Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing for the eARC.

I had a hard time getting into this one. A magical stone that prevents aging, and still my interest wasn’t held.

I didn’t really connect to either of the main characters and after a while, I realized I was just skimming to get through the book. And that’s not the way I like to read. Thus, I DNF.

Mae was the daughter of a wealthy ship merchant, until her family loses all their money, her father and brother pass away, and now she’s the governess to the new occupants who bought her family’s house. And somehow she gets tangled up in a treasure hunt that her neighbor (who mysteriously has not aged in thirty years) and some other villain is undertaking at her home. Ethan was a pirate who sailed with Mae’s father until they became enemies once upon a time and he’s trying to reclaim a sapphire that he believes that her father had hidden in his vaults. Ethan and Mae have an instant attraction for each other, though she is definitely wary of him. I’d say this book is a lot more action-adventure than romance, with the treasure hunt and running from danger taking forefront of the story. Still, really enjoyable read.

okay, so I went into this book very excited for some ancient family pirate legacy and lore with a sprinkle of magic, but was a bit disappointed on that front. we have some very brief flashbacks to pirating, and some mentions of family stories, but the focus was truly on the historical aspect. mae is a former-heiress-turned-governess and meets locke, a near 60 year old man in a 30 year old’s body, who grew up with her father and was betrayed by him and now searches for mae’s family fortune to take back what was rightfully his. they’re forced to work together against the creepy villain with zero morals to find the fortune and save each other.

i really like the premise of the book, but i had a hard time with the execution. i was often a bit confused on the actions of main characters as they were not consistent and everything often felt rushed. this book is on the shorter side, but i think i gladly would have read another 100 pages if it added some depth and development to the language and flow of the story, as well as more development for the characters’ relationships. the middle dragged, but the action at the end was solid and i appreciated the tying of loose ends. if the middle of the story had more of a similar type of action woven through it would’ve helped. i really liked mae’s character, and would’ve loved more depth from her, and also would’ve loved more stories about her father from his pirating days and his time with locke.

also, i think there was a huge missed opportunity to expand on the idea of the Silver Order - all we know is they might be magical? they can maybe see the future? they’re rich? and like plants? and i would’ve LOVED for them to be a larger part of the story with more context.

overall, an exciting premise that fell a bit flat for me, but a read nonetheless.

thank you to NetGalley and dragon blade publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Sadly, I just didn't mesh well with this story. I was really looking forward to it given the premise. The romantic aspect of the book wasn't really present at all. I picked it up thinking it would be a pirate romance with some magic elements, but in truth, it was reversed. If someone wants a historical fiction book with some magic and adventure, you will enjoy it.

I thought it would be for me! Pirates, historical romance, magic? Yeah, right up my alley.

Unfortunately, I was bored half to death and confused the rest of the way.

The writing was pretty good, so let's start there. I think if I hadn't been bored by the plot and characters, I probably would have appreciated it more, but I did enjoy the way Leon writes. It was a little clunky at times, but it flowed well enough for me to keep from being jarred, and the dialogue was pretty good. It was mostly the characters themselves that I had a problem with.

For one, the romance didn't make any sense to me. Yeah, sure, I'm known for not being that into the romance aspect of a book, but this one really didn't make any sense. Apparently there had been a spark somewhere, but did I see that spark? No, I did not. It was like one minute they were talking and the next Mae, the main character, was really into the other main character, Locke. Just. Out of nowhere. And then she insists the feeling is mutual, or that it has to be, despite Locke pretty much being a dick the entire time. Sure. Okay. Didn't get that one.

There also wasn't quite as much of the supernatural/magic element that I had been hoping for. The blurb mentioned Pirates of the Caribbean, but that absolutely was not the case. I did not care a lick for Locke's background, and Mae's was pretty glossed over (we barely even see her as her governess position before she's taken away), but there was apparently magic involved on Locke's end and that's why he stopped aging, and that was... kind of it? Not exactly it, but that's the part I feel like it wanted you to focus on. And I couldn't bring myself to care.

I will say it picked up by the end, but my lord. Did it take forever to get there. This wasn't for me nearly as much as I had hoped it would be.

(Also, before I end this, a certain character pops up out of NOWHERE during Mae and Locke's travels. How did they get there?! Why are they there?! Literally, what was that?)

Okay, anyway. I don't even know what else to say other than BIG disappointment. But two stars for the last, like, 15%!

Suspense, action, and a sweet romance.

