Summary from GoodReads:

 

After being exposed as a girl, Jacky Faber is forced to leave the Dolphinand attend the elite Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. But growing up on the streets of London and fighting pirates never prepared Jacky for her toughest battle yet: learning how to be a lady.

 

Everything she does is wrong. Her embroidery is deplorable, her French is atrocious, and her table manners–disgusting! And whenever Jacky roams the city in search of adventure, trouble is never far behind. Then there’s the small matter of her blue anchor tattoo. . . .

 

So will Jacky ever become a typical lady? Not bloody well likely! But whether she’s triumphing over her snobbish classmates, avenging a serving girl’s murder, or winning over a stubborn horse that’s as fast as the wind, one thing’s for sure: Jacky’s new life in Boston is just as exciting as her old one on the high seas.

My Review:

I made the mistake of actually “reading” Bloody Jack (the first book) and this time chose to listen to the audio after reading an incredible amount of ravings over Katherine Kellgren. Let me tell you right now, the ravings were spot on.

Kellgren makes these books come alive. I laughed, cried, hooted and hollared right along with Jacky as she navigated the perils of becoming a “fine lady”. I felt her longing for Jacky, her confusion at the rules and regulations of this new place she called home. I wanted to spit on my hand and join the Dread Sisterhood and to scheme along with her as she plotted to take down the evil Reverend.

While I certainly enjoyed reading the previous book, it did not come alive nearly as much as this book did. I’m NOT an audio book fan, normally – I like to read at my own pace and get impatient when I have to wait for someone else to get to the “good parts”, but Katherine made every part of this book the “good part”. I’m raving here – but her enthusiasm, spirit, accents, singing talents (the songs came alive so beautifully), emotion and just.. love shone through.

I’m a huge fan of these books now. This audiobook converted me and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to listen to a fantastic story – especially if you are wanting to entertain an entire car full of folk on trips. I cannot even imagine how much fun it would have been to listen to this in a group!

It’s nearly impossible to talk just about the story and not about the audiobook, because they became one and the same – but I will say this. I found the story in The Curse of the Blue Tattoo to be filled with adventure, colorful characters, just a touch of improbability (The Lady Lenore’s maker was.. well, I did roll my eyes) and to be a fantastic account of the misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady.

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