If I were to rate this entirely on pirate vibes, it would be a knock-out. Brooding, emotionally scarred pirate falls for the daughter of a merchant sailor (who also happens to be an incredible navigator, renowned mapmaper, and knife-strapped hellion). We have multiple bloody and detailed ship battles, stories of revenge and honor, quirky side characters and even a teeth-achingly-sweet-and-simple secondary love story. We have SEX IN THE RIGGING. I repeat, SEX IN THE RIGGING. This is hot and adventurous and the narration by Roger Clark had exactly the bravado I wanted from the story. 

That said, this was published in 1996 and there won't be a point in the story where you don't feel it. For those who don't typically read older historical romances, this is not an entry point - the male main character threatens murder and rape (empty threats as we discover, but threats all the same) multiple times, at one point he attempts to choke her following a dispute (thinking she's a man), and she is described as fighting off his initial kiss. I wasn't surprised by any of this, knowing exactly what I was picking up with a 90s pirate romance, but I note it because it's not for every reader. My most significant concern, actually, is the racist depiction of a Black side character - the caricature is awful, full stop.

If you pick this up, heed the content warnings, and go into it for the pirate vibes and extremely detailed sailing adventures.