The Sapphire Heiress was like a high-speed train leaving the station. It starts off with a pull into he characters, story, and energy and once the steam builds, it becomes fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed Mae Blackthorne the governess and former lady. I loved her quiet strength and pride in her family, and I rejoiced when she started speaking out for herself and didn’t let others run roughshod over her. Ethan Locke was a bit of an enigma at first. I couldn’t quite tell if he was good or bad. But morally grey heroes are exciting and thrilling and he suited perfectly. Once I got to know him, I knew he would be a great main character.
Ms. Leon wrote well-developed, deep characters. The story was thrilling and suspenseful with lots of action, a secret society, and buried treasure. What’s not to love? It was an easy read, and I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the dialogue between the main characters. The romance between Locke and Mae is sweet, though not the main focus of the story, and the intimate times are behind closed doors. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

I initially requested this book, because I Liked the sound of it. A pirate in high society? A magic sapphire? A disgraced lady? Awesome.
And I will say, I enjoyed the premise of this book, and I did end up rooting for the main couple… Even if this is one of those ‘age gap’ romances where the age gap is a little more… not as fun?

So, the mmc, Ethan Locke, stole a magic sapphire that stopped his aging, meaning that his body is now in the early thirties, while he has lived for around 60 years.

Mae Blackthorne, however, the fmc, is a 20-something year old girl, who’s family has died leaving her to fall from the status of a lady to a governess.

Turns out Mae’s dad stole the sapphire from Locke, who then stopped aging, before the people Locke stole the necklace from could steal it back, so now Locke needs Mae’s help to find the sapphire - and her hidden inheritance.
I enjoyed all the past history, the twists and turns in the plot. I was baffled when Ms. Rosewood turned up later, and overall, I do think the story is great.

There were, however, also some things in the book, that I didn’t enjoy.
Other that Mae and Ethan, I felt most other characters were very two dimensional. Miss Rosewood being a prime example of this, I don’t even think we learn her first name!

I also think the style of the book was a little too telling for my taste. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ‘argument’ the main couple had in the last half of the book, as they just completely spoke away from each other. The Silver Order is also something, I’d loved to learn more about.

Overall, this book was a nice enough 1800’s romantasy-like book, that I enjoyed reading. 3/5 stars.

Nope. Just can't do.

I usually try to read at least five chapters of a book before deciding if I should DNF or not but with The Sapphire Heiress, I was only able to get through chapter one. Why? Well, no hard feelings towards the author or anything but the writing was sooo "tell" not "show." Sentence and paragraph transitions were clunky and abrupt and almost every line seemed to be taken from another book. Concepts such as "and he pulled off his shirt to dry off" was cringe and the FMC was a "super talented horsewoman" who "because of her skill, was able to pull ahead in the horse race" (not a direct quote, just the gist). She willingly and unrealistically (historical-wise) went in the company of an unknown man and into his house. Sure, he was helping her get out of the storm but women in 1842 did not randomly go into strange men's houses unaccompanied by a chaperone! They were trained to be smarter than that. Who likes a clueless and naive FMC? Not me.

I went into this book looking forward to the historical/fantasy/romance aspects but came out disappointed. From what I garnered in chapter one, there's one d-word.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for The Sapphire Heiress e-ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts.

This was a super fun new read for me and I love the adventure. Looking forward to more from this author!

I have never read a historical with mystery elements. It is a fantasy but based on regency era, so think about pirates and bridgerton dresses. Mae and Locke have amazing chemistry. It is a book that would be great to turn into a tv series. Also, it reminds me of The Rokesby Series by Julia Quinn.

Thank you, Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are of my own

This suspense filled historical romance set in Victorian England was absolutely enthralling and engaging mystical love story. It had drama, action, intrigue, pirates, a governess, an elite secret society, a magical sapphire, and so many more emotional and supernatural issues that kept me very entertained. I enjoyed how beautifully everything worked out in the end. I highly recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Based on the book's description, I was expecting more about what ended up being the background story: how Mae's family and business fell apart to cause her to be where she is now. I wish the author had included more of that. I think that would have developed the story and characters much more. The description also made it sound like there would be a lot more pirate-related stories and adventures, and there aren't. All the pirates are finished at the point where we start the story.

Overall, I liked Mae as a character. But she was inconsistent, sometimes willing to take a risk without a second thought, and others she was much more subdued. I didn't love the romance part of the book, it was fine. But its timeline was very abrupt and seemed rushed. And the romance itself was very light, more sweet than anything, nothing spicy, which is fine I guess. Also, very light on the fantasy aspect, if you're expecting a whole different realm, adjust your expectations accordingly. It felt more like a historical fiction with a little magic and a little romance.

