Reviews of Captain Mary, Buccaneer

No Quarter Given (May 2001):

"Fans of swashbuckling female pirate fiction, take heart. Here comes "Captain Mary, Buccaneer," a first novel by Jacqueline Church Simonds, to provide a rip-roaring companion to the classic male seafaring adventure.

"Captain Mary is a richly imagined fictional character who arrives on the page with sword upraised and cannon blazing .... Simonds is... extremely clever at creating an historically credible psychological profile of how and why a woman turns pirate.... [T]his is exactly what makes a woman pirate so intriguing, this balancing act between feminine identity, authority and independence.... Despite her trail of impetuous and unfortunate romantic alliances, Mary’s relationship with Petronius gives the story its strongest hook, as they defy God, man and Fate to build themselves a better life. With its explosive finale in the eye of a "devil’s storm," Captain Mary, Buccaneer should satisfy everyone’s craving for two-fisted pirate adventure — male or female."

— Lisa Jensen, No Quarter Given (May 2001)

[The full text of this review can be seen here]

Historical Novels Review (May 2001)

"When most people think of pirates, they think of men, but some women–Anne Bonny and Mary Read, to name two–dared to thwart convention by turning to piracy. Captain Mary is a fictional composite of these two women, and she is just as ruthless and daring.... This is a well-researched tale that paints a harsh and dangerous way of life. At no point does the author glorify or romanticize piracy, a refreshing change from most pirate tales.... Captain Mary, Buccaneer is for those seeking adventure on a rolling ship, the thrill of the chase and sea battles between the hunter and the hunted, or to be pirates in search of treasure."

– Cindy Vallar, Historical Novels Review (May 2001)

[The full text of this review can be seen here]

Huntress’ Book Reviews, a highly respected online review source rated Captain Mary, Buccaneer (ISBN: 0-9679591-7-9, Adult Action-Adventure Fiction, Trade Paperback, 300 pp & map) among their favorite books of 2000.

"This story follows Captain Mary. She is already Captain of her ship, Fury, when the story began. I watched her have affairs, not all of them men, and witnessed her try to keep those she cared for safe from harm. She was hard when she needed to be and though tired of death, did not hesitate at killing when she had to. She killed not only when her life was in danger, but also to show her strength, such as keelhauling a crewmate when he stole booty from the others. I was very pleased with the ending as well, which I will keep mute about. All-in-all, I will highly recommend this book to everyone. This is not a mushy romance book. Neither male nor female audience was targeted. It is one that I believe both sexes will enjoy thoroughly!" -- Détra Fitch
Other Reviewers
From Readaholics.com: "Life is hard for Captain Mary, a pirate aboard the Fury in the 1720s.Trying to earn her crew's respect, doing all she can to invest so that she won't always have to be a pirate, having to live without her little girl - Mary has much on her mind. She also has a number of lovers. There's a lot of swashbuckling in [*Captain Mary, Buccaneer*], some interesting facts about life at sea in those times, and a lot of lust and deception..... I'm not a big pirate fan... but I did enjoy the ending of this story. It was exciting, and I was happy to see that Captain Mary finally got what she wanted." -- Dolly Chase
Reader Reviews
	Claude J Johns, Jr from Fernandina beach, FL (Review on Amazon.com) What a great adventure, for both men and women! An exciting story, filled with high seas rowdiness,even a measure of bawdiness, and never a dull moment. Captain Mary is a carefully researched, skillfully written tale of adventure, lust, romance with changing partners (involving both sexes), bold fighting and and shrewed management of pirate riches. This romantic novel moves at a very fast pace and a reader will not want to close the covers , even for a short break . For me, this is a kind of story I need for total relaxation at intervals of at least once a year. Such fun! As a retired university official and a librarian, most of my reading is for critical reasons, and seldom for pure entertainment. But "Captain Mary" was a wonderfully carefree escape that I immensely enjoyed.
	A reader from USA (Review on Amazon.com) This novel is exciting from the start. It's a fascinating topic and Ms. Simonds kept the action colorful and surprising. I was drawn in to the life of Captain Mary and had to keep those pages turning to find out how she would negotiate or fight her way out of the problems that arose. This is 100% entertaining!