Review: Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas (Baal's Heart #1) by Bey Deckard

Sheltered and lonely, Jon's life changes drastically when a strange ship sails into the harbour of his small port town one day. Trapped between the possessive pirate captain and his murderous first mate, he must learn to adapt or he will lose himself completely. An epic tale of love and jealousy, treachery and revelation, this first installment of the Baal's Heart trilogy brings you into the lives of three men so bound together by jealousy and lies that they must sail to the very ends of the earth to find forgiveness.

Deckard's first novel is a masterful portrayal of sorrow, hope, and passion, with a narrative that twists the reader through a world set in the Golden Age of Piracy. A thrilling look into the darker side of human nature, Caged effortlessly melds serious historical fantasy with five star erotica.

When you learn  that there is a book that you've ached to read about actually written and quite masterfully...

...a treasure. It's not a book for everyone but hearties....this book was made for me!! *licks pirate sword*


Sometimes it's hard discussing why a book rocks. There are very few books where I want to just say: 'eff this reviewing shit, just 'effing read this 'effing book! NOW!' Doesn't happen to me a lot but when it does I just want to crow from the rooftops.

This.

This is one of those books for me.

This book has heart, actually, hearts (literally and figuratively) and it's dope. For a first time novel...I was impressed. Is this book going to be for everyone? Hell no. And that's okay. I'll love this book enough for the non readers.

Who would this book appeal to? Hmm...if you're a fan of Rosemary O'Malley's "The Red King", run to "Caged". Readers who like dark, erotica, mystery, action, abused heroes, fantasy, love triangles, kink, D/s, (it's not as BDSM heavy as I expected but fingers crossed for books #2-3), getting close to that incest line but never crossing it (though I wouldn't have minded if it was crossed), rough sex and menage. And don't mind MC's with psychotic tendencies. Oh, a lot of flashbacks.

Is this book romantic? Mmm yes...but it's more about the main characters and their growth into a triad of sorts. But fluffy this book is NOT. It ends HFN-ish with the promise for a HEA in their future. Hey, it's book #1 of the Baal's Heart Trilogy...it can't end without a few loose ends that need to be tied in the future books.


This book is fantasy with a historical feel so the dialogue read  like present day, hell  there's even some present day topics such as pop psychology mixed in. So if you're a stickler for it to read like a real historical, etc, this might not be for you either.

Now, if I've weeded this down to potential readers...let's get down to "Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas".

Young twenty something Jon has a gift of an empath (or a curse if you ask him) he lives on the island of Portsmouth with his dog, Brutus and stepfather. He gets sent in for a job in the local brothel and gets more than he bargains for by being kidnapped by pirates. Yawr! And the pirates are questionable in their agenda. Poor virginal Jon has to deal with the handsome yet sinister Captain Baltsaros who lies with a practiced smile that does not meet his eye and an even more cheerful bruiser, foul mouthed first mate Tom (who I adored). They sail on the seas of alternate universe, visiting brothels, dealing with topsy-turvy sea life, pirating (living on their own terms, being bad asses, etc.) They aren't your gimmicky pirates, so no peg legs and talking parrots in "Caged". They were more gentlemanly unless it came to retribution, then its whatever means necessary.

There's some minor editing issues (which I've learned is being fixed so I won't mention them) but I did not have a problem following along. The author paints very vivid details, I can picture the room, smell the follows, see the silks on the ladies of the night. I was right there sailing along with the crew. Even the secondary characters were vivid and an important part to this story. Could be that it's a benefit the author is an artist, but it was very nice to have an author pay attention to detail with the imagery. There were also a few parts where the story dragged especially around 55%-about 70%. But this story lingers so I'm overlooking any niggles because the story was tops. I was going to rate it 4.5 but you know what, I loved this story too much to give it anything less than 5 hearts.

“What do I see? I see a man who has higher and thicker walls than I will ever have. I see a terrifying beast enveloped and hidden by a cleverly fashioned mask. I see tears that will never fall. I see blood and death. I see a heart that devours itself. I see the promise of pain and deceit. I see a lot of things, Baltsaros. Many of them frightening.”

Jon is caged. Baltsaros is caged, Tom is caged. They all have their personal demons. There are metaphors that can be found in all there but philosophy was one of my least favorite subjects so I won't bore you or myself. I love a good triangle relationship. All the men had their roles to play. Jon is the quintessential good guy/virgin. Tom has a horrific past and love for pain and submission. Baltsaros is a puzzle, a block of ice that lives and breathes but his heart was never a factor for him...until Jon. And Baltsaros does some depraved stuff, mateys with no conscience. He's a sociopath but there's something about him. He never had anything to care about.

Jon was the missing piece to get the blood pumping and bridge the gap between fuck buddies, Tom and Baltsaros. And also Tom and Baltsaros are open agents, so other men and women are fair game. Minor girly bits in the story, BTW. The three men (Jon, Baltsaros, Tom) struggle with their passions. There is jealousy, petty moves, things I expect when two people who've been fucking get a new third added to the mix.

Did the menage go as smoothly? Nope and it made for such the better read. I like the main characters working for their happy endings. I hate it when everything is neatly wrapped in a bow and told instead of being able to discover along with the main character. Like when Jon finally understood the power of submission and the difference between liking pain and the need for it.

And the erotica, it was not 300-plus pages of smut but when it happened,

“Aye, I love the shite out of that asshole, ducky. He’s strong, smart, and fucks like a bloody madman. What’s not to love?”

Oh boy was it hot ESPECIALLY THE LAST 10%!

Just. Yes.

Kinksters? Bondage, CBT, Wax Play and Breath Play. Have I whet your appetite?

The story is a journey, the author gives you a worthy story to apply to said journey. I enjoyed these multifaceted characters, the twisty turns and surprise themes.  I have a list of things I want from this series:

-more kink
-keep that adventure coming
-more info on Baltsaros (I know that deviant has more things up his sleeve -evil conundrum he is)
-more of Tom
-more of this series

I was thoroughly satisfied. I will most definitely be paying attention to this author because he has skills. I highly recommend this story for any MM fans who don't mind some dark & dirty with a potential HEA.

Well done, author!

P.S. I've been blown away by this story, to where my brain melted and I didn't know whether to threaten this author to write me more book or to propose my undying book devotion (with a ring). I'm going to go with the second option.

Bey, it's not everyday a girl finds an author who writes the topics she wants to read about so effortlessly. So here I am on bended knee with rings:

That's right 3 adjustable cock rings of eternal book devotion:

And your very own offer of slightly used art supplies and a Tim Horton's gift card. I promise to be your personal fan as long as you continue writing books for me the masses. I can also offer virtual dog walking and two ears to listen to you complain about those crazy fans. ;D

Would you do me the utmost honor by being my author?