Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and a Vicious Irish Temper by Ralph E. Jarrells is an adventure book about Anne Bonny, the first female pirate. The author intertwines historical facts and background with a fictional narration from Anne as she tells the story of her life to her granddaughter. Now a 56-year-old, Anne has left the life of piracy behind many years ago. She excels at being the landowner of Goose Creek Plantation, while also supporting financially many of the well-known entities from Charles Town. But the rumors about her past life persists nonetheless, as well as a shade of her fierceness.

Anne is a character with an intense personality, and I do love a strong female lead, so it is no surprise this is one of the aspects of the book I liked the most. In her younger days her temper is so vicious you never know what she’s going to do, and that results in many interesting surprises. While Anne is now a mature woman and wouldn’t repeat many of her past actions, we see her strong nature in the way she handles business successfully. But it is also interesting to note how being a proper lady (in the 1700’s) is important to her, giving her more depth and duality as a character.

The back and forth between past days and present reality, while important to show the beautiful friendship between grandmother and granddaughter as well as give us insights into Anne’s thoughts, slows the pace a little bit. But regardless of that, the great writing will ensures readers are always entertained with Anne’s exploits, and always wanting to know what’s going to happen next.

With quick and engaging writing, surprise moments and a great balance between adventure and emotional moments Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and a Vicious Irish Temper is a riveting historical fiction novel that is perfect for fans of pirates and seagoing adventures.

Pages: 184 | ISBN:1948679647