and feminine rage then this one is for you!

Witches, Pirates, and a Kraken — Oh My!
Wow. Just… wow. This book was everything I didn’t know I needed, a wild, magical ride across the open sea that completely stole my heart. I haven’t read many pirate stories before, but this one turned me into a full-blown fan. And let me tell you: these aren’t your typical pirates. These pirates are witches, powerful, fierce women commanding their own ship, bound by magic, sisterhood, and sheer determination.
🌊 The Plot That Pulled Me Under
From the very first sentence, I was hooked. This story has adventure, romance, tethered mates, powerful magic, and, yes, a kraken. And just when you think it can’t get any better, there’s a quest to recover a magical artifact that could help stop the monstrous sea beasts threatening their world. It’s like every fantasy lover’s dream wrapped in one salty, spellbinding package.
🧙‍♀️ Alys: A Witch to Remember
Our fierce main character, Alys, is a witch on the run, hunted by the very people she once called neighbors. Instead of hiding, she rises. She gathers the outcast witches in her town, steals a pirate ship, and sets sail toward freedom. Along the way, she rescues women from all walks of life, each with their own story, their own scars, and their own fire. Together, they form a legendary crew that the world fears, and for good reason.
Alys isn’t just a leader, she’s a revolution.
⚓ A Crew You Won’t Forget
Every member of her crew is memorable. These women are strong, wild, broken, beautiful, and real. They’re not background noise; they are the heart of the story. Each character brings something special, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them, crying with them, and wishing you could climb aboard.
🌀 Final Thoughts
I didn’t expect to fall so hard for a historical-fantasy pirate book, but this story surprised me in all the best ways. It’s daring, emotional, and empowering. And beneath all the magic and mayhem is a question that lingers long after the last page:
What would you become to escape the fate others chose for you?
If you're looking for an unforgettable adventure filled with magic, danger, sisterhood, and soul-deep courage, this is the book for you.

It took me a while to get into this book (like several attempts over the course of a few weeks), but once I did get into it everything went very fast. I love the idea of an all-female pirate ship with magic! I love that Alys is strong as hell despite what's happened to her, and that she is really a girls girl. The romance was a little slower than I'd have liked, but it still was very well written. Looking forward to the next book!

This book's premise had a lot of promise, unfortunately it failed to deliver on a lot of it. Most of this book was spent meandering its way through the plot. We're introduced to the overarching quest early on, and it takes the entirety of the book to fulfill on it. There's no darkest hour, there's no realization that what they're really looking for won't help them. There is just a series of side quests in between, in which no one ever comes to any harm and their plans are never foiled. They always win against whatever fight they come up against. This all makes the book feel incredibly drawn out and pointless. However, something finally interesting happens 98% of the way through the book, the promise of Ben's mystery eventually comes to the forefront and gives us a complete curveball. I love a plot twist as much as the next person, but there were absolutely no hints or foreshadowing to this transformation. Yes, the monsters come after him throughout the book, but we never see any sign or hint of the coming change in him. It makes it all much less satisfying. Readers like to be able to look back and think "ohhh that all makes sense now." That worked a little bit with that initial dream that the two of them had, but it was so long ago I had entirely forgotten about it. It would have been much more affective if the creature continued to haunt their dreams throughout the novel. That being said, it was interesting enough for me to give this 3 stars instead of 2 and it did make me curious about the sequel.

If you were obsessed with Gina Davis in Cutthroat Island or maybe Xena, Warrior Princess you will enjoy this book.
Feminism, lady pirates, and spice.

Holy Women’s Empowerment, Batman!!! This book is girl power in all the best ways! I’ve been wanting to read a pirate romance for a while, and I’m so glad it was this one. It was action packed throughout the book, and the characters- Captain Tanner particularly- made me want to join the crew of the Sea Witch immediately. And don’t get me started on Ben. Did I expect to meet a golden retriever on the high seas? No. But did I absolutely love it and love his character’s evolution? Definitely. This book was totally worth the longer chapters because I was hooked the whole way. I will 100% be rereading this before the second book comes out!

beyond excited to see this books hit my inbox- this is one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and i will be sure to post my review on all retailers!! 💞

This book was such a good read! Totally different from the more common fae romantasies I've been reading, but pirates and witches? Count me in!

It's a pirate romantasy full of magic, action, slow burn romance and badass witches. Engaging, provoking and so fun to read. It's definitely enemies to lovers and who doesn't love some danger, mythical creatures and hot British navy men?

I'm intrigued and waiting for the next part!

i really wanted to love this book and i pushed myself to read it but sadly i will not be finishing it.

If you love badass, powerful women, stunningly descriptive and period-appropriate writing, stories of pirates and magic, and slow-burn romance, this book is for you.

The writing paints a gorgeous picture of the setting and beautifully demonstrates the various relationships between characters in the story. The adventure and determination of the women gave Throne of Glass vibes, while there were also elements reminiscent of Pirate Romantasy stories and the Salem Witch Trials that all just worked.

The romance was enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn and tense and it was presented in a way that felt authentic to the story. The character growth throughout the book was highly satisfying, as it showcased the struggle between sticking to the beliefs you were taught and accepting that the system is broken and things need to change.

Overall, this was a wonderful story of feminine rage, magic, adventure and absolute revolt against a broken system. While I usually avoid pirate romance (no hate - my experience with the genre has just been stale with redundant retellings and stereotypes), I'm so glad I picked up this book, and I will definitely be continuing the story.

I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This book was exactly what I’ve been craving with a pirate adventure - feminist-forward with an all-female crew of witches. Complete with familiars, sea monsters, and an abundance of morally gray characters. I enjoyed that the novel felt low stakes (until the end). This enabled me to enjoy it for exactly what it was: a treasure hunt with a romance (in this case, the treasure being a failsafe). The female crew is strong, independent, has a strong moral compass, and fights against toxic misogyny every chance they get. The ending is a cliffhanger - and I will say, I didn’t see it coming and it frustrated me immensely. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.