Bloody Black by Rhiannon Hargadon

 Bloody Black 

by Rhiannon Hargadon 

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Spice Rating: 🌶🌶

Blurb: 

He stole her throne, she's come back to reclaim it.

Anne was a reckless, arrogant royal who had never tasted defeat. After a brutal betrayal on her wedding night, Anne vanishes from the kingdom she was meant to rule. Years later, she’s returns from the grave—no longer a princess, but a terror of the seas. Known only as Blackbeard, she’s hunting down the men who destroyed her, one by one. Vengeance doesn’t come without a cost. Brutal bargains with a demon collar her, and bind her to a dark promise.

When she captures Lieutenant Robb Maynard—a too-handsome, too-calm officer loyal to her enemy—Anne intends to trade him for leverage. Instead, she finds herself locked in a dangerous game of secrets and seduction, where the greatest threat isn’t a blade—but the way he looks at her.

Like she’s still a woman worth loving.

And while she knows better than to believe in anything but pain... Anne must decide if life is worth the risk—or if trusting the wrong man will cost her everything she has built.

A full list of trigger warnings can be found on the author's website. Your mental health is important; read at your own risk.

My Review:

I have been eyeing Bloody Black since the day it was released. Between the stunning cover and all the gorgeous unboxing photos, I just knew this story was going to be something special. What I didn’t expect was how deeply it would sink its claws into me. I never thought pirate romantasy would be my genre, but after finally picking up the first book a couple of months ago, there was no turning back. I was hooked, completely and irrevocably.

This story is soaked in rage and revenge, the kind that lives under your skin and refuses to be ignored. It explores a level of anger that many people don’t understand, but I did. That absolute, bone-deep need for justice, or vengeance, feels painfully real here. Throughout the book, you’re constantly wrestling with impossible questions: Is revenge worth everything you’ve gained in this new life? Is it worth the love, the family, the safety you’ve finally found? And the hardest question of all, can you truly set aside the hatred that has been festering inside you for years for the people you love? Baby, that is one of the hardest things a person can do.

I consumed this story in one night. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t pause, I just kept going until the very end. I was completely exhausted afterward, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The emotional pull was too strong, the stakes too high. I was constantly questioning alongside the characters: Was revenge really worth it?

The audiobook narration deserves special praise because it brought this entire story to life in the most incredible way. The narrators did an amazing job capturing every ounce of pain, fury, longing, and vulnerability. The FMC’s anger felt visceral, her heartbreak raw, and her growth deeply earned. The pirate atmosphere, the tension, the quieter emotional moments, all of it was elevated by the performances. You don’t just hear the story; you feel it. The narration added depth and intensity that made the emotional moments hit even harder and the action scenes feel cinematic.

There is so much I could say about how feral this book made me, about the secondhand pain I felt through the FMC, and about the strength it took for her to confront and overcome her trauma, but I don’t want to spoil a single moment for anyone. This is a journey best experienced firsthand.

If you’re looking for an adventure filled with pain, healing, understanding, and unapologetic female rage, led by a fierce female pirate crew, and especially if you love an audiobook that fully immerses you in the story, Bloody Black is absolutely the book for you. 🏴‍☠️🔥