It’s sad, but true. It’s not easy to find a lesbian “adventure fiction” book which successfully transcends the romance genre. Finding a well-constructed tale of plot-rich, twisty-turny, on-the-edge-of-your-seat action with a Sapphic bent is a rare thing. Singular gem that it is, Water Witch: The Deceiver’s Grave is just such a book. Set during the Golden Age of piracy in an alternative universe where the British and Spanish still rule the seas, and magic is a weapon wielded alongside sword and pistol, Water Witch is a love story, but first and foremost, it’s a rollicking tale of swashbuckling, scallywagging and sorcery.


At the heart of the tale is Bess O’Bedlam, a ruthless pirate lord, hell bent upon taking the mother of all prizes: the lost treasure of the legendary ship, Deceiver. In her search for Deceiver's secrets, the fierce Bess happens upon Marguerite De Vries, a lovely and conniving thief who bears a mysterious connection to the lost ship. Detesting each another from the first, each determined to outsmart the other to achieve their own aims and not afraid to use seduction as a weapon, the sexual tension between these two is marvelous to behold. Throw in some kidnapping, an epic treasure hunt, a mystical curse, sea battles, honor duels, mutinies and a smattering of foul sea monsters, and begad! We’ve got ourselves a right proper pirate story here, me hearties.

Focusing on the richly detailed plot and the evolution of the romance between Bess and Marguerite, if the novel falls a bit short on character development, it more than makes up for it in the sheer scope of the storytelling and the masterfully authentic tone of the writing: author Nene Adams must have all but immersed herself in piratical history and 18th century sailing lore to get the lingo and logistics down with such precision and flair. The end result is spectacular, if a bit dense to bite into in the beginning. If you are not terribly familiar with pirate slang, I highly recommend regular consultation of the glossary Adams was kind enough to provide at the end of the book. (Study it well and you are well on your way to impressing the ladies come September and International Talk Like a Pirate Day.)

Water Witch: The Deceiver’s Grave, by Nene Adams
P.D. Publishing Inc., 2007
ISBN: 9781933720203
279 Pages, Paperback
GENRE(S): Lesbian fiction, Fantasy/Adventure, Romance

Reading tomorrow!
In other book news, if you're in the West Hollywood area tomorrow night (Wednesday 5/7), head over to Book Soup at 7 p.m. for Ariel Schrag's reading/slideshow/signing of her new book, POTENTIAL: The High School Comic Chronicles, the second in her acclaimed series of autobiographical graphic novels about her high-school years.

And stay tuned — we're getting ready to launch a special presentation of Chapter 3 of POTENTIAL right here!