I had an amazing time with this book! I loved Jose Gaspar as a main character and his development to an anti-hero. I loved the political intrigue, I'm always a sucker for those, I'll be honest. It was action packed, but also had some down times to get to know our characters, the pacing was perfect in my eyes. Had an amazing time.

I normally read fantasy pirate stories, and went into this thinking that was what this was. Instead this is more historical fiction, filled with pirate lore and historical references from Florida. I actually really enjoyed that! Throw in the romance between Josefa and Gaspar and you have an amazing story! This was a great read from start to finish! I highly recommend this and will definitely read more by this author.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A devastating historical romance. I was not prepared for how touching this love story was. When I think of pirates, this is not at all what I had in mind and it was delightful! Shocking twists and turns with a slow-burn romance. What a lovely story!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Whether a real person named Gaspar ever lived and roamed the waters of the Caribbean or not is moot. At the end of January each year, the city of Tampa holds a big pirate festival that is quite the bacchanalia. The waterfront is swarmed by hordes of people dressed up and having a wonderful time.

The book tells the author’s version of the man’s story and it is engaging. A Spanish Admiral who advises the king turns into a pawn for the revenge of a man and a woman who despise him and a king who finds him an easy sucker. Torn from his fiancée and into prison, he loses everything. He does not want to deny his code of honour but in his quest for survival he must become something different to whom he was. He ends up serving a wicked pirate but he overthrows him when his love and her brother finally find him after years of searching.

The book swerves into being a bit of a bodice ripper as the two are finally together as it tells the story of the rest of his life….and beyond. It is an easy reading book that offers entertainment. Four purrs and two paws up.

This book never would have been on my radar if it wasn’t for my coworker. When she told me her friend was writing a book, I had to look it up. I was lucky enough to get a copy from NetGalley and one directly from Stephanie. If I didn’t know this was her debut, I never would’ve believed it.
I surprisingly liked the pirate part of this story. I never thought pirate fantasy would be my thing, but this one definitely worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jose had to do a lot to survive, and yet Josefa stood by his side, even when they couldn’t be together. It was an incredibly slow burn, but worth the wait. It was a great love story.

2 stars

The Legend of Gasparilla is a historical pirate romance that is told as a story within a story, it follows multiple perspectives. This book was a disappointment for me. First off, the chapters were all too short, I would just be getting into whichever perspective we were following, and it would end. Some parts it seemed like it stopped right in the middle of an event; it was pretty frustrating. Secondly, because of all the short chapters, the story really lacked details, description, and action that it really felt almost like reading a textbook at times. I wanted so much more from this book. It really was missing certain aspects that pull me in as a reader, that I become emotionally invested in the story and characters of what happens to the world. I had no connection to the characters and felt very indifferent to what was happening to them, and I really had to push to finish this book. Third, the romance and love were instant, so there was no development or growth of these characters together or while they were apart, and a number of facts were just thrown in that seemed to fill to make it fit. I would not recommend this book.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

The concept of Bridgerton meets Pirates of the Caribbean snared my attention real quick. And it definitely did not disappoint. I was so into this story that I never wanted to put it down. It's such a good read and with the elements that are used within it to bring this story to life were ones I really like. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

This book was a lot better than I had set my expectations on. It felt like we were thrown straight in with action and the two timelines was a really good plot device move the story along. I love anything with good non-stereotypical Hispanic representation so that was another lovely aspect. I just wish the supporting characters were less 2D and more fleshed out. I think it would have been really amazing to understand why the baddies were baddies and what motivated them other than being a baddie.

As someone who lived in the Tampa Bay area for over ten years I was really excited when I saw the title of this book. José Gaspar is a very large part of the culture of Tampa where every year they host parades and other activities that are themed around his tale. No one knows for sure if he actually existed but his influence was felt throughout much of my time in Tampa.

The book, The Legend of Gasparilla by S.T. Fernandez, is a romantic interpretation of the life of José Gaspar and his true love Joséfa. It is described as Bridgerton meets Pirates of the Caribbean, and that is a very fitting description. Overall I liked the book, but I didn’t instantly fall in love with it and I am still struggling to figure out why that happened. The version of José Gaspar in this book is the perfect combination of pirate and gentleman, and his love for Joséfa is everything you want in a romance novel. Yet, something still didn’t click for me.

Things I loved about this book:
The familiarity of the legend of José Gaspar
The yearning between José and Joséfa when they are forced apart
Joséfa’s eventual acceptance that José is a changed man
The way José clings to certain aspects of his morality, especially when it pertains to women
The pacing - great for people like me who say to themselves “just one more chapter”

Things I wasn’t crazy about:
The villains of the story were a bit two dimensional for my taste and I never truly understood their actions
I would have liked to see a bit more of José and Joséfa before he is forced into piracy
I also would have liked to see more of José personal journey and changes over the years that are skipped in the book

In my overall assessment I can honestly say there was a lot I liked about the book. José, Joséfa and their family are all incredibly interesting and likable characters. The chemistry between José and Joséfa is also amazingly well written, and when they are finally able to give into their passion it is so incredibly satisfying.

Ratings:
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

I gave this book 3.5 out 5 stars and would definitely recommend it to any Bridgerton fan. Check it out and as they say in Tampa, “Hoist the sails and fire the cannons!”

A lovely fantasy romance full of pirates, Bridgerton-esque energy, and great fun! Would definitely recommend. Unsure if it’s YA or NA, but feels like upper-YA.

This was an amazing retelling! I really enjoy any pirate tale, and I have never read of an Americas- based pirate so this was especially interesting. This is the tale of the "last" pirate. This was an epic tale spanning decades of love, loss and adventure.

Book was a little slow to start but I held on and it got so good that I could not put it down. Gives off a pirates or the Caribbean feels!