Tag: pirates

Book Review: Virelai’s Hoard – Vivien Nash

Book Review: Virelai’s Hoard – Vivien Nash

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: The Dagger and Tide Trilogy
Release date: August 4 2025
Publisher: Indie
Pages: 297
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: The publisher kindly sent me an E-ARC to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Some treasures should stay buried. Some secrets should never be unearthed.

Riley has spent her life surviving on lies. She cons, she cheats, she takes what she wants and never looks back. When she tricks her way onto the Moonshadow, a pirate ship bound for an impossible treasure, she expects gold, and dreams of the things that come with it. Stability, security, a future where she doesn’t have to fight for every scrap. What she doesn’t expect is to be dealt into the crew’s games, drawn into their stories, and treated like she belongs.

But their leader, Captain Calla Nymeris, is as untouchable as the ocean—secretive, relentless, her gaze always fixed on the horizon as if haunted by something only she can see. Her first mate Sable is a force of nature herself, a warrior with sharp eyes and a sharper tongue, who watches Riley like she’s trying to decide whether to trust her or throw her overboard.

As they chase a treasure that shouldn’t exist, through waters that pull ships under and islands where the dead do not sleep, Riley realizes she wants more than gold.

But the sea is always hungry. And it never gives without taking.

A darkly romantic sapphic fantasy, Virelai’s Hoard is a tale of cursed treasure, treacherous seas, and love tangled in betrayal.

Review

Virelai’s Hoard is a fun and entertaining swashbuckling fantasy tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story follows con artist Riley and her rat companion as she tricks her way on board the infamous pirate ship, the Moonshadow. Captained by the mysterious Calla Nymeris, the crew is on their way to find a treasure that should not exist. Their quest is fraught with danger, and not everyone is going to make it back alive.

Virelai’s Hoard is quite a short read at just under 300 pages, and I found myself absolutely racing through it. It was quick-paced and full to the brim with action and adventure. I really like pirate books, and I thought Nash did a brilliant job describing life on board a pirate ship. I particularly enjoyed seeing Riley adjust to life on the sea with the hard work, danger, and the closeness of the crew. The plot was engaging, and I thought the action scenes were particularly entertaining.

Nash does a great job creating tension and romance between the characters, and overall, I thought the romance was well done. I found the characters interesting, and all three of our main characters – Riley, Sable, and Calla – were well developed. I really liked seeing the dynamics between all the different crew members as the story progressed and things got tough. The story came to a really interesting conclusion, so I am very much looking forward to reading book two in the trilogy. The story has a great mix of adventure and romance, and there’s even some ghosts, sirens, and curses thrown into the mix. If you’re looking for a pirate story with characters you can’t help but root for, definitely check out Virelai’s Hoard.