This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Two well told lesbian romances - of a woman pirate and her partner from the 1700s, and of a current-day librarian and a private investigator who try to trace the pirate's fate.

I loved the characters and the writing - especially the humor infused into the narrator's character.

Unlucky in love, she has turned all of her attention to work. When a friend suggests that she would date more if she dated women from work, she laughs...

"'Yeah, like those relationships work out so well.' Julia had worked at the library as an intern, which was how I'd met her. 'No falling in love, building trust, finding your soulmate? Takes time I
don't have.'

"I didn't add that relationships were a waste of time because after investing years or months in the thing, the person ended up leaving anyway. Mari and I had been together for five years, then she left me for a man. A few years later I met Julia, fell deeply in love, then seven years later Julia left me for a man. This can be surprisingly hard on one's self-esteem. I figured the right-wing conservatives should start paying me some sort of prize for each woman I converted to heterosexuality, sort of a reverse toaster oven. I'm thinking a Caribbean cruise would be nice. As a reward for each woman I drive into a man's arms, the Republican National Committee will plunk my cute ass down onto the deck of a big, honking cruise ship, hopefully an Olivia cruise full of women."

A research librarian, she bridles at being called anal-retentive by the PI. Even though she knows that she IS anal-retentive, she doesn't appreciate being called on it.

"Wednesday evening, I packed a carry-on bag, watched a rerun of Buffy, then realphabetized my CDs, struggling as usual with the Christmas CDs. Did I put them in C for Christmas? Or by individual artist? Or in a special holiday section filed under H, or should it go at the end of the alphabet? If only the world knew that librarians struggled to organize their lives like everyone else, they wouldn't think us so retentive. But then again, if the world knew how I obsessed over organizing my CDs, I'd have to kill myself."

Very entertaining narration.

The story itself requires a huge suspension of disbelief, but I really didn't care. I enjoyed it nonetheless. Probably enough to re-read it. This book had lots of energy and suspense and fun action, and I really liked it a lot. ( )