Book Blurb:
Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge
against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy's fiancé seems a
perfect plan…until he actually does it.
Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.
But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.
Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.
But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.
Ashley Nixon's Author Bio:
Ashley was born and raised in Oklahoma, where the wind really does
sweep down the plains, and horses and carriages aren't used as much as she'd
like. She has a Bachelor's in English Writing and a Master's in Library Science
and Information Technology. When she's not writing she's either working out or
pretending she's Sherlock Holmes. Her obsession with writing began after
reading the Lord of the Rings in the eighth grade. Since then, she's loved
everything Fantasy--resulting in an unhealthy obsession with the 'geek' tab on
Pinterest, where all things awesome go.
Links to social media:
Website
GoodReads
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Links to where book is sold:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cutlass-ashley-nixon
I requested that the author pick a cast of actors to play her main characters if her books were to be optioned for the big screen. This is her FANTASTIC reply! I've never gotten anything like this from an author before, and I am so excited to share this with you!!!
"Oh, I love casting. Though, I'll let you know up front, I'm not good with names. The pictures I have below are from other peoples suggestions and Pinterest things I liked.
Name: Barren Hawthorn Reed
Occupation: Pirate
Relationships: Brother of William Reed, son of Jess Reed
Physical Description: Brown eyes, blonde hair about shoulder length, square jaw & scruff. Scars and an 'X' tattoo over his heart.
 |
This guy!
I don't know his name, I'm guessing he's just a model, but someone found him during my Cutlass party and I thought he was a pretty good Barren!
(P.S. I, the Semi Short Chic, am that participant that shared this hot dude during her Cutlass party! Can you say "EEEEKKKK!!!"? I knew she liked it, but I didn't know she liked this guy that much!)
Then there's this guy:
Alex Pettyfer! Probably only in this pose, but he's a pretty good Barren...he needs more scruff, and more scars.
Name: Larkin Alise Lee
Occupation: Make Barren's job difficult ;)
Relationships: Daughter of Lord Christopher Lee, fiancee to William Reed
Physical Description: Almond shaped, green eyes, dark hair, heart-shaped face & fierce.
This is pretty hilarious, because the girl on the cover of my book is actually the perfect Larkin in my eyes. Here she is:
Then there's this girl. I forget her name, but my friend imagines her as Larkin:
And for fun, I like the fierceness of this lady and her awesome clothes!
Name: Cove Beckett Rowell
Occupation: Ambassador of Arcarum
Relationships: Best friend to Barren Reed
Physical Description: Dark eyes, dark hair, shoulder length, willowy frame.
Cove Rowell has only ever been one person in my mind:
Ben Barnes! There's no need to explain, so here are the pics:
Name: William Reed
Occupation: Ambassador or Maris
Relationships: Brother of Barren Reed, son of Jess Reed, finance to Larkin Lee
Physical Description: Brown eyes, short, light brown hair, severe features.
I've always seen William Reed favoring Rupert Friend for some reason:
For some fun, here are some cartoon sketches my friend, Brittiny Hines, drew:
Barren Concept Sketch:
Larkin Concept Sketch:
Cove Concept Sketch:
I'm still in search of someone who could play my beloved Prince Leaf Tinavin, but I have not located the perfect photo yet! I hope you enjoyed my cast, and extra sketches! If anyone has other suggestions for possible characters, I'd love to hear them! :)"
AMAZING!?!? Right?
What say you?
Any other suggestions for the fabulous Ashley Nixon?
REVIEW:
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! I've seen that on some of the reviews they accused the book of being slow in the beginning, but I disagree. From the first second you are pulled into another world, immersed in a place I've never read of before. The characters immediately had me trying to figure them out, in a good way. I love the level of cruelty that Ashley gave Barren. In the end he still ends up being that knight in shiny armor but he is far from perfect, and it's very refreshing. I honestly could not have imagined a better ending, though I couldn't have predicted this one either. I won't spoil it for you, but if you like pirates, a touch of magic, a super strong female MC, and a whole cast that isn't afraid to fight for what they want (right or wrong) this is the book for you! Hope it gets made into a movie someday, because I really want my non-reader husband and family to experience the awesomeness of this tale! Can't wait for the next one!!!
5 Stars!
(But honestly, I think the skulls are much more appropriate with the pirate theme, right?)
*Updated 5/16/2015*
Book Tour Schedule
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
