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Reviewed by Chinazo Anozie for Readers' Favorite
A Star to Sail By is an LGBTQ romance novel by Joy Lynn Fielding set in the 1700s that follows the story of Crispin and Billy. Crispin Merrick, a former naval officer, knows exactly what he wants from life: get called back to the navy, work hard, and eventually become captain. Everything he does goes toward achieving this goal of living up to his father’s legacy of bringing honor to his king and country. However, his dream grinds to a halt when the merchant ship he’s on is raided by a pirate ship, the Hermione. As a sailing master, Crispin is unwillingly taken on board the Hermione at the risk of his reputation, life, and dream of becoming a captain. When he meets and gets to know a pirate named Billy, who is charged to watch him, Crispin will find himself re-evaluating everything he once held dear.
A Star to Sail By is a slow burner, with detailed attention given to introducing Billy and Crispin. I really loved this because I got to know how they thought and what made them tick, which made me feel incredibly connected to them. Joy Lynn Fielding gives a lot of nautical information, and I loved this attention to detail. It showed how much research she put into this book since most of the plot occurs while the characters are at sea. I also appreciated the dialogue, which stayed true to the setting and made the story credible. I got incredibly anxious about how Crispin and Billy would reconcile their conflicting ideas and beliefs about their future. I found myself desperately hoping they’d make it, even though the situation seemed hopeless at some point. I loved that Fielding kept me in suspense with this because I really couldn’t guess how they’d end up.
