Some pirates steal gold. Others steal hearts.

A cursed pirate, a book–loving girl, and a fae island where happily ever after comes with a price.

Bellarose Bonnay once believed happily ever after only belonged in books.

The second book in the twisted fairy tale series, The Aerowyn Tales.

Detailed description:

Bellarose Bonnay is a former French aristocrat turned penniless orphan in bustling New Orleans. She spends her days as a maid at Rose Manor and her nights escaping into fairy tales. Her one shred of safety is Quinn, the awkward yet brilliant blacksmith. He teaches her secret swordplay and quietly dreams of a future at her side. Pirates are just the villains in other people’s stories… until the cold–eyed captain they call Falcon strides in.

Captain Jasper Falcon has survived beatings, betrayal, and mutiny to become the most notorious pirate of the Caribbean. His name inspires fear in every port. His latest goal: reach the legendary Ageless Isle, an enchanted island whispered to hold unimaginable treasure, immortality, fae magic, and mermaid–guarded waterfalls of jewels. To get there he needs a new blade, a small crew of desperate men, and something entertaining enough to distract him from the blood on his hands. He needs someone to help him forget the nightmares that no treasure has yet silenced. Bellarose Bonnay is the perfect distraction.

After a twisted bargain with Quinn goes horribly wrong, Bella wakes to find herself bound in the luxurious captain’s cabin of the Black Fear. Bella is forced to write letters that make it look like she boarded willingly. She must use every ounce of her bookish cleverness and hard–won courage to survive among ruthless pirates without losing herself. Jasper promises she will remain “a guest,” but the hook where his hand used to be, the knife at his belt, and the way the crew watches her say otherwise.

Then the storms start. The sea witch Callista, a monstrous mer–sorceress with a serpent’s tail and a vendetta against the fae king, hurls a deadly typhoon that smashes the Black Fear to splinters. Bella plunges into waters where mermaids are real. Rescued by a shockingly red-haired mermaid named Cerise, Bella discovers her life has collided with a much larger design. Under the watchful eye of Aerowyn, the enchantress, and manipulated by King Peter, a fae ruler disguised as a humble first mate, Bella doesn’t know who to trust.
Welcome to Ageless Isle:

– An island where time stops and boys who wish on stars become mischievous forest leprechauns.
– A realm where pixies, mermaids, and redcap fae have their own brutal codes and bargains.
– A place where selfish hearts are tested in a lagoon of living jewels, where water uses your deepest fear against you.
– A crossroads for twisted fairy tale retellings including Beauty and the Beast, mermaid myths, and Peter Pan reimaginings.

As pirates and leprechaun boys are pushed through impossible fae trials, Bella must tell stories to save her life. She faces her own fears in a world shaped by narrative. Watch the ruthless Captain Falcon face his sins in the very waters that once sheltered his tears. On Ageless Isle, villains can be redeemed, heroes can fall, and happily ever after is never free.

Bella’s heart is still anchored to Quinn, the deformed blacksmith she left behind in New Orleans. Jasper begins to make choices no pirate should. When curses rebound, mermaids bleed, and a half–shared heart binds a pirate to the sea, Bella must decide:

– Is she the girl waiting for true love to rescue her?
– Or is she the heroine of her own coming–of–age YA fantasy?
– Is she willing to walk into danger, negotiate with enchantresses, and choose mercy over revenge?