Review this Book   Get your Signed copy today! Kindle Edition Amazon RockHill Publishing RockHill Publishing Category:  Fantasy Publisher: RockHill Publishing LLC ISBN-10:  1945286391 Type: Fiction Pages: 238 Copyright: Sep 4, 2015 ISBN-13: 9781945286391 Price: $3.99 (eBook) A pirate/mermaid love story fantasy set in the 17th - 18th centuries the Golden Age of pirates. A thrilling adventure that creatures a new and unique mythology - Book 1 of the Gemstone Series.  A fantasy Pirate/Mermaid love story set in the Golden Age of Pirates of the 17th and 18th centuries. Jeremy Simmons is a midshipman on the commercial vessel, Rummy Gale. An honorable young man, he believes in the science of the day not age-old superstitions of the sea. But a hurricane will do more than sink his ship; it will forever change his world. Shera, a mermaid, rescues him; they fall in love and in her attempt to return him to his world, she approaches her sisters at Usea Maya for assistance. The Maiden Queen forbids her from giving any further aid, condemning the man to a watery tomb. But Shera, a free spirit, defies the orders, goes it alone and inadvertently causes a tragedy. Infuriated by Shera’s defiance and Jeremy’s steadfast defense and willingness to take the punishment meted out to her, the Queen curses them both. She locks Shera in human form and binds Jeremy’s life to hers. A fate so cruel it will cause a split in the realm of Mermaids and turn good men into Pirates. Excerpt The storm was still several hours ahead, but Jack was right, it stretched from port to starboard with not a break in sight and he hoped the wall of black did not go on for too long. Jeremy had convinced him that carrying milled lumber would increase the load and therefore the profit of the voyage, but it also meant that the ship was much heavier, ride lower in the waves, and be more prone to sinking in a violent storm. “On land, a storm does not open the ground beneath your feet and pull you under. Now, what did you see from your lookout, Master Roggies?” “You mean the body,” Jack said carefully, as he was quite afraid of the Captain. The grey beard was rugged and unkempt, and the face hard and scarred. “I saw a body with long streaks of blood down its back. But the blood was bright crimson, like fire, it was there for but a moment then gone.” The Captain led them into his cabin and poured the young boy a full glass of grog. Four times his daily ration. Then he lit up his pipe, taking several strong pulls to get it going. Smoke whorls streamed from his nose and surrounded his weathered face. “Ah, you saw your first mermaid, my boy.” “Captain!” Jeremy objected. “Do you think it wise to fill the boy’s head with fancies?” The Captain laughed. “Fancies, Mr. Simmons? You went to sea as a lad a little older than good ol’ Jack Quick here, been on the water some six years now, and you think you have seen all there is. I walked a deck since the day I could walk at my father’s side, I have seen monsters. Fish the size of a ship that can reduce this boat to driftwood. They surface without warning and send clouds into the skies. And yes, mermaids too. They either come to lead us through a storm safely, or to collect our souls for the devil.” “As to your giant fish, I have heard of them, although I have never seen one myself,” Jeremy said, lighting up his pipe, the red glow reflecting the copper streaks in his hair which was tied tight into a neat ponytail. And his equally freshly minted copper eyes lit up brighter as he spoke passionately. “But I have never heard one creditable story of a mermaid. Most are told by those who have had as many years of grog as actual sea duty, and are usually told in exchange for a pint.” He laughed. “And they all end with the rum soaked brain being unable to forget her face, or the love gained and lost in a single glance.” Jack’s eyes widened as saucers and glossed over as another wave rocked the Rummy Gale. The captain squared him up, “a man might well take rum as his mistress once his heart has been touched by a mermaid. Drown himself in drink, as it were, to finish the job left undone by the sea. Jack, my boy, you be too young to feel this now, but I assure thee there be no purer love for a sailor than that for the maidens of the sea.” “You said they come for our souls.” “Well, not all love is reciprocated,” claimed the captain. The boy became unsteady on his feet again, and Jeremy, several inches taller than the Captain was at six feet caught his arm and steadied him before letting go. “Finish your grog, Jack, then, go below and help me secure our load.”

Professional Reviews
Swashbuckling pirates, enchanting mermaids and treacherous dragons
Mermaids, pirates and dragons; characters often used in fantasy literature. So how does one take a clichéd idea and turn it into something fresh?
If you are James L Hill, you create a new mythology replete with events so compelling that you will believe this is exactly how it was ‘before’.
First in the Gemstone Series, The Emerald Lady goes back to the swashbuckling era of heroes, heroines, and anti-heroes you love to see squirm when they get what they deserve.
The tale begins on a normal-enough laden ship about to cross the Atlantic; its cargo, timber. Having left too late in the season, it runs into a ferocious storm the likes of which the crew has never encountered and before the night is over there are only two survivors – Jeremy, the first mate, and Jack, a ship’s boy.

Being an honourable young man, who promised Jack’s mother to look after him while at sea, Jeremy makes sure the boy is safe on a raft before he himself loses all hope. But all is not as it seems in his dying moments.
His compassionate efforts have been witnessed by a creature he does not believe in from afar and as he finally lets go, Shera rushes in. All Jeremy sees is a shark about to end his life and heroically refuses to go down without a fight.
Shera has chosen to live a free and solitary life away from Usea Maya, where Rehema, reigns supreme, expecting complete loyalty. When Shera visits home to request aid to return Jeremy to the surface, the answer is ‘no’ and Rehema makes it clear to the assembled mermaids that they must steer clear of human contact and let the sea claim whomever it wishes.
Shera disregards the command and does all she can to save Jeremy’s life, but in so doing brings about consequences that sends three groups into world-changing events. For not only does she ignore the queen, she also inadvertently causes another sea creature’s death and falls in love with Jeremy, a mere human.

Enraged, Rehema curses the lovers and upends all hope of there being a normal world. She begins to manipulate all things as she pleases and considers her right to do so and finally instigates the split a select few have been expecting for centuries.
James’ tone is rich and imaginative, fulfilling the need for excitement. His characters shine in their mesmerizing descriptions, creating an opulent world packed with both beauty and treachery; a world that is both real and fantastic. But let me not give too much away, read it yourself, and discover a new remarkable world that says, when is number two coming out?

Kathy's Review on Goodreads
The Emerald Lady is a unique sort of book, combining pirate and American history with mermaid mythology in a unique and detailed counter-factual historical adventure. This story has an evil queen and lovers cruelly ripped apart by a curse, spending a decade searching for each other again. Hill shows a solid knowledge of nautical terminology (don't worry - the first few pages are a bit heavy on it, but it balances out), although even for me with a knowledge of sailing and time on tall ships, it doesn't quite capture the lure of the ocean. Instead, this is a story of mythology and the lust for power. The book gets better as it goes along, with a fast-paced adventure that I couldn't put down. It is a different sort of book to most fantasy, but enjoyable. Oh, and did I mention it has dragons?

Enjoy discovering the history of this world, and don't get too caught up on the random-fantasy-name generator names. It is a solid read.

I received this book as a Goodreads First Read in exchange for honest feedback.

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