Eline Evans - Author
The Ruby Reaper & The Emerald Eclipse
Ria has always been attracted to all things scandalous, but when her mother banishes her from their mansion in Copenhagen to her father’s sugar plantation on St. John, she’s caught in a world that’s unimaginably cruel. When she learns Cuban pirate captain Ana de Orellana is docked nearby with her ship, the Ruby Reaper, Ria’s intrigued. Not only is the captain a woman—and Ria loves women—but this might be her way to escape her island captivity.
Ria runs away, but Captain de Orellana isn’t about to let a rich girl with no skills onto her ship. When Ria defies her and stows away, Ana reluctantly lets her stay, and Ria determines to convince the captain she’s worth keeping—and that she’s worth kissing. Ana’s daughter, Marín, steals Ria’s heart and the band of outcast sailors become like a family to Ria, but the way through Ana’s tough exterior is a harder path.
Ria is free for the first time in her life and she has finally found a place among people who loves her for who she is, but life as a buccaneer is dangerous, and when they’re double-crossed by another pirate captain, the Ruby Reaper becomes wanted by the Spanish empire. When a slave revolt breaks out on St. John, Ria convinces Ana to help the slaves in their fight, but aiding in the rebellion comes at a high cost.
The Ruby Reaper takes you on an adventure around the Caribbean. It’s a tale of deceit and courage, about standing up for what’s right and finding your place in the world, and it’s the story of an unlikely love between two women.
Defeat is not an option on the Ruby Reaper, and neither is giving up on the captain to whom most of the crew owe their lives. The Spanish warship is hardly gone on the horizon before Ria and her fellow sailors hatch a daring plan to get Ana out of her Havana dungeon. They’ll use their daring, their wit, and bag full of stolen emeralds to win her freedom.
The plan succeeds. Almost—because Ana is given a year to find Carew, the man who betrayed Ana, and redeem herself. If she doesn’t succeed, she’ll be hunted by the Spanish once again. The Ruby Reaper set out on her quest, chasing Carew up the coast of North America, but he proves harder to catch than expected and their hunt takes them across the Atlantic to a world of stuffy morals Ria has no desire to revisit.
Ria and Ana are back together, but Ana’s time in the Spanish dungeon has left scars on her soul, and when the Ruby Reaper ends up in Cadiz on its hunt for Carew, she’s forced to face her demons and her past so she can defeat Carew once and for all.
The Emerald Eclipse takes you from the breezy islands of the Caribbean across the Atlantic to the Old World of 18th-century Europe. It’s a tale of courage and schemes gone wrong and right, of bloody revenge, of stubbornly holding on to the people you love and the place you belong.