The pace of the book was difficult for me. There were portions of the middle that dragged, and twists in the story that didn't seem to fit here (maybe it will become more clear as the series continues?). The last 30% of the book is where it picks up and a lot is going on. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if the author could have found a way to weave some of this action into the middle that was sometimes just boring. But factoring in the entirety of the pace, it was too slow for me.

I think if you have the right frame of mind going in, this can be a nice relaxing read, and maybe a more exciting series as future books come out. It just didn't hit the mark for me and I don't think I will continue with the series.

I think this book had the perfect amount of magic for me. It helped keep the book based in reality for me making it believable. ( I know an odd thing to say about magic). Mae was a very empathetic character, she was kept in the dark about the family business and she never really had done anything wrong other than decline proposals she didn’t want, which apparently, is horrendous. Elllsworth discussed and implied sexual violence desire against Mae were unexpected to me but not overly grotesque. My favorite scene was near the end with the heaven or hell question, it felt very raw. This was an adventure story with pirates and a love story just as promised. I am in the middle with my rating between 3 and 4 stars. I’m interested in reading more in this series. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

honestly, I dont think I know where to start. this book is fine, truly. if you want an historical fantasy romantic romp, please pick it up by all means. there's castles, being chased on a horse, sexual tension in a body of water, a crazy (perhaps magical?) order that is out for payback, and also familial betrayal that leads to our fmc and mmc being thrown together to conquer all the big bad.

but this book (to me) was also confusing? I didn't understand many intentions, why certain characters said/did things and why we were rooting for the main relationship. at times it felt convoluted and written to be, if you get what I mean? like the characters had no agency, except for what the author needed from them to propel the plot forward, which I thought was a shame.

it could be me, truly. I am currently knee-deep in personal shit and exams (a combo from hell) but if I'm honest, I havent completely lost the ability to understand a plot or character arcs. perhaps this wasn't a match made in heaven this time around.

Sapphire Heiress is a closed door historical romance in which the heroine has fallen from high society and ultimately goes on an adventure of a lifetime when a pirate who seems to live forever crosses her path.
It has pirates, forbidden romance, a treasure hunt, and many family secrets. There are twists, betrayals, and a sprinkling of magic!
I definitely recommend this read!

The fantastical pirate element was all good and fun, but I needed more from the romance. More tension, or maybe a little more mystery surrounding the mmc.

Mae is having family and money issues.
Ethan rescues her from a rainstorm in the forest.
There are supernatural elements and magic that has caused Ethan to remain young.
I enjoyed these lightly treated phenomena as the emphasis was on Mae’s strength and character..
The romance between the two of them was also a treat.
Enjoyable and easy reading fun.

This has got to be one of my first historical romances I’ve read thus far and I’m not the one to pick up a book in this genre but as soon as I saw that the FMC is half Filipina I mean how can I say no? It did very much give that pirates of the Caribbean throughout the book.

- Secret society
- Pirate MMC
- Treasure hunting

I’d went into this book thinking it was more of a romance book but it took me more of a surprise that it came to be more of a suspenseful historical with a dash of romance. Action packed for the first parts of the book and a tad of fantasy, the premise of the book was quite whimsical! Locke who is our MMC is a retired pirate who hasn’t aged and is in this journey for this sapphire where Mae falls into the story of this adventure with him. Although me being a hopeless romantic and yearning for more chemistry between Locke and Mae, it was very open and closed type of romance between them. I would love the ending to be extended so I can grasp more of Locke and Mae’s relationship after the journey. But overall I enjoyed Mae as a FMC, her drive and resilience as a whole, it’s what you expect from any other living Filipina!

Thank you Ella, Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a beautifully written young adult adventure.
For me, I got Pirates of the Caribbean x Cinderella vibes and it worked!
It’s very low fantasy, with only minimal magical/mystical elements and I would place in more of a historical/adventure genre.

Some of the conversational passages could be a bit unclear as to who was speaking with each line, but easy to figure out eventually.
I found that I didn’t feel much chemistry between the 2 main characters until the last 15% of the book, even though there were mentions of intrigue between them. I think this was because the trust between them took sooooo long to secure. Meant that the relationship felt rushed at the end to me.

But it was a great adventure with some really interesting characters and conflicts! Didn’t know how much a needed a pirate-ish book until this one.

I liked the concept of the story.
However the characters didn’t feel like they had individual personalities and therefore they fell very flat, and their relations to each other felt superficial, which is ultimately why I couldn’t connect to the story.
I think it would’ve been better if it was told from the fmc’s perspective. I think that way, we could’ve gotten deeper into her character-building, and it might have added some mystery to the mmc and I think it would make the story more interesting, trying to figure out what is happening along with